Paint Update:
Quite some time ago, we blogged about the array of paints we found in the basement. While my mom was here, we got around to doing something about those cans of paint that we will surely never use, like the hot pink that was once in the (now blue) living room, the bright orange that was in the basement, and several other random cans of unknown origin. There were a few that were dried out, so they went to the trash. Then there were several that had paint in them, so we used mom's solution of drying them out using sand. Grandma and Lucy had a very regular job for several days that involved checking on the paint cans. Lucy LOVED this and was very diligent about bringing sand around and checking on the cans VERY often. Today, Grandma would be happy to hear, the painted was deemed dry by local authorities (me) and the sandy-paint cans went out to the trash. Hooray! A job well done.
Infestation Update:
I don't know how or why this happened, but the three plants in our bathroom have become infested with some manner of tiny, flying bugs. It got so bad, I moved them all outside, as I'm not so keen on bugs inside the house. We've had the plants for quite some time. One is a Christmas cactus that Jake got me on our first Valentine's day, one is a spider plant we inherited from Jess when she moved across the ocean, and the third is a leafy guy that one of our neighbors gave us when we moved in here. About a month ago, I re-potted all of them in nice, new, matching blue pots that I got at Target. Could it be that the soil was infested? Any suggestions, readers? I liked having plants there, but (call me species-ist) I'm really not in favor of supporting an insect habitat indoors. Here they are, sadly outside, waiting for further action:
Seating update:
A while back, as documented in a photo from this post, Jake purchased two Adirondack chairs at our local Ace Hardware. He put them together a while ago, but they were bare wood, and we thought some paint or stain would be a good idea. Grandma to the rescue again: while we were off in New Hampshire getting away for an overnight, she gave our new chairs a good coating of stain/protectant. So now we have two quite lovely folding Adirondack chairs for the next time you come visit us!
Additionally, we should note that our new walls, both out front and out back, provide pretty awesome (if hard) seating, should you wish to visit us and rest your feet.Garden Update:
Between the building of the wall, our various travels, and the lack of rain lately, our garden has not been doing so well. Lucy did just harvest a small array of tiny tomatoes:
They were delicious, and also kept Lucy busy with the picking, arranging, cleaning, and distributing of them. But other than that, there's not a whole lot going on in the garden. That's OK. Our CSA farm share has been terrific, and the local farmers' markets have been bursting with goodness. Tonight, Jake made a tremendous dinner of super-fresh local ingredients, including corn on the cob, a lovely green salad w/ ingredients from our CSA, and absolutely amazing omelets featuring eggs from Matt & Mary. Have we mentioned our friends Matt & Mary? Well, they are awesome. They have chickens (5 of them) in their yard, and they share the eggs with us. They're away for a few days, so we're minding the chickens. This means we get lots of eggs. They are awesome and amazing and delicious. YUM!
By the way, the tomato omelet is topped with Jake's home-made herbed creme fraiche. YUM!Media Update:
During our travels, our friends recommended a variety of fabulous television shows, movies, and blogs that we think deserve mention here.
First and foremost, we are now officially fans of the fabulous British sitcom, The IT Crowd (thank you, Tamara!). There are three seasons, all available on Netflix to watch instantly. They are funny. As Jake IS the IT department at his office, so he has many opportunities to experience some of the scenarios in the show. Also, Season 3, Episode 5 features a plotline involving "FriendFace" that totally explains why I am not on Facebook. [I'm not. Don't ask me to join. Jake's on if you want to poke him or whatever it is you people do on the Facebook with your Interwebs.]
My new favorite blog is Hyperbole and a Half. This might not be appropriate for some readers, but it is very, very funny. And often quite dark. Just as we like it. The new pain rating scale located here, is one of my very favorites. Be forewarned, there is some language that may offend some readers. And some shocking images rendered in childish cartoon drawings.
In recent movie releases, while at the beach, we went to see Inception. It was very enjoyable, and worth seeing on the big screen. These days we tend to wait until movies are out on DVD so we can watch them at home, thus saving on the babysitter front. We've been burned too often by the likes of Wolverine to get a sitter for a movie with questionable reviews. Fellow parents, I decree, Inception is babysitter-worthy.
In recent DVD releases, while at my brother's house, we watched Star Trek -- the one from last year with Chris Pine as Kirk and Eric Bana as the baddie, and Winona Ryder as Spock's mother (WHOA!). Some of you may be aware of my Star Trek issues. For those of you unaware and those who need a refresher, here is the deal: when my Mom was going into labor with me, my Dad told her to wait until the episode of Star Trek he was watching was over, and then he would take her to the hospital so she could give birth to their first child (me). I am not kidding. I've not quite managed to forgive him or Spock for this choice. So I'm not a big fan. My brother, on the other hand, can safely be referred to as a Trekkie. I mean, he owns the latest Star Trek film, and most of the other ones (feel free to correct me here, Brendan) and (I believe) various items signed by various members of casts of the various Star Trek franchises. Despite my misgivings, we sat down to watch Star Trek on Brendan's considerably large television. It was good. Very good. We thoroughly enjoyed it. As has happened previously with breakfast sandwiches and cream cheese, I have learned that the things I once despised and mocked are actually pretty good. I stand corrected.
That's the media round-up for today. Readers, feel free to suggest additional films, TV shows, blogs or Twitter feeds that we should be watching so that we can catch up with the rest of the world.
I think movie critics need to introduce "babysitter-worthy" into their ratings system.
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