My Gumption has Got Up and Went

...and I am not sure it is coming back!

I really don't know why I can't seem to focus or stay on task. I am going through the motions of life--work, home, and errands but can't seem to manage beyond that. I have been having memory issues. As a person who doesn't lose things, in the last few weeks, I have managed to lose my social security card, my phone and my keys. Yesterday, I put the wrong dog on the leash and ended up chasing down my runner dog, Frazzle. sheesh  Maybe the forgetfulness can be attributed to the time change and subsequent lack of sleep?

According to my blog list I have 22 draft posts I have not completed. Which at least half of those were related projects I had begun...and not finished.

Was it living in the frozen tundra this winter that has affected  my ability to complete tasks? Not just projects-- but simple chores such as laundry, dishes and grocery shopping seem to require a herculean effort. My cousin and I spoke about this at great length today while at lunch. She too, said she had little desire for projects. We both agreed cooking, eating, reading and sleeping were high on the list of acceptable activities.  At least I am not alone in this struggle. As the weather improves, so will my mood and my interest in chores, projects and hobbies---or so I hope! Because goodness knows I really have quite a long list of tasks to accomplish. And it makes me tired just thinking about it!

I have managed to acquire few new trinkets for the house.

Mason Jar Salt and Pepper shakers

$3 for the pair

My new absolute all time favorite chatke--A Mason Jar flower pot! squeeeee! I am thinking an aloe plant for my kitchen. What do you think?

Purchased from The Jam & Jelly Lady Shoppe

And this lovely little electric tart warmer. It is by Vern Yip and has retailed on  HSN for $29.95. I found it local at Meijer Grocery store for $11.99. The best part is taking the wax tarts, cutting them in half to personalize your fragrance. Mine is currently half Iced Lemon and half Lavender--because it reminds me of Summer. 

I love the design it casts on the walls when powered on to melt the tarts.

That is all the gumption I can muster for today. What about you? Are you winter weary? Time change tired? Or ready to go-go-go? Do tell...

Carnivore, Omnivore, or Herbivore

I think when my daughter was around 12 or 13, she announced she was going to be a vegetarian. I was shocked- yet not. She had become increasingly picky over the years with what she would eat. She  was not  much of a meat eater...maybe some tuna, fish sticks, or chicken nuggets. I admit, I was annoyed at first. I am pretty sure my first statement was, "I am not cooking separate meals." I now know it was  pretty much a jackass move and put me in the running for the lousy parent award.

Her  dietary change, wasn't too bad for a while, actually. She was still consuming eggs and dairy. There would be moments of fussing when I made stuffing and used chicken broth. The phrase my daughter hated most was, "Can't you just pick out the meat?"  Looking back I wish I had been more supportive. Considering she already had food allergies--strawberries, shellfish, and basil--you think, I would have been more in tune with her needs.

I later learned there are several levels of vegetarianism. Although most are considered to be psuedo vegetarian and result in many heated discussions amongst the omnivores and herbivores.

Flexitarian- A mostly plant-based diet with the occasional meat item on the menu. 

Pescatarian-A mostly plant based diet, limiting  meat consumption to fish and seafood only. Pescatarians do not consume red meat, white meat or fowl.  

Pollotarian-A mostly plant based diet with meat consumption limited to only chicken/ fowl. No pork, seafood or red/ other meat types.  

Ovo vegetarian-is plant based but will eat eggs

Lacto vegetarian- is plant based (no meat) but will consume dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt)

Lacto-ovo vegetarian--is plant based (no meat) but includes the consumption of eggs and dairy products.

Then there is Vegan. Veganism is strict vegetarianism with absolutely no meat or animal by products. Vegans do not use products which are considered to be animal exploitation. 

Vegans do not use white sugar if it has been processed by using bone char. No honey or beeswax. No gelatin or albumin. No animal oils (such as lanolin). Textiles such as wool, leather and silk are prohibited. Carmine, which is predominantly in cosmetics, is comprised of the ground shells of the South American Cochineal beetle. 

Most vegans avoid beer if they are filtered with isinglass (which is fish bladders). Vegans must be militant about reading labels because innocuous amounts of  ingredients which are on the banned list could end up in their food stream or consumer usage. 

Examples-lactose (derived from dairy products) could be in baked goods, candies or medication; Whey-innumerable uses in food production derived from milk production; Rennet--used in cheese production and is derived from cow stomach; Oleic acid (and it's derivatives)--derived from beef tallow; Castoreum--used in raspberry flavoring and derived from beaver anal glands. Yes--you read that correctly. A beaver's anal glands; Shellac-not the shiny stuff to seal furniture, but the shiny coating used on m&ms and skittles are derived the lav beetle; L-cysteine (or cysteine) can be used in bread production and is derived from duck feathers...or HUMAN hair! 

www.onegreenplanet.org

I know some of you may be skeptical, saying I gather my information from the University of Google, but let me remind you...I worked as a chemist for 20+ yrs. Several of which were in food science and 15 years were in personal/ beauty care. So I have firsthand knowledge of of ingredients labelling and what is considered GRAS (Generally recognized as safe), what is natural and what is synthetic. 

My daughter has since moved back and forth between eating meat and not. For a while she even embraced the vegan lifestyle. She still doesn't use leather products or foods with gelatin. 

The point of this post is not necessarily to tout one lifestyle over the other, but to make people aware of reading labels and ingredient lists. Don't even get me started on the chemicals that are in our foods (which is another post), because...Do you REALLY know what you are consuming or what ingredients are in the products you use? Just remember my friends, KNOWLEDGE is POWER!

To learn more about ingredients and food labelling,  please consider the following links:
vegetarian & vegan food labeling
Food Labeling
Food Labeling 2
Food Additives

The last of the shiny stuff and other random things

Or what I like to call the oopsie edition.

I am down to the last 3 totes of kitchen stuff, so... hooray for that! But I do have some perplexing things that I just can't explain. When unpacking my brand new dishes that I had purchased in July last year-which had been unpacked, wrapped in towels and stored in a rubbermaid tote--you know, to keep them safe--I noticed I didn't have any broken dishes. I had a missing dessert plate! How does that happen? I have no ideal. I have gone through all the remaining totes at this point and it is not to be found. I am also missing 1 area area rug, a box of my miscellaneous coffee mugs (or muglies as my kid would call them), and 2 of my cast iron skillets.  It isn't like I have a ginormous house or garage but this stuff is just...gone. Weird, huh?

So all the shiny stuff has been installed...all the cabinet hardware and the light fixture. Yay!!

There was a MAJOR oopsie when the hubbs was installing a cabinet knob. He began drilling in the wrong spot. I damn near had an apoplectic fit. The door had to be flipped upside down and hinges moved to the opposite side...Siiighhh.

Fortunately a little wood putty and some matching paint will take care of it. We still need to adjust the door a little bit, or I should say the hubbs needs to because I have absolutely NO patience for it.

Unlike my waistline, my kitchen remodel list is shrinking, yahoo! The majority on the list is either on hold due to budget or waiting for Spring weather. My window treatment had to be redone because I didn't like the fabric I had selected after all. No worries the fabric I purchased  can be repurposed for quilting. My DIY art project is coming along nicely. It is not difficult or time consuming but I have only had a few minutes intermittently to work on it.  It is mostly all about the pretty stuff and accessorizing. The good thing is I can shop my hoard stash chatchkes and bric-a-brac-- so no additional cost  is involved.

To see the original list  click here 

• REPAIR THE EXTERIOR WALL FROM INSTALLING A SMALLER WINDOW--IN PROGRESS On hold due to budget and weather. This is now moved to Spring.
• Install sink (part of the counter top fabrication) DONE!!
• Plumbing! DONE!!
• Install garbage disposal DONE!!
• Paint and install the new entry door On hold due to weather. This is now moved to Spring.
• Purchase door hardware--DONE!!
• Install door hardware, including kick plate On hold due to weather. This is now moved to Spring.
• Add a peephole to the door since it is windowless On hold due to weather. This is now moved to Spring.
• Trim work (doors, the window, baseboards, crown molding and cabinet toe molding) On hold due to budget
• Purchase  additional tile for back splash--expanded project (aka scope creep), now need to tile sink aside and food prep/ cook side On hold due to budget
• Install tile back splash On hold due to budget
• Purchase shelves for open shelving storage between wall cabinet and pantry, as well as, above the sink. DONE!
• Install shelves DONE!
• Install the refrigerator DONE!
• Install the stove DONE!
• Purchase end panel for dishwasher installation--DONE!!
• Purchase and install a dishwasher--DONE!
• Purchase and install cabinet hardware----DONE!
• Purchase ceiling medallion--DONE!
• Install the ceiling medallion and chandelier--DONE!
• Decide on window treatment--DONE!!
• Order and SEW fabric for window valance/ curtains/ shade--IN PROGRESS
• Paint  mobile island/ cart and purchase/ DIY 1 or 2 kitchen stools Sadly there will be no island or bar stools due to space constraints
• DIY some wall art --IN PROGRESS
• Accessorize--IN PROGRESS
• Cook, bake and ENJOY the finished kitchen!

So...what is next??

The next project on the list is the dining room. I know I said we were gonna wait  but there will be (hopefully) minimal cost. The biggest cost will be leveling the floor and installing the vinyl flooring. I know it isn't a typical choice for a dining room but it is also the main entry to my house and there is a lot of traffic, so I want something easy to clean. I am going to repaint the entire room. I have a new light fixture which was FREE and it is GORGEOUS!  There is a repurposed furniture project planned for the dining room, I may try to make slipcovers for my 2 parson's chairs and I need to reupholster the 2 arm chairs. Oh and paint the table base. And organize the storage closet in the dining room. HAHA--so lots of things to keep me busy.

What is on your to-do list?

August Wrap Up

What's new? What's going on? Anything exciting? Funny? Mundane?

School Related
I am back in school  after I had a 1 week break from school mid August. I am now in my second to last semester (YAY) AND I made the Dean's List again (more YAY's).

But it wasn't much of a break. No lazing around in a hammock -assuming I had a hammock or trees to attach a hammock. Nope, I have been busy, busy, busy! I have been a canning and preserving fool! Lots of  pickles, relishes, and some sauce making. Lots of chopping, shredding, and freezing. Even some baking going on here at My Cozy Little Farmhouse.

Garden Related

I am trying to  get as much done before the kitchen gets ripped out (which is in 3 days y'all!). And to be honest my garden has slowed considerably. The cukes, melons, zukes, and other squash plants are done. The corn was a bust--either under ripe, over ripe and  much of  it was hit by nasty corn borers. Time for me to rip out the plants. The only thing left that has potential for harvest are my second succession planting of tomatoes which I expect in the next 2 weeks but it looks like it will be only enough for salads and sandwiches. But I am ok with that. since if it were more I would either have to can in the garage  (ick!) or lug my stuff to my daughter house to use her kitchen . I may have more  hot peppers and  sugar pie pumpkins  are coming but I don't think they are going to make it. The squash borers have taken over and I honestly don't have the energy to fight them. I had hoped to harvest the grapes to can juice and jam but sadly with the kitchen remodel that is unlikely.

Kitchen Related

My gigantic roll of linoleum arrived, as did my countertop-woot!

Now I faced with the logistics of WHERE am I gonna put all my kitchen stuff? I have some totes packed already. We will have a temporary kitchen with the bare basics (fridge, coffee maker, and microwave).

My kitchen entire first floor, is a disaster area as I pack up the kitchen. Feeling a tad overwhelmed and we haven't even demolished the room--YET.

Fingers crossed when I write my September wrap up I will be able to say the kitchen is finished.

HELP! Something weird is going on with my blog

My daughter told me me when ever she tries to load my blog she receives a message of a long running script.

Then I clicked on the View Blog link, my blog opens up, I will begin to scroll down and then my page is REDIRECTED to this

http://results.freedirectoryguide.com/search.php

Does anyone else see this when they click my blog?

At first I thought it was me because sometimes I have fat fingers when typing. I noticed this a few weeks ago and it generally only happens when I first open my blog from a new session. I though it may be related to the ads on my page so I removed those and this damn redirect still occurs.

How do I make this bloody  thing go away???

HELP!!

Why did the chicken cross the road?

To torment me, my dogs and my cats!

And it is actually one rooster and one chicken and it  is the rooster from hell. He crows ALL day long. Non stop from first light until dusk. Don't get me wrong I like chickens--I think they're delicious, haha. I just don't like the obnoxiously loud crowing type. 

I assume my neighbor's kids left the pen open which is why they are out meandering.I can just imagine the clucking conversation..."Hey let's go torment this lady and her animals"

"I will move a little closer and crow even louder", says the rooster

"Are you looking at me?" 

My cats and dogs were going haywire when they saw him in the yard. He hung out around my bird feeder and ate what I had set out for the critters. Unfortunately my batteries died and that was the end of the pictures. We missed out on a chicken dinner last night as I decided to spare his life. Next time I won't be so benevolent.  Until next time evil rooster...

Random Ramblings #1

First carrots from my garden

I fed the carrots to the Guinea Pigs now they have the zoomies and are pop-corning. Translated that means they are racing around their cages and kicking their back feet because they are happy. 

Some"bunny" has been nibbling around my garden. Fortunately this is the wild strawberries

I harvested 2 whole raspberries but went ahead and left them for the bunnies because they weren't quite ripe.

Working on some projects

It's raining here and all I want to do is take a nap!

How is your Monday?

25 Random Things Linky Party

Inspired by Shaunna from Perfectly Imperfect!

1. I am not a morning person.
2. I have been unemployed since Jan 3, 2012
3. I was really freaked out about not having job.
4. Now I kinda like it--don't tell my hubbs.
5. My hubbs is a really good guy--most of the time.
6. Since being unemployed I no longer worry about time management.
7. When I was employed I was in management.
8. I hated it.
9. I have no ideal what I wan't to do when I grow up
10. Being a grown up is kinda sucky sometimes.
11. Being a grown up is really awesome sometimes.
12. You know what's awesome? It is snowing and I am sitting in my big comfy recliner, in pj's.
13. I love pj's. They are my favorite outfit. 
14. I hope my next job (IF I get one, haha) let's me work from home. Sitting in my recliner. In my pj's.
15. I love to garden.
16. Especially flowers.
17. I would love to get rid of most of our yard and put in flower beds.
18. This freaks the hubbs out.
19. I can't say the word "out", because it make my dogs go crazy. I have to spell it O--U--T when talking to anyone.
20. I also have to spell B--Y--E -B--Y--E
21. And C--O--O--K--I--E
22. I think my dogs can spell.
23. I won the spelling bee in 6th grade
24. My hubbs won an art contest in 6th grade
25. We haven't won anything since

Ok--what's your 25 things? Please click http://www.perfectlyimperfectblog.com/2012/02/25-things-linky-party.html and link up with Shaunna!