Wishingbee

Sewing Table: Completed! SO MANY PHOTOS!

2012-01-28T21:51:00.001-08:00

This is where my new table lives:

This is where it works:

And this is when I start singing the theme song to Transformers:

And this is about where I belt out "SEWING TABLE IN DISGUISE!!" so loudly it scares the dog.

Need a table like this? Build one! Super easy, and great (and free!) plans to build this little beauty here!

The color is an exact match to an antique Ball mason jar (Fish out of H20 by Mythic Paint). I'm completely in love. I was unsure at first, but my hesitance succumbed to adoration.

Since it was sitting so seductively in the corner, I just had to make something. This was my very first project on this table:

It holds a whole lot of ~~war paint~~ makeup.

See?

I followed this tutorial.

Hope you're having a great weekend so far!

Beard on Bread

2012-01-26T18:50:00.000-08:00

We eat mostly organic foods made from whole materials, including bread. Unfortunately, our bread machine died in a spat of flames a couple of weeks ago, and now the job of making bread has become a more manual endeavor.

I've been meaning to learn make bread, to really learn how. And for my 30th birthday in June my brother gifted me Beard on Bread, so I've had this lovely gem of a book for the last 7 months and haven't been making the most of it. Well, that's going to change.

I'm going to attempt to make every (eggless) bread in this book. Because I can. And because I'll learn a valuable skill while I'm at it.

Behold, my first handmade loaf of bread:

Basic White Bread (page 22):

This one was washed with condensed milk (it's what we had, don't judge!) and baked at 400 for 35 minutes. It wasn't perfect, but the taste was incredible. Next time I need to let it rise longer on the second rest.

So take this as a warning- you'll be seeing a lot more photos of bread on here as I work my way through this book.

Sewing Table: The Saga Continues

2012-01-25T20:30:00.000-08:00

I am covered in paint. It's apparently the only way I can effectively get stuff done. My creative process has always been wrought with chaos.

I can't decide if I love or hate the color yet. It is growing on me, but the initial shock hasn't worn off yet.

Something I do love: Gnome fabric from spoonflower.com. This will the very first thing I'll be sewing on my table when I'm done.

EDITED 1/28/12: So the gnome fabric was NOT the first thing to get sewn. Turns out I'm not brave enough to cut it. I'll practice on a few things first, and once I gain some courage those gnomes are going to get it!

I have a paint color for my sewing table!

2012-01-23T13:53:00.000-08:00

Aptly named "Fish out of H20." Because that pretty much sums up how I feel when I'm sewing.

Sewing Table: Structurally Complete!

2012-01-22T18:01:00.001-08:00

It needs a little paint, sure, but it's done!

Speaking of needing a little paint, I think something needs to be done about this:

Sawdust indoors really, really sucks, hence the scarf mask. I'm looking forward to building stuff outside again. Sweet, fresh air. Oh, how I miss you.

Screw the snow, I'm building a sewing table.

2012-01-21T15:05:00.000-08:00

The last time I left the house was last Saturday. In the meantime, I've been making our house a disaster by pulling everything out of the drawers and closets and not putting things back. I've discovered a stash of fabric in the chaos, and it's made me really want to start sewing.

Sewing takes space. It takes a proper working area, and the only area that has enough surface space is our kitchen table. So typically I'll set up shop there, then leave everything on the table for a minimum of three days, because it's a pain to put everything back just to pull it out again. And while I really wanted to sew this last week my husband needed the table to actually work-work, so I was stuck. No sewing for me.

But now the weather is better, the roads are visible and they're no longer a skating rink. I'm building myself a sewing table. A teeny, tiny sewing table, sure. But it will be all my own.

I found this great little design here, on ana-white.com. If you've never been to her site, I highly recommend spending some time browsing it.

The Four Seasons of Casa Crustante

2012-01-19T18:42:00.000-08:00

It's a few months away from our paper signing anniversary, but I am happy to say we've seen our little house (cottage? Shack?) in every season!

Winter is by far the prettiest, but man, winter is being a rough mistress this year. Does she have a safe word? Anyone care to share what it is?

Rumor has it we're supposed to be in the mid-forties tomorrow. I'm not really sure where the 9+ inches of snow in our front yard is going to go. I may need a boat by the time this week is over.

8" in the front yard and it's still snowing.

2012-01-18T11:49:00.001-08:00

We have more snow. And because we have to suffer through it, so do you.

The Calm Before the Storm

2012-01-17T20:22:00.000-08:00

Yup, it's still snowing.

According to various forecasts we're really going to get it tomorrow. They're suggesting anywhere between 4-12" of snow.

We've got food stocked away, I'm baking oatmeal cookies (made with applesauce and whole wheat- they're almost more of a breakfast cookie), and we've got board games, books, candles and flashlights. I think we're ready. As ready as we'll ever be.

Should be an interesting experience.

The First Snow of 2012!

2012-01-14T16:42:00.000-08:00

Our first snow at Casa Crustante!

Yup, our attitudes toward soliciting are as cold as our weather.

Our lovely Faverolles ladies have been great troopers, they've spent the majority of the day outside, foraging and discussing important chicken matters. Although they have been wearing an expression of WTH all over their chicken faces.

Something tells me that snow is slightly beyond their comprehension.

Hope you and yours are staying toasty and warm.

The Bedroom Chronicles: Part I

2012-01-12T07:20:00.000-08:00

I built us a floating headboard from some leftover plywood from the chicken coop floor. Huh. There's a sentence I never thought I'd type.

It's been hanging up for two days now, and it hasn't crashed on our heads yet. I'm counting it as a success.

A few 1x3s, some upholstery fabric, and some staples later:

With Blanket #1:

Blanket #2:

If you look very, very closely you might be able to see the teeny tiny closet that my husband and I share. Don't move. You might scare it.

Because I'm a barbarian, I don't really understand the floofy little additional pillows some people stack on their bed. But now that I'm actively trying to make our house feel like home (you know, like hanging pictures and stuff..) I may be tempted to sew some soon.

'Why sage green?', you're asking yourself. This room will have a theme. My first ever room with a theme! That theme will be.... drum roll goes here.... 'Naturalist!' And with that comes very subtle shades of green, grey blues, and pale lavenders and earthy browns. I think it'll be a very calm room. We'll see.

Ever since I've seen Ernst Haeckel's Tree of Life from the Evolution of Man, I've wanted to do something with it. I don't believe humans to be the pinnacle of life like he did, but rather varying shades of grey. But there is something optimistic and cheery about people who believe we are more than just primates, shuffling along our mortal paths. And toss it with a few botanist sketches of some of my favorite plants (I'm thinking perhaps some kind of oxalis and a trillium, maybe one of lavender?) to round out the room.

So I'm going to hang this above our bed. Framed in all of its glory, as a symbol to be more than what I think we are, to strive the be the brightest version of ourselves.

The next quest for me is to find additional storage. So I'll be trading out our box spring and replacing it with this Ikea's Sultan Alsarp Foundation:

Say hello to another 33 square feet of storage! $12 per square foot. Every little bit counts with our tiny home!

The Spice(s) of Life.

2012-01-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

new little spice jars
much too pretty for labels
makes cooking a game

Warning: Gratuitous Spice Bottles

2012-01-09T11:39:00.000-08:00

I bought spice jars from Mountain Rose Herbs. Eighteen for $22. As far as I'm concerned, it's a bargain.

I'm in love. Completely.

Oh, and I bought some herbs and spices, too. Our house smells like heaven right now.

That's all.

The Bee Chronicles

2012-01-08T14:36:00.000-08:00

Due to city code I am not allowed to keep honey bees. But that doesn't mean I've sworn off having bees completely. I firmly believe in doing what I can to encourage pollinators in my garden, and I figured that there's no better way to do that than to foster our own native blue orchard mason bees.

We bought them a house last year. Unfortunately the sale of our home closed after mason bee season, so we couldn't start our bee stewardship last year. The good news was that we managed to get this little chateau on sale!

Apparently mason bees can have difficulty figuring out which hole is their own, so I figured I'd add a little color to the mix to help them locate their individual apartments. Personally, I'd live in the teal row, third hobbit hole from the left.

While I was waiting for the paint to dry, I figured a little gnome surgery was in order.

We've been on a bit of a gnome killing spree lately. For some reason, every gnome that's in the house ends up shattered. I think this is their way of informing us they need to be in the wild.

So with a little love and care, our little gnome was made whole again. He has been ordained as Patron Gnome of the Bees, so I figured a little handmade bee was fitting for the situation.

All that's left to do is station the house and the gnome outside when the weather warms up.

My 20 little mason bee cocoons have arrived, and they're hanging out in the refrigerator, waiting patiently for spring. The females bees are the largest cocoons. They're about the size of a coffee bean.

I'm so excited to watch them emerge. I think they'll be a delightful addition to our little garden.

I ordered my bees from Crown Bees, a local company in Woodinville, WA. If you've ever been tempted to help our indigenous pollinators, this is the perfect time of year to do it.

Yogurt.

2012-01-06T06:59:00.001-08:00

I've been curious about making yogurt. I keep seeing yogurt making kits in the multitude of plant catalogs I've been receiving. They usually start around $50 or so. As much as I'd like to buy one of those devices, I really have no room for it.

So one night of particularly bad insomnia (I managed to pick a fight with the husband over rustling blankets- he ended up sleeping on the sofa and I ended up on the computer searching the web in angst) when I somehow stumbled onto a wonderful guide to making yogurt in a crock pot.

I was geared to make some serious yogurt (a gallon of milk's worth) but I ended up bringing home ultra-pasteurized milk. Don't do that! Thankfully, my husband (we're on good terms now!) was a sweetheart and brought me home my own gallon of 1% pasteurized milk. And thus, the process began.

I'll spare you the gory details, but here's a summary.

Heat milk to about 180F (but don't boil it).
Drop the temperature of the milk to about 115F (I turned off my crockpot at this point and just watched the temperature closely).
Mix in 1/2 cup of live culture yogurt per 1/2 gallon of milk.
Wrap it with a towel and leave it alone for 7 hours.

This is what I woke up to:

It is a little on the runny side. I'll be straining this through cheesecloth to get a thicker yogurt.

My breakfast: Freshly made yogurt, a touch of maple syrup with a sliced banana and a little homemade granola. It was incredible. I'm going back for seconds.

Want to make your own yogurt? Here are three sites that helped me greatly in this process: A Year of Slow Cooking, Our Life Simplified and Macheesmo.

This was so easy that I think I'll make it a regular thing- the flavor is remarkable. Easily the best yogurt I've ever eaten (I know this sounds conceited- but try it, you'll see!). We eat about $50 a month in yogurt, and we do whatever we can to eat organic. So I know this will be saving us a lot of money.

****EDITED TO ADD FUTURE PLANS****

Okay, so I wrote this before I was awake, so I thought it'd be prudent to add some things.

For my next batch of yogurt, I'll be heating the milk on the stove. Why? Well, heating the milk in the crock pot takes a reeeally long time, and I am a constant worrier. So the whole 3 1/2 hours it took to get up to 180F, I was taking the temperature every 15 or so minutes to make sure I wasn't ruining the milk by overheating it.

This is what I'll do:

Add water to crock pot. Turn it on high. Let it heat up.
When water is about 180 degrees and I'm ready, I'll heat the milk up on the stove at my convenience.
Dump out water, pour milk into the crock pot. Proceed as usual.

That's my plan and I'm sticking to it.

Bonus Round- Haiku!

tasty delicious
yogurt from my slow cooker
makes store yogurt cry

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T19:17:00.000-08:00

I've just finished cooking and devouring the last meal of 2011. Alderwood salmon with potlatch pilaf, sauteed spinach and rosemary roasted sweet potatoes. It was amazing, which is indicative of how wonderful 2011 has treated us.

We're saying goodbye to this year quietly. Just my husband and I, Casa Crustante, and a few bottles of Belgian beer:

Leffe brune, the one we drank with every meal while we were in Belgium, La Trappe Quad (my personal favorite), Delirium Tremens, La Fin du Monde, La Chouffe (the traditional style along with a holiday bottle), Duchesse de Bourgogne, Ommegang, and various friends.

I get pretty emotional anthropomorphizing our little house. Last year it sat here, all alone, gutted, holes in the walls, no insulation or electricity. And this year, we're living in it, and it has been such an amazing home to us that we hate to leave it for a single night. The simplest chores have become acts of love, little tokens of our affection for our tiny domicile. It makes us so happy. It is limited in space, sure, but it is completely full of love.

Happy New Year from those of us at Casa Crustante! Rest assured that we will raise a glass in your honor.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T18:55:00.001-08:00

It's a blissfully quiet night at our house. I'm trying to choke down some eggnog (I hate the stuff- but each year I attempt to drink it to try to be festive), and I'm basking in the joy of giving and receiving.

This year I've particularly have so much to be thankful for. A new car, a new house, my beautiful chickens and my productive garden. I have my family and my health- I've just been given the go-ahead to stop my medications. After several years of beta-blockers to treat hypertension, and surviving the resulting depression and fog-brain that those types of medication cause, I finally feel awake. Alive, even. Here's to hoping it stays that way!

*raises a glass of eggnog*

Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas!

The Day Has Come..

2011-12-17T21:48:00.001-08:00

...The chickens are outside.

And now they have names. Daisy, Hyacinth, and Violet. Yes, they're named after the ladies on Keeping Up Appearances.

And it's quiet in the house. And I'm worried about them. But the last I checked (about 15 minutes ago) they were sleeping soundly and NOT huddled together in the throes of extreme cold. As much as it pains me to think they could be chilly, I know that I built that coop well enough and these little birds have a very impressive down coat. And super lush beards. And incredibly feathery feet. It's like they're rocking scarves and boots! Stop worrying, Julie. It's going to be alright...

Sigh.

I wouldn't leave you guys without photos of the Henitentiary!

Check it out, I found decorations for it, too! Tomorrow I plan to build a chicken swing, hang up their food, and give their new home a little swagger. Solar lanterns and a giant rooster? Lucky hens, indeed!

Roof!

2011-12-09T19:55:00.001-08:00

Thanks to my father-in-law, we have a roof!

Progress!

Ch..ch..ch.. changes!

2011-12-06T11:59:00.001-08:00

Chickens are almost all grown up! Kinda. We're at 6 weeks now, and we've got most of our feathers (photos are about a week old now). The boys went to a great new home on the 26th, which was a relief.. So much more space now for these little ladies!

The run isn't done yet. We're hoping that it'll happen this weekend, as we'll have an extra set of hands around. The ladies seem pretty happy with the setup, I haven't had a lot of fighting and they're pretty easy keepers, so I'll definitely be a bit sad to see them leave the house. It's comforting to hear their trills and chatter. Such expressive little creatures!

We survived Thanksgiving on our own. I baked my first full turkey. It turned out well, and we were able to devour all of the leftovers, miraculously. I'm amazed that my little tiny fridge could handle a full turkey dinner and the leftovers that resulted from it.

And in other news, I have embarked on a juice fast. I did visit the doctor beforehand to make sure I was healthy enough to do it. So far it has been a really positive experience. I'm on day 6, and so far I've learned that kale + lemons taste like burnt rubber, kiwis + sweet potatoes are surprisingly delicious, and that spinach + cucumber make an incredibly refreshing drink. It's a learning process, for sure.

They Grow Up... So Fast.

2011-11-14T21:06:00.000-08:00

One day they're barely able to stand up.

And before you know it they're ready to fly.

*sniff*

Counting Down.

2011-11-11T08:58:00.001-08:00

My husband is somewhere over the East China Sea at this very moment, heading home from Taipei.

I'm so grateful for technology. There's something wonderful about being able to see the person you love on the other side of the world.

It's especially wonderful for those of us who are woefully codependent. No names, of course.

It stands to be said that I'm in awe of those people who are serving or have served in the military. To be so far away from the people closest to you for such extended periods of time must be very, very difficult.

House Love.

2011-11-09T12:44:00.000-08:00

As I was raking the leaves yesterday a woman in an SUV was driving very slowly by... As someone who is naturally suspicious and paranoid, I noticed her right away. Her vehicle was getting slower and slower as she crept closer... the passenger window started to roll down. I expected the worst.

"I LOVE THE COLOR OF YOUR HOUSE!!" She yelled.

And then she sped up and drove off.

Casa Crustante, I love you. I love you for being little and efficient. For giving me space to grow my own food. For having neighbors that are both friendly and kind. For being the type of house that people drive by and yell compliments. And I love you for looking especially adorable in the fall.

And for giving me plenty of exercise in the form of yard work.

You're my domicile soul mate, Casa Crustante.

Chicks - 18 Days Old!

2011-11-08T09:44:00.000-08:00

6 chicks, 18 days old. 3 boys, 3 girls, all adorable. I think they're quickly entering the shabby chic-k days of their lives.

One week + One Day

2011-10-29T11:53:00.001-07:00

Halloween!

2011-10-26T11:13:00.000-07:00

Some of the houses on our block are REALLY dedicated to Halloween. This leaves poor little Casa Crustante feeling left out.

I wasn't keen on going out and buying decorations, but I did want to do something that would hopefully attract one or two trick or treaters. So I scoured the internet, discovered something called a House-O-Lantern, and was thus inspired.

5 brown paper bags + 1/4 roll of duct tape = sort of halloweenish!

Street view:

Need a close up? Here you go:

I love our creepy little window. :D

Oh, speaking of Halloween...

Abby's costume showed up yesterday! It's a little large, but it's easy enough to make fit. The good news - it's a perfect fit for the cat.

Holiday Cheer.

2011-10-24T20:54:00.000-07:00

You too can have a cl-Assy Christmas in one of two ways.

1. You could always get food poisoning from your Aunt Suzy's bread pudding.
2. You could buy one of the following items:

a) Santa Toilet Seat cover:
Or b) The inflatable Santa popping out of an outhouse.

Both seen at Lowe's.

Halloween..

2011-10-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

Halloween costumes have been ordered!

This will probably be the best $25 I've ever spent.

Spectacular, no?

Six!

2011-10-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

Six eggs. Six chicks.

I'm in love!

Here, look at some chicks.

2011-10-21T11:39:00.001-07:00

You guys didn't think you could escape the inevitable chick photos, did you??

Hello World!

2011-10-20T23:48:00.001-07:00

It's hard to sleep when there's so much life happening the other room. :) Welcome to the world, baby chickie!

Hatching!

2011-10-20T15:50:00.001-07:00

This is happening RIGHT NOW. :D

Lockdown.

2011-10-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

So the eggs are in lockdown! 6 eggs survived out of 16. Not fantastic odds, but it's what I expected from shipped eggs. I'm sitting here hovering, making sure that the humidity finally reaches the sacred 60-70% that is required for these little guys.

Another exhausting day working outside. It was perfect. Such beautiful weather, too- we've been so lucky.

The coop looks almost like a coop now.

The nest box entrance will hinge open so I can clean everything in one step. I decided to use a tunnel approach to encourage them to use the corner closest to the front of the coop- it'll make it easier for me to collect eggs.

Looks like another gorgeous day is in the forecast for tomorrow, a balmy 58F is predicted! Keep your fingers crossed for me that I'll be able to finish this thing.

Scroll Saw Fun

2011-10-18T14:19:00.000-07:00

Behold, my first attempt at a circle with a scroll saw.

And, incidentally, the entrance to my nest box.

Last Year..

2011-10-17T18:01:00.000-07:00

One year ago today we were wandering Notre Dame.

Today, I hung chicken coop doors.

Front:

Back:

Interior:

Progress.
.

Happy Anniversary!

2011-10-16T21:17:00.000-07:00

It's October 16th... which means another year with my tolerant husband. Seriously, that guy is unbreakable!

Seven years ago we met, fell in love at first glance. 2 years ago we married. 1 year ago we were wandering the streets of Paris and Belgium. And this year.... we made beer. Belgian beer. Of course.Romance IS alive and well!

5 GALLONS of beer. Yes, happy anniversary indeed!

No Guesses?

2011-10-15T21:56:00.001-07:00

Have another clue!

Slowly Moving Forward..

2011-10-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

I didn't do my research on plywood grades, and it turns out we had been using plywood that wasn't rated for exterior applications. Whoooops. Instead of tossing out our work, I decided to take a chance and caulked all the seams with silicone, then added three coats of latex primer. Liberally, as if you couldn't tell.

Turns out I'm an over-enthusiastic painter.

So we've got the coop primed, roofed, and a functioning nest box lid.

We're heading in the right direction! The colors will eventually match the shed- blue with white trim. We're using left over paint from both our recent interior and exterior paint jobs.

We also roofed the future chicken fortress. Our contractor had left a few shingles from our chimney removal, and we had exactly the right amount. Don't you love it when things work out? Free roof, for the win!

What's left:

Building a shutter for the window above the nest box
Painting (obviously)
Interior of the nest box
Interior wall around the nest box (reducing the effect of drafts from our nest box lid)
Trim, trim, and more trim.
Hanging up the doors.

So I'm guessing we'll be done sometime next week. Which is great, because we really need to get started on the run.

I hadn't had a conversation with my neighbors regarding these chickens. I was going to... but when I thought about it, I didn't want to give the impression that I'm in the market for unsolicited advice as to what we can and cannot do on our property.

So when our neighbors started asking about our weird structure, I was honest. We're getting chickens! And guess what? They both are really very excited about it. In fact, it was music to my ears... "Oh great, what am I going to tell my wife?? She wants chickens, and now she won't have an excuse not to get them!" Hah!

And the city chicken fever spreads onward!

Guess What We're Doing on Sunday!

2011-10-14T21:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a hint:

Remember: Driving is a Priviledge

2011-10-14T12:15:00.001-07:00

I appreciate our car-centric culture. Truly, I do. But I think it's time for us to all re-evaluate our driving techniques.

Our vehicles should be considered weapons. They are large, heavy machines that can crush and kill people easily. I think more people should take that fact seriously.

Get off the phone. Don't text and drive. Stay focused. Don't drink and get behind the wheel.

There. That was easy, wasn't it?

I'm so tired of people getting away, literally with murder, simply because their chosen weapon was a car.

Coop Envy..

2011-10-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

So my coop isn't even done and I'm already suffering from I-Need-To-Build-Another-Coopitis.

Seriously.

Look at this coop:
There should be law against coops being this adorable. It makes me look bad. More beautiful photos of this masterpiece here.

I've spent 4 hours so far on the coop today. The last 10% craaaaawls, doesn't it?

Nine Days and Counting!

2011-10-12T17:46:00.000-07:00

Nine days left until we hopefully have chicks! I candled them on Monday night and at that time we had TEN eggs doing well. Ten! I'm so excited. And a little terrified. We'll see how it goes.

I Red-Greened a baby birdie brooder box. Note the elaborate cardboard hinges and the too-long screws poking out the top. I am leaving them as an anti-cat deterrent. If all ten hatch, I think this will work for the first week or two. After that, we'll see.

I also made some serious headway into building an external nest box on the coop.
Turns out I really like woodworking. I'm having way too much fun with this project. There's something really fantastic about actually building something and having a physical structure to prove what you've done with your day.

Chicken Coops + Chicken Embryos!

2011-10-09T19:24:00.001-07:00

Chicken Embryo Update: We've got 10/16 eggs still in the incubator, 8 of which are very obviously developing. How obvious? Well, they're moving around, very visibly excited about the process of becoming a chicken. Egg 16 is a pretty enthusiastic little fetus:

Some of them weren't as lucky.

We're on the right track to having chickens, so what better way to celebrate than to start on our Minimal LE coop?

Here's what our coop looked like yesterday:

This is what it looks like today:

It has been an interesting process building a coop with only materials we can fit in a car. So far, so good!

This blog should be called Chickenbee.

2011-10-04T21:41:00.000-07:00

See that little mass to the bottom left of the number 13?? Yup, we have an embryo!! 7/13 eggs are very obviously growing.

:D :D :D :D

The Plan.

2011-10-04T19:06:00.000-07:00

Modified 'The Minimal Coop' plan from Building Chicken Coops for Dummies to fit our wishes. External egg box, increased cute factor, more doors.

No idea it'll work. But hey, it's worth a shot.

I'm starting to realize that a good plan is like having a great cake recipe. As long as you have a good base, you can dress it up (or down) to whatever your tastes desire.

An Egg with Warts

2011-10-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

Eggs lose about 15% of their weight before hatching. True story. And because I can be a bit obsessive and nerdlike, I decided to monitor their weight to ensure steady weight loss. In my situation, every three days each egg should lose about a gram.

We're now on the 4th day (1/5 of the way there!), so it's a great day to check on their progress. I pulled the lid of the incubator and weighed each one. One of the eggs had a really bizarre exterior. It didn't smell. The bumps were clear and hard. So I posted it on the Backyard Chicken Forum, and the vote was an unanimous "Throw it OUT!" So now we're down to 13 eggs.

Apparently if you try to incubate a bad egg the insides will leak out of the shell. That's what you're seeing in the picture. In the worse case scenario, it can explode, causing the other eggs in the incubator to go bad. So this egg has met its fate, and is now bagged up and thrown out.

In other chicken news, we started on our coop! I've finally looked my fear in the eyes and bought myself a miter saw. I have been scared of radial saws since the beginning of time. But now that I have one and have used it, I can't help but be in complete awe by how incredible of a tool it really is. What a time saver! I had most of the 2x4s necessary measured and cut out within an hour.

It's worth noting that my husband's car can haul at least 10 2x4's!

They're Here!

2011-09-30T19:17:00.000-07:00

There's no turning back now!

Exciting times! (Or is that eggciting..?)

2011-09-27T15:12:00.001-07:00

My incubator is here and running. I've been spending so much time today looking at the temperature gauge that I swear I'm nearly cross-eyed. It's sitting at about 99.4F, right where I want it to be. Eggs will be here Thursday!

I've decided on my coop and run plans, too (funny how actually buying eggs makes you form concrete plans...). The run will be 6x12, covered, with an external 4x4 coop.

It's no Taj Mahal, but they'll be covered, fed, and watered. Here's to hoping they hatch!

French Drains

2011-09-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

The last two weekends have been dedicated to digging a trench on the south side of our house. Lucky for us, someone installed a french drain many years back... they laid down a pipe, covered it with river rocks, then covered the river rocks with broken concrete and a thick layer of shingles. Then they buried it.

Shingles, if you recall, work phenomenally to keep water OUT of things. So needless to say, their french drain failed, resulting in large amounts of water seeping into the foundation. The last owners, and the owners before, all complained (but never did anything to fix it...) to our next door neighbor about the drainage on that side of the house.. and lucky for us she gave us far warning before the winter weather.

The fun thing about house ownership is the large number of tools required for various projects around the property. This is our newest tool (the pickaxe, not the husband) to live in our shed. It has made the pure joy of digging a trench with river rocks, concrete, and shingles substantially more tolerable.

Happy Friday!

2011-09-23T20:12:00.000-07:00

Check out the new and improved view from our driveway!

Let's just say that it's been a busy week around here.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Happy Autumnal Equinox!

2011-09-23T11:20:00.001-07:00

What a gorgeous first day of fall, no? Makes you think about gardening, doesn't it?

I've decided to grow fava beans over the fall and winter for a spring harvest. I figure that I'm not going to get much else out of my garden in the meantime... and these guys looks like they'll be worth the wait. Fava beans make a great alternative to chickpeas in hummus, and if you pick them young enough you can eat this particular variety ('statissa') just like a fresh green bean. Which, for the record, is the #1 daily consumed vegetable in our household.

What's great about this variety is that it only grows up to 24" tall, half as high as other fava beans. And that means a lot to me, given that my garden is in our front yard. I want to keep everything as neat as possible.

Guess what?

2011-09-19T18:15:00.001-07:00

I have one of these heading in my direction.

And someone is saving some of these for me:

Image from Over the Stile

Yes, my pretties, those are indeed Salmon Faverolles eggs!

Not only am I part of the Faverolles Fanciers of America, but I'm going to actually have Faverolles to fancy! Hopefully. This is a major case of counting chicks before they're hatched.

I've got the jauntiest mailbox on the block.

2011-09-16T14:38:00.001-07:00

Before:

After:

This mailbox was made in Seattle over 25 years ago. It deserved a little love.

Projecting.

2011-09-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

When we had the house torn down to the studs, the hubs decided he wanted to install wiring for a projector system. There were a few hitches with the electrician (we only had to call him back about 4 times to get the job right...) and given the expense and the hassle, my husband was ready to throw in the towel an innumerable amount of times.

With my gentle encouragement ("..just order the f*cking thing already and get it done with.." were my exact words) the last few months he's been collecting the final components. On Saturday, the projector was finally installed.

And the last few cables showed up yesterday, and we were able to fire it up for the first time. It works!
We watched our first movie in our house last night- Gladiator. I'm happy to report that it's just as tearjerking 80" across as it is on a smaller television.

(btw, my apologies for not posting often or responding to comments. Moving and getting our condo ready for renting (not selling-decided to be a landlady!) has been sapping out my energy!)

Two Weeks.

2011-09-03T09:43:00.000-07:00

Today marks two weeks of living in our house.

And sometime last night someone broke into my car and stole my emergency supplies.

RIP, my emergency kit. I will rebuild you, and make you fatter, better, stronger. And I will consider a car alarm.

Welcome to the neighborhood? :\

Looks like.... Compost.

2011-08-30T15:47:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce to you my just built pallet and cinder block compost bin:

The front panel slides into the holes in the cinder block, so it's very easy to remove the front for easy access.

It's a little Red Greenish, but at this point I'm just delighted to have a designated place for our compostable table scraps and trash. Hurry up, black gold!

"Hey Ladies..."

2011-08-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

Did you know that a $160 sofa and loveseat set is just as scratchable as a $1600 set? True story.

This is why we bought used furniture.

Cats are almost great, some of the time.

Sunshine.

2011-08-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

Today is the perfect day in Seattle to sunbathe with your parrot.

Happy Sun Day!

Shaking it up..

2011-08-24T08:26:00.001-07:00

If we're friends in real life, or on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, or simply read this blog, you'll know that I love to harass people about preparing for the worst. Not because I'm just a pessimist, but because I know full well that really horrible things tend to happen to really good people.

If you live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest like I do, you know full well that we are in an earthquake zone... and Seattle itself has a lovely fault line that runs right through the city. So it's in all of our best interests to make sure we have some supplies and a plan if something catastrophic were to happen. And it's not like we don't also live near volcanoes, or have some very interesting winter weather occasionally (flooding and power outages for weeks on end- 2006, anyone?).

You've got an emergency kit, right? If you don't, go to Amazon.com or Cheaper Than Dirt, find an old backpack and stuff that thing full of food and emergency supplies. It's fun to put together, and then I'll stop fretting over whether or not my friends and family are prepared if something were to happen.

So yesterday the news blew up with details regarding minor earthquakes in Virginia and Colorado. They weren't really noteworthy in size, but they were quite unexpected as far as location goes. Given the catastrophic quakes that have occurred in the last few years, it was a relief to hear that these two events were relatively tame. And not only was a greater sense of earthquake awareness born, but also a hilarious meme regarding these 'giant' quakes.

There was also one that was so bad that I cringed and laughed out loud, and then realized that I'm going straight to hell when I die, so I tried to atone for my sins by making a donation to a related non-profit foundation. If you want to see it, go here... But I warn you, it may make you feel soulless.

Breaking up with my French Press.

2011-08-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

When I stress I have a hard time sleeping. And because I don't sleep I end up even more stressed. So the last few days have been a little rough, at least in the sleep department.

The alarm went off yesterday at 6am. I rolled out of bed and decided that Monday, of all days, is a fantastic excuse for coffee. I scoured our moving boxes for coffee, started some water.. and only then realized I had left my french press at home.

I was nearly in tears.

But then I remembered that several years ago my father-in-law bought us a single cup coffee brewer at REI. It was tucked away in our tupperware, so it had made the journey to our new home safely! And thus, my mood and day was saved. After three tall cups of coffee later, I was able to continue my mission of laundry, unpacking, and hanging curtains.

That might have been one of the best cups of coffee I've ever had. No sugar, no milk. Just unadulterated coffee on the first Monday of living in our new house.

Easy, simple, delicious. I have a feeling our french press will be neglected from now on.

A Moving Experience.

2011-08-20T22:26:00.000-07:00

The day is finally here. We're moved in!

And by moved in I mean 'most of our crap has somehow followed us to our new house and we can't find anything at the moment, except perhaps the floor in some areas.'

You know, for someone who lives in a smaller space and loves the concept of minimalism, I obviously have much more to learn. We. Have. Too. Much. Stuff. I kept hearing "You only use 10% of your stuff 90% of the time.." blaring in my head with every box I've packed and unpacked. As soon as we're settled and we know what we need, we'll be paring down again. I'm such a pack rat, I anthropomorphize my crap and I feel actual guilt when I throw stuff away, so it's really a bit of a challenge to force myself into keeping less.

On the plus side, we were able to get all of our furniture moved with a single trip in a 10' U-Haul. Our last move (March 31, 2007) happened during a freak snowstorm, resulting in our 14' U-Haul skidding into a ditch on an icy freeway in Redmond.

Thankfully, no freak snowstorms on this move. The weather was a wonderful 85 degrees, the warmest day so far this year in Seattle.

Everything has so far gone without a hitch. Although we have only tepid water in the shower- we get scalding water everywhere else in the house, but the shower is barely warm. Any thoughts?

At any rate, hot water is overrated. At least at this very moment. I have a freshly made bed ready to snore in, and after 15 hours of moving, I am ready to pass out.

Goodnight, World.

Alarmed.

2011-08-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

Our house now has an alarm, thanks to Front Point Security. There's something amazing about being able to use my cellphone to check a live stream video of our living room, no matter where I'm at. And not only do I have access to video, but I can also review a list of the last 25 events that have occurred.

I've never lived in a place with an alarm. We never even locked the doors in the house I grew up in.. but since we've had a couple of prowlers, the cost is worth it for our sense of security.

One of my favorite shows to watch growing up was Keeping Up Appearances. My newly 'alarmed' house reminds me of an episode where Hyacinth Bucket's (pronounced Bouquet) husband forgets their wedding anniversary.

Have thirty minutes and need a laugh? Here you go!

You're welcome!

Disturbing the Peace

2011-08-17T18:13:00.001-07:00

Guess what? This blog is coming to you straight from our new house's living room! Yay internet! Now that we have the wonders of the web, I guess it's really time to start moving in!

We've survived the onslaught of the painter/roofer/windshield repair/Comcast/contractor/insurance provider inspection appointments rather well, although we haven't had a single square meal thus far today.

We did have a chance to give one of our neighbors a tour of our new place. I had just finished painting a rather large swatch of 'Distance' blue on the front left of our house to get a better feel for the color.

I asked for her opinion of the color, and she was very cautious. "Oh... hmm.. that looks like.. fresh paint." Hah!!

Look at us, we haven't even moved in yet, and we're already causing trouble!

Despite the initial public reaction, I personally love the color. We've got paint flaking off everywhere, and there are spots where you can see the last three layers of paint that's peeling off... I feel like a really thorough cleaning, sealing some of the bricks that need it and a nice paint job would really do wonders for our little casa.

Exterior Paint

2011-08-16T21:13:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrate. Not only is it our adorable dog's birthday (6 years old!), but we've might have decided on a paint color:

Behold, Sherwin-Williams 'Distance.'

We visited a more greyish blue, but turns out we both really loved this color and might just run with it. I think this little house could use a bit of paint cheer, don't you think?

Tomorrow's Itinerary:

Roofing consultation
Painting consultation (I'm pretty sure I'll end up doing this myself, but I'm curious how much it costs to have it done professionally)
Setting up our Cat 6 cable internet
Security system installation
Replacing a broken car windshield (husband's car, not mine for a change!)

Once we have our security system in place, we'll start the really fun part... Moving!

Food from my Front Yard

2011-08-15T21:35:00.001-07:00

Thank you, my little garden. Tomorrow we'll dine on Zucchini Parmesan.

You're the First to Know

2011-08-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if you can read the print on this tiny little photo... but the key words are 'PERMIT APPROVED.'

Translation: THE HOUSE IS DONE.

80 days.
2 months, 19 days.
11 weeks.
1929 hours.
115,200 minutes.
6,912,000 seconds.

Worth every moment.

I should be packing right now...

2011-08-12T14:37:00.000-07:00

...but instead I'm looking at chickens.

We're waiting for the results of our 'final' inspection (they're never really final... seems like it's never THE final inspection... there's always one more, then another one, and then another... and three weeks later we're still in limbo...) and I'm starting to lose it, so this blog post will be about chickens. Because chickens are cute, and they're distracting, and they've got almost nothing in common with inspectors and contractors and plumbing.

Here, have some pictures of other birds that I wouldn't mind sharing my backyard with:

Wheaten Ameraucana-

Image from Ameraucana.org

Not only are the hens very pretty, but look at the eggs! It's like having your very own Easter Bunny all year round!

Photo found here on BackyardChickens.com

Lavender Orpingtons-

Photo found here.

I grew up in Sequim, Washington, the self-proclaimed lavender capital of the US. And as a result, I have a soft spot for lavender. Lavender chickens.... why not? Oh right, they're nearly impossible to get.

First things first though, and that's the coop. Last night I caught my husband reading "Building a Chicken Coop for Dummies." AND he's instructed me to put together my materials list. Score!

I bet you're curious as to what I've got in mind. Here's a sketch-

Total size: 12'x4'. Coop will be 3'x4'. The run will be covered, roofed, shingled, and guttered. I'd like to emulate this beautiful cat run with the lattice- it would be 2' around the perimeter. It'd provide a touch more shade and a little bit of extra security along with the hardware cloth I'll be using.

Side view. May have external next box, but for simplicity's sake, perhaps not. We'll see!

Big Moment.

2011-08-10T21:59:00.001-07:00

On day 75, our new house officially had furniture in it. Both of these pieces are used but beautiful, and they are destined for long happy lives in our dining area.

A sweet little chair: And a settee. Look at those curvy, adorable legs.

Not only are we dealing with the fun of hunting for furniture (while woefully being ill-equiped to move it- it's been an interesting process), we are also in the middle of choosing paint colors. We would ideally like a fresh-faced house by the end of next week.

"I live in a blue house with blue windows... blue is the color I find that I wear.."

Sherwin William's Gray's Harbor or Benjamin Moore's Mineral Alloy:

Yes, we like blue. Why do you ask?

Our Kitchen is DONE.

2011-08-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

Before:

After:

Tomorrow is our final inspection (hopefully). If all goes well, we should be able to start the moving process.

Turnips.

2011-08-07T19:37:00.000-07:00

You know what's even better than having my groceries delivered?

Growing my own food! Let me introduce to you tomorrow's dinner. Hello, pretty turnips!

Pulling these lovelies out of the ground felt a bit like unwrapping a gift at Christmas time. Anticipation, surprise, gratitude.

Kitchen!

2011-08-05T23:47:00.001-07:00

Our teeny, tiny, under the counter fridge will be delivered tomorrow! And tomorrow we're sealing the counter tops. I love my little kitchen, regardless of the grief I've experienced with it so far.

My House Will Look Like Alphonse Mucha Barfed in it.

2011-08-04T14:02:00.001-07:00

We're at the final stage of our house renovation. We should be able to start moving stuff over within the next week or so. I'm not holding my breath, although I have been slowly packing up anything that isn't essential for everyday living.

And now we really need to get our heads together as to what we want our decor to be. I've never really been in a position to consider this, but since we're starting all over, I've had to come to some sort of decision as to what I want our interior to look like. And all I can really think of is "blue french cottage." It kind of sounds like a bad cheese, and probably isn't a real decorating term, but then again, I'm not really the fancy type, so there you go.

Instead of trying to articulate my lactose-like description, let me show you some photos:

Small dining area inspiration:

Photo from Decor Pad

I love the idea of using a little settee to add more seating in our dining area. I want to be prepared for friends to stop by at any given moment and to have a place for them to sit. This fulfills every requirement I have- it's adorable, light hearted, with a cottage-like feel to it. And it's the perfect place to have a spot of tea. So if any of you see a small settee that would work, let me know!

Bedroom Inspiration- again, we're in a very, very tiny room. I think the bed will have to be shoved against the wall. And because there's so little space, I'm going to want to draw the eyes upward. Here's what I'm thinking:

Photo Inspiration from Country Living

While I don't have the benefit of being under an a-frame ceiling, or against a window, I can imagine a beautifully framed photo or picture or painting working. And anytime I can put curtains around my bed, I will. It reminds me of building blanket forts as a kid. So that will have to happen, one way or another. I love grey (or is this taupe? ...Graupe??) with blue, and I can really see this working in our space.

Living Room:

So the husband is intent on putting a 90" projector screen (I don't understand it either- but here's the deal: Whatever he spends on his little home theater project, I get to spend on my chickens). I'm trying to figure out how to make this work, and so far, I kind of like the idea of doing a theater curtain to hide the screen.

For seating in the living area, I've considered using patio furniture. It's inexpensive, durable, cleans easily, and when we get tired of it, it can be booted outside. Here's the set I've been eyeballing:

Image from a review at Home Depot

I've also been considering used furniture- I really love old Victorian and French sofas, and this will probably end up being a better deal in the long run. Instead of spending $1300 for the set above, I can spend $500 and get something like this:

Found this on Craigslist. Here's the Listing.

Whatever I end up with, I want it to be elevated off the ground so that light reaches underneath the furniture. This will give our area a greater sense of space than a more traditional American style sofa. I will probably cry harder though if (when) my cat decides antiques make fantastic scratching surfaces.

And before I wrap up, here's a photo of the space I'm going to miss the most when I sell our condo. This is my closet office. I love this little nook. It's teeny, tiny, and filled with everything I love.
I call it my beehive. Goodbye, sweet little hive! You've served me well.

Why Amazon Fresh is Amazing

2011-08-03T10:06:00.001-07:00

Today I received my second order from Amazon Fresh. It's taken me a while to try it out, even with the glowing review my friend Liz gave the service.

This is what I used to think:

Amazon Fresh is probably best suited for very busy individuals, and I can get my own groceries, ThankYouVeryMuch.
It must be wasteful to have a giant truck deliver my food.
It's probably way too expensive.

And now I'm sitting here in awe that my groceries have miraculously found their way to my doorstep, all high quality foods for no more than what I would have paid for at my local grocery stores.

I love that I shop as my week progresses. I log on when I notice that we're low on something and add it to my cart. When I have an order that is above $100, I pick a time that works (they mark the time slots that an Amazon delivery truck will already be in the area, so the trucks aren't making a special trip just for me), and the food is delivered.

In the shopping process, I can check the "local" and "organic" search requirements. This saves me time in my food hunting process. And it introduces me to a wider variety of local foods that my supermarket has ignored in favor for national, better known brands. For example, today I received fresh brats made with Redhook beer. Redhook! The beer made in the brewery that is about 10 minutes away from my condo. Why does this matter? Well, I know the money is going into our local economy, and I know that the food is going to be fresh.

Shopping is usually a three store experience for me, and I'm often stuck settling for food that I'm not all that excited about. Wilted celery, non-organic deli meat, a lack of frozen coho salmon, poor selection of organic fruits, nonexistent organic frozen vegetables, etc. And take a look at what I found at Amazon Fresh:
Yup, frozen organic LOCAL veggies. AND grass fed, local, free range beef.

And don't get me started on my alternative shopping experiences-

Trader Joe's, while wonderful and my favorite chain grocery store, always ends up being a bit of a madhouse. The aisles are jammed together full of people pushing you out of the way, and the one item you want it usually the one that is out on the shelves, and the poor staff is struggling to keep up with the hordes of people pillaging their store.

Safeway is a great place to get shot. I'm pretty sure they named it 'Safeway' to be ironic. On the plus side, you always have a 50/50 chance of seeing someone pee on the outside of the building.

QFC must stand for "Quit F*cking Caring" because that's pretty much the attitude of the people who work there. Also, their motto must be from the Highlander movie. "There can only be one..." checker. Great meat and seafood department, though!

Costco, while epic and monolithic, doesn't work for the two of us. I can never use up the giant portions of food. Also, we don't have a lot of space, so buying in bulk is an exercise in frustration and money. I'd rather eat fresh, and avoid the packaged deals.

So far I've been in awe with the quality of the food. Last week, we had organic Pink Lady apples (my husband's favorite!) and they were beautiful. They were the type of apples you use in food photography, perfectly pink and without a blemish. And this week, the celery is crisp and so large that it doesn't completely fit diagonally in my crisper. When you have such good produce, you use it. Every last bit. Money well spent? I think so!

One thing that I cannot wait to try is the "Automatic Delivery" option Amazon Fresh offers. You can save up to 10-15% on food you schedule ahead of time. So once I figure out exactly what we use and we're established in our new home, I'll be setting this up and saving more money in the process.

So well done, Amazon Fresh! You've converted this stubborn woman to see the light of your ways. And I'm hoping that this is the beginning of a long and beautiful friendship.

And Amazon, thank you for the flowers! And for bringing me cupcakes.

And I thought my kitchen was small...

2011-07-28T14:52:00.001-07:00

Avanti Complete 30" Compact Kitchen

I kind of wish I had found this before I planned out my kitchen. Kitchen cabinets are for losers.

(I obviously don't reeeeally think that. But I am experiencing some kitchen design fails that I will share with you as soon as my pride recovers.)

Happy Two Months, Little House

2011-07-24T21:14:00.000-07:00

It's been two months since we've signed our closing documents.

What a strange, wonderful trip it has been.

Our team has ripped out the walls, tore up the yard, installed new pipes and plumbing and electrical.. We sealed the cinder blocks, framed the sides of the house, removed the chimney, fixed the power line, patched the roof, and insulated the whole thing within 2 inches of its life. And I've planted strawberries, rhubarb, 7 different types of herbs, mimulus plants, and a 64 square foot garden.

And it's safe to say that this is the happiest I've been in a really, really long time.

Here's to our sweet little crusty house, which is starting to look less crusty as time goes on, and more like a home. Our home.

Happy two months, Casa Crustante.

Kitchen: Purchased! And Chicken Obsessing.

2011-07-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

We bought our kitchen today! And while we were waiting for our order to be processed, we had a good 30 or so minutes to wander around and admire some of IKEA's offerings. And of course, all I could think about were chicken coops. I'm starting to see chicken coops in EVERYTHING. Garbage can? It can be converted into a coop. Red Flyer Wagon? I could build a gypsy wagon style coop on it! Old pickup truck? I could use it to haul wood to build a coop with! You get the idea.. I've been obsessing.

And since I was in the kitchen section, I got to thinking... "Why couldn't you make a cabinet into a coop...?" And as soon as I got home, I fired up the Google Machine and did some research.

Check out this sketch-up for an IKEA style cabinet coop from a group of architects in Paris, via The Poultry Project:

Image from The Poultry Project-
(many more awesome mockups of this at the link above)

Could you imagine how great it would be to swing by IKEA to pick up a flat packed chicken coop?? I think they're onto something great! No way could my hens live in my kitchen though...

And as I kept browsing, I found this gem built out of a 30" sink cabinet they found on clearance posted on the Backyard Chicken forum:

The forum thread can be read Here

Check out the sweet interior:
It's a bit too small for my future flock of three I long to have someday (maybe I should get bantams?), but it still serves as a great inspiration. What I love most about chickens is the amount of creativity people are putting into keeping them. There are so many fantastic ideas out there.. and I can't wait to see what we end up with.

We have walls!!

2011-07-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce to you.... our walls!

A Brief Photo Tour

2011-07-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

Husband took these photos today of our house. Let's take a tour!

This is what the interior of our house looks like at this moment: New framing, new insulation, new pipes, new electrical.

Photo of our hallway.

Our zucchini plant has zucchinis!

Roses are blooming in the front yard. I pruned them back a bit aggressively, and they've responded by bursting into blooms.

My little garden is my favorite 64 square feet so far. :) Grow plants, grow!

Chickspiration

2011-07-10T00:09:00.000-07:00

I should be in bed, but I'm not. I'm too hyped up on caffeine and inspiration. Chicken inspiration. Chickspiration? Okay, so that's a word now.

Anyway, guess who is totally chickspired, especially after participating in Seattle Tilth's Urban Farm and Coop Tour today? This gal!

One of the highlights for me was this little New Orleans styled coop:

And the inside, complete with cocoa husk bedding. This coop smelled like a brownie! I was skeptical when the owner urged me to stick my head in there and breathe, but was pleasantly surprised!

And after hanging out with nearly every chicken breed imaginable, I've discovered that I'm a huge fan of ear tufts (apparently they're called 'muffs') and toe feathers. Who would have known?

I think I may just end up with a flock of salmon faverolles ladies. Adorable, gentle, great layers even in the winter months- I think we might have found a winner.

And seriously, those muffs? Priceless.

Photo from Faverolles Fanciers of America,
as I'm not awesome enough to have any of my own... yet.

And in other, none chicken news, my garden is growing and growing and growing. When I'm at the house I could swear that I hear the plants grow.

And speaking of the house, our new plumbing and electrical has been inspected. Drywall will be going in on Wednesday! New gutters on Thursday. Things are moving along. I can't wait to live in our new home. Patience. Patience. Patience.

This is what our front yard has looked like for the past week or so:

I should really just be thankful that the Grand Canyon in our front yard is gone as of Friday. Not having to leap to my garden over a 4 foot deep chasm with 4 gallons of water? Priceless.

Dachshund + Firepower

2011-07-05T18:04:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite sites lately is Animals Being Dicks, a great compilation of animated gifs full of mischief from a variety of non-human species.

And this really takes the cake! Really glad nobody was hurt in it, that could have ended very badly!

Hope you survived Independence Day with the same number of limbs you started it with!

Boom City!

2011-07-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

Every year the husband and I end up at Boom City. I'm not sure how the tradition started, it's just been one of those things that we always end up doing. We always walk away feeling more alive than ever, and since we have never lived in a city together that allowed large fireworks, this is a great way to get the urge to blow sh*t up out of our system.

Boom City is on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. It is an expo for pyros- stall after stall full of fantastically colored fireworks at relatively inexpensive prices (bartering encouraged!). And if you're looking for some not so legal things (*cough* bombs and drugs *cough*) those can also be found. Although they're cracking down hard, for a good reason. Drugs in a place where you can light off explosives...? Yeah, not a great idea. This little slice of heaven is right along a monstrous field that is open to light off your newly purchased wares... it can become a bit of a war zone - children firing roman candles at each other, mortars (sometimes falling on their sides and shooting into the crowds- we see it at least twice whenever we go), and wind-blown fireworks that blow up too low to the ground, often next to someone's head (the first year it was me who this happened to... my ears rang for a week after).
This year they had a great staff of people who were wandering the area making sure nobody was getting too rowdy... and since we visited on the 2nd of July, less people were running around firing off stuff simultaneously... it felt like a much safer experience.

Can't picture it? Here's a video that nearly sums it up:

Need a bit of an adrenaline rush? Head out to Boom City just before sundown today, bring a lawn chair, dress warmly, and watch people blow up their money in celebration of our fine country. :) Hope you have a happy (and safe!) Fourth of July weekend!

Living Small - Inspiration

2011-07-01T10:06:00.000-07:00

As you know, I'm a big fan of small spaces.

I love the idea of having mobility, being nomadic, and making due with what you have. And as you know, I love Tumbleweed Homes. So it should be no surprise that I've been inspired and amazed by what Collin & Joanna from Our Wee House have done: Built their own 130 square foot movable 'Fencl' house... and it's lovely!

Check it out:

Our Wee House

It's beautiful on the inside, too.

Our Wee House

Through the rubble of our own renovation, I sometimes stop and have a moment of panic. We bought a house! And compared to the national average, it's small.. Outside measurements have put the square footage at less than 660 square feet.

In 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average square footage of a home was 2,392 square feet. We'll be living in a house that is 70% smaller than the national average. But I look at what Collin and Joanna have done and I can't help but be inspired. They can do it! And so can we.

Planning our Kitchen!

2011-06-30T07:22:00.000-07:00

This is what our kitchen looked like:
This is what it looks like this very moment:

And this is what I have planned for it in the near future:

Beech flooring has been ordered. White cabinets, built in oven, beech butcher block counter tops. What's missing? Oh yeah, the fridge!

No matter how I arrange it, a full-sized fridge simply takes up too much space. I have found an alternative, though- a 6.1 cubic foot freezer/refrigerator that tucks underneath the counter top.

Plus side to this arrangement? If we resell this house, there's already a prime location for someone to install a dishwasher, if they want one (we already have a dishwasher... her name is Julie). There's enough room for a standard fridge on the other side of the wall, but I personally want that wall open so I can finally have my own baker's rack.

So there it is! I'm sure our contractor will laugh at us... but hey, he's not the one that has to live here.

Flyte so Fancy

2011-06-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

It's not a secret that I want chickens. Some women are experiencing maternal urges toward children, while I'm nesting in an entirely different and perhaps more literal way.

I want to attempt to build my own coop. My goal is to have it done by Easter, so I can have little chickens first thing in the spring. Of course, the house will have to be finished by then, and there are only 50 other things that are of a higher priority... but the heart wants what the heart wants.

Of course, this doesn't stop me from obsessing from what they'll live in. But I have to say, my jaw dropped when I found these:

The Gypsy Willow £3250.00,

The Gypsy Wayfarer £2750.00

The Gypsy Daydream £3900.00

Each of these amazing little hen houses can be found at Flyte So Fancy. They have more 'typical' coops, as well, but even those are extraordinarily lovely. Perhaps when (if) we head back to Europe in the fall we can swing by Dorchester and ship one of these back... I wonder how much beer it would take to convince the husband that we neeeeeeed something like this in our lives?

Hobby Hen House

Ah, pipe dreams. :)

Permits Secured - Moving Forward!

2011-06-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend actually felt like summer. So we spent all day Sunday doing yard work. I can't get over how nice it is to spend time outside in a place that is our own. Living in a condo really is a horrible fate for someone who loves to be outdoors.
It's so rewarding to watch the backyard evolve. We're taking back the land with each slaying of a blackberry or english ivy plant. We've gained at least 300 sq/f back!
As far as the house goes, we're moving along! New pipes/plumbing have been installed, the attic has been insulated, our closets have been framed, the bathroom vanity has been picked out. Our roof has been freshly patched and is now leak free!

The garden seems to be happy- we've had our first produce.

I planted strawberries on Father's Day in memory of my dad, and had a fresh strawberry to snack on by Thursday! Most of my other plants seem to be content and are growing steadily.

Have I mentioned that I'm SO EXCITED about this house?? I can't wait to move in!

Sacred Permit Land

2011-06-16T15:32:00.001-07:00

House: No new updates. We are currently in the Sacred Permit Land, which will last probably for another week. In this time, the details of our modifications are being drafted and submitted for approval. We estimate that we'll move forward sometime next week. And then I can bore you with pictures of our house adventures again.

The garden is flourishing! I have it completely planted, and the tomatoes are taking off. Every time I look at it the plants seem like they've doubled. Grow, plants, grow!

Breakfast Cookie Base

2011-06-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so this may be the most delicious cookie I've ever eaten. Why am I posting this? Because I will cry so many tears of sadness if I lose this recipe. Thus, it's going online.

Asterisks denote changes I've made to the original recipe.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie
(original recipe found here)
2 cups flour*
3 tsp. baking powder*
1 tsp. salt*
1/2 Tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 sticks butter
2 cups old fashion oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup molasses*

Mix, roll into quarter sized balls and flatten with a fork. Bake for 9 minutes at 350°F.

Healthy for you? Um, not so much. This is the nutritional information per cookie:

It doesn't really come as a surprise, especially when there's a stick and a half of butter in it. The base flavor is SO DARN GOOD though that next time I'll be modifying it. I'm thinking about using more pumpkin in lieu of one stick of butter. We'll see!

I smell rotting flesh...

2011-06-08T23:09:00.000-07:00

And it's because of this:

The corpse flower is blooming at the University of Washington. We've been home for about 40 minutes, and the stench is still stuck in my nostrils. However, I didn't HAVE to climb up the ladder and stick my head in it, but it seemed like the thing to do when you get faced with a perhaps-once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

More photos of this beast found here, courtesy of the photonerd husband.

Hello, Julie v3.0

2011-06-07T20:54:00.000-07:00

Guess what? I turned thirty yesterday! I spent three very busy days celebrating. As a result, this post will be a photo-barf.

Saturday: BBQ at my brother and sister-in-law's place.

Perfect day to be on a Washington State ferry, right?

I have a new gnome friend! Meet Jameson!

Sunday: Puyallup to visit the Mother Earth News fair (I saw an electric VW Karmann Ghia- my dad would have loved it!!). And had a delicious tea celebration in Seattle.

Monday: Jumped on a boat plane and flew to Victoria, B.C., waved at my birthplace and hometown as we flew by. I rode in the cockpit.

Visited the Butchart Gardens.

Champagne before lunch?? Why not, it's my birthday!

And we flew back home.

I have videos and real pictures but I am exhausted and can't be bothered to deal with uploading such things at the moment. Hope everyone had a fantastic time with the beautiful weather we had over the weekend!

Day 2: Renovation

2011-06-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

Guess what we found in our front yard last night?

Oh hey, it is (was) our leaky chimney!

Cinder blocks have been sealed from the inside for added moisture resistance. Take that, mold!

Today we met up with our contractor at 6:45am to discuss the framing. I was very tempted to stick around and watch the framing process, but given how small the space is and the large amounts of lumber coming in, I was a hazard being in the way. Can't wait to see the changes tonight!

Renovation Day - More Pics

2011-06-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd share some more of these images. Perhaps this house is one that only her owners could love, but there's something beautiful about the light drifting through the bare beams.
Definitely a little piece of Seattle Heights Garden history:

What's that?? You'd prefer a video? Alright, here you go:

If a picture says a thousand words...

2011-05-31T19:21:00.000-07:00

It's been one week.

2011-05-30T22:11:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow will mark one week of our house ownership. And guess what begins tomorrow?

Renovation!!

Not that I'm excited or anything.

And in other news, the garden space is filling up quickly.

I've decided that the bulk of my garden space will be dedicated to beans and tomatoes. Beans are not my favorite but they're extremely versatile. Anything that I can can, freeze, or dry, and use in a chocolate cake (they make fantastic flourless chocolate cakes- seriously!) has my vote.

We have a renegade domestic rabbit running around our neighborhood. He was terrorizing our neighbor's beautiful rose beds today. We picked up a live animal trap, hopefully we can catch him before any of the raccoons, owls, or other natural predators do. We'll see what happens.

The Ultimate DIY

2011-05-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

My brother wins the prize for ultimate DIY project this weekend:

He built himself a foundry. For smelting aluminum. Why? Because he's going to use the aluminum to build himself a lathe.

And to think I was proud of assembling my cedar raised beds from a kit.

We have gardening substrate!

2011-05-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

Day 5 of house ownership, and what beautiful weather to celebrate our new home in. We also had our first meal at Casa Crustante. No table? No chairs? No problem!

Mmm, bento!

We spent a good portion of our day filling up our garden beds. Check out this substrate. Isn't it rich and gorgeous??

I love the way it feels, it's such a great mix. We'll see how much the plants like it!

The not-so-great news is that our house has a prowler. I spent a good deal of time at the house yesterday, and as soon as I drove off (apparently seconds later...) someone pulled into our driveway and started snooping around the property... Which means they had been watching me and just waiting for me to leave. Our neighbor took down their info, and made sure nobody broke in. It does make me a bit nervous, though. At least we know about it now, and can be extra cautious during this renovation.

Raised Beds & Mineral Oil

2011-05-27T22:13:00.000-07:00

Today, in Casa Crustante Land it was a much needed lazy day.

I dismantled some of the boards to allow for a more streamlined 4'x16' bed. I also coated them with mineral oil. I absolutely love the look of mineral oil on cedar, and while I'm uncertain that it'll prolong the longevity of my boards, it is cheap enough and easy enough to give it a try.

Untreated board on top, mineral oil on bottom.

I'd like to get these up and filled by the end of the weekend. Fingers are crossed!

The Universe.

2011-05-26T22:49:00.001-07:00

This is a photograph of the entire visible universe from our planet.
37,440 exposures.
5,000 megapixels.

This photo was taken by Nick Risinger, a Seattle-area fellow.

Well done, sir. Well done.

Mazda2 Hauls Crap - Literally

2011-05-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

I'm proud of my little Mazda2. Today it hauled 13 cubic feet of manure and compost, in one run. I think the blokes who loaded it for me were amused. "I haven't even seen one of these cars before! Are you sure you want to load it with this?" Yup!

And she did just fine! I brought home all sorts of goodies. 9 cubic feet of mixed compost (see below), 2 cubic feet of steer manure, and 2 cubic feet of chicken manure. I think my plants will appreciate the diversity!

You have to love something that contains bat guano! I'm going to have to remember that when I'm savoring my first tomatoes out of our garden. "Hmm, this is a fine, mortgage lifter tomato, with a hint of bat guano in the nose." Hah!

I also took some time to arrange my beds around the sun. I want maximum sun coverage for the limited space I have, and it doesn't chop up our front yard completely. And it's not completely an eyesore. I hope.

I pruned back our rhododendron, and spent some time pulling up the noxious english ivy that has, along with the blackberries, taken over 1/4 of the back yard. I love the look of ivy, but it's actually choking one of the trees, and since it is a non-indigenous intrusive plant, I'm going to do what I can to contain it.

Day II, House Ownership

2011-05-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

Did we skip spring and summer? It's raining so hard it feels like September right now.

Plenty of work to be done all the same, like assembling my raised garden beds.

My heart broke that our battery operated screwdriver had a fit and died. Instead of making yet another trip today I simply nailed them, so we'll have to be extra careful when moving them around. They're pretty sturdy all the same, and they're now waiting patiently for me in our future kitchen and our living room.

I'm curious to know if they'll last for more than one season- they're made of cedar, but it feels more like balsa wood, it's so soft and spongy. At any rate, it was still a good deal, and rather perfect for us this year.

Garden Success!

2011-05-24T22:18:00.000-07:00

I knew that I wanted raised garden beds, but I wasn't sure how I was going to get them. I'd build them myself, but my current selection of space and tools are lacking. I could build them in the condo, but transporting them to the house could be an issue. And the sawdust in a confined space is never fun.

So, I had resigned myself to finding some nearby (Craigslist has a decent assortment!), or building very basic ones this year and fancying them up next year.

After pulling up half a yard full of blackberries (90 gallons worth - seriously- land ownership is FUN, isn't it? My hands are shredded!) and calling up waste management, we found out that we needed large paper bags to toss out our yard waste. So we ran to Home Depot, picked up some bags, lustfully looked at BBQs, and discovered this in the process:
Simple, cute, relatively cheap. Greene's Cedar 4x4 Raised Bed: $34.97. Requires an electric drill and a screwdriver. I've already got one of those! Awesome!

So we chat with the clerk, tell him about how we just got the keys to our house today and we're looking forward to having a garden for the first time in ages. He picks up a notepad, jots down something quick and hands it to me. "Consider this a housewarming gift."

Score!!

So we load up, pay for our loot (only spent $125 more than we anticipated... hah, whoops..), and proceed to head out. Forgetting in the process that we're driving Jinx, my teeny tiny Mazda2.

Turns out, that little car can fit more than we expected. We were able to fold the seats down and remove the trunk concealer. Plenty of room, even with the lawn gnome.

And thus, I can concern myself with more exciting things than the acquisition of my raised gardens.. like where on earth should I put my chicken coop?