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.

Saturday morning

A little update before a little work before a little football.

This kitchen cart comes from Mom -- thanks, Mom! -- and hopefully today

we'll put up the pot racks above it.

And here's the second bedroom. Today or tomorrow, I'll put the second coat of paint down on the floor (yes, it was meant to happen last night, but ... I didn't).

The floor. It's not perfect, but I decided I like it that way.

Walls: Behr Premium Plus Interior Paint in Flint Smoke
Floor: Behr Premium Plus Porch & Floor Paint in Cool Granite

Cute, huh?

When we discovered that our slipcovers actually had holes in them from being washed and worn so well, we figured it was time to replace them. And I thought these pillows would be perfect for the House of Bich, so when the slipcovers arrive, these will make adorable additions to our freshly covered couches.

Pillows: Shop Dirtsa on Etsy

Dear Santa

Love!

Dear Santa,

Please go here and feel free to buy me any of these items.

As usual, I have been a very good girl for the most part this year and have worked very hard. And while I haven't finished my project in the second bedroom yet, I promise that these things will motivate me.

Love,
Brooke

If you can't beat 'em, stuff yourself silly

The House of Bich hosted Rich's siblings, spouses and cousin for the Penn State-Alabama game over the weekend, and while that didn't turn out to be such a hot event, I scored huge in the kitchen. (Insert your dirty jokes here.)

I made my first pulled-pork sandwiches.

Here's the recipe I used, but in the end, it became mostly "inspirational instruction." We have Leeza's grill at the ready but we haven't used it yet, and an eight-pound pork shoulder might not be the first thing we want to try out on it. So we used our Crock-Pot. Believe me, it'll be fine, purists be damned.

What you'll need for the pork:

2 1/2 Tbs. coarsely ground black pepper
3 Tbs. (packed) dark brown sugar
3 Tbs. paprika (or 1 to 2 Tbs. tomato paste)
2 Tbs. coarse salt
1 1/2 to 2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 untrimmed pork shoulder, about seven pounds, bone in (mine was nearly eight)

I cut the pork shoulder into four smaller pieces so it would cook more easily as well as fit into the Crock-Pot. (Edited to add: I forgot to mention this, but I gave the meat pieces a quick brown in the skillet, maybe a minute on each side.) Mix the first five ingredients in a small bowl, then rub thoroughly into the pork -- make sure you get it into every nook and cranny. This is important. (After this, you should cover it with plastic and let it sit in your fridge for at least two hours, preferably overnight, but it'll still be good if you're the impatient/late-running type like me.)

Stick the pork in the Crock-Pot on Low.

For the mop (also known as jus, or juice, or zooga):

1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1 Tbs. coarse salt
2 tsp. vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients until combined. Pour into Crock-Pot, using the sides so as to not rinse the rub off the pork.

Now, put the lid on AND DON'T TOUCH IT FOR AT LEAST EIGHT HOURS. Seriously. Don't peek, don't just take the lid off a little to "make sure it's cooking right." Just leave it alone and get on with the rest of your life (cleaning the house, watching "College GameDay," whatever). It can easily go as long as 12 hours, though I found nine to be pretty darn perfect.

While the pork is cooking, make the coleslaw and barbecue sauce. And no, do not get coleslaw from a mix or a bag, or bottled barbecue sauce. Both are too freakin' easy for you to be cheating.

Carolina Red Barbecue Sauce

1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 Tbs. (packed) dark brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried crushed red pepper

Stir it all up in a bowl. Cover and put it in the fridge. (You can make this a couple of days ahead of time.)

For the coleslaw:

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Carolina Red Barbecue Sauce (see above -- you've already made it!)
1 2 1/2-pound green cabbage, quartered, cored, very thinly sliced

Whisk the mayo and sauce together in a large bowl. Throw in the cabbage. Mix. (See? Not hard.) Now cover it and stick it in the fridge for a while; coleslaw is the sort of dish that gets better as it sits. Mix it every once in a while.

So you've been sitting around, freaking out about the big game, you're wearing your vintage Penn State jersey (Ki-Jana Carter is totally vintage), drinking beer. It's now been about nine hours, and it's halftime. Time to eat, because it's clear you're going to lose. Take off the lid from the Crock-Pot.

Take many, many deep breaths. Yum.

The meat was so soft and pulling apart so easily that I had to get a big scoop out to get it onto a platter. Four pieces had became something like 20 deliciously wonderful ... pieces. (The bone will simply fall back into the Crock-Pot with the mop.) Take two forks and pull apart the meat on the platter. If you've cooked it right, this step will be so easy, you'll wonder why you don't make this sucker all the time.

Pour a little mop on top. Then get out your buns -- I used fresh kaiser rolls from Wegmans because they were biiig and could stand up to all the juices -- and plop lots of pork on top, then lots of the mop, then the barbecue sauce ... and then. DO NOT SKIP THIS PART. Put the coleslaw on top.

That's a pulled-pork sandwich. Eat it and like it and thank me later.

HoFB

That's House of Football -- otherwise known as the House That Joe Built. Well, during football season, anyway.

It's the most wonderful time of the year again, kids, and I'm currently resisting the urge to paint our bedroom in Blue and White stripes. (Yes, the caps are correct.)

Football football football football football.

I love football. I love watching the team run out of the tunnel at Beaver Stadium after JoePa. I love watching them after the drum major has landed his Roman flip. I love the Blue Band. I love watching teams get destroyed by my Nittany Lions. (Not that it happened the last time we were in attendance, against Ohio State.) I love that I am now one of those alumni who begin tailgating at 7:30 a.m. I love State College, Zeno's and that we got married on campus.

I hate Pitt, Michigan and Iowa, in that order. I hate it when people talk crap about JoePa. I hate losing.

On Saturday, we play Youngstown State in the home/season opener, and the wonderful Amy Farkas

is putting us up (she was also our hookup for this year's season tickets, which we just could not resist despite the fact that we bought a house three months ago). We've got some really awesome friends in Happy Valley -- K-Fo, Ali and Amy among them.

It's too hard to focus. I am so excited!!!

To top it off, Bryan and Lisa are visiting this weekend. Woot! What a great end to summer.

Happy football season, everyone.