Melissa and I took the boys on a 7.6 mile walk along the canal. We packed a picnic lunch as well which means we got to break in our backpack cooler we also got for our wedding. The boys were pooped after. Once we got home Rusty took a drink of water, laid down, and licked his paws. Toby crashed on the couch and barely moved until bedtime.
Melissa discovered that there is a 40 mile trail that runs along the canal. Our plan is to walk all 40 miles over the course of the next few months.
Summer is on its way but Winter is still gripping its talons into it. We fluctuate between a series of 45 degree days and then, surprise, a random warm 65 degree day! When the sun comes out and the air is warm(ish) I try to spend as much time as possible outside.
I made a makeshift shelf from some random pavers and an extra board from my compost project. It’s the perfect size for a few potted pants who are just as desperate for sun as I am.
We got this grill from Melissa’s grandmother for our wedding. I was finally able to get it out of the box and fire it up!
We are all desperate for warm days full of sunshine and the smell of fresh cut grass.
Soon.
Of all the rooms in our house the kitchen is the one in most need of a facelift. Unfortunately our budget is tiny, well, now with the pandemic our budget is zero, so we can’t do all the things I would like to do. So I had to start small with the remodel and with items we already had.
I should note that the previous owners of our house were VERY eclectic with their decorating. Around the ENTIRE kitchen is a border of butterfly, flower, and chicken stickers.
Here’s a photo from the real estate listing:
Above the stove she glued rooster tiles in the shape of a triangle.
The previous owners had also used white Duct tape to cover the shelves and the paint was old and yellowing. So I removed the Duct tape, decals, and filled in the many nail holes (so many things were hung on the walls…see listing photo above).
Here’s the before and after pics of the kitchen window area:
Our next project will hopefully be painting the ugly pho-wood paneling a soft-grey colour. I’d also like to paint the bottom cabinets the same colour as we painted the cabinets in the bathroom. I’m not sure if we will redo the flooring. That was another one of our plans but I’m not sure if we will end up doing that now. Our timeline for living in this house is now shorter (hopefully) than our original plan so I don’t know if we want to spend that much money. But we will see.
I have A LOT of free time on my hands these days and I LOVE baking. So, I figured it was the perfect time to start baking more. Melissa LOVES Earl Grey tea, she has a cup every night. So it was no surprise when she requested I bake this – Earl Grey Yogurt Cake.
It. Is. So. Good. If you love Earl Grey tea I suggest you make it. You won’t regret it.
I want to make it again but with different tea blends. I also want to try and find a different fat to use in place of the vegetable oil. When I made this I used canola oil because that’s what I had. But I want to try using butter to see if it changes the flavour/texture.
Last week Melissa and I picked up two FREE pallets from a local store. On Tuesday I disassembled the pallets and on Thursday I created this:
It’s not pretty but it’ll do the job! The most time consuming part was disassembling the pallets (I used two of them) and removing all the rusted nails. Just that took me about 2-3 hours. Assembling the compost itself took maybe 20 minutes. The supports were left long so more boards can be added later if needed.
Melissa and I are trying to produce as little garbage as possible. Between recycling, repurposing, and, now, composting, very little of what comes into our home goes to the landfills.
On Sunday Melissa and I made a raised bed together using some leftover wood we had in our garage from a previous project:
It’s just a small raised bed. We plan on doing a combination of raised bed and containers to make our garden this year. In the beds we plan on growing mostly root vegetables (carrots, onions, etc) and some herbs. In the containers we are going to grow tomatoes, asparagus (we planted it last year and it’ll take a few years until it’s ready), and beans (with a trellis).
“Rusty and the pandemic. Make sure your mum schedules FaceTime dates with your friends so you can still see them.”
“Rusty and the pandemic. After a busy day barking, it’s time to snuggle on the couch and watch a little Disney+.”
“Rusty and the pandemic. Eating lots of pancakes makes quarantining much easier.”
“Rusty and the pandemic. Rusty built a garden with all his free time today.”
The first sunshiny day we’ve had in a long time called for a long walk around the reservoir.
Rusty is terrified of thunderstorms (and loud noises in general). His little brother helped comfort him and then he slept snuggled between his two Mamas (his most favourite place).
Our Boys
IT. WAS. SO. COLD. Also, yes, that is a poop bag attached to Rusty’s harness. And yes it has poop in it. Rusty decided to poop AFTER we passed the ONLY trash can at the reservoir. So we made him carry it. Everyone pulls their own weight in this family.
Due to COVID-19 my gym is closed. As a result I reorganised the garage and created a small gym space. (The previous owners of our house left this strange piece of exercise equipment. I figured I’d try to utilise it. Not quite sure how though.)
I don’t have much equipment. Just an abmat, a yoga mat, and some exercise bands. So I’ll be mostly doing body weight and cardio workouts. In the future I’d love to have a full home gym complete with kettlebells, barbells, weights, and a wallball. Maybe even a rower. But, that’s way down the road, once we are in our “forever” home.
Melissa has, thankfully, been able to and will continue to be able to work during all of this due to the nature of her job. I, however, haven’t been so lucky. Schools are closed and will probably continue to be closed for the remainder of the year. As a substitute this means I don’t work. No work = no income from me. I can file for unemployment, which I am in the process of, however, due to the high traffic it has been difficult. We are OKAY, for now, on Melissa’s income. We don’t have a lot of big expenses and we are financially responsible. We are doing okay on Melissa’s salary alone. We paid all of our big expenses (car payments, mortgage, insurance, etc) up until May/June. So we can relax during April.
I was in the process of applying for jobs when this all hit. I had thought about continuing however, due to health reasons, we decided it would be best for me to just stay home. I am in the “high risk” category due to an autoimmune disease and asthma. Our Governor just announced today that as of 11:59pm today a “stay home” order will be enacted. So I’m assuming most organisations are not hiring as of now.
Hopefully this ends soon so I can resume my job search and we can get back to normal life.
In the meantime, Melissa and I have decided to share some humour with our friends and family. Melissa posts “Rusty and the Pandemic” posts and I post “Toby and Franklin the Fish Quarantine Naps” posts. Hers are much more entertaining than mine.
“Rusty loves social distancing. He was born for this.”
“Rusty and the pandemic. So far his quarantine activities have included playing scrabble and building legos.”
“Rusty’s tips and tricks on social distancing. Anytime someone gets within 6ft of you, bark very loudly until they back away.”
“Day 3 of Self-Quarantine: He brought his fish up with him to snuggle. He’s OBSESSED with this fish toy. I’ve named him Franklin.”
“Day 4 of Self-Quarantine: Toby wanted to snuggle with me on the couch. He didn’t want Franklin the Fish to miss out (or get jealous…).”
“Day 5 of Self-Quarantine: Toby and Franklin the Fish must have gotten into a fight. I hope it blows over soon.”
I hope you enjoyed. I’ll be sure to post new ones.
Stay safe and healthy!
We had a lot of leftover corned beef from St Patrick’s Day so I decided to try making homemade corned beef hash. I like the canned stuff (Melissa says it looks and smells like dog food) but always wanted to try making it myself (because who doesn’t prefer fresh to canned foods). So I figured now was the perfect time.
Jessi’s Corned Beef Hash
On medium heat, cook onions in olive oil until soft. Add garlic and potatoes (and olive oil if the pan is getting dry) and cook until potatoes begin to soften and brown. Add corned beef, spices, and salt. Stir and cook on low until corned beef is hot.
I served mine with fried eggs on top and homemade biscuits (those will be on the next post). You could also cook it all in a cast iron or oven safe pan, crack a few eggs on top, and cook in the oven until whites are done. You could also use different potatoes, add peppers, try different spices…it’s a pretty easy and versatile dish. Next time I make it I’m going to use sweet potatoes.
An Awfully Big Adventure 