A Wood-Filled Weekend

With a sequence of events, we need to clear our some more space in our garage. One of the main things that needs to go is a bunch of wood we've saved up over the years from various projects. Before just getting rid of all of it or giving it away, I thought we should try and finish some of our own projects which have been on our to-do lists for years and years now. We accomplished both of these projects this past weekend:

1. A "box" to cover the vent hood pipe that goes into the ceiling in our kitchen. 

In April of 2021, we made the decision to vent our range hood vent outside instead of having a recirculating one. It was one of the better decisions we've ever made for our house because I love it so much. I can cook and vent the smells outside and you can't smell anything after a few hours. I don't regret anything about the project except the person we hired. For the last 1.5 years, we've been staring at a really ugly ceiling patch where the pipe connected into the attic. The pipe is also not centered, but that is secondary to the ugly ceiling.

My husband has mentioned wanting to build a box around it to hide the pipe from the beginning to fix both problems. We were finally able to use some leftover MDF board from previous projects to build a three-sided "box" to place in front of the pipe on top of our cabinets. I had used play-doh a long time ago to trace the edge of the trim against our ceiling so we could cut the appropriate edge to cover there as well. 

After a few coats of paint and primer, we had ourselves a white cabinet box to make our kitchen range hood look centered and neat. 

We will hopefully add some trim around the top of the box to match the traditional style of our kitchen as right now it looks too clean and modern. But for now, this box fixed our main issues. Total cost* of this project: $0

2. Utilizing the other half of our second blind corner cabinet.

For my birthday in 2020, I bought blind corner shelf pull-outs and had them installed. To this day I still love using them and they have been super helpful. We have one other blind corner cabinet but the same pull-outs would not work in the other cabinet because it was a smaller cabinet. 

However, this cabinet had space behind it we could use.

The open cabinet is the one with the blind corner.
We've never been able to fully utilize that space. 

This is the backside of the cabinet which allows us to
make a cut to use the blind corner.

We had talked about cutting a hole from behind and adding another door to create another cabinet in our kitchen essentially. This project never came to fruition because I wasn't convinced we had a way to cut open the cabinet to make a clean rectangular opening. This past weekend on Friday morning, I asked my husband again if we could do this project. I was also more convinced to want to do it as a way to use up some of the wood we had stored before we got rid of it all. 

By Friday evening, after the kids went to bed, we got right to work. It took us the entire evening to get the hole measured, prepped, and cut, but we did it.

Really clean cut with a multi-tool he purchased last year.
I have no problem with spending money when it can earn its value.

The next day, my husband spent the whole afternoon making drawer boxes for me. That evening, we had one installed with the sliding tracks. It took much more time than we anticipated because the drawer slides were nearly impossible to separate. We looked up Youtube Videos from different people with three different methods on how to remove them. After a lot of pulling, tugging, and frustrated grunts, we were able to separate the slides and have them installed on their respective halves. 

On Sunday afternoon, my husband finished making the cabinet door completely from scratch! We used an old piece of plywood originally from the house we had saved from a previous renovation. We added some trim to fit with the style of the rest of our house. I primed and painted Sunday evening and by Monday morning, everything was installed and complete. 

Comparable pull out shelves like this would cost $100+ each...(yes, we've looked into it.)

Yes, I've already filled them up. Will need to reorganize the
pantry now that I have more space. 

The secret passageway has a proper entrance! 

Total cost* of this project: $30.90 

I'm really pleased with the way this project turned out. I know we waited years before turning this cabinet into a reality, but now that it's completed, it's really exciting to add another 4 cubic feet of storage space!

*Cost refers to new dollars spent. All other materials we had leftover from previous projects.

Why Your Child is Fat

Last week we went to tour some model homes in the metroplex. No, we are not buying a new-build, but it was highly entertaining to be able to explore the house and indulge in the free drinks and snacks with someone who was looking. 😁 Our kids were highly entertained for an afternoon. 

We went upstairs in the model home. This particular house had a game room, separate media room, and three bedrooms upstairs with two bathrooms. In the game room, they had decorated it with some shelving and decor.

It looked fine, but upon closer inspection, I noticed a lot of the decor was created from very simple objects. I noticed there were a lot of blank books. I got curious because they looked like books with covers torn off. However, it may have been a very rustic version of bound blank paper. 

My curiosity got the better of me and I decided to take one of the booklets off the shelf and flip through it to see what it was. Somehow by divine intervention or otherwise very "strange" luck, I flipped it open and  landed on a chapter title: Why Your child is Fat.

Just my luck.

After discovering this was in fact a real book with the covers torn off, I went to the front of the book to find out what kind of book I was actually holding with a chapter entitled "Why Your Child is Fat."

Ah, that clears it up. 

Clearly this was a book that ended up in the bargain pile or at goodwill and someone was looking for an inexpensive way to decorate a million dollar model home by ripping off the cover and displaying the blank page. Little did they know some overly curious visitor would dare to flip through one and reveal their secret! 

If you choose to copy this inexpensive design hack, I hope you keep in mind the curious people like me who will discover your secret. Choose wisely. 😂

Conclusion: Small Kitchen Appliances

At the beginning of last year, 2022, I set out to track my small appliance usage every single day. I created a chart, printed it out, and put it on the side of our refrigerator. Every time we used an appliance, I would mark a tally. I limited myself to one tally per day because if I tallied every single use, it would affect the results. My logic was I could borrow an appliance from a friend and use it three times in one day and return it. But if I used it three times over the course of two weeks, I would have had to keep someone else's appliance for two weeks or borrow it three different times. I am less likely to do the latter. 

My small kitchen appliances.

My chart contained 19 small appliances. I go into a bit more detail on how I define small appliances and why I included the ones I did in my original post linked above. The toaster oven, kettle, and rice cooker did not receive tallies because they were automatic winners. I will never get rid of these no matter what, and if one breaks, we are definitely replacing it. They are staples to our lives and that's never changing.

From the rest of the list, the lower was our hand mixer. It received 0 uses this year and I actually sold it in November of last year. 

For visual learners, here's the data summary if you can understand my notes.

Now for the rest of the list starting from the bottom:

10th place: Stand mixer - 2x

This one makes me kind of sad, but at the same time, I know why it came in last. I don't really bake. I enjoy cooking much more. It's also a very heavy appliance to move from storage to counter, and unfortunately, it won't fit underneath the cabinets on the countertop for daily storage. I will never get rid of it because I do occasionally make cookies, banana bread, or knead dough with it. But the number of times I do in one year will be very small. 

9th place: Steamer and dutch oven - 3x

We switched to induction last April, and since then, our steamer does not work with our induction cooktop. I figured out a creative way to still use the steamer, but it didn't happen often. Off the top of my head, we use our steamer to make two things: turnip cake and steamed buns. I made neither of these multiple times, hence why we only used our steamer three times last year. 

The dutch oven refers to my enameled cast iron dutch oven, I have a stainless steel dutch oven I use regularly in cooking. My enameled cast iron dutch oven is the lesser used because it is heavier to clean and I need to be a little more careful when I use it. It's one of those things that's great to have but in all honesty, I could probably get rid of it if push came to shove.

8th place: Popcorn maker - 4x

This was a surprise not-last-place for the popcorn maker. I didn't use it all year and was expecting it to come in last. However, my kids have gotten older and I remembered we had it so I pulled it out and made popcorn for them a few times. I think for now, it is not on the chopping block, but down the road, we may reconsider whether to keep it or not. 

7th place: Juicer, Mini warmer, immersion blender - 6x

We bought our juicer specifically to juice citrus in the winter months when citrus is in season. It received a lot of use in 2021. Unfortunately, that wasn't the year I was tracking. Last year we saw less juicing because the winter storm killed the fruit trees at my in-laws's home so they didn't have excess to share with us.

My mini warmer is a small plug in warmer that came with my crock pot. We have used it the most to heat up canned corn to go with certain meals. It's safe to say we ate at least six cans of corn last year.

The immersion blender is one I'm not convinced I will need often in the future, but it will earn its keep for now. I used to use it a lot when I was making baby food, but again, that was not the case in 2022 as my youngest turned 2 and could already feed himself. The one use I love is to blend beans in my chili. My kids will eat the chili I make, but they will not eat beans. So halfway through the cooking, I blend up the beans and then add the rest of my ingredients. 

6th place: Crock pot - 8x

I was genuinely surprised I used my crock pot this many times. Because we do have an instant pot with slow-cooking capabilities, I expected just to use the instant pot. However, I do find sometimes the instant pot is too hot, even on the slow-cook function. It is also nice to have both to use for double portions when cooking large amounts. 

5th place: Griddle, Waffle maker, Vacuum sealer - 17x

These three appliances align in how we use them which is perhaps why their usage was so similar. We use our griddle primarily to cook bacon and tortillas. I cook an entire package of bacon on the griddle and then freeze the leftovers. When we run out in the freezer, we repeat the process again. Tortillas are similar except we do not freeze them because it ruins their texture when homemade (in my experience). 

I use our waffle maker to make a large batch of waffles to freeze and we reheat for breakfast. Each batch lasts anywhere from 2-4 weeks depending on how often my kids want to eat waffles for breakfast. It is super convenient to be able to pull out pre-made waffles from the freezer without paying a premium for commercially made and packaged ones.

Our vacuum sealer gets used approximately 1-2x a month so this number is very reasonable. Whenever I see a good price on meat, I will buy large quantities of it and then vacuum seal them for the freezer. I save it in the freezer anywhere from 2-8 months generally. Sometimes, if it gets buried deep, we will end up with meat that meets its first freezer birthday. We still eat it. I've yet to get sick from eating vacuum sealed meat we stored in the freezer. We're more likely to get sick from fast food, grocery store sushi, or old orange juice, all of which has happened at least once.

4th place: Food processor - 28x

I used my food processor a lot last year. I used to not be inclined to want to use it because of the cleanup, but I realized, it's so much faster at shredding carrots and potatoes than I could ever do by hand on a grater. I also ground my own meat in my food processor this year just to experiment. The cleanup was a little bit messier than I would have liked, but the end result was very similar to what I would have gotten buying ground meat from the store. 

In fact, I used my food processor so many times last year, I justified buying myself a new one during the holiday sale. I had actually been eyeing one since holiday season 2021 but did not bring myself to purchase it. After tracking the usage in 2022, I justified making the purchase. I was even able to sell our old one to help cover a portion of the new cost. 

3rd place: Blender - 29x

Our blender gets most of its mileage in the summer during smoothie season. The rest of the year it may get used sparingly for a pesto or tomato sauce. Our blender turned eight this year. We said goodbye to our warranty, but it has replaced two blender cups and one base motor for us. We aren't complaining. To us, it's been well worth the investment we made. 

2nd place: Instant pot - 39x

Technically, first and second place are the same appliance. However, I separated them because even though we purchased it together as a bundle, they can be purchased separately. So because of that, it is possible to be a separate accessory which changes the entire use of the appliance. I've loved my instant pot since the second year we owned it - the first year was my learning curve...which was steep because I was too afraid to try it. After I got the hang of it, I love it. As you can see, the average use is over 3x per month.

1st place: Instant pot air fryer - 65x

Our air fryer earned its keep with flying colors last year. It averaged being used over 5x a month. We were really excited when we first bought it, and it's still very handy to have now. I have returned from taking my kids out, been crunched for time, and put lunch on the table in 10 minutes from entering the house. That's the power of air fryer convenience (and frozen food). 

Now air fryer vs toaster oven vs air fryer toaster ovens....that's a topic to ponder for another post. 

Any ideas on things I should track this year? 😀

My Year in Books

I read 12 books this year. It doesn't sound like a lot, and I know it's not. I used to read nearly 12 books a semester for one English course. Life is very different now and the demands on my time are different. I was pretty intentional about the books I read. They're not all spectacular books, but there was a reason, whether random or logical, why I chose to read them. So in the order I read them, here they are:

1-5. The Selection Series: The Selection, The Elite, The One, The Heir, The Crown - Kiera Cass

I actually came across these books from the scholastic website. I was cross referencing some reading levels of books and came across this series. I did some searching online to see what the premise of them was. It sounded interesting enough to be some light entertainment reading so I started. Perhaps it was the girly girl inside of me, but I was pretty hooked. Before I knew it, I'd finished the three books in the first series as well as the two books in the second in about two months. They're described as Hunger Games meets The Bachelor. That's accurate. 

6. The Pearl - Steinbeck

In 9th grade English, we were offered extra credit at the end of the year if we wanted to improve our grades for the last six weeks. Our extra credit was to read this book and write an essay after reflecting on...a theme(?) within the book. I can't remember the topic anymore, but that's what remains in my memory. Being a teenager, I didn't read the complete book, looked up some cliff notes, and wrote an essay that was probably really bad. I don't remember if I got the extra credit or not. 

Over 15 years later, I still remember this, and I decided to read it again. And I did. I read the whole book and I was left stunned. Do not underestimate this book by its "low" reading level or the length of the book. It is packed with thought provoking themes and "mind games." I found the ending quite creepy as an adult.

This is one of those books I would say I'm glad I read, but I don't think I could ever bring myself to read it again. 

7. The One Thing You'd Save - Linda Sue Park

This book caught my eye at the library. I was with my children looking at books in the children's section when I saw this book propped up on top of the shelves. The title intrigued me and I checked it out for myself to read. 

This book is probably written for anywhere from a 2nd-4th grade reading level depending on how advanced a student is. I love the emphasis on perspective in this book. Something important to one person may not seem important to someone else. It's the start of empathy. 

8. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid

One of my students mentioned to me in a lesson that she had borrowed this book from a friend to read. I'd heard of the title before but hadn't read the book. Out of curiosity, I read it myself. It was interesting, but had my student not mentioned it to me, I would have probably never thought to pick it up and read it myself. 

9. One Time - Sharon Creech 

I have loved Sharon Creech's books since I was in grade school. My all time favorite book is still Walk Two Moons. I've already written about why I love that book. I saw she had published this book rather recently so I wanted to read it and see what kind of impression it would leave on me. It was okay. I honestly didn't remember what the book was about since I read it almost six months ago. After a quick search online to refresh my memory, the vague plot line came back to me. Another one of those books being a nice read but not special. 

10. Boundaries - Henry Cloud and John Townsend 

I remember hearing about this book in college. A few people I knew were reading it or had read it. I didn't think much about it at the time. This summer, one of my friends told me she was reading it. I decided to read it as well and it turned out to be a great read. Since reading this book, I think I've found a lot of freedom in the way I live my life and make decisions. Much of this book seems like common sense. However, having it explained and written out gives it new perspective. Not only has this book helped me feel more in control of my life, but I feel like I can better manage my business and make decisions. I'm definitely a feelings-oriented person, but reading this book has helped me to see situations more logically and remove some of the feelings. 

There are a couple ideas within the book I don't agree with 100%, but the general premise of the book I think is helpful to understand the decisions we make, we should make, and why we make them. It is based on Biblical teachings so if you don't share perspective with me there, I can't fully recommend this book to you. 

11. Crying in H Mart - Michelle Zauner 

I read this book because I saw one friend post about it on Facebook. I'd heard about it and seen it elsewhere, but I didn't choose to read it until I saw my friend's post.  Honestly, it hit me differently than I thought it would from seeing the hype about this book. Before reading it, I think I thought I would relate more to her because we had experienced similar upbringings and experiences. After reading it, I think it made me realize even more what I never was able to experience: I never got to be an adult next to my mother. 

I could write a whole other blog solely on this, so I'll leave it be for now.

12. It Ends With Us - Colleen Hoover

This book probably ended up on many people's reading lists for 2022 even though it was published six years ago. That's the power of social media. I saw it recommended on a few other people's posts and thought I'd read it to see what the hype was. It's not your typical romance novel which I liked, and although the book is fiction, it is based off non-fiction people. 

This was one of those books for me where I was sad when it was over. I spent the whole book getting to know these characters and living their lives through a third-party lens, and then when the book ends, everything ends. It's that feeling of breaking up with someone except it's people in a book. I wanted to keep following along and seeing what would happen to them, but I can't because the book ended. 

And that's why authors write sequels. The sequel actually came out this year, but I can't justify purchasing books for fun reading like this, so as of today, I am still on the library waitlist for this book. It'll probably end up on next year's book list. :)

Any recommendations for next year? I don't plan these in advance. This list just made itself as the year passed. Always open to suggestions!

The Scars We Carry

My friend gave my daughter a pair of glittery shoes her daughters had outgrown when we were over for a playdate a while back. My daughter instantly loved them and wanted to wear them everywhere. When we got home, she wore them inside the house for the longest time. Then she started wearing them out and she'd wear them with pants, with dresses, with socks on her feet, barefoot. She wore them a lot.

The shoes have since lost their velcro stickiness and the little embellishments are coming off the toes, but she wore them a lot and she loved them a lot. 

After my friend gave my daughter the shoes and the kids were playing, I told my friend about my own shoe story because I had once wanted a similar pair. When I was younger, my dad took me shoe shopping. I was looking for a pair of dress shoes to wear to piano competitions and performances. Although not as fast as most, my feet were still growing and I needed new shoes periodically with my 1-2 piano competitions every year and seasonal recitals. At the store, I found a pair of shoes I liked but they didn't have my size in stock. I ended up purchasing a different pair of shoes.

Another time when all of us went shopping, I somehow ended up back in the shoe section to browse. They had the shoe I wanted and in my size. My dad said I could have them since they weren't here last time we came. He put them in the cart and we met up with my mom and my brother. When she saw the shoes in the cart, she started asking questions and getting angry. Why were we buying those shoes? Why did I need them? 

My dad responded by telling her they were the ones I wanted last time but they didn't have my size. Now they had my size, he was going to buy them. Then, they started arguing in the middle of an aisle at the store. My mom would take the shoes and put them on the shelf to the side. My dad took the shoes and put them back in the cart. My brother and I stood awkwardly to the side, not knowing what to do. 

I'm sure other people in the store were hearing and seeing what was happening. In my memory of the event, I vaguely see a person or two behind them as they notice the commotion in the aisle and walk away. Whether or not that is my memory being changed or if it actually happened, I will never know. 

In my head, I remember just removing the box of shoes from the cart myself and setting them aside on a nearby shelf. I remember saying to them I didn't want the shoes anymore just so they'd stop fighting in the middle of the store. I did not get the shoes. I had many pairs of beautiful shoes as I grew up, but none were the pink glittery flats I had eyed as a child and wanted at one point in my life. 

Not the exact ones, but something very similar. 

As parents, we will always shape our children to some degree to become versions of ourselves. Our children have the freedom to take what they want and leave the rest as they grow up and become individuals themselves, but the influence is undoubtedly there. Since then, I've found my own truth in the situation; my mother didn't like the shoes. She didn't like the way they looked, and she didn't want to buy them for me. 

Being a parent myself, I've had to remind myself of both spectrums. I do not buy my children everything they want. But I do think about their requests and sometimes, they get a random surprise or toy just because for absolutely no reason. I hope my children do not have the same scars I do when they grow up. 

I need to write this story into my daughter's journal. I want her to remember the auntie who gave her the glitter shoes she loved as a child. And I want her to remember fondly the joy she had when she wore those shoes. And maybe, someday, she will tell her stories to her own children. 

I got to watch my daughter’s face light up the way mine would have. It’s a different kind of joy. 

*sidenote: my daughter watched me cry as I wrote this blog. she didn't say anything. but part of me is so curious if/what she will remember from this moment*

The Fuzzy Yellow Diary

When I was in 2nd grade, I asked my mother for a fuzzy yellow diary from a school book order. She actually bought it for me.

I started writing in it when I was around nine years old. I wrote almost daily entries about what happened during my day. A lot of it was simple factual things. Sometimes, I would insert a little bit of opinion.

October 19, 1999: I got a 100 on my communities test and on my simple machines test.

So I was a pretty good student in 3rd grade....

December 13, 1999: I got a 67 for social studies.

...or not. 

December 30, 1999: Yesterday, I got a vase, a decoration, and a book of brainteasers.

I still have this vase, decoration, and probably the book of brainteasers although that one is not at my house. 

January 7, 2000: We get to use the internet today in PACE.

The internet must have been a very exciting thing in the year 2000.

January 18, 2000: Today I got to make kaleidoscopes [sic]. I also got to make a gallon guy. Tomorrow I am having a test.

Who remembers making gallon guys in school? Anybody? I learned my volume measurement equivalents from that. I can still picture it in my head. Counting all those cup fingers....

January 22, 2000: Today I did not have to go to Chinese school. That is good because...I can play with my doll house. I love my KALEIDOSCOPE. 

This kaleidoscope. I still remember it too. Made it out of a Pringle's can and an applesauce cup. My PACE teacher provided the mirrors to go inside and drilled the hole in the bottom of the can. I put little fake gems in mine. It made for a really pretty kaleidoscope. We wrapped the outside in a tessellation print we made on the computer. Mine was matted on pink construction paper. Is it strange I can remember all this in detail? Also, if you'd asked me how to spell kaleidoscope right off the bat today, there's a 99% chance I would not have spelled it right. Good for me for spelling it right in my diary as a nine year-old.

January 25, 2000: Today I went to PACE. It was really boring because we had to go on the internet. I want to shred those bad papers. 

Oops. The internet got boring again. Also, the extent of how bad those papers were was probably only to evade a scolding from my mom. They don't hold a candle to the "bad papers" in today's news. 😐 

Can we just take a minute to admire my cursive as a 9/10 year old? 

It's amazing looking back and reading these diary entries and being able to know exactly what I was referring to in them. Since this diary, I've kept 20 complete years of diary entries and it is still a habit I continue to this day. When friends used to come over to hang out during high school, they'd joke about finding my diary and reading it. I was never fearful of them finding my diary. It was the other journals and notebooks I wrote. My diary was just a summary of the day's events. 

This year, I stumbled across the exact same diary I had received as a grade-schooler on a website for sale. I bought it. I'm planning on saving it for my daughter when she's a little bit older, can write cohesively, and see if she wants to pen down some of her own thoughts. It's not the same color as mine, but the overall style is the same. Ironically, when I google "fuzzy yellow diary" I cannot find this one on any of the large major retailers, so it was kind of a stroke of luck to find it elsewhere. 

If you know my daughter, don't tell her about this. 🙊 I haven't chosen when to surprise her with it, but it won't be for a long while. 

The Present

It's been a while since I chose to allot time to sit down and blog. Things have happened. There are stories in my head I both want to tell and can tell. But lately, it's just been about living life a day at a time with my kids.

With all the rain lately, my kids have wanted to go outside and walk with their new umbrellas. I told them the umbrellas were not toys and they could not walk around inside the house waving them about. I have learned from my own experience that umbrellas will break faster than you can use them in the rain if they are played with indoors like toys.

These are their butterfly umbrellas from the Butterfly Palace in Branson. My daughter was the first one who wanted an umbrella. Ironically, when we checked the price on Amazon for one with the same design, the Butterfly Palace actually sold it for a lower price. We decided to get her one...and of course my son wanted one, too. We humored him this time, also because we were on vacation. As long as they listen to me and follow directions, these umbrellas should last a while....let's hope. 😬

My daughter loves collecting things on her walks. She came home with this array of colorful leaves one afternoon. She really has a keen eye for unique/pretty things. Maybe one day she'll become a designer. Although...when I showed her our photo book from our house renovations, she said to me, "I want the house to look like that [old] again!" This little designer needs a bit more practice...

This past weekend we took the kids to Scheel's for the first time. They really enjoyed the outdoor statues before even stepping foot inside the store. 

My daughter thought he was Santa and kept calling him so. I corrected her multiple times he was Abraham Lincoln, but she didn't process any of that. The store was pretty fun. Fish tanks, a wildlife diorama, candy shop, and of course, the Ferris wheel. Not a bad outing for the morning. 

We went out for lunch after at one of our favorite pho restaurants. It was a special treat since we are rarely on the other side of town as an entire family of four. My son however, wanted to slide down into the seat more than he wanted to eat his lunch. I always thought I'd be the parent who would discipline and have my child sit up nicely on the seat and eat his/her lunch.

He did end up completely under the table at one point....

I actually don't do that much. I'm the parent who would rather enjoy my lunch in peace and let my kids do their thing. As long as they're not wasting the food and splaying it all over the table and seats, I'll let them be. Eventually, he sat back up and finished most of his lunch upright. If it's one thing I learned, kids with a good temperament will eventually do what they're supposed to do when they're ready to do it. Otherwise...I shouldn't waste my breath. 

Anyone else have wiggly two year olds who end up underneath the table at restaurants? 

Life is a lot of work right now. But it's also a lot of fun. ☺