Bundles of Babies

Times have changed in the 25 +/- years since I birthed three babies, but babies overall are the same as they have always been. Keep them full and dry and warm and they're pretty much happy as clams. Which brings me to another random thought...baby bundling...
As I wrapped our newest grandbaby, April, in her Swaddle Me one piece bundle thingie just now, and as she literally instantly quieted and went to sleep, she reminded me of a little papoose.  Maybe those native Americans were on to something...
By way of explanation, I am staying for the week with my middle daughter and her husband and their new baby for her first week out of hospital, although they both are such naturals I don't think they need much help...
April is our second grandbaby...Grandson Jack was born just six weeks ago, on August 16 to our youngest daughter, Laurin and her husband, Eric. I was blessed to be able to spend a week with them in Kettering, OH back then as well.  Retirement came just at the right time. :)
I remember swaddling being popular when our girls were born back in the 80's. There was this one 'mature' nurse in the newborn ward of the hospital who could whip the blanket around the baby in like 3 seconds flat, forming a perfect, invincible swaddle. Larry affectionately called that nurse 'Sarge'.  lol... I still view swaddling as a 2-person art, an art that I still have yet to perfect.
Until I master the art, I will be thankful for the clever person(s) who invented Snuggle Me and all the similar garments.

How Do You Eat An Elephant?

As I blogged about earlier, when we decided it was time to move forward with our retirement plans, including a downsize and a move, the thought was overwhelming. I almost had to turn my 'no stage fright' title into a mantra for my emotional support.

As I mentioned, I used my dog-eared room planner to organize the condo space.  I then turned to my project management skills as I began to look at this transition like any other project I've managed. The compulsive me made a Gantt chart and got to work. The chart showed all the tasks that needed done in preparation for our move, including things like room-by-room decluttering, packing, condo kitchen remodel, winterizing the hot tub, selecting a realtor, listing the house, contacting an auctioneer, contacting a mover, etc. The chart also showed how long each task would take and where it fit in the scheme of the move.

We decided the condo kitchen remodel would best be done before we actually moved into the space, so we went ahead and designed the new space and set the contractors to work.

We turned our weekly trips to Columbus to monitor the remodel progress into opportunities to take carloads of things down with us, thus easing the burden when moving day would finally come.

In the meantime, we continued to find homes for the things that could be rehomed. Once donations had left the building, the basement was turned into two discreet zones: condo and auction. Those items from the condo zone that would easily fit into the car would be taken during one of those regular trips down to Columbus.

We contacted a realtor, mover and auctioneer in early December. We chose to go with the realtor and movers who we had previous experience with as they both had a proven track record with us. We had already decided we would move out with our pets before listing the house. We had enough furniture being left behind that the house would be staged adequately and not appear empty.

This decision to vacate first was made based on previous experience with trying to show a house while having pets... something I would highly discourage anyone from doing if at all possible due to the logistics involved.

Moving day was set for early January. This would give us one last holiday in the 'old' house, with lots of space for all. It was a bittersweet Christmas for our family but we all agreed that being closer to two of our daughters and their growing families was well worth the sacrifice.

Sounds, Sights and Smells

Planes, trains and ...marching bands

I have said before...no matter where life takes me for home base, I hope that I can always hear at least these two sounds from my home...the sound of a high school band practicing/playing and the sound of a train whistle.

Both of these bring back pleasant memories that are very soothing to me.

As for the band requirement, all three daughters were in marching band and/or drill team.  Our youngest daughter was in a competitive marching band for two years.  I've always maintained that band should be considered an athletic sport for the amount of skill and practice that it requires of its members - and competition band only served to cement that thought for me.  But that's another day's topic...

Practice typically began early for the girls - well before school returned to session.  And hearing the sounds of the band practicing as they echoed across the hills was very comforting to me, for whatever reason.  The two high schools that I attended were never big enough to have a full scale band, so I didn't get to experience the fun and bonding that came with being part of such a group.  But I do know that the kids seem to have plenty of good memories from their experiences. And so did I, as a band parent.  There were times that the band, including the halftime show, was the only reason I went to the football games.  I have since come to love football, especially college football with my OSU Buckeyes, but that, too, is another day's topic...

The train whistle sound is a little easier to track (no pun intended) for me.  As a very young child, my newly divorced mom took my 6 year old self, and my 7 year old sister and 5 year old brother on our very first train ride. It wasn't the train at the zoo, or at nearby Idlewild Park, but rather a full blown, cross-country trek to the west coast from the train station in Pittsburgh PA to visit 'California Grandma', my maternal grandfather's Pasedena mother.  It would be the first of three such rides - another one to CA and the third one to Michigan (which seemed like just a little jaunt when compared to the days-long trip across the US to California!)  I don't remember a lot about that first train ride, but I do have Mom's grainy, bumpy 8 mm movies from the trip to bring back some memories.  And I remember the whistle, mostly because we heard a lot of it in the 3 or so days it took to traverse the country.

California Grandma (known by her birth certificate as Catherine Cooney) was a little whisp of a white-haired Irish woman who lived in a little 3 bedroom ranch in Pasadena, her home complete with backyard lemon and fig trees and something totally foreign to my young mind - an in ground sprinkler system.  I remember her stepping out on her front landing in the morning and turning on the magical sprinklers that would send water in every direction - just waiting for the three of us little ones to run through and squeal.  And I remember that Uncle Junie (so named because he was Ralph 'Junior') worked at the nearby Budweiser Brewery.  Uncle Junie never married and so lived with California Grandma.  He walked with a noticeable limp from what we were told was a bone infection that he received when he was kicked in the leg by a classmate as a young boy.  This injury provided the much needed tale of caution that we ALWAYS heard if (when) the Leight children ever dared to kick one another.  

Another memory that has stayed with me is that California Grandma had a COLOR TV!  I recall watching the NBC peacock come on and I remember seeing the test pattern that would appear at the end of the night's TV programming. Thinking back, I don't think I would've been able/allowed to stay up that late to watch late night TV, but it must've been our adjusting to the east coast/west coast time difference (and maybe a touch of spoiling by California Grandma). I also associate the scent of Dial soap with visits to her house.  Funny how sounds and scents and sights trigger such memories from long ago.  

Here in Ontario, OH we can hear both band and train sounds handily.  We live less than a mile from the high school, where we can easily hear not only the band practicing, but also the sounds of Friday night football and the halftime shows. And a train runs close enough to be able to catch the whistles, particularly on those nights that I happen to be up around 3 am.  And luckily, there are trains that still travel very close to (well, within a mile of) our Columbus condo, so that requirement is met. Not so sure about the band down there, but since Columbus is home to The Ohio State University and The Best Damn Band In The Land, I think I might be able to get my fill of marching band practice music as well.

Your turn:
Any childhood sounds or smells or sights that bring back pleasant memories to you?

Big.Step.

The recent birth of Baby Jack, and the pending birth of Baby April have served to light a fire under our plans to move out of the house and into the condo - bringing us over an hour closer to both Ohio daughters and their growing families.  We now have a solid plan, complete with Gantt chart (being the organizer that I am, I prepared a project chart to keep us on track).

We've decided to make January 2014 our target date for moving to Columbus.  That gives us 4 months to clear out the clutter, stage this house, move our things to the condo and get this house up for sale in time for the acclaimed 'Spring Market'.  We've decided to willingly violate the 2-pet minimum after being told by a condo board member that we 'wouldn't be the first' to do so.  And with a 17.5 year old cat and a 14.5 year old dog on that list, I don't think we'll be in violation for long, if at all.

We accomplished one goal this week by purchasing a new master bedroom suite.  My intent was to maximize the amount of storage in the new set, while minimizing the footprint, since the new master bedroom is a little smaller than our current one.  I think we did pretty good by selecting a bed that has 4 large underbed storage drawers (two on each side) and is flanked on each side by a panel nightstand and an 82" tall x 24" wide x 17" deep storage cabinet.  We opted for this 'wall' of furniture look vs. buying separate dressers.  This will give us maximum storage with minimum floor space being consumed.  Since the tall cabinets have 5 shelves and only one (bottom) drawer, I am also going to purchase nice baskets from World Market to organize the shelves.

Baskets for new bedroom storage cabinets

The furniture is scheduled to be delivered next week - I'll post pics then.  Our current suite, Valencia
from Value City Furniture, will stay here while the house is being shown, and then will either be sold with the house to the new owners, or be part of the auction that we'll have before closing.

The rest of this week and next will be devoted to the basement project - decluttering, boxing the things to take with us and generally reorganizing the storage and living spaces down there.

Your turn:

Any ideas for maximizing space in your home?  Do you have a favorite piece of furniture?

Downsizing...eek!

The biggest challenge to this move is that we are having to downsize from our present 4000+ sf, 2 story w/ finished basement, 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath, 3 car garage on a 1/2 acre lot to a 1200 sf, 2nd floor, 3 bedroom, 2 bath, one car garage condo... 32 years of accumulated 'stuff' is a lot stuff!!  But you know what they say about how to eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.  And that is exactly my approach to this task as well.

I started with my trusty 'With House In Hand'  planner/organizer. It's the same one I bought 28 years ago when we were building our first home.  I've used it each and every time we've moved to help figure out where our furniture will go before the actual move.  With every furniture or accessory purchase I cut out new templates for the new stuff and purge any of the old pieces.  This move is no different, so I just drew out all of the spaces in the condo and started to decide what could stay, what needed to go and what needed to be replaced.

Examples of what will stay: we have two twin beds in one of the bedrooms here.  I always wanted a guest room with two beds, and these are a recent purchase that I really like.  The head and foot boards are iron and the mattresses are super comfortable.  I like the versatility of two twins - you can leave them separate or push them together for a nice king.  They will stay and work well in the guest bedroom at the condo.  We also have 7 cherry bookshelves in our current library that will fit perfectly in the third bedroom at the condo (which will be our den).  I have a powder coated baker's rack with tile serving area that I love, and I've decided that this will fit perfectly on the covered deck as a serving piece/plant rack.

What needs to go is a lot of stuff! Years and years of memories and collections.  And family things.   Including a pool table, fooz ball table, Nordic Track, a whole set of leather furniture from the current family room, a dining room set, lots of deck furniture (we're going from a monster deck of about 800 sf to a modest 10 x 10), our 12' Christmas tree, closets full of clothes, tools, pictures, books, and on and on...  We've already started this process by selling our third car (bye bye Mini Cooper) and our riding lawn mower.  We replaced the large zero-turning mower with a push mower now that we're retired and have the time to push mow.  We figure we can sell the push mower easily when it's time to move.  Also in the same category is a ton of lawn/garden stuff, including a snow blower, leaf blower, edger, etc.

And things that need to be replaced include our current master bedroom suite which is WAY too big for the condo master.  While this makes me sad (I LOVE our current set), I know that I would hate the crowded feeling of jamming all the pieces into a too-small space, so the set will have to be replaced.  I'm sure we'll find someone who will love it the way we do.  Also on the list of replacements is a new dining room set - the one we have in the condo is an antique that has outlived its usefulness for us and is ready to make someone else happy - and the one we have here is country white, which will be a tough match for the ebony arts and crafts style cabinetry in the new kitchen.  I'm hoping to get a simple craftsman style table and chairs and hutch that will fit the bill for us.

So little by little, room by room, we are looking at everything with a more critical eye.  The whole process is good for us, and also good for others...lol...I have a list of a dozen or so charities that have gotten donated clothes, books, knickknacks and furniture from us already, and we've still got lots to go.  I've also gotten good at selling on eBay - a nice way to get rid of things you know you have value, particularly if they are small and easily shipped.

My plan is to declutter and downsize first, all the while separating what will go with us to Columbus and what can stay here to be sold.  At some point, we'll get an auctioneer in to get rid of the furniture and appliances that are not practical to sell on eBay or Craigslist.

Like you eat an elephant...one bite at a time...

Now you:
Are you a 'saver'?  How do you go about downsizing and/or decluttering?  What's your best advice for making this job easier?

Condo Remodeling

Our plan for the last several (well, almost 10) years has been to relocate to Columbus (about 70 miles south of here) once we retire.  We have a condo down there that we bought when our daughters were students at The Ohio State University.  They all lived there at one time or another, sometimes with each other, and finally, our middle daughter and her hubby lived there for a few months after they were married and before they bought a home in neighboring Marysville.

Now that we have retired and the condo is officially empty, we have undertaken the fun (really!) task of remodeling.  Mostly the kitchen, but we'll also be changing out lighting fixtures and fans and doing a general spruce up before moving down there.

Being the foodie that I am, I am totally in my glory at the thought of being able to redesign the kitchen to how I want it to be.  We're not really doing a knock down, dragout remodel.  The appliance locations are not changing - but new cabinets, countertops, appliances, backsplash, sink, faucet and lighting will make it seem like a totally new place.

Both of us have manufacturing backgrounds and see the value in buying American wherever possible.  We were quite excited when we found out that the cabinets we selected are made in the USA by Elkay.  They're Innermost brand, carried by Home Depot.  And since the cabinets are the lion's share of the budget, we feel quite happy that not only are we supporting American manufacturing, but the cabinets were actually lower in price than the second quote we got.  The other cabinets would have been delivered unassembled from China.  Here's a picture of the cabinet front, but ours will be a black stain (onyx).  They will be made of maple.

Here is the hardware:

Cabinet Pull

Cup pull for drawers

 I'm going for a Shaker/Arts&Crafts look - here's something from my inspirational file.

Other 'Made in the USA' components to our new kitchen include a Delta Touch20 faucet and a single bowl, undermount Elkay stainless steel sink.

Delta Touch20 faucet

We're also adding an instant hot water dispenser - something I've gotten quite used to - it's great for making tea, cocoa, oatmeal, broth, etc., without having to run the microwave.

InSinkerator instant hot water dispenser

The appliances will all be Maytag - also made in the USA.   More about those and some other details later.

Your turn:

Do you have a dream kitchen?  What would it look like?  Any must haves for you?

Green Smoothies...

Thanks to a former co-worker, I have become hooked on green smoothies.

At my initial introduction, I must admit that my reaction to putting kale or spinach or other green leafy things into a drink (other than the occasional celery stalk in my beloved bloody mary) had me retching.  But, like so many other things in this life, you must first try it before you knock it.

And so began my love affair with green smoothies.

My first step, though, was to buy a NutriBullet.   I got mine at Bed Bath & Beyond with a 20% off coupon, which would be my recommended way to go if you're looking at the most inexpensive way to get a new NutriBullet. I'm sure you can also find used ones on eBay if you're in the market, but I'll leave that up to you. I went with the blender/extractor-type concept rather than a juicer for a couple of reasons:

1. ease in cleaning
2. no loss of fiber
3. cost

Now for the good stuff...

Nearly every smoothie I make starts with a handfull of fresh organic spinach.   I have been known to use frozen in a pinch, but I prefer fresh.   Others like kale, but I find the taste of raw kale in my smoothies to be overpowering, I'd rather eat my kale in salads.  I sometimes also throw in a couple of pieces of fresh organic carrot, not even peeled.  To that, I add whatever fruit is in season.  Cantaloupe, watermelon, apples, strawberries, blueberries, bananas - you name it, it can become a smoothie.  I also have used frozen fruit: berries, mangoes, etc.  Freezing is also a good use for bananas on the way out, by the way.  Just peel and chunk them and toss into the freezer.  You can put them on a tray or plate in the freezer first before bagging them to make pulling them out easier.  I also know people who put avocado into their smoothies, but I am an avocado nut and would much rather have my avocado straight up so I can enjoy the taste, rather than hidden in a smoothie...

As far as nutritional add ins, here's where you can get crazy!  Nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts), seeds (chia, sesame, flax), berries (acai, goji), herbs (mint, parsley, dill, tarragon), spices (cinnamon, turmeric, pepper), cacao nubs or powder, yogurt or milk (including rice, almond, hemp)...get the idea?  There is a ton of research out there about the benefits of these add ins - do your own due diligence and you can concoct your own special drink for whatever ails ya!  I keep a basket on the counter to corral my 'extra' ingredients and spare parts for my NutriBullet, and when it's smoothie time, I just go there for inspiration.

Here's what's inside:

And here's this morning's smoothie:  Fresh spinach and peaches, frozen mango:

I apologize if this sounded like an infomercial for NutriBullet -that wasn't my intent, but rather to introduce you to the wonderful world of green smoothies!  And if you have little ones running around - what a great way to sneak extra nutrition into their daily lives - and with cool green stuff!

How about you?
Do you imbibe in smoothies?  What do you like to put into yours?  What health benefits do you look forward to?

Score!

I love a good deal!  I recently returned a dress to Kohl's - it was one that I bought thinking I would wear it to daughter Erin's rehearsal dinner in June on the Cape, but I decided to wear something else, so the dress was just hanging around with no purpose.  So I took it back.  And got a store credit.

This week I got a 30% off discount flyer for Kohl's and I've been antsy ever since to go see what good deals I could snag between the coupon and my store credit!  Hubby wanted to look at some pants, so off we headed tonight after church and a light dinner at Panera.

I went straight to the maxi dresses - I wanted to see what they had that could span a couple of seasons.  My first pass through the racks left me underwhelmed, but on my second look, I was drawn to a nice black and white Apt. 9 number, but it was a PL (Petite Large).  Well, at 5'9", I am anything but petite.  But one thing I have learned in my 50+ years is that I can find some great deals on things that  might be marked incorrectly.  :)  Not saying that this dress was improperly marked, but it was definitely long for a 'petite'.  Which is probably why it was clearanced down to $24 from $60!  And with my 30% coupon, it was a mere $16.80 - a 72% markdown.

I am so excited to wear it - and with a sweater, it will work perfectly for fall as well.

Hubby didn't find anything he really wanted in the pants department, but I did also find some uber cute summerwear on clearance in the baby department - so I picked up a couple of outfits for the new babies in a size that they hopefully be able to wear when we vacation together next June.

Summer 2014 vacation wear for Jack and April

A good shopping trip is a thing of beauty...

How about you?  Have any great shopping trips or tips to share?

Yogurt...one of life's little pleasures...

So, true to my mantra of DIY, we make our own yogurt.  For several reasons...

1. It's way cheaper
2. I know what ingredients are used
3. I like to do stuff like this!

Here's how we do it:

Take one or one half gallon of 2% milk (you can use any kind of milk, really, but 2% is our compromise). Shake it a bit if it's sat for a while.  Pour the entire amount into a crock pot set on high.  Cover with a lid and wait. Keep a thermometer handy and every half hour or so, stir and check the temp - it takes a couple hours to get to 180°, which is the 'magic' number for yogurt.

Once it gets to 180°, turn off the crockpot and let it sit again.  You can take the lid off now if you want - it helps it to cool down faster. You can also stir it every now and then for the same reason - it cools faster. Keep the thermometer handy yet.  Once the milk hits 110°, it's time to move to the next step.

Turn your oven on to 200° (or the lowest temp it will hold).  Then, to the cooled milk, add your starter, which is about 1/2 cup of plain yogurt.  It should be yogurt with 'live cultures' written on the container, or you can use some leftover from your last batch of homemade yogurt, which is what we do (but I'll bet if you're reading this, you most likely don't have any leftover homemade...yet...lol).  You can also add some powdered milk at this time, but this is purely optional and I don't do it if I don't have any hanging around.  But if you do have some and you want to add it, you can put in about 1/2 cup.

Now put the lid back on and set the lidded crockpot liner into the oven and shut the oven off.  Don't forget to do this! If the oven has a light, turn it on - it will help keep the temperature nice and warm in there.  Now, let this sit for about 12 hours (it can be as long as 24, but who can wait that long??)  The  longer it sits, the more tart and thick it will be.

After waiting, take out the crockpot and voila! you have yogurt!  You can stop here, but if you have a couple more hours, it's great to make it into Greek yogurt, which is just yogurt that has been strained of the whey, and therefore, much thicker and creamier.

You'll need a strainer and some cheesecloth, or a muslin bag, which is what we use. Ours is the one that we use when we brew beer, but they're easy enough to make out of a piece of unbleached muslin sewn into a bag about 12" square or so.  Put the strainer, lined with cheesecloth or the muslin bag over the edges of a bowl or pot (6-8 qt. works fine).  Ladle the yogurt into the strainer/bag.  If you're using a strainer, just let it sit.  If you've got a bag, tie it up and hang it over the bowl to drain for about 2-4 hours.  I loop the tie over a cabinet pull (see below) and just forget it for a bit.

I haven't found much use for the whey - there are websites that say you can make cheese from it, but I have not been successful at that (let me know if you are - I'd love to know the secret!).  But we do have dogs, and one of them in particular (our senior, Shadow) loves to have a little whey over his kibble as an enticement to eat.  Sometimes he needs a little convincing.  :)

Once the yogurt has drained to a nice consistency, just transfer it from the strainer/bag to a container and refrigerate.  One gallon of milk makes about 2 quarts of yummy greek yogurt and 2 quarts of whey.  All for the cost of a gallon of milk!  'Whey' better than what you'd pay if you bought it at the store, and 'whey' better knowing you made it yourself!!

A hint on timing:  The whole process from start to finish (greek) takes about 20 hours.  It works for us to start around 6 pm.  By about 10 pm or so, the milk is going into the oven for an overnight stay.  And by 10 am or so, it's being strained for a few hours.  Finished product is ready by early afternoon.

And as a side note, I've taught hubby how to make yogurt, so he no longer has to 'hint' to me that we are running low!  :)

I'm Baaccckkkk...lol...

.
Well, we've been retired for over 7 months now (actually only about 4 since I did some contracting for my previous employer for a few months after I left from full time employment).  Here's an update of what's been going on...

Our pet sitting business is growing rather nicely.  We've actually turned down some work when it has overlapped activities that we had previously planned for ourselves.  The way I look at it, if you have the foresight to schedule in advance, we'll have the courtesy to hold the date.  But last minute requests, which I consider to be a week or less notice, may be risky for you.  After all, we are retired. :)

Tudor and Tasha, two of our clients' furbabies

We've also been putting quite a bit of effort into downsizing by picking one room/area of the house at a time and attacking it with gusto.  This week's project has been our study.  There are 7 sets of bookshelves in the study, along with a grand piano and a low, long filing cabinet.  I've purged 5 of the 7 units (hubby is in charge of his own and I still have one to go).  I've gotten rid of about 300 books - most of them how-to, but also a fair number of novels and cookbooks.  The way I see it, unless it's a very special book, I can either borrow it from the library (if it's a novel) or google what I need to know (if it's a how-to/self-help).  Not even my cookbooks were spared.  I saved the ones that I know I use and that were special gifts, but all the ones that I've collected over the years have gone on to better homes. We have a local branch of the American Association of University Women that got a boatload of them, and the rest will go to the Friends of the Library.  Here's a picture of the ones that are headed to the Friends of the Library.

More books for Friends of the Library

I plan on taking the bookshelves with us when we move, but I also know that our storage space at the condo will be very limited, and I've got other plans for shelf space, namely my photo albums and scrapbooking supplies.

And here's another picture of my neatened up cookbook bookshelves and the other side of the room (hubby's shelves are on the far left...).

After the purge (hubby's books on left)

Cookbooks that made the cut

I still need to attack the file cabinet, but it's only Wednesday...

I should add that we are on baby watch - our youngest daughter, Laurin, and her husband, Eric are expecting their first baby (our first grandbaby) any day now and our plan is to head to southwestern OH to be there for Jack's birth, God willing.  So some of the cleaning might have to be postponed for a few days while we welcome the new little one.  More about that later!

Homemade Powdered Dishwasher Detergent Recipe

About a year or so ago, we noticed that our dishwasher wasn't getting dishes as clean, and the glassware was becoming cloudy.  After some research, we discovered that the powdered detergent that we had been using had been reformulated to remove most, if not all, of the phosphates - a substance that both softened the water and helped remove the food traces.  At this point, we switched to liquid detergent, but I never really liked the liquid.  It's messy, expensive, and wasteful, when you consider how much remains in the bottle even after it's 'empty'.  So...after a little bit of internet and home research, we found a formula for homemade dishwasher powder that works just fine and is still environmentally friendly/phosphate free.  

Here goes:
Mix well together:
1 c. powdered borax
1 c. washing soda
1/2 c. fine Kosher salt
1/2 c. citric acid (aka sour salt)
Store in a tightly lidded jar or plastic container, labeled for safety's sake.
Use 2 T per load.
Notes:  The borax and washing soda can be found in the laundry aisle of your supermarket (check the bottom shelf - they're not high margin, glitzy items, so they're hidden down here).  Kosher salt is with the salts, natch - usually you can find coarse as well as fine - get the fine.  The citric acid is a little trickier to find, but many bulk food stores carry it,  as do spice shops.  It sometimes is with the Kosher foods as well and is used as a preservative as well as to add sourness to certain foods.  Expect to pay about $5/lb if you buy it in bulk.)

In case you're wondering, the borax acts as a water softener and helps to reduce the cloudiness/spots as well as helping with food particle release from the dishes.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Top o' the morning to you!

Hubby and I have declared today to be a pajama day...lol...yesterday was a little (well, a LOT) busy and the upcoming week looks equally crazy, so we're going to do what we're supposed to do today, which is REST.

We got up early yesterday and headed to Columbus to watch our favorite hockey team, the BlueJackets, do their practice skate. That was followed by a q&a session with the head coach and a player on the DL.  We followed that by a trip to Columbus' North Market, a quaint repurposed area of town home to an unbelievable number of vendors - food and otherwise.  We lunched on keilbasa sandwiches and potato pierogies...and then we headed home to feed the pups before heading out to church.  We came home and completed final preparations to host our neighborhood euchre club at 7.  The gang left by 11, but then we stayed up until after 2 am to watch the rerun of the BlueJackets vs. the Coyotes game that we missed... Jackets won it in a shoot out!  Great game, but late night...

I'm 1/16 Irish and I never miss the chance to celebrate it, so I've got my traditional mustard glazed corned beef brisket chilling in the fridge - it's a 2+ day process, starting with an overnight soak, leading into a day-long crockpot bath and culminating in a quick oven reheat, with glaze, before serving.  We're having it with colcannon (typically potatoes, onions and cabbage, mashed with lots of butter), asparagus and perhaps some soda bread.  Mmmm...one of my favorite meals of the year!  Leftover peach pie (from pi day) for dessert.

I'm dying to give you an update on the petsitting business, but I'll save that for another blog!  

Have a great day and Erin Go Braugh!!

Updates

OK, so I guess you could say I've fallen off the blog-wagon.  But I'm back, and  with lots of updates.  Gonna go in the easiest direction, which is forward, starting from my last post in September.  

In October, Larry experienced a spontaneous hip fracture, which was repaired with three stainless screws and about 10 weeks of non (well, toe-touch) weight bearing using a walker.  He's now going to PT 2x a week and faithfully doing his at-home exercises, so we are back on track to full mobility, and hopefully to our bike riding plans for when the weather breaks.

In December, we both gave notice to our employers of our intent to retire effective January 4.  We enjoyed wonderful holidays with our families near and  we began to really feel the retirement train headed down our track! In the meantime, we continued setting up the groundwork for our pet sitting business - we joined PSI (Pet Sitters International) and signed up for their certification course; and we've been easing into advertising and the nitty-gritty of opening up bank accounts, getting a tax id, registering the business name, creating a website (www.sitstayfetchllc.com), etc.

I spent 2 weeks in Arizona in January for my mom's 75th birthday - my sister and I had a surprise party for her and she was truly surprised.  They were good times!   It was rather cold the first week - a low of 18°, but then we had record highs the second week - 81° two days in a row.  Got some shopping and golfing in and had a nice, relaxing time out there. 

Yesterday we had our first pet sitting appointment and I am happy to say we have our first (and second) jobs lined up.  That's exciting!!  Meanwhile, I am working a few hours a week as a marketing consultant with my former employer and loving the fact that there are days that we don't even have to get out of our jammies if we don't want.  

Our next big event is our oldest daughter's wedding in Cape Cod in June, and along the way, we're continuing to work at downsizing the old homestead in preparation for a move to a smaller place.  

I do have a recipe to share - it's one for some yummy granola that was featured in the December 2012 Better Homes and Gardens.

Quinoa Pumpkin Seed Granola (registration required)

You CAN Teach an Old Dog

Today we spent the day at a SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) seminar on Business Start Up Basics.  Lots of valuable advice and handouts.  Probably the biggest leap for us today was to publicly admit that we were looking at starting our own business.  This was particularly risky since we were right in our own back yard for the seminar...and running the risk of seeing someone we knew since we haven't made this too public yet, but there wasn't anyone there who would've questioned our participation, so no worries.  There were a couple dozen folks like ourselves there looking to start (or grow) a variety of small businesses, including housekeeping services, aromatherapy business, a couple of engineer consultants, a family focused gym and a conceal-to-carry instructor.  No other pet sitters, though.  :)

So, we're on track to start our pet sitting business next year.  Earlier this month, we took the first real step and registered the business name with the state.  Sit. Stay. Fetch. LLC  How's that?  

Next we need to organize some banking and apply for a tax id.  And then join one of the two available pet sitting organizations - or maybe both - not sure on that one yet.  I've also dabbled in a design for our business card, which was a lot of fun one rainy Saturday.

I did buy Angela Duea's book, How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Pet Sitting Business, while we were on vacation this summer, and as I'm reading it, I am making notes about what we need to think about and/or do along the way.  It's pretty informative, and it also comes with a CD that's  preloaded with all sorts of business forms.

On another note, I tried a new recipe today - it's one that uses some of that abundant zucchini that you might have from your (or a friend's) garden to make hummus.  Here goes:


GRILLED ZUCCHINI HUMMUS 

Start to finish: 20 minutes Makes about 2 cups 

1 large zucchini (about 1 pound) 
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed butter) 
3 to 4 cloves garlic 
juice of 1/2 lemon 
1 teaspoon cumin 
1 teaspoon smoked paprika 
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 

Heat a grill to high. Use an oil soaked paper towel held with tongs to lightly oil the grill grates. 

Trim the ends from the zucchini, then slice it in half lengthwise, not necessary to peel. 

If the seeds are large and watery, use a melon baller or small spoon to scrape out and discard most of the seeds from the center of each half. It’s not critical to get them all. If the inside of the zucchini appears firm and the seeds small, you don’t need to scrape them out.

Place the zucchini on the grill, cut side up, then reduce heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes, or until just lightly browned and starting to get tender. Set aside to cool. 

When the zucchini has cooled enough to handle, place it in a food processor. Add the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, smoked paprika and salt. Process until very smooth. 

The hummus can be served immediately, or chilled. The hummus will thicken slightly as it chills.  I might add that it's pretty tasty.  It'll be my snack for the upcoming week.  

Nutrition information per 1/4 cup: 45 calories; 30 calories from fat (67 percent of total calories); 3.5 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 3 g carbohydrate; 1 g sugar; 1 g fiber; 2 g protein; 110 mg sodium.

Great News!

Our annual report came today...looks like things are in place for our plan to retire at the end of this year!  It's worth celebrating, yet I'd be a fool to say that I'm not just a little scared.  Nostagefright. Nostagefright. Nostagefright.  If I say it enough, it should take hold, eh?   I think we will celebrate tonight with a little wine!

We're also putting our plan in place to start a pet sitting business once we leave our 'regular' jobs.  The thought is that we'll ease into it up here, and later, in a couple of years, when we relocate to a more urban area, we'll be ready to spread our wings in the new location.  I've researched the name we want to use, and also little things like which association to join and how much of a budget we'll need to get started.

I should be honest and say that I am counting down the days...almost giddily...

144 Days and Counting

The countdown timer app installed on my phone says 143 days until the New Year, which means 144 days until my last day of work - working one day into the new year lets me take my vacation days that I've earned.  

The days and weeks are just ticking by...summer is winding down, the days are getting shorter and pretty soon, it'll be time to put away the sandals and tank tops and pull out boots and sweaters.  And then 'that day' will be even closer.  

We've chosen not to say anything (yet) to anyone at work.  There is some strange rash of retirements lately; there are at least three people at my work who have announced their pending retirements (coincidentally, the same time as mine).  Probably related more to the fact that there are a lot of baby boomers out there, I suppose.  But once they make the announcement, it seems they become regarded as 'short timers'.  Which, I suppose they are, but I don't want my associates thinking less of me or holding back projects that I am perfectly capable of finishing (or at least building groundwork for).  And then there's that other, less loving side of me that says I've seen coworkers be pushed to the curb with way less than the customary 2 weeks' notice that they would have been asked to give if leaving was their choice, and it makes me not want to be any kinder to my employer than I've seen them be to these friends and coworkers.

At any rate, the days passing by.  I am cautiously preparing my list of things that have been put on the back burner for too many years - lots of items that will go up on eBay or CraigsList; craft projects and scrap books that will be finished; collections to be cataloged; books to be read; gardens to be planned and on and on.  Hubby is putting a similar list together (and shall I say, I've also got a list for him!).  

We're starting to talk about what a 'typical' day will look like post-retirement - getting up without an alarm; a nice long workout inside or out, weather depending; maybe a trip to the local reservoir to fish - the list grows a little longer every time we have a chance to chat about it.

No sir-ee Bob, no stage fright here!

It's Time

While here on vacation, we got a call from hubby's out-of-state brother, informing us that a former co-worker had passed away in his sleep on Tuesday. This guy was Larry's age, a DINK and a little (probably a lot) overworked. Really puts things into perspective. It made us appreciate the rest of the week much more, and it also solidified our retirement decision more than ever.

Fish On!

We woke at 2:30 am to prepare for our trek to Wanchese, where our whole-day deep sea fishing charter on the Doghouse awaited. Driving thru what we figured to be heat lightning, we arrived and set out on a  62 ft custom built Carolina with Capn. Britt and his first mate, Marc.

It wasn't long before we stopped and the Capn. scurried down the ladder from his post. We started pulling in amberjack...on average 20 lbs...until wet had hit our limit of 8. I should add here that one of the ones that got away was reeled in as half of a fish. The poor thing was eaten by a shark as it was being pulled in. Then we moved on to bigger fish...

Another short ride and we had ourselves a tuna. Yellowfin. Then another, bigger one...about 50 lbs. Finally the tuna run finished with a blackfin.

All the while, the skies were darkening and the wind was picking up. After 2 more fish (mahi mahi) were reeled in, we were told to head to the cabin..the weather was getting worse. We've fished on the ocean in some pretty bad stuff, but in the 20+ years I've been out, this was the worst. My mental rosary was clicking furiously as I tried not to panic. Everyone else in the cabin shared the same concerned look on their face, but no one dared to speak out. I kept telling myself that as long as Marc didn't donn a life vest, or didn't order us into ours, we were ok. Finally, after nearly 2 hours of being tossed about like a cork on what looked to be 10 ft waves and in between thunder claps and lightning on both sides of us, the storm moved on. There was even a rainbow to finalize the event.

We headed to shore, not sure we should laugh it off our or swear off the idea of deep sea fishing. I can say that we all were thankful to arrive back safely.

The day ended with us sharing a meal of tuna and avocado ceviche (click here for the yummy recipe!), followed by packing and freezing at least 100 lbs of fresh caught fish...over half of which was tuna. And then just decompressing and watching video of a couple of the tuna catches.

A good day.

Vacation calls

Sitting on the deck, soundside, listening to the birds all around and to the family behind. We'll be headed off to church shortly.

The kids all decided they'd like to take a turn at dinners, so the crockpot is full of ribs that'll be bbqd later for us all, compliments of Kirstin and Chad.

We were on track yesterday to arrive at 4. Unfortunately the OBX traffic held us up for about 3 hours. :/  When we finally did arrive, Erin and Gary had picked up the key and got things under control enough that we just unloaded the van and headed to the grocery store.
Oh. Did I mention the rain? It was rain of biblical proportions that we spent the last 3 hours of our drive in. And it continued, along with an awesome lightning show well into the night.

After dining on supreme pizza and caesar salad and everyone's adult beverage of choice, the 8 of us settled around the table to play a rousing game of Cards Against Humanity. Such fun!

Move-In Day

Moving day for daughter dear...


Yesterday was move-in day for our youngest daughter and her new husband.  They moved into their new/80 yr. old home.  Another 2 1/2 hour trip to southern OH and we installed another ceiling fan/light fixture.  I must add that during the past week, we did much research on the old style 'knob & tube' type of wiring before committing to this install, but we're confident in the results. They have one bedroom left to go, but they're going to wait and see if they still need a fan after the AC gets installed this week.  

Less than half a year to go til our 'd-day' and it's looking better all the time!  We've tentatively decided that we want to start a pet sitting service and I've begun to do some research about that whole idea.  We've had two different services that we've used here and both are willing to chat with us about the business.  It seems like a good fit for the two of us - particularly if we can partner with another business or two to cover for each other when one is not available.  


Enchilada Casserole for dinner tonight:


1 lb ground beef
small onion, diced
clove garlic, minced
1 T chili powder
1 T vinegar
1 t salt
1 can black or pinto beans, undrained
10 oz can enchilada sauce
8 small (6") flour or corn tortillas
1 can rotelle tomatoes
1 tsp cumin
2 c shredded cheddar cheese


Brown ground beef and drain.  Add onion, garlic, chili powder, vinegar and salt and cook until onion is translucent.


Grease 3 qt oval casserole dish.  Pour 1/4 c of enchilada sauce in bottom and spread  around.  Layer 2 tortillas, 1/3 of meat mixture, 1/3 can of tomatoes, 1/3 tsp of cumin and 1/2 c cheese.  Repeat 2 more times.  Top with last 2 tortillas, remaining enchilada sauce and 1/2 c cheese.  


Bake at 350° for 30 minutes, or until bubbly.  


Serves 6...thinking the kiddos may stop by on their way back to northern OH...