kitchen demo

The kitchen has been driving me a little batty lately. I particularly hate the chair rail, especially now that the wallpaper is gone. So I decided to rip it off. Do I love a little demolition! (I get that from my dad)

 

 

Good-bye chair rail!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mister Fox is not pleased. He thinks it looks worse. I think it looks like progress. My mom is going to come over next weekend and help me get that awful wallpaper glue off, patch and sand. A coat of primer and it will be like a whole new room. I’m excited. Do you want to see the inspiration for the kitchen? Check it out. Mister Fox doesn’t know my plans and I’d like to keep it a surprise, so please don’t spoil it!

 

 

 

they say it’s your birthday

 

 

 
sundae cupcake

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, I made my own cupcakes for my birthday. Totally worth it.

 

then and now

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted pictures of the garden. It’s grown bigger than I imagined. Next year I will be better prepared for eight foot tall tomato plants. Remember what it looked like when I had just planted seedlings and seeds?

 

 

 

May 22, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
September 10, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I even got a watermelon! Out of eight vines this was the only one. I hope it gets big enough before the first frost. I’ll have to start them earlier next year.

 

 

 

 

the cherry pie curse

Mister Fox has been complaining that I don’t make pie enough. He’s right. I don’t. Partly because getting the crust just right drives me nuts. So finally the other day I conceded and made cherry pie. As I was making the filling, Mister Fox checked in to see how it was going and said that my crust looked beautiful. I was feeling pretty proud of myself until I poured the cherries into the crust and realized my mistake. Cherry pie is a two crust pie. You know, it has the fancy lattice top. I had already crimped the edges. Which is why Mister Fox thought it was so lovely. <sigh> So then after being totally bummed for a few minutes and cursing and wanting to throw the whole thing out the window I decided I could creatively save the pie.

 

 

Jack-o-lantern to the rescue!

 

 

 

 

I know it’s only September but it was the right shape. As far as making a cherry pie with the lattice all braided properly and even and what not, that only ever happened once. The very first cherry pie I made was perfect. It was better than my mom’s. She’ll bitterly tell you so. But alas, it must have been beginners luck because every cherry pie since has been a little bit of a disaster. They are always edible, but the appearance or consistency is not the way it’s supposed to be.

Cherry pie attempt #2 was the first pie I made for Mister Fox. The lattice work was all squiggly (intentionally, I swear, but when Mister Fox tells the story he claims I was drunk and that’s why they were so crooked). Noted, don’t drink vodka and cranberry juice while making cherry pie. You get all sorts of crazy ideas about creative lattice work and then later never live it down.

Cherry pie attempt #3 happened when we had Mister Fox’s parents over and I made them dinner. We were just dating at the time and I wanted to make a good impression. Dinner was fabulous, but the pie didn’t have time to cool properly so it was runny. They said it still tasted good.

Cherry pie attempt #4 was the latest one with the crust misstep.

Wait, I’ve only ever made four cherry pies? Really? I guess Mister Fox is right, I need more practice.