Bathroom Renovation – a.k.a. the great nervous breakdown of 2011
When Rick and I chose the house we live in now, one of the things that really appealed to us was that the majority of the house didn’t need any major work. But there was one room that did: the bathroom. It was pretty horrible, and we both imagined ourselves hardcore DIYers who could take on a project like this. [...]
Perfectionism
I know many people who would qualify themselves as perfectionists. I count myself among them. Perfectionism is like a badge of honor. Saying you’re a perfectionist is like admitting you have a flaw but giving yourself a compliment at the same time. There aren’t many flaws like this. When a job interviewer asks what your weaknesses are, it’s a pretty [...]
Beauty Product Roundup
Many moons ago, I used to write a beauty product review blog that has since gone extinct. That blog still gets lots of traffic — even without new posts — because apparently a lot of people are googling “Giada’s nails”… and my old blog is the top hit for that. Now, I’m a grown-ass adult with future plans, and a [...]
Canning Salsa (Picante Sauce)
This weekend I made salsa. I bought a huge box of tomatoes and peppers at an Amish road-side stand, and gathered the rest of the ingredients at the grocery store. This was my first time canning all by myself, and I was nervous. The hardest part for me was blanching, peeling, and seeding/chopping all of those tomatoes. I recommend having [...]
Beef Daube Provençal
This dish is amazing in ways I don’t have words to describe. It’s relatively easy to make, but it smells and tastes like something Julia Child would have served. Beef Daube Provencal Ingredients 2 teaspoons olive oil 12 garlic cloves, crushed 1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided 1/2 teaspoon freshly [...]
Mindfulness and Meditation
After 32 years of trying to sift through my own mental shit alone, I recently engaged the help of a therapist. I tend to carry stress in my lower back, and when life gets very stressful I experience a lot of pain. So I was at a point where I needed to do something about it. It has been hard [...]
Perspective…
This photo has been making the rounds on facebook and tumblr. It breaks me every time I see it. We’re currently undergoing a bathroom renovation in our house. We have a small house, with only one bathroom, so it has made life inconvenient for a little while. Every room is a mess of tools, supplies, dust, etc. Sometimes I get [...]
The Obituary
It’s raining today. I have some time to sit down and get this blog started. The rain has always made me happy. I love the way it sounds, and I love how it makes the world feel clean and even a little sexy. Over a year ago, I was part of a small group of individuals taking an intensive course [...]
