I Got a brand new pair of roller skates . . .

You got brand new key . . . do you remember this song by Melanie in 1971?

I don't have brand new roller skates, but I do have a brand new key. And how appropriate that Lynette at Lynette Anderson Designs asked us about key rings. I had to get new house keys made for the condo management company and my son. While waiting for the clerk to make one key this Boston Red Sox key caught my eye. How could I walk away from it? So it came home with me, along with a New England Patriots key for DH. Here's the rest of my key chain. Can you tell I'm a sports fan? I've had the Minnesota Vikings key chain forever. The Patriots key chain I bought about 8 years ago.
I had a visitor on my doorstep this afternoon. Lucky for me he stayed in place while I grabbed my camera and took his photo.
I didn't have to do any more painting this week. DH said the bathroom can wait until we return. For now the pantry is prepped for the buildout. The dresser is cleaned so the mirror can be installed above it. Tomorrow we will make sure the bathroom is empty enough so the cabinet and towels bars can be installed.

Tomorrow afternoon DH and I leave for vacation. We are spending the night in Boston before flying to Vancouver, BC on Sunday morning. For the next two weeks I will be posting vacation stories. When we return I will be setting up a challenge, be sure to stay tuned.

A Cooking Meme

I usually don't do Meme's; but I liked this one on Confessions of an Apron Queen so I thought I'd play along since I don't have any renovation news today. Instead of working on the house I spent the day sewing in my studio.

When was the most recent time you were burned?
I can't remember the last time I was burned. I developed a sun allergy a few years ago so I tend to avoid being outside too long and when I am outside you can bet I am covered in sunscreen.

Can you cook?
I love to cook! I've been cooking since I was a little girl. I remember making pies in a special holder from bread and canned pie filling while we were camping. I also remember making s'mores. When my children were young they weren't happy when I tried new recipes. Their response was usually, "Mom, don't go gourmet on us!" Now I try to mix it up when I'm cooking. I generally try at least one new recipe a week. Sometimes the recipe becomes part of the rotation sometimes it doesn't.

If yes, name your specialties.
If you ask my children they would say Mom's Nachos - nacho chips topped with cheese sauce, taco meat, lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream. DH likes my Stuffed Butternut Squash and just about everything I make.

Do you enjoy cooking?
I enjoy cooking if I'm not rushed to make it. That's been one benefit to not working. I don't have to come after an eight hour work day and cook. Now I can cook and be relaxed as I do it.

What color is your kitchen?
We are in the process of painting our kitchen Kittery Point green. It's the same color as my newly painted kitchen pantry. We chose the green to go along with the gray in the dining room. I don't have a decor design at the moment because we are in the process of renovating.

Do you bake?
I don't bake often. With no children around, there's no reason to bake desserts or cookies. I have started baking breakfast breads and muffins on Saturday mornings for DH and I. When I return from vacation I plan on trying to make cranberry biscotti for myself.

What do you bake?
See above for the answer.

What color is your apron?
I have a black apron with teapots on it. I received my apron my Confessions of an Apron Queen in yesterday's mail. I'll post a photo of that one tomorrow. Here is a photo of me in my coffee apron I received in an apron swap.
I won't tag anyone specifically for this Meme. But, if you'd like to play along, please do.

Thanks for stopping by.

Shopping at the Big Box Hardware Store

How the Man shopped . . .

Man: "Honey, do you have the bathroom hook so we can match it?"

Woman hands him the hook. He starts walking down the bathroom hardware aisle. He doesn't see a match. He walks across the aisle and starts holding the hook against bathroom faucets.

Woman: "Why are you doing that? Are we buying a new bathroom faucet?"

Man: "No, but if I find the match in the faucets then I know what brand and what line of bathroom hardware to buy."

Woman shakes her head. She thinks to herself, "Why not just look at the hardware? The brands and lines are all together so you won't have to hunt up and down the aisle to find the matches. I thought we were matching the hook, not faucets. Although I suppose new faucets will happen sooner or later to match the hardware."

Meanwhile, the Man is still trying to match the hook. Woman has already determined there is no exact match. There are three different lines of hardware that are the same color family, which is what they like. Mentally she chooses the line she likes and says to the Man, "There is no exact match. I like this line. Let's just a buy a new hook and toilet paper holder to replace what we have and then the towel bars we need."

Man is still trying to match the hook. He takes another five minutes to continue trying to match the hook. The Woman repeats, "Honey, let's just buy all new hardware. Then we can take the hook and the paper holder and put them in the downstairs bathroom since we don't like that hardware." Finally, Man agrees and takes what they need for the hardware.
But wait, there's more. Then they meet the handyman so they can buy what he needs for the projects he'll be doing in the condo. Off to the cabinet aisle to choose a cabinet to use as a linen closet. Now there are two men and one woman shopping.They want white cabinets to match the vanity. That was easy. While they were trying to figure out what they needed. The Woman quickly walked down the aisle and found the right box, took it off the shelf and brought it to the cart. That was easy, or was it?

Now they need doors for the cabinet.

Man: "I want the same look we have the vanity. I think the doors have inset squares." He starts slowly walking down the aisle.

The Woman quickly walks up the aisle and looks at the display doors. She saw what the brand and line name was and headed back down the aisle and found the doors. She pulls them off the shelf and brings them to the cart. "These are the doors we need," she announces.

Men look at each other. The handyman pulls out his pocket knife and starts to open the box. After all they might be the wrong doors. Woman comments, "I can't believe you have to check the doors. The name matches the name on the cabinet box."

Man replies, "And two out of three times you would have to return it."

Woman says, "I don't think so. I would trust the name on the box."

Meanwhile the handyman has pulled the doors out of the box and they confirm they are the right doors. While trying to put the doors back in the box the Woman wanders off and plays in her head how the shopping trip would have happened if she had been by herself.

Total time spent shopping: 30 minutes

How the Woman would have shopped:

She would have taken the hook and quickly determined there was no exact match. OK, what's the closest product line in look? A quick scan of the three available products shows the best match. She would have taken the pieces she needed and put them in the cart.

On to the bathroom cabinets.They want to match the white vanity. A quick look at the samples and she saw the product line she needed. Walking down the aisle she would have found the cabinets, with the doors a few steps down the aisle. Into the cart with the items and we're done.

Time spent: 15 minutes

Who said women don't know how to shop?

By the way, the pantry paint job is complete. The handyman and I worked through the design on Saturday after the trip to the big box store. He is going to have enough leftover wood that I will get to design custom shelving for my quilt studio. Woohoo!
I have a long list of house projects to get done so the handyman can do the projects we want him to do while we are on vacation. This morning I cleaned out my half of the closet. I packed away my winter clothes and filled a bag of donation clothing. Tomorrow I need to start painting the upstairs bathroom so the new cabinet and hardware can be installed. I also need to clean off my dresser and do a test paint swatch so the dresser mirror can be hung on the wall.

What's on your agenda this week?

Me and the Paint Store

I am on the road this morning. I drove DH to work because I have doctor's appt. in town and tonight DH and I have dinner and movie date in town. Much easier for me to drive to the office and then pick him up tonight than to drive two cars all day. I'm sitting at the local Starbucks enjoying a vanilla latte and a cinnamon scone waiting to go to the doctor's.

My husband may never let me go to the paint store again! Why? you ask. Yesterday he sent me with a short list so I can start painting the pantry: tape, rollers and sand paper. I got those items and more. With apologies to the TV announcer who says these words, I'd like to say:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Welcome To Fenway Park!" These words start off every Red Sox broadcast on TV. Now, thanks to Benjamin Moore, I can have the colors of Fenway Park in my home. That's right. Benjamin Moore now has paint for the official colors of the Red Sox and Fenway Park. Red and blue are the team colors. The yellow is the color of the foul poles. The green is the green of the Green Monster - the infamous left field wall at Fenway Park.
I bought four 2-oz. bottles of the paint, one of each color. I'm going to use it on my studio island, probably on the drawers and drawer pulls. Whatever I paint with it, I'll have fun doing it!

I will be painting the pantry when I get home later this morning. I can't do any sewing or "fun" painting until I get the pantry done. I'm sure I'll have photos of the painted pantry this weekend. I'm still interested in seeing your pantry, or even your tips for stocking your pantry.

Pantry Remodel, Step 2

Dear hubby came to my rescue last night and was able to remove the shelves in the pantry. I had tried to remove but the bottom of the units were caulked to the baseboards. He was able to get to the shelves out in three pieces - the top shelf and then the two side units. - without damaging them. Hooray! For now we have put one of the side units between our washer and dryer as a place for me to store laundry cleaning items. When our handyman starts working we are going to ask him if he can put the unit back together so I can keep using it in the laundry area.

Now the pantry is ready to paint. I have to go to the paint store today to buy painter's tape, new rollers and sand paper. We already have the paint so I'm all set on that part. I'll start working on the pantry after my hair appointment in a couple hours.

The current pantry plan is to have shelves going across the entire back of the pantry and along the short wall on the right side of the space. The short wall on the left side of the space will have hooks for hanging the broom, mop and dust pan.

I've started to think about restocking the pantry. Since I've started cooking from scratch more and I knew we were rebuilding pantry I've only been buying what I need for my weekly menu plan. I'd like to get it stocked properly for a family of two. I'd like to hear your suggestions for stocking a pantry, or, if you'd like, share a photo of your pantry with me on your blog.

Aprons

While surfing blogs yesterday I came across Confessions of an Apron Queen. What a neat blog! I got caught up in reading it and before I knew it a whole hour had passed. She also has a site where she sells vintage items: Rick Rack Attack. I could spend a lot of money shopping there, but I don't think DH would appreciate it right now. Although I do have my sights set on this apron. Maybe I'll wait until payday later this week to buy it.

Do you wear an apron when you cook? I confess I never used to wear one. I remember my grandma wore aprons all the time. I vaguely remember a red and white gingham apron with chicken scratch embroidery on it she used to wear. I wish I would have been smart enough to take it when she went into the nursing home years ago.

Aprons are making a comeback. When I had some friends over for a sewing day in March I couldn't decide what I wanted to work on. After spending an hour digging around my sewing room I decided to make myself an apron. I used a pattern I received when I bought fabric from Fabric Depot. Here I am with my teapot apron getting ready to make cookies for the ladies.

One of my on-line groups had an apron swap earlier this spring. Here's the apron I got in the swap. Lots and lots of coffee fabric just for me.

I confess I still don't always wear an apron, but I'm working hard on remembering to put one of them on. Someday it will become a habit to put one on when I step into the kitchen to cook.

Do you have aprons to share?

Laundry Day and Tackle It Tuesday

Model E or Master Wringer Washer from MaytagClub.com

Tuesday is my laundry day. With only two of us in the house I usually have three small loads of clothes. It also helps that nearly all of DH's work wardrobe is dry cleaned. Anyway, did you ever have a wringer washer like the one above? We didn't. But my grandma who lived across the street from us did. I remember going to her house on Tuesday mornings so I could help her and grandpa do the laundry. She always warned me about not getting my fingers caught in the wringer and to make sure all the buttons were folded inside the garment so they didn't break in the wringer. Once the clothes were washed and rinsed, they were hung out on the clothesline.

We live in a condo complex and we can't have a clothesline. Maybe someday clotheslines will be allowed everywhere again. If I could have one, I would use it!

As I have said before we moved into our condo four months ago. Just like every other homeowner we have a list of "To Do Projects". We haven't even started working on ours. We have hired a handyman to come and tackle some of our remodeling projects while we are on vacation in two weeks. This means I have some prep work to do for him. Without further ado, I'm adding Tackle it Tuesday to my household task list. I want to thank Bren at Pieces From Me for inspiring me to take on Tackle it Tuesday.



Here is my first Tackle it Tuesday project. This is the closet/pantry in our kitchen. I hate it. It's hard to get to the shelves because the doors open in front of them. The shelves are too tall so there is not nearly enough shelf space for everything that goes in a pantry. I don't think the builder put any thought into the closet when it was put in. Our handyman is going to build me a new pantry with better shelves and storage space for brooms and the mop. My job is to clean it out and get the walls painted before he starts construction.

I got the shelves cleaned off. I knew there were two screws on the top shelf that hold the shelves to the wall. I thought if I could out those screws the shelves could be moved. Well, I was wrong. I got the shelves cleaned out and the screws undone. However, the bottom of the shelves seem to be caulked or glued to the baseboard on the sides of the closet. I'll have to wait for DH to help me remove the baseboards so I can paint it to match the kitchen (also on my To Do list).

Tuesdays are Guys Night Out for DH so I'm home alone all day until late in the evening. Now that my household tasks are done for the day I can play with fabric and thread and not feel guilty!! Hooray!

Up The Down Staircase

Four months ago DH and I moved into our condo. We moved from a one-floor, 1,200 square foot, two-bedroom apartment to a three-floor, 2,000 square foot, two-bedroom condo. The bedrooms are on the top floor. Main floor is kitchen, dining area and living room. Basement is laundry and storage.

On moving weekend I knew my legs would start to ache from going up and down and up and down. I lasted two and one-half days before I could not walk without pain. I had to rest the third day so I could finish moving, cleaning and unpacking on the fourth day.

It didn't take me long to develop the habit of when I go up or down the stairs to stop for a moment and see if there is anything that needs to be taken up or down with me. There's my husband's hat that needs to be taken upstairs to the bedroom. I should take the stitchery project up to my studio. There's my water glass from last night, it needs to go down to the kitchen. The cloth napkins from dinner need to go down to the laundry.

I enjoy having three floors of space. I find it easier to keep the house clean and somewhat organized because I am always looking to put something where it belongs, especially if I'm going up or down the staircase. When we lived on one-floor it was a lot easier to say to myself, "That (whatever) can stay where it's at. I'll get to it later."

Do you have any tips for staying on top of stuff laying around the house?

Cooking For Two

My Recipe Box - a gift from my MIL

I love to cook. DH and I love to eat. However, cooking for two, or often only one, can be challenging. While I was still working we worked together so we rode to work together and came home together. Meals were often uninspiring and were pretty basic. Occasionally I would try a new recipe or make a special meal on the weekends. Often we were so tired after a day in the office we would go out to eat. Let me tell you, we ate out so often, that eating out became boring.

Since I've stopped working I've found the joy in cooking again. Of course that means I get to spend time perusing cookbooks and on-line recipe sources. I have two cookbooks I use frequently. The first one is Light Cooking for Two. DH's aunt had this one on her bookshelf and I loved it the minute I read it. I haven't found a recipe in there we don't like. If you can get it cheap from Amazon, I recommend it.

The other cookbook I use is The Empty Nesters Cookbook. This is a small cookbook with good recipes (that's where I found the Marmalade Pork Roast for dinner on Monday night). The recipes are written with "He Does", "She Does" directions which are cute, but not necessary if only one of you cook. This is a fun book, but I don't how easy it is to buy it. I found mine at a quilt shop in CT, of all places.

The on-line site I recently found is AllRecipes.com. I like this site because you can choose how many servings you want to make. I've only made a couple recipes so far from this site and both were good.

I do have two guideline when I'm choosing recipes. The first is if I need a special gadget, pan or specialty spice or ingredient, then I don't bother with the recipe. I operate under the KISS method: Keep It Simple S*****. I don't need to fill my cupboards and drawers with something I'm only going to use once, or maybe twice. The second one is I prefer to use fresh ingredients. I'm not of fan of packaged meals. For us packaged meals usually mean leftovers and that often leads to waste.

I do my meal planning and shopping on Wednesdays. Why Wednesday? Because everyone does it on the weekends or Mondays and I like to be different. I will admit to being a food shopping snob. There is a family butcher shop/small market in downtown Dover, Janetos. This is the kind of butcher where you can walk up to the counter, ask for a side of beef and they will ask you how you want it cut and packaged. Their service is excellent and the meat is fantastic. I will never shop for meat at grocery store again. Nothing beats a freshly cut filet or two pounds of freshly ground beef cooked on the grill and served as burgers.

I also have the pleasure of having America's oldest family farm close to me. Tuttle's Red Barn is where I get our fresh produce. If I could have a garden, I'd buy my plants there as well. If you're ever near Dover, NH you should make sure to take a trip to Tuttle's.

For all my other grocery shopping I go to the local grocery store. This store is less than a year old and is not the normal large grocery store. The best part of it is you get a nickel credit for every reusable bag you bring in to carry your groceries. That works for me since I only use cloth grocery bags.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and a nice Father's Day! Tomorrow we have a graduation party in the afternoon and then an Engaged Encounter meeting in the evening; along with more US Open Golf, Red Sox and Celtics!

The Boys

I thought I would introduce you to "The Boys" of our house. No, these are not my adult sons. These are "The Boys" as we call them. They reside on a wooden tray on the coffee table in our living room.

We are huge sports fans in our house: Boston Red Sox baseball, New England Patriots football, Boston Celtics football, professional golf and occasionally soccer (mostly during the World Cup). I've been known to schedule my social life around sporting events. If it's football season I suggest you don't ask me to an event on a Sunday, chances are that unless you are hosting a football I will try to find a way out of it.

Anyway, back to "The Boys". From left to right in the front row: Wally, the Green Monster. He is the Red Sox mascot and is named after the Green Monster wall at Fenway Park. Next to him is Tom Brady, the quarterback for the New England Patriots. In the back row left to right we have a Tiger Woods bobble head doll, a David Beckham statue and a Tedy Bruschi, linebacker for the New England Patriots. I'm bidding on a Kevin Garnett Celtics figure on Ebay to add to the collection.

My oldest son thinks we are weird, but we don't care. We've been known to have conversations with "The Boys". We even take Wally with us when we travel. Here's a photo of Wally enjoying the mountains in Oregon last summer!
So, there you have it, one the unusual aspects of life in Coffee Time at Home. You may be wondering why I'm sharing "The Boys" with you today. Well this is a big golf weekend in our house - the U.S. Open Golf Championship. One bonus of the coverage this weekend is that today and tomorrow Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are in the same group and I will be able to watch them play today and tomorrow! Woohoo! Even better because I have an HDTV in my quilt studio so I can play with fabric while watching golf! A great way to spend the day.

Do You Eat Breakfast?

It seems an innocent question - Do you eat breakfast? Some people do. Some people don't. Maybe a better question would be: Is breakfast important to you? In our house breakfast is as special to us as our dinner meal.

When DH is not traveling for work I always make breakfast for us. I am a morning person. He is not. On weekdays I make sure he gets a good breakfast before going to work. Actually we eat breakfast in bed on weekdays. Here is our breakfast tray ready for me to take into him. We share a bowl of cereal, toast or bagel, OJ for him, milk for me and coffee for each of us. Some days I will make a microwave breakfast bowl or waffles and bacon. After breakfast we make time to cuddle before we head into the shower to get ready for the day.
When he is traveling this is my usual breakfast. A banana, biscotti and coffee. Lately it's been iced coffee because it's been so hot. Today I tried something new for my iced coffee. I double brewed a pot of vanilla coffee. I added some cinnamon to the coffee before it was brewed. It smelled yummy! Then a small amount of sugar was put into the pitcher before the coffee was poured in and then put in the fridge. I also make ice cubes out of the coffee so when they melt in the coffee it doesn't get diluted.
Saturday mornings I've started baking something special. I think this week it will be blueberry muffins. I still have some blueberries left from last week's blueberry coffee cake.

Sunday mornings is DH's turn to make breakfast. His specialty is bacon, eggs, baked beans, and toast or bagels. Always a yummy breakfast.

When was the last time you shared breakfast with your family?

Date Night and Flexibility

French Casseroles Purchased at a Consignment Shop

Do you have a standing date night with your DH and/or SO? If not, I highly recommend it. A date night doesn't have to mean a night out on the town. A night at home with a special meal and no interruptions works just as well.

The key to date night is that it is just the two of you. No phones, no TV, no children, no interruptions. Simply enjoy a meal together and talk with each other. Enjoy each other's company. Talk about the little things in life. Talk about your love for one another. Laugh with each other. You don't need to spend a lot of money. You are spending time together.

If you have children, have a date night after the children are in bed or send them out somewhere. Hire a baby sitter if you can and leave the house.

Maybe you live alone. Have a date night with yourself. Cook a special meal. Get dressed up. Enjoy your own company.

DH and I have a date night once a week. Some weeks we will go out to eat. Most weeks I will make a special meal. Last night was our date night this week. I made Orange Marmalade Pork Roast, rice pilaf and carrots. We spent the evening planning our vacation to Vancouver, BC at the end of the month.

You may notice I have a household task of the day posted in my side bar. Sometimes this list calls for flexibility. Today is one of those days. It's going to be over 90 again today and cool off tomorrow. We only have AC in our bedroom and I'm tired of sitting in the heat all day. I'm switching my errand day and laundry day this week. This way I can spend some time in AC stores today while it's still hot, hot, hot. When it's cooler tomorrow I'll do the laundry.

Tell me about your date nights. Do you have them? What do you usually do on date night?

Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today - June, 9 2008
Outside My Window it is cloudy, hot, humid and still. Temps will be in the 90s today and tomorrow. Oh, I wish we still had central air conditioning.

I am thinking about taking a nap. I caught a cold from my DH and feel miserable. A nap under freshly washed sheets in the one room with AC sounds divine right now.

I am thankful for a husband who has stood beside me while I have been sick and out of work.

From the kitchen tonight will be Orange Marmalade Pork Roast, Rice Pilaf, Carrots and chilled mandarin oranges.

I am wearing a white camisole and tan shorts, my standard outfit in the summertime.

I am creating a Summer Solstice package for a friend. I need to get in the mail tomorrow.

I am going to spend the time doing the daily household task and hand sewing, not much else to do in this heat.

I am reading Barbara Walter's biography "Audition."

I am hoping the Celtics win the NBA finals.

I am hearing the fan blowing a gentle breeze, the TV and the trash collector outside.

Around the house it is quiet and dark. No sunshine to brighten it up or heat it up too much.
One of my favorite things: Red Sox baseball

A few plans for the rest of the week: finish hand piecing the Christmas table runner, start painting the kitchen, clean out the pantry for the rebuilding.

Here is picture thought I am sharing: the best thing to eat on a hazy, hot and humid afternoon.
The Simple Woman's Daybook can be found here. You will find a list of other Simple Woman's Daybooks too.

What's For Dinner?

How do you tell your family what's for dinner? As you can see we are having Maker's Mark Steak tonight. This is a London broil marinated in Maker's Mark Sauce. You don't have to be a bourbon drinker or even a drinker to enjoy this sauce. It's yummy!
I found this cookbook stand when we were in Las Vegas on vacation five years ago. The chalkboard was cut from a larger one I found in a Goodwill store. I just painted the edges. This chef sits on a bookcase next to the kitchen island so everyone who walks into the kitchen knows what's for dinner.

You'll notice Beat LA on the chalkboard today. We are big Boston sports fans in this home. The Celtics play the Lakers tonight and we're cheering our team on.

What's for dinner at your home tonight?

Saturday Treat

I'm an occasional baker. Just as I am with my quilting, I am with cooking. I seldom follow directions to a T. That process works for most recipes, but doesn't always work well with baking.

Earlier this week I was browsing through my quilt books looking for a pattern that would work with large print fabric. In my Coffee-Time Quilts book I found a recipe for Blueberry Coffee Cake. DH loves blueberry muffins so I decided to treat him with blueberry coffee cake.

It turned out well. Tastes much better than it looks. The only trouble I had was the butter wasn't soft enough to crumble with the cake flour. I'll have to remember that next time.

Thanks for all the welcome comments. I will be keeping up my quilting blog as well as this one so feel free to read both.

Welcome to Coffee Time at Home!

Coffee Time at Home will be the place for me to share my journey, my experiences and my life as a new stay-at-home, work-at-home wife.

A new career as a stay-at-home wife, you ask? How can someone at your age start this new career? Well, for the first time in my life I am not working outside of the home. I have gone from working 60 hours a week to not working at all right now. The reasons why don't matter. What is important is I have chosen to become the wife and partner my husband needs to be successful in his career.

I have raised three sons and sent them into the world. They, in turn, have blessed me with a grandson, a wonderful DIL and a great DGF. I have lived in several homes and loved each and every one of them. Yet, I always felt somewhat delinquent in the homemaking department. I can clean. I can cook. I can run a household. I always felt something was missing. I came to realize I was missing the joy in doing these tasks.

Lately I have discovered the joy of caring for my husband and my home. I love to make breakfast for DH when we wake up in the morning. I always see he has a good lunch at work. I'm happy being able to cool all the dishes I've wanted to try for dinner. The sense of order, peace and quiet I have created in our home is an important job and I'm thoroughly enjoying the process of creating it.

I invite you to follow along with me as I being this new journey. I'll be sharing my experiences, tips and tumbles while I work at creating Coffee Time at Home.