Day 86 - An Ode to Mousie and My Rockin' Utensil Drawer

First, an ode to the mouse who met his Maker in my apartment today.

 

"Oh Mousie so brown, with black beady eyes,

Who in my hall mousetrap did meet his demise,

I write this sweet ode to you, Dear Mouse, I write this sweet ode to you.

 

You nibbled at oatmeal, you pooped on my counter,

You rascally rodent, you canister mounter,

I fond-ish-ly bid you adieu, Dear Mouse, I fond-ish-ly bid you adieu.

 

You went where you shouldn't, you nosed at the trap-y,

Until it went SNAP! and your day got so crappy,

I'm sad that your days were so few, Dear Mouse, I'm sad that your days were so few.

 

RIP, varmint.

 

 

For the record, he was not at all this cute.

 

NOW, on to more important things, like cleaning out my utensil drawer. Gadgets galore! Actually, in the interest of full disclosure, I've never really been enough of a cook to amass thousands of gizmos, but one can always pare down. What do you really need to prep food with a minimum of throwing, cursing, and myocardial infarctions? And what IS that spiraly doodad with the 12 attachments that I got for Christmas in college and have never used? And while we're on the topic, do I really need four kinds of salt and individual grinders for all my spices? I think not, Dear Reader, I think not.

 

I need:

- a can opener... to open cans....

- a peeler for carrots, potatoes, etc.

- a garlic press (love love love love love love love)

- a small strainer (ha! take that lumpy gravy!)

- a grater for the massive quantities of cheese I ingest on a daily basis

- two Big Sharp Knives and a sharpener, don't mess with me...

- 1 serrated bread knife

- 1 paring knife

- a whisk (though I wonder - can I get rid of this and just use a fork? I only whisk things like once a year. Thoughts?)

- a masher (again - this one had better be on it's best behavior or out it goes)

- wooden spoons & scrapers

- tongs (these are surprisingly useful)

- ladle

- slotted spoon

- spatula

- mini-spatula (again - surprisingly useful)

- pastry scraper (only because of my adventures in bread baking)

- cork screw

- food thermometer (because I can never get a chicken to cook all the way thru)

- pastry brush/baster

 

That's all I'm keeping. Now - my Dear Husband has one of those Fancy Wine Bottle Gadgets that sucks all the air out & reseals it to keep an opened bottle fresh. Being as we might get through a bottle of wine once a year in our house, I'm not convinced that this should stay. Let's all email him and tell him that - he'll love it. Got rid of stuff like the pizza crust cutter (this awesome thing called a "knife" does the same thing!), the ice cream scooper (there's a device called a spoon...), and a few other bits of flotsam and jetsam that I'm not entirely sure how to use. Next time, we'll have to chat about the Coffee Capers at our house, and the Magical World of Java. Mmmmm.... java......

 

Day 85 - Sock it To Me

Here's a little song from my Girl Scout Camp Skimino days:

"Black socks, they never get dirty
The longer you wear them the blacker they get!
Someday I'll probably launder them
Something keeps telling me don't do it yet.... not yet... not yet... not yet.....not yet....

Switched to all black socks today - no more matching! This is progress, people.

Day 84 - No More Ring Around the Collar!

You know those weeks where you're just trying to keep your feet underneath you? That was last week for me - treading water all the way. But that was Last Week, and now it's This Week, and I'm feeling all spring-ified and motivated! If I had been cool enough to be a cheerleader in high school, I'd add a sassy little leap and a GO TEAM right here, but I wasn't, so I won't.

Today, I tackle The Laundry and Mount Flushmore (cloth diapers). In our family, it's no secret that I hate doing laundry - that's why I got married (kidding, kidding). There's the dragging the bags down to the laundry room, the quarters, the folding, ..... blah blah blah. It's boring! Even Martha Stewart can't make it look fun! No matter how much L'Occitane Lemongrass Whoopdeedoo detergent and lavender-scented linen water (what?) you throw at it, washing clothes is not a "good thing". Well, it is, but it's not. Ugh. Add to that the fact that one load always involves POOP and it's just. no. fun. Well, at least I don't have to beat my clothes and the dirty diapers against a rock in the river to clean them - that wouldn't fly here in Queens.

OK - how do I make this suck less?
1. Make hubby do it. Best option by far! But when he's (run) away, ...
2. Don't sort. Clothes go in one hamper, diapers & covers into the diaper pail. All clothes get washed in cold, all diapers in hot. Sheets, towels, dish rags, etc get a hot/cold mix otherwise known as "warm".
3. If it ain't dirty, don't wash it. If it's not stinky, gummy, grimy, crusty, Sleepy, Dopey, sweaty, or otherwise icky, it can be worn again. You'd better believe things would get worn a lot more if I had to beat them against a rock to clean them.
4. Nothing other than detergent - no fabric softener, no stain stick (a bit of detergent on a stain ASAP will do the same thing), no linen water (no really, what is that?), no foofiness, no FeBreeze (a little vodka and water does the same thing). Just detergent, which I will play with making myself when my current bottle runs out.
5. Buy more black clothes.

I'm going to keep my change purse in my laundry basket, and may keep the detergent in there too once Sebastian is old enough to know that it's not a delicious foamy beverage. Things do not need to be perfectly folded (they're in drawers and bins). I may try not folding any of Sebastian's clothes this week since his stuff is limited to one small bin - we'll see if my OCD kicks in and vetoes that. Anyone know any good laundry detergent recipes suitable for the whole family? I do not want a toddler with a freaky rash butt.

Sebastian at 6 months - he was terrible at folding.

Day 83 - Just Shut the Door

Oh MY! The purging that is taking place in Casa Postma! Just when you think you can’t get rid of any more crap, the Universe sends you a giant de-cluttering laxative and POW – more crap to give away. You are welcome for the visual. So, we have two missions today:

1 – go grab a bag and fill it with things to give away (anything that has life left in it – FreeCycle, baby!), pack away (children’s clothes & the like), or throw away (the wrapper from the burrito you inhaled this morning while waiting for coffee to brew)

2 – gather up all the projects that are taunting you and pack them away.

Last week, I unburdened myself of a hideous knitting project I was never going to finish because it was so, so ugly. That felt so good, I wanted to toss ALL my projects! It’s a party! Fling, fling, FLING!!!!!! Once the confetti had settled on the floor, my Rational Self prevailed, and I realized that these were projects I really did want to finish, but I needed:  a) focus and b) time, both of which are in short supply at the moment. I felt like they were all hanging over my head, taunting me with their unfinished-ness, weighing heavily, so heavily, crying out, “WHY WON’T YOU COMPLETE ME??!!!!!”  (I feel a Black Swan insanity montage coming on).

After I grew feathers, descended into madness, and danced several ballet sequences which featured a dancer that may or may not have been me (it totally was – I am THAT awesome… and skinny), I decided the easiest way to tackle these babies was to pack them away and pull them out one by one.  I had a bit of space in the hall closet I recently decluttered, so I put like projects together and closed the door. Insta-peace! The catch? I’m not allowed to start any new projects until I’ve finished what I’ve got. No taupe ribbon springtime scarf, no wood etching kit, no paint your own bowling pin set. Nothing.  Now, before you start playing the violin and feeling all sorry for me, it may be helpful to note that I am not a habitual finisher of projects – it’s a self-discipline thing which needs to be dealt with, so deal with it I shall! Just as soon as I eat this pie (I have to keep my strength up!). Pie is good for that.

Day 82 - Making a Big Stink about It

Well. Here I am, standing on the subway with my nose right at armpit level, and I think (for no reason whatsoever, sir), “I should write about deodorant!”  I’m beginning to scrutinize my personal care products, but haven’t gotten around to writing about any of it until right this minute; when it seems very appropriate… sir. Here goes.

As I hope you are aware, there are two types of anti-stink: anti-persperant/deodorant, and just plain deodorant. From there, the plain deodorant category branches out into varying degrees of naturalness and effectiveness. Why not go straight for the industrial strength sweat stopper? Well, here’s the thing (warning: buzz-kill to follow): like so many awesome things, I'm not convinced that it doesn't have a downside - that many chemicals slathered on daily make me nervous. When push comes to shove (or nose comes to pit), a natural mineral salt based deodorant is likely your best bet in the health category. I have used the Kiss My Face Liquid Rock Unscented for several years and absolutely love it, but at $5-$6 a pop and only lasting about six weeks, it’s not even a remotely thrifty option. Enter the hippie crystal armpit rock! I just ordered one today, and I can almost not contain my groans as I swore I would never own one of these. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a… well, a rock, which you moisten with a bit of water & rub under your pits. It’s purported to last at least a year, and impresses me for several reasons: less packaging = less waste, no chemicals = fewer toxins or iffy chemicals for my body to deal with and discard, and less processing = fewer manufacturing byproducts and pollutants. It’s cheap, green, and (hopefully!) effective. I’ll let you know how it works out; because I’m sure my adventures in deodorant are foremost in your mind.

Now, for those of you who have thrown caution to the wind and tossed your anti-stink completely, I salute you. From a distance. Kidding – love you lots! While I can’t say that I’ll be following suit, I admire your conviction (again, from a distance). I mean, let’s face it – it’s not really a professional option for most of us in the US to “go rogue” (go commando?) in the deodorant department, and I know many of you may have tried to go a bit more natural only to find yourself sneaking off to the bathroom to coat your pits in Purell after a few hours. If at first you don’t succeed, try try again! I tried several brands before I found one that worked with my uniquely fabulous chemistry, and I find that I actually tend to get whiffier with the traditional anti-persperants – go figure! So, who’s with me? Raise your hand! On second thought, just give me a thumbs-up. From a distance.

Day 81 - A Day in the Life

First and foremost Dear Reader, my husband is home safely from Japan, and I've been delirious with happiness today. Go - right now - and tell your Sweet Baboo that you love them. Tell them how awesome you think they are (what the heck - show 'em, if you've got the time!), and go get them a cup of coffee or rub their shoulders or overlook those dishes in the sink (or the socks in the tub or the forty-five mason jars of rusty screws in the closet or the funky smell they promised to investigate last week but never did and oh my gosh is it getting worse?!... but I digress).

Our mission today? Let go of an old project that you are never really going to finish (and no, your husband doesn't count!). I was thinking more along the lines of that day-glo sweater your started crocheting in 1988, the book of alien abduction chick lit you started writing, the scrapbook that has been stuffed in a cardboard box and stashed in a corner of your closet. Let's be honest - if you were that into it, you would have finished it by now. No more guilt! Let it go. Bless someone else with materials, hit "delete", or, if you've just been procrastinating because you need to order a part or something, go do it right now. Seriously - these things have drained our energy for too long. Be freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I'm getting rid of a half-knitted sweater in a sad and unflattering color. And now, some photos for your enjoyment.

AAAAAARGH!

Hurricane Sebastian - this took him two minutes.

Answering the highlighter

Coming to a subway station near you!