More Tasks Than Time These Days...

I must be the world's worst blogger.  I don't intentionally ignore my little piece of cyberspace, but these days I feel there is just an overwhelming amount of "stuff" to do and not enough time to get it all in during the 24 hours we are given in a day.
 Some folks can give up sleep.  Not me.  Less than 8 hours and I am just hateful. Ten hours is ideal but I MUST have eight hours of beauty sleep each night or I can't function the next day.  I wish I were wired so I could go on less but that simply isn't the case.
Rather than tell you all I have to do and how I hate that Fall = Stress for this Teacher/Student/Wife/Mama I will try and share the good stuff that has been going on here at Wilted Acres.
First off, I can't believe how BIG Babycakes is getting!  No longer a baby, she is blossoming into a beautiful little girl.

She is very independent and likes to give her Mama a run for her money some days.  But I just love that little face and her quirky sense of style.  The binky is a new thing.  Never wanted one as an infant but raises holy hell if she doesn't have one these days.  I may need to stock up on these things!

Recently, we went to visit my Dad at the last minute.  She loves her Poppa and he is equally smitten with her. She loves it when he takes her to the park so they can feed the ducks.  The above "selfie" we took on the little train that chugs around the park.  I was shocked that it was only $1 per person.  The little one had a blast as you can see. :-)

Cleo the cat has been helping me in my efforts to stay on top of things around here recently. I love this cat.  She is so patient with Babycakes and is so friendly.  Always up for a nuzzle or cuddle. :-)

I'm also about to embark upon a little bedroom update.  When the Hubs and I got married, we received a beautiful Shabby Chic duvet cover as a wedding gift.  Sadly, two dogs, one cat, and a toddler have left an impact...

The top picture shows the "original" side of the duvet.  I mended and mended but finally gave up the fight and just flipped it over to the other side.  Now the other side is starting to tear.  Since this cover (which I love, by the way) is no longer available I had to find something else.  I also wanted to get something a little less girly for the Hubs even though he told me to get what I wanted.
I decided to go with a solid blue that has textural stripes.  This would allow me to add some pattern with throw pillows.  Since the original bedskirt was pink, I went ahead and got a new one.

The duvet and bed skirt I bought at Kohl's.  The bedskirt is white eyelet lace (I'm not relinquishing all the girliness!).  I also went by Hobby Lobby and grabbed a few fabrics to make some pillows.  Here are some current pictures of our bedroom.  Any mess you see is mine.  The Hubs is much better about cleaning up after himself.

Hopefully I can find some time to stitch up the pillows and make the switch.  When that happens I'll post some "after" pics.  Until then, here is a little bit of Wilted Acres love...

Camping Trip From Hell

I didn't intend for it to be so long in between posts but life has been a little crazy around here.  A couple of weeks ago the hubs and I borrowed a friend's camper (and the big honkin' truck required to pull it!) to head out for a last hoo-rah before our summer came to an end.  Let me tell you, this is the way to camp!

We started out with high hopes. Babycakes was in the backseat chillaxin' while the Hubs was in the driver's seat...

As the official photographer and baby entertainer I was able to avoid driving the monstrosity RV down the interstate.  Which is a good thing since 45 minutes into the trip the driver's side mirror slammed into the side of the truck on the way down the road.  After a stop at the Ford place, the mirror was fixed and we were on our way.

Yep, those are zip ties holding the mirror on the truck.  Nothing like a bunch of rednecks to fix your car.  But I'm not complaining - it worked!
After this unscheduled stop we realized we were not going to get to the campground in time for dinner so we had dinner at a truck stop since they had the parking for the RV.  While we were there Babycakes got in touch with her country-side.

I'm pretty sure she wanted to take that hat out of the truck stop.

Once we arrived at the campground the Hubs got everything set up.  In the dark. With a cranky wife. And a cranky 2 year old. And a cranky wife.  The man deserves a medal.

They next morning we awoke to a (still) sick kid.  She had JUST finished up a second round of antibiotics for an ear infection that kept hanging around.  Now she appeared to have a sinus infection.  So we located an urgent care center that accepted pediatric patients and spent the whole day dealing trying to get her some medicine so she would start feeling better.  I would have to say it was one of the worst. days. ever.  The evening improved after Mommy  Babycakes had a nap.  The Hubs made steak and baked potatoes and we were able to visit with our friend Jack and his son Josh.  The food was a-maz-ing and Babycakes even showed off for our visitors!

The next morning I was up before anyone else so I was able to enjoy some quiet time.  I loved it.  Definitely one of my favorite parts of the trip.

That morning, after breakfast, we went to the pool even though it was a little on the cool side.  (As a side note, the weather here has been freakishly unseasonably cool this summer)

Yep, that's me in all my porcelain white glory.  My 2-year-old tans better than I do.  

Anywho, later that afternoon we headed down to the Old Fiddler's Convention in Galax, Virginia.  Babycakes LOVES live music, especially if there is a banjo involved.  So we thought we would check it out and we were not disappointed.  I'll tell you, I'm not one for sitting around listening to bluegrass music.  But if you have the opportunity to see this thing it is pretty amazing.  We just went around to the different campers and heard TONS of great, live music.  Not all of it was bluegrass.  There was some folk and even some classical pieces.  Definitely an interesting experience I'd like to repeat again!

 Babycakes was obsessed with the yellow caution tape.  Now I know what to get her for Christmas...

At the end of the awesome day, however, my eye looked like this...

Yep, pink eye.  By the next day I also felt rotten and had it in both eyes.  It's a good thing we had planned to leave that day because I was really done with camping by this point.  We had planned to stop and visit some friends on the way home but skipped all stops and drove straight through.  Even Babycakes was done.

So while our last great summer excursion wasn't all that great it wasn't a total bust either.  Here is the conversation the Hubs and I had as we were leaving the campground:

Me:  Well, it wasn't the best trip but I'd be willing to try it in a couple of years when the baby is potty trained.  Maybe when she's 4?

Hubs:  I was thinking more like six years.  When she's 8.

Well said dear.  Well said.

Downsizing? Puh-Lease!!!

I love home organizing/decorating sites and blogs.  I think I would have been an interior designer if I hadn't gone into special education.  (Now there's a career link!)  However, one of the things that really irks me about home decorating is their definition of a "small space."  I'm sorry but a 1600 square foot house is NOT a small space in my record book.  Maybe if you have 4 or 5 kids but it's not a small space for a family of 2 or 3.  Ever.
The Hubs and I live in a house between 900 and 1000 square feet. With a 2 year old. And a cat. And the 2 year old's stuff.  Oh, and my stuff. The Hubs isn't allowed to have stuff. (Just kidding!)  My whole life I've wanted an old white farmhouse like the one my grandparents used to have.  Similar to this...

(image courtesy of Country Living.com)

But when the Hubs and I started dating I quickly learned that the house he was in was it.  He does not want to move.  And now that I'm here I've grown to love our little house for our little family.  Granted some days it really feels like I live in something this size...

http://photos.rentlinx.com/L800/184665.jpg

Unless it's time to clean and then it feels like this...

biltmore.com

It's incredibly frustrating to hear the benefits of "downsizing" to a 1600 square foot house when I am trying very hard to make our cozy little house a little more homey and make our space feel a little bigger.  I realize we are probably not the norm.  I also realize I am incredibly jealous of those people who live in a "downsized" house of 1600 square feet.  But I have to remember there are people in our country who live in smaller quarters than do we, with a whole lot less.  So here are 10 reasons I love MY small house...

1. Less to clean.

2. Because it was built in the 1940s it is built like a tank.  No pine 2X4s in this place.  More like oak 2X8s.

3. Red oak trim throughout the house.  While it needs some TLC it is still beautiful at nearly 70 years old.

4. We had our wedding reception in the yard when we got married 4 years ago.

 5.  My sweet Jessie dog is buried in the yard.  She was my fur-baby for almost 16 years.

6. This is the only house Babycakes has ever known.  I kind of like the idea of her bringing her husband-to-be for dinner one day to the house she was raised in. (I know my participle is dangling but oh well.)

7.  We have great neighbors!  

8.  We live in a rural area but not so rural that I smell manure on a regular daily basis (Except when the farm up the road is sludging their fields.  That's just foul!).  

9. With 2 acres of land we have room to expand or to keep it as is for Babycakes to play.  My 2 Godchildren love to come over and run in the "field" (aka our yard).

10.  Even though I complain about the outdated kitchen flooring, the old metal kitchen cabinets, the leaking basement and lack of space it's our home.  It has charm and is a wonderful place to raise our daughter.  I'd be a big liar if I didn't say I wish we had more living space.  But I have to remember to take the time to reflect on the things I do love about our house.  Because as the saying goes, "Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home."

Purees and Procreastination

In my last post, I wrote out my "To Do" list for the week. Here it is Wednesday and I haven't done squat from my list.  On Monday I had zero energy.  I watched Sabrina with Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, did a little cleaning of the master bedroom and that. was. it.  Seriously, I could not figure out why I was so useless.  The next morning I learned the ugly truth.  The Hubs had made decaf.  I apparently cannot function without fully caffeinated coffee.

 Yesterday I took Babycakes swimming at my aunt and uncle's house.  I thought I could get a few things done during her nap but she only slept for another hour. When she woke up she was SUPER cuddly, which was nice, but I knew she wasn't feeling well.  Sure enough she was running a low grade fever.  She was so clingy that I wasn't able to get anything done.  I even had to put her on my back so I could make dinner.

She didn't sleep well last night which means no one slept well.  So I made an appointment when we rolled out of bed this morning with her pediatrician.  Diagnosis: ear infection and eye infection.  So another round of antibiotics and eye drops.  Have you even given eye drops to a 2 year old?  I don't recommend it.

Anyway, back to the point of my post.  While Monday was definitely a day of procrastination, the past two days have been Mommy duty.  I also mentioned last week that I made some purees that I would talk about in a later post.  So here is that post.

A couple of years ago I picked up a copy of Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious  cookbook on the bargain table.

I decided to start using her recipes/ideas to include more veggies in our diets.  The Hubs is a big fan of sloppy joes so I thought I would try her version to see if it would pass muster.  Since her recipe called for some things 1.) I didn't have on hand and 2.) I knew someone didn't like, the recipe below is my version of her recipe.  Capiche?

Okay, I started by browning a pound of ground beef in the skillet.

 To that I added 1/2 cup of sweet potato puree, 1/2 cup of butternut squash puree, 1/2 cup of vegetable broth, 1/4 cup of tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.  Cook on low heat for about 15-20 minutes.  (HINT:  The tomato paste in those little cans is about 1/2 a cup.  Rather than throw away the other half, I put it in a freezer bag and popped it into the freezer with my other food purees.)

I used vegetable broth because it's what I had on hand and I was trying to use up what was in the fridge.

We were out of hamburger and hotdog buns so I served them on toasted white bread with a side of sweet potato fries.  The Hubs and I also had side salads and Babycakes had some cucumbers from the garden.

These passed muster with the food critics in the house so it will be a recipe I use again.  I have additional purees in the freezer so I am ready for another evening of sneaking some veggies into a main course.  :-)

Summary of My Weekly Goals

If you recall, I posted my goals for the week last Sunday here.  So here is how I did...

Monday:
-Work on Dissertation for at least 4 hours  DONE! It was a struggle but I was able to spend 4 hours actually working (not painting my nails, checking out Facebook, or other task avoiding behaviors!)
-Make purees (butternut/yellow squash, red pepper, cauliflower)
Done!  While I didn't do them all on Monday I did get all of my purees done this week.  Stay tuned and I'll show you what I'm using them for. :-)

-Call Assistant Principal about possible Professional Development Presentation for faculty
Done!  I even followed up with some of my co-workers so we can try and work together  on a presentation.

Tuesday:-Work on dissertation during Babycakes' nap  This was a fail.  I took a nap. :-(
-Work on Little Firecracker's baby blanket for at least 30 minutes 
35 minutes of work before aforementioned nap!
Wednesday:
-Peel paint  While I peeled paint I didn't get as much done as I was hoping.  

Below is a little "before and after."

Thursday:
-Swimming with Babycakes (it is summer after all!)  Done!  Even though it started out a little cool we had a successful morning of swimming. Babycakes even jumped in the water and got her face wet! :-)
-Dissertation during nap  This was a big ole fail.  I can't even remember what I did but I know this didn't happen.
-30 minutes on Little Firecracker's Blanket  Another fail.  Maybe I'll finish the blanket before she goes to kindergarten. :-/

Friday:
-Minimum 4 hours on dissertation  While not a total failure I only got about an hour of work in that day.  
-"Catch-Up" on household chores  While my house is still not "clean-clean" we can now walk through the dining room without breaking any limbs.

So I feel like this was a somewhat successful week so I'm going to try this again...

Monday:

3 hours on dissertation

30 minutes on Little Firecracker's blanket

Make granola bars for Babycakes

Tuesday:

Pool time!

Wednesday:

Peel Paint (and hopefully get the rest of the ceiling paint off!)

Thursday:

Library Time with Babycakes

? Park in the Afternoon?

Friday:

3 hours on dissertation

30 minutes on Little Firecracker's blanket

Here's to a great week!

Kitchen Overhaul

I thought I would post a few pics of the kitchen project today.  While we aren't installing new cabinets or replacing the flooring (yet!) I still feel like this job is an overhaul.  Especially considering we are doing ALL of the work ourselves.  Initially I started this by myself.  But I think the Hubs realized I was going to need some help with this project if it was going to be complete before Babycakes starts kindergarten in 3 years!

This was how much I got done the first day.  That ugly hospital green is the oil based paint I need to cover.

Even the ceiling is hospital green!!! Ugh!

Here is the Hubs giving me a hand.  I apologize for the glare in these pictures.

Unfortunately ceiling paint peeling is a lot slower than wall paint peeling. :-(  

This was after a day spent peeling.  I am trying to finish the ceiling today so that I can get some primer and get started on the next phase of this project.  Here's hoping I get this stuff peeled off today!

What Was I Thinking???

Yesterday, I posted my "TO DO" list for the week.  I said I would spend at least 4 hours on my dissertation proposal.  While I have been working pretty continuously on it for most of the day, I thought I would use a stop watch to measure my "time on task."  That was stupid.  Now, even though I have been working for most of the day I feel like a bum because my measured "time on task" is only 1 hour 49 minutes and 12.9 seconds.  That is less than HALF of what I said I would do!  And yet, my brain feels like a big pile of mush.  How is this possible?  And while I thought I had written about 5 pages it was more like 3 (and that's being generous!).   Will I ever get this thing done?  :-/