Merry Christmas/happy Hanukkah/happy birthday to Bich!

Oh, happy day for the wine collection of Bich!

So this morning, the doorbell rings, and it's a delivery guy ... with a big Crate & Barrel truck behind him, the door open to what would be holiday and birthday gifts for Bich.

Now, as a joke a couple of years ago, Santa asked Brooke what she wanted for Christmas, and she quipped, "Well, can she create a registry?" Santa enthusiastically said yes. So Brooke did, putting on some dream items like copper pots (which you've seen previously on this blog) and a few other items that she's bought herself when they go on sale. Santa still checks out the registry come gift time. 

A couple of weeks ago, Mom alerted Bich that Santa had once again hit the registry, and bought both holiday gifts and birthday gifts, which would arrive December 18. Because Bich has had their hands full the past few weeks -- and Mom and Santa prefer it when gifts are a surprise, and Brooke has learned how to delay gratification -- Brooke did not check the registry to see what those gifts would be, and instead waited for whatever was going to arrive today.

Our wine bottles have a fabulous new home! Isn't it so pretty?

(McAllister wine bases, base with door; red kissing balls, all Crate & Barrel)

So this is the dining room right now (suddenly our dining table looks terribly out of place, so we'll just focus on this area instead). Clearly, we dig our wine, and must buy more.

Thanks so much to Mom, Dad and Santa for our gifts ... it's simply awesome. We're so thrilled to have these! (Yes, I did squee! like a little girl when I saw the big boxes.) The original intent was not for Santa or my parents to actually buy them, but boy, do we love them, and we're so very grateful. It has really warmed up our home.

Oh, and the candles? Those are left over from our wedding. Rich hates them, but I pointed out that I didn't have to spend our current money on them. He shut up.

Here's a random picture of Rich after we pulled the buffet out of their boxes and I vacuumed the joint -- we bought a round black rug on Leeza's suggestion, and she was totally right. Now I'm going to go out and find the right ottoman cocktail table ... because this coffee table has got to go.

The porch, and the second bedroom, Part Two

Before ...

At inspection

In July (and basically through November)

And after:

Here's the porch -- cleaned up at last. It's a really cute space, and someday, we'll replace the windows, paint, get new blinds and curtains (because now? Ew), and tile the floor. Until then, we're keeping it simple.

Woody, hanging out on his favorite chair.

Upstairs, the alcove is cleaned up, and a litter box is behind a screen. Benny couldn't help but be curious.

And while we haven't painted our bedroom yet, I figured I'd put up the curtains and get some books in their proper spot to make it cozier in the meantime.

And the progress on the second bedroom is, to be modest, amazing. Not that it would take much (getting up that pet-stained carpet was huge), but still, I'm thrilled.

Bed pieces are just waiting for a mattress. 

The second bedroom, Part One

Before ...

On inspection day

In July

And after:

More and better pictures to come.

Long-overdue update

Yeah, yeah, I know. Bich disappeared. I blame tailgating weekends, upheaval in the career zone (all good) and, well, a lack of getting anything done.


Thank goodness we have family and friends who save our asses.


An update on the last to-do list, plus a few extras:


1. Get a water heater before I have a panic attack. This is an ongoing disaster of epic proportions, but that's really all I can say about it, other than ... oooooh, glorious hot water, how I missed you!

2. Fix the boiler before I have another panic attack. See above explanation. On the bright side, the plumber AND the oil man said our boiler is in fine shape, and will just need some maintenance in the future.

3. Finish the second bedroom. Tonight or tomorrow, I'll get the second coat of poly on the floor, then let it dry for a few days before painting the trim and moving stuff back in there. You know, make it an actual bedroom. Mom and Aunt Connie saved my sick-as-a-dog self when they came to visit, and they painted the trim for me. Holy cow, did that help. It looks great.

4. Rent a truck and get my mattress out of the Quinns' garage. Um ... this weekend, perhaps?

5. Use said truck to get the mess out of the backyard and take all that sand to the dump. Um ... this weekend, perhaps?

6. Finish hanging up the few pieces -- mail/key organizer, signs and mirrors, etc. -- that really need a home already on the walls. This is sort of done. Still have a few things that haven't found their homes yet.

7. If I'm feeling really frisky, finish painting the upstairs hallway and get started on painting the risers. HA HA HA HA HA HA.

8. Call a landscaper. This one's currently up for "discussion." But that big circle of dirt in the backyard isn't going to seed itself. So I didn't call a landscaper, but Billy saved the day and seeded for us, along with mowing and edging and trimming. Our yard looks a million times better. And I'm no longer stressed about it. It also means I was happy to see rain in the forecast today so Rich won't have to water it tonight.

9. Call a housecleaner. Not up for discussion. Yep. Hired me a housecleaner. She's good and she's cheap, so if you're local and you need one, lemme know and I'll pass the info along.

10. Maybe, perhaps, get the baseboard heat installed in our bedroom. Otherwise, Rich will keep sleeping with a knit cap on his head and I'll have to continue surrounding myself with small furry animals. Done! Yay! We have heat everywhere!


11. Once the floor and trim were done in the bedroom, it meant we could clear out the porch -- which no longer looks like a book bomb went off in it. We've got grand plans for the space, which will probably wait until we decide to install new windows there, but as they say in real estate, it has tons of potential.

Food deviations

As I closed my fridge this morning, lamenting the lack of "real" food within, I caught sight again of the pounds -- yes, pounds -- of flours that are easy on my friend Amy stocked in it.

Amy is our own gluten-free goddess, and it just doesn't seem fair to bake for a tailgate when she can't even partake in the goods. So I hit Wegmans to stock up on gluten-free baking fare to make pumpkin muffins for last weekend's Homecoming.

We have no photos (I know, I know, never a photo), but it won't be the first time we go gluten-free this football season, so we'll take a few next time.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share the recipe, from Gluten-Free Goddess. Here's the link. However, I'm not a huge pecan fan, so I skipped topping them with nuts and went with maple cream cheese icing.* Yes, I did. Oh, and I added chocolate chips to the batter.


Rich and Amy dug them. I'm wondering if Amy has already eaten all of the dozen we left behind with her at Penn State yet. I was too busy lamenting that I can't eat the icing all the time to really notice the muffins themselves, but they did bake up beautifully looks-wise. (Come on! Bourbon vanilla extract!)


I've discovered that cooking and baking within the HoB's kitchen is really quite convenient. And my KitchenAid mixer is no longer just a very pretty decoration.

*Maple Cream Cheese Icing

8 oz. softened cream cheese or vegan cream cheese
3-4 Tbs. softened unsalted butter or vegan margarine
3-4 Tbs. pure maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp. bourbon vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar (more, if needed)

Beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add 3 Tbs. of the maple syrup, and vanilla. Add in the powdered sugar a cup at a time; beat until smooth. Add another tablespoon maple syrup, if needed. Add more sugar, if needed.

Honey-do list*

*I've got a few things I'd really, really like to get done before the cold sets in/Mom and Aunt Connie arrive.

1. Get a water heater before I have a panic attack.

2. Fix the boiler before I have another panic attack.

3. Finish the second bedroom. Tonight or tomorrow, I'll get the second coat of poly on the floor, then let it dry for a few days before painting the trim and moving stuff back in there. You know, make it an actual bedroom.

4. Rent a truck and get my mattress out of the Quinns' garage.

5. Use said truck to get the mess out of the backyard and take all that sand to the dump.

6. Finish hanging up the few pieces -- mail/key organizer, signs and mirrors, etc. -- that really need a home already on the walls.

7. If I'm feeling really frisky, finish painting the upstairs hallway and get started on painting the risers.

8. Call a landscaper. This one's currently up for "discussion." But that big circle of dirt in the backyard isn't going to seed itself.

9. Call a housecleaner. Not up for discussion.

10. Maybe, perhaps, get the baseboard heat installed in our bedroom. Otherwise, Rich will keep sleeping with a knit cap on his head and I'll have to continue surrounding myself with small furry animals.

Sunday morning

From this ...

To this:

Saturday was a flurry of exhausting activity for Bich; when we look out the back window, we either despair at how much we have left or realize just how much we got done, depending on the moment. (We're not talking about the Penn State game, in case you're wondering.)

Before we finally get to aerating and seeding, we need to get rid of most of the sand from the old pool, then get some topsoil to fill it in. Thankfully, we don't need a lot ... but this sand is killing us. 

Yay, digging?

I kept telling Rich he was digging too deep, but he wasn't listening. It's like he has a vendetta against the sand. ("Die, sand, die!!!")

Underneath that tarp are bags upon bags of sand. I suppose this means we're prepared in case of a hurricane.

Lots of dead plants and small trees dug up -- still not done on that front. That poor hydrangea will probably be dug up soon, too.

Believe me, this looks a lot better than it did. A rose "bush" was one of the victims here, but it had been poorly placed and wasn't going to survive (certainly not with me as its caretaker, but it really didn't have a shot).

This back corner on the other side of the house was weeded, and we used some old bricks to flatten out the area and give us a better spot for the garden hose. This will be swept up today; it should look at least decent after today.

We find more detritus in this yard, I swear.

After we decided we'd done enough in the yard -- i.e. before we fell over -- we hit Lowe's for anchors and screws for my pot racks. Rich got these anchors and screws from Toggler, and after drilling a few holes, laughed and said, "I feel like I'm forsaking my heritage."

Funny-looking plastic things sticking out of walls.

Rich, being handy. (He really is.)

Thanks for loaning us your drill, Leeza!

Getting there.

Success! Rich got both pot racks up, with a couple of small hiccups in between, but he did it. Go, Rich. 

We then put on the new slipcovers. No, I did not have the energy to steam them or wash them first.

New pillows! Aren't they fun?

Not much of a change, but they're so clean and hole-free. 

So we finally hit the sack in a ball of exhaustion. I woke up early, like a kid on a second Christmas morning, and grabbed my beautiful toys, just waiting for a space worthy of them.

OMG, aren't they pretty???

The Babs Commemorative Wall (from Mom: kitchen cart, pots and pans, wax melter, clock).

Loooooooove.

Who's coming to dinner?

Oh, gosh, this is just fabulous. Other than an eventual kitchen renovation (new cabinets, major appliances and floor), we're pretty much done in here.