Jan. 13: IDCEAYWTPFriday

Remember when I used to do those I Don’t Care Enough About You to Write in Transitioning Paragraphs Friday posts? It’s been a long time. You missed shirtless Ponch, I bet.

• We’re supposed to get snow here tomorrow night. This does not make me happy. However, after a week of work, doctor appointments, meetings, and deadlines, I don’t mind having an excuse to stay home and do nothing. Bring it, Mother Nature.
• The puppy has finally figured out that she can no longer fit under the couch. While I enjoyed the Wonder Woman feeling I got every time I lifted the couch to get her un-stuck, I’m glad she’s stopped trying to hide under furniture. Now she seems to be perfectly content to poop in her crate and sit right out in the open, proud as can be.
• Puppy training has hit some bumps, obvy.
• So, it seems that our home is breaking, literally. As I laser leveled a family room wall to hang pictures last week, Jack pointed out that the beam stopped and then started again. I investigated, and found a spot where the wall actually swells way out into the room. It casts a friggin’ shadow! When we had nail pops all over the place a few years back, I was annoyed, but this is way worse. I hate our house so much. I know, I should be grateful we have one. I am. I just want a better one.
• We got rid of cable TV a while back and have been handling it surprisingly well. However, there are still an awful lot of shows that aren’t available to watch online, so I started trial memberships of Hulu Plus and Netflix to see which we like best. Imagine my delight in seeing that Hulu has every episode of Law & Order: SVU! Who needs the USA network’s silly marathons when I can make my own? (Cue Victor’s eye roll…)
• The cat has found a good place to hide from the dogs:

• My uncle Mel, my dad’s brother, died this week. So sad. My aunt Hazel is the only one of Dad’s siblings left.
• I met up with my author friend Lisa Schroeder for lunch on Tuesday. She’s one of the most charming people I know (and I know a LOT of charming people)—we had such a nice visit. Thanks for coming across town, Lisa!
• The last time I made shortbread I noticed that it tasted odd, and the only thing I could figure out is that the flour or sugar had taken on the smell of the plastic containers in which they’d been stored. I invested a lot of $$ outfitting my cabinets with Tupperware Modular Mates, so this was a bummer of a discovery. I decided to switch my food storage from plastic to glass, and here are two of the cabinets where I made big changes:

STORAGE BEFORE                                                       STORAGE AFTER

 

• For the most part, I used 1-quart and 2-quart mason jars as my new containers. I found glass jars at IKEA that are perfect for tea storage—they’re less ugly to have on the counter and we drink tea often enough that it DOES get left out on the counter. I stuck to small-ish jars because glass itself is so heavy and I drop stuff a lot. Since two quarts of flour didn’t seem like enough to have on hand, I ended up filling two large jars with flour because I sleep better knowing I’ve got enough flour to make a gazillion dozen cookies at any given moment. Of course, that’ll never happen because I hate making cookies. Oh, and notice the almost-clear top shelf—what an improvement!

 

SPICE CABINET BEFORE                                                       SPICE CABINET AFTER

 

• This was a much bigger change because I was able to toss more than half of the original contents. I swear, I think most of that stuff was with us when we moved in here 14 years ago. The big red container holds all the cake decorating supplies, and the open plastic container holds MiO and drink mixes. Almost all of my spices are new (most expensive and boring grocery store haul EVER), and stored in awesome little IKEA jars. Notice the clear top shelf… that’s probably my favorite part. Happy, happy—so productive!
• I can’t wait to make a new batch of shortbread!
• My ex-friend Cristina told me I had to watch Grimm and I did and now I’m mad at her. IT’S SCARY! I’ve had nightmares for the first time in years, and I think one episode made me pee a little. I do admit that being filmed in Portland makes it more watchable than it might be otherwise, but Cristina is still not forgiven.

Happy weekend! Smell ya later.