My kitchen counter was a dump zone for everybody to deposit ipads, wallets, keys, mail, etc. This is despite us having a small home office, 4 bedrooms, oh and a roll-top desk in the living room. Like a fly to poop, in it came.

I had placed an older table in the corner to use as a craft station and laptop area but again, everything ended up on that and was visible to any visitors we have over, talk about an eyesore. (I forgot to photograph it prior to this post, lesson learned). I am a Pinaholic (Pinterest user) and I scoured hundreds of pics before deciding my hubby could do this. He is a great woodworker but very precise , a researcher and perfectionist …….BUT I WANTED IT NOW!!

The solution / compromise was to shop at a big warehouse together and despite having a list of what we needed , ended up making it a bigger project than was needed ( and a 3 hour shopping expedition). Arguing over the smoothest option for the top (I wanted laminate flooring as I had seen on Pinterest that only took 10 minutes to install ( I wanted it now, remember), and he wanted real wood), so that children could do homework. With Baby #4 in the cart ( eldest son didn’t want to watch her as well as the other 2 boys so she came with us) with an increasing wet diaper and wailing cry of hunger, oak planking was thrown on the flatbed cart. 2 kitchen wall units , stain , hardware and glue, pretty rope edging and various other pieces of wood.

More protesting from me when the Darling Husband says “I’ll just go pick up the other items I need for the house”. What part of I WANT THIS DONE TODAY, NOW, QUICKLY, DIDN’T HE UNDERSTAND??

Anyhow, after 2 full days of banging, sanding, drilling , gluing and staining (with a 2 day hiatus whilst he went to work at the fire station in between, he could have called in sick to get this done but no, he’s a good guy and the city needs him – no he is not Batman) the project is complete. Despite my OCD (Obsessive Controlling Disorder) I have to say it was worth the wait. Perfectly done and way better than anything I had previously seen. He even drilled holes and placed grommets in for the power cords, see that is his attention to detail. My sewing machine fits into the right double cabinet and the kids school supplies will go into the smaller  left cabinet.

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Will this mean that my kitchen counter will be free and clear of clutter? Of course not, please excuse the mess, the children are living in the house and it was never meant to be a show home.

If you know me , you know I am frugal and curious. I also like to partake of an alcohol based beverage on a frequent basis.

For any or all of those reasons, I have been experimenting with alcohol infusions.

In the past , I have made home made limoncello , kahlua and lemon creme, hot chipotle pineapple rum and (horrible) home made wine.

(a few recipes to follow)

This week I have 3 new ideas.

1. Jalapeno vodka , pretty self explanatory, just sliced jalapenos and put in a wide mouth mason jar full of vodka. I used this mixed in with a peach/pineapple vodka and topped with diet seven up. It only takes a day or so to have the flavor and heat of the peppers. Use only a dash of this.

2. At new year we really enjoyed Fireball whiskey. I have made my version using another mason jar of Canadian whiskey, about 7 atomic fireball candies ( from 7/11 store) and about 2 tablespoons of agave. Shake well.

3. Pineapple chunks (syrup drained off) soaked in rum and chilled. Perfect to bite on whilst poolside.

 

My home made wine was a youtube mess. I bought Welchs’ grape juice, added the sugar and yeast (I used bread yeast which was probably my biggest mistake, should have used proper wine yeast). Watched and tended it over two weeks, but was left with a yeasty tasting bad wine. Still, I bottled it and who knows if it will be better in a few weeks? 

My kahlua is a big success however, and makes up half of my favorite cocktail, a Brave Bull.

1 part tequila

1 1/2 kahlua

lime wedge, squeezed into liquid

serve over crushed ice

A couple will make you think you are invincible (like a brave bull)!

 

Every christmas I make a peppermint vodka using the same mason jar technique , adding vodka and starlight mints , shake daily for a week and use for chocolate mint martinis. My mother can testify as to their Christmas Cheer ( we have the photos of a snoring Grandma with the paper Christmas cracker hat over one eye after 2 of them)

 

My Kahlua recipe

12 cups double strength brewed coffee

1 bottle vodka

2 lbs dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons hazelnut syrup

Method: heat coffee and sugar in a large pot and bring to a simmer , simmer for about 60 minutes. 

Allow to cool to at least room temperature and add the other ingredients. This is important as the alcohol doesn’t “like” to be hot.

Pour into clean bottles, label and enjoy.

 

My next experiment is to make hard apple cider from local apple orchard juice.

 

Cheers!!

 

At my make up table.

On the big chair by our bed (pic is a little dark)

In my messy craft closet.

 

 

But mostly I am to be found at the kitchen sink or in the laundry room.

Never do I get peace to make a telephone call, use the bathroom, take a bath or watch a movie uninterrupted.

Older moms tell me these are the moments to cherish as they grow up so fast…well they better hurry up as I want more quiet moments to myself.

Ask me again in 10 years and I’ll be a blubbering wreck that they want nothing to do with me, I know.

You know the situation , you are at a works function and the CEO comes over to give a courtesy greeting. She says something that is regarding a current political issue, and you have no idea what she is talking about. What to do? If you agree you could be wrong, in her eyes, and if you laugh nervously you look like an idiot. Shuffling away , mumbling about going to the toilet doesn’t improve the chance of a promotion.

Not understanding can lead to embarrassment or discomfort and that in turn knocks our confidence. I have been put in this place on many occasions, surgeons or administrators chatting to me in the break room when all I wanted to do was eat my sandwich and read my kindle. My head was down when they came in…but oh hello, I need to tell you something.

My action as a younger person was to look like an idiot and just nod or smile, now as I grow older (and basically have stopped worrying about how people regard me) I stop the person and either tell them I am unfamiliar with their musings or ask them a question. Never rude to them, and I try to show interest, after all the conversation will only last until one of us has to leave.

To know , or not to know, is not a failing. We cannot all have the same degree of schooling or enthusiasm over a particular matter.

Recently I was having a video conversation with a wonderful older gent and he said something (I still cannot pronounce it) which I didn’t recognize. When I asked him what that was, he repeated it and then I must have looked blankly back at him as he repeated it even louder! I gave up and asked him what it meant and given the definition, I was familiar with the subject, just not the title given to it. Bear in mind, this man has to be the best read , most intelligent man in the world, and sadly I am not. (You know who you are xx)

The next time you are conversing with someone on a topic you are passionate about, either ask the person at the beginning of the subject if they are familiar with it , not if they like it, ( just throw it out there) and if they start nodding quietly or giggling like a nervous schoolgirl, talk about the weather until another willing listener happens upon you.

One last note. If you want to lessen your chances of disastrous yappings , try reading a newspaper at least every few days and the chance that you may know a little on the subject (or can steer it in a different direction) will be heightened. In this day and age , the internet is a click away and looking something up is a cinch.

So, how about that rain we had last night….?

When I was in preschool in Scotland (we called it “the playgroup”) I fondly remember all of us sitting in a circle and one child was picked to be the mailman. He or she merrily skipped around the outside of the circle singing “I sent a letter to my love and on the way I dropped it, dropped it, dropped it”, until silently dropping a letter behind one of the seated children. On noticing it, the recipient had to jump up and chase the former letter carrier and try to catch them before they reached their spot.

American readers may recognize this as ” Duck, duck, goose” except no smacking of the heads on the way around the circle and much more elegant and refined. Think of a small child skipping through a pasture of wildflowers , singing sweetly. ( Okay maybe not, but its how I remember those little black plimsoles skipping past me)

 

So in honor of my happy memory , I made little felt envelopes and even smaller letters to fit inside. No sew (only a little optional blanket stitch for decoration) project and so very sweet.

Before I could stop myself, it was out of my mouth…..”sure, I will volunteer in the kindergarten class”

Monday morning loomed and I considered over and over again what I should wear, what was the Mom’s dress code for school? I don’t wear tennis shoes and my purse is enormous, most of my shirts have low necklines and my jeans are too long for flats, what a problem to have.

I gulped down my morning coffee and then realized that maybe I should not have had any, as where were the bathrooms at school and what if I got lost on the way or couldn’t remember which door I came out of? Then I panicked a little knowing that it could be 2 o’clock until I get another cup. Do the staff rooms still reek of cigarette smoke and coffee like they did in my school days, 30 years ago? 

I decided on school colors of a red sweater and black pants (more suited to working at Target) with my black sensible nursing shoes, found a very small shoulder bag and stuffed my phone, lipstick and crackers into.

Parking the car for a quick getaway was next, and then signing into the school past the all knowing secretaries. They looked at me as if I really shouldn’t be there, but nodded towards the clipboard and then the sticker was on. There was no turning back!

The children all looked at me as I stepped onto the school yard , I got goosebumps and shuffled nervously. So much noise and screaming and movement…these kids moved with supersonic speed.

When the teacher spotted me it was with relief that someone older than 6 was available to talk to.

Throughout the day the noise continued and I was able to relax a little, but not let my guard down as the moment I did, a small girl ran behind me and slipped on the wet floor ,bumping her head. I took her to the nurse as the schools are paranoid, rightly so, about head injuries. She was just fine.

The little boys were making rude comments to each other, wandering around the classroom, spilling boxes of pencils and trying to cut each other with scissors. Picking their noses, going to the bathroom as often as they could get away with then washing their hands /playing in the water in the sink and letting it spill onto the floor, hence the head injury emergency above.

The little girls were singing their abc’s and comparing hair styles and nail polish colors.

Some of the children were kind to me as they knew I really didn’t look like one of them and two nice girls invited me to eat lunch with them. I declined to share in their juice boxes and cheesy puffs.

Green painted shamrocks and the paint everywhere, still more noise, and I was way too hot in my sweater, no coffee and it was only noon. I was watching the clock.

My own little boy felt compelled to jump up from his seat and run screaming around the classroom , pencil pointing up in the air. I tackled him to the ground with the teacher looking on with apparent admiration and awe, this was not the first time he had done this but she usually had to let him complete his lap as I wasn’t there. 

When 2 o’clock came I thanked the teacher for having me, and fled.

I don’t think I want to go back to school anymore.