4 naps = 62 bags of yuck (Subtitle: I now hate birds.)

1/23/11

I hate to admit that I was slightly excited to rip the disgusting insulation out of the attic. Well, that was because I had not been up there in a while. I forgot about all the bird poo everywhere:

On the rafters

and all over the insulation 
 (mostly just by the windows and the last joists, thank goodness.)

It took me about 5 minutes to lose that excitement and be filled with complete and utter dread. Here I am after nap #1. Yeah. Awesome.
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Renovation during nap times worked pretty well actually. First nap was over 2 hours and let us get about 45% done.  Second nap didn't go so smoothly, FC didn't want to go to sleep, so Marc spent about an hour and a half up there by himself. Finally, she fell asleep and we got up to about 75% out.

There are tricks to doing dirty renovation during naps. You have to wear two layers, so the lower one stays clean enough to rip the outer layer off and run downstairs. This involves running tights and duct taping your gloves to your outer shirt. Luckily, she slept well enough for long enough that we were always able to be already down and quickly showered when she woke up.

Probably the least satisfying demolition ever.

What also sucked was our discovery that not only did the previous owner leave windows broken so birds could nest and shit everywhere, but she also let the roof get so bad that rain saturated this fiberglass insulation, tamping it down and rendering it not only almost useless as insulation, but also a bitch to remove.

Of course, after filling 62 bags with insulation, we discovered that our attic windows do not open. (And these are 42 gallon contractor bags, not the manby-pamby 30 gallon regular big trash bags.) The windows don't even have hinges; they are simply nailed in place! Crap. We had planned just to chuck the bags out from the attic. Instead, I had to cover anything in the guest bedroom with sheets and old shower curtains and Marc propped open that room's window. I stood up in the attic, lugging bags over to the opening and handing them down to Marc who then chucked them out the window.

After all that, we headed downstairs to drag the bags back to Marc's truck. Upon seeing all 62 bags down there in the side yard, I did feel a little satisfied.

A little.

I'm still going to curse every bird I see for the next 3 years.
Filthy. Disgusting. Animals.

Next Friday the new insulation comes. I'm hoping it will only take 2 naps to put it in. I know better now that to be excited for it.


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Just Like Momma!

1/20/11


Franca is the spitting image of Marc, and I hate to do it, but I look for myself in her. Well, I've finally found something. My baby loves her demolition.
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Honestly, I know kids like knocking stuff down but this girl will high-tail it across a room to topple a stack of blocks, pile of rings or tower of megablocks.

Marc said tonight that he'll turn over all demolition responsiblity to me. He will just be my worker bee this weekend as we take out the gross old attic insulation. I'm looking forward to  playing foreman!

I've already started dreaming of demolition projects that Franca and I can do together...

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Pork Tenderloin with Pears

1/19/11


Since we got our counter tops, we have been really cooking up a storm. It started with me and making batches and batches of baby food and baby/adult food. Cooking is really so much more enjoyable when you can boil water in less than an hour and when your plywood counter top isn't growing mold.


Sometime I will drink 3 cups of tea just so I can put the kettle on.

For the past two weeks, it has been Marc's turn to get the cooking bug. This is what he whipped up on this normal, boring Wednesday night:


Pork Tenderloin with Pears and Shallots
(recipe from Epicurious)

Isn't our counter top the perfect photo backdrop?
3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme plus fresh thyme sprigs for garnish
  • 1 1 1/4-pound pork tenderloin
  • 3 large shallots, each cut into 6 wedges through stem end, peeled
  • 3 unpeeled small Bosc or Anjou pears, quartered, cored
  • 4 teaspoons butter, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
  • 3/4 cup pear nectar


Preheat oven to 475°F. Mix oil, garlic, and chopped thyme in small bowl. Rub mixture over pork, shallots, and pears. Heat large ovenproof nonstick skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add pork and shallots; brown on all sides, turning, about 7 minutes. Transfer shallots to platter. Transfer pork to baking sheet (do not clean skillet). Roast pork until thermometer inserted into center registers 145°F, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, add pears to same skillet and cook over medium-high heat until brown on cut side, turning once or twice, about 4 minutes. Transfer pears to platter (do not clean skillet).
Mix butter and flour in small cup. Add broth, pear nectar, and butter mixture to same skillet; boil until sauce thickens, scraping up browned bits, about 7 minutes.
Slice pork; arrange on platter. Surround with pears and shallots. Drizzle sauce over pork. Garnish with thyme sprigs.
                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Instead of the pear nectar he just used some pear puree he made for Franca on Saturday. He also did roasted potatoes with rosemary. Delish!

(I can highly recommend two baby food cookbooks:
Cooking for Baby: Wholesome, Homemade, Delicious Foods for 6 to 18 Months by Lisa Barnes
Top 100 Baby Purees: 100 Quick and Easy Meals for a Healthy and Happy Baby by Annabel Karmel)

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Reno' Year Goals: Parlor Shelving

1/17/11

Part 2:

The fireplace seems like a pipe-dream but I am determined to make it happen. Of course, as I say this I have more motivation because I'm home today with Franca and it is chilly in the house. What I would not give to be blogging next to a crackling fireplace!

Moving on. A project that seems more accessible is the parlor shelving. And boy do we need it! This is a little too college apartment for me:


 We have now filled that space below the tv with Franca's toys, which has worked very well as a distraction from the electronics. The wires have all been rerouted too. (The tv is tethered to the wall also. If yours is not, do it now!!)

Here is a sketch of the parlor shelving from Marc:

 Some inspiration photos.


 

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Reno' Year Goals: Stalking a Fireplace

1/14/11

I'm in side-job deadline hell, but it doesn't stop me from stalking my neighbors and their fireplace.
I covet their fireplace, and yet, I've never seen it from closer than the sidewalk. I DO see it from afar every night as I'm walking around the bed, read to go to sleep. It always catches my eye, and I pause and sigh.
Fireplace. Warm. Cozy.
Want. Need.
Sigh.

I'd post a picture, but that seems actually stalkerish.

We have a million little things to do on the house, but the big $ one I really want to do, even more than the second bathroom (sorry dad), is get the flue relined, insulated and get a firebox.  It is going to be around $3,000. So we better start saving. Details on what we want here.


Big money. Big Money.
No whammies this year please.
Baby needs a fireplace.

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Never the Easy Way

1/10/11

Recently while lamenting the lack of progress on our house, I was thinking about how in every design/architecture magazine article about a cool modern house, the family always has a kid 1-2 years old, NEVER any older.

This made me realize that all these people did the following:

Step 1: got married (maybe).
Step 2: built/renovated a house.
THEN Step 3: thought, hey honey, we don't live in a dangerous construction zone anymore and we have all this free time on our hands since the house is done, so, why don't we have a baby?

 (both images from Dwell Magazine)

Um, yeah. We decided to take a *slightly* more difficult route.
 Which is leading to a rearranging of our renovation priority schedule.

Remember that wall-mounted bathroom cabinet that Marc was supposed to make me?
We could use that right about now.
(DISCLAIMER: FC is never left alone in the bathroom with access to these things. I mean, give me a break, she's never left alone at all!)

Remember that parlor shelving that was already moving up the list?
Tops it now. 
We can't expect her to stay away from a modem with blinking greens lights, and two receivers with shiny silver knobs and buttons.

At least we did manage to put in the baby gate at the top of the stairs.
Of course we had to do a custom install (that I still need to paint!) because our railing is odd.

We also might need to fix some of our door hardware so that we can restrict her access as she has learned how to push/pull open doors. (At least the bathroom latch works. So for now I can use the bathroom in peace. Well, until she can operate a knob because there is no lock.)
I remember my mom saying that she hadn't peed alone in 20 years!

We've also had to make some adjustments 
now that we have a crawler on our hands.

For instance:
Vacuuming more often than every 2 months.
Franca loves nothing more than to shove a dust bunny into her mouth.

I wouldn't change it for the world though. Who doesn't need a pint-sized excuse to play with toys. 
(OMG, legos!)

So maybe we aren't doing things in the right order, but evidenced by the remarkably awesome quality of our daughter, we are at least doing things right.

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Snowpocalypse!


Well, the snow is upon us! Looks like we already have 8" or so.

Being native of the Midwest, this type of snow doesn't intimidate us, but I will be the first to admit that snow in the mountains in a city not equipped to salt/clear all the road is very different than snow in the flat, prepared Midwest.

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I need a case of Lysol Wipes, stat.

1/4/11

I feel like I have some explaining to do.

Things have been a little hectic around our house lately. Marc has been working overtime (nights and weekends) at work for about two months now. This leaves me a single parent and even though FC is a dream baby and goes to sleep easily around 7:30pm, by the time I wash bottles, clean up the kitchen, make bottles, and get everything ready for tomorrow it is usually 10pm and I'm beat. On weekends it is all Target and grocery trips, something fun with FC and again, I'm beat. This past month it was Christmas shopping too.

Did I also mention that I somehow manage to fit in my own side jobs?

So, it was a real blow when we all got sick 3 weeks ago. First, it was FC with massive diaper blow outs. Then I didn't feel great. Then I barfed at work. Then I was running to the toilet every 45 minutes at night. During all of this, we somehow managed to make it the 10 hour drive to Detroit to see Marc's family without soiling my car. (!) Then, while in DTW, Marc got it. By the time we made it to my parents in Ohio, we were all feeling mostly better. Fast-forward to the last couple of days, and bammo, FC is sick again. Ugh.

As if our schedules weren't insane enough, Marc's project goes out on Friday, so he is crazy until then. We have the attic insulation scheduled for delivery on the 14th, which means we have to have the old stuff out this weekend. I've already signed up for two side jobs one with a due date of the 9th and the other the 14th.

So bear with me.

The good news is that thru the generosity of both of our parents, Marc's job, and my side work. We are starting this year off in a MUCH better place money-wise. We are also hoping that with FC's birth credits, our tax return this year will wipe out our remaining tax balance. My student loans are almost gone and Marc's are very manageable (I'd know just how manageable if he could remember his Sallie Mae login!).

Nevertheless, I can't even tell you how happy this makes me. It's a load off, and it means that this coming year could actually bring some real renovation progress!

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