Valerie's Workshop

Having four people living in one house we seem to have a constant stack of mail on the kitchen table that needs sorting. Well, we used to have a stack ...   ... now we have this! Last week was pretty laid back at our house, with few responsibilities taking me away from home, so I decided to build a mail sorting station. After a half hour of sketching and determining cut sizes I was ready for a trip to the hardware store to pick up a few pieces of hardware and some plywood. I got home from the store at noon; by 3pm the unit was assembled. Once assembled the entire surface was coated with stain (stain color name: driftwood) and two hooks were attached after the stain dried.  The next morning I brought it inside, hung it and was able to clear the table instantly. Everyone gets their own cubbie, a spot to hang their keys, and theirs even a little shelf to display some of my favorite bud vases. It's so nice to be able to grab the mail, walk in the door, toss it in a basket, an...

Well, I am proud to announce it's officially in the works! After months of reading, planning and reading some more our vegetable garden has been started. The garden plot was sectioned out in the back yard, seeds were purchased from Johannsen's Greenhouse and a few lucky seeds made their way into the soil of a starter tray. I have to admit, throughout the years I've become a bit of a produce snob. No, better yet, I've begun to realize and appreciate the advantages of locally grown, organic produce. There is something so special about biting into a sun-warmed tomato plucked from the vine in your garden or mincing a clove of garlic you harvested at the CSA farm. In the past few years, tomatoes are just about the only vegetable I've been able to grow for myself in my yard-less city apartments. Well, as it turns out, my housing has changed to my advantage and I now have a rather nice sized back yard in which to start a garden. (At this point I would be remiss if I di...

Well, it was another long Monday for me. I work every Monday, week after week, and they always seem to test me. Whether it is my patience, my kindness, or my nerves, retail-Mondays give me a run for my money. To reward myself (and ultimately my family) I decided to stop at Borders on the way home. Our local Borders is closing and I was able to reward myself with to half-price hard cover foodie books. To say I'm obsessed with cookbooks, and hoarding hard covered books in general, is an understatement and the additions to my library were a much need treat! fresh raspberries & liqueur I snatched up a copy of 52 Loaves by William Alexander. However, the book that has me really excited is this one ... Back to Basics, Traditional Kitchen Wisdom.  For years * now I've been baking my own bread, growing tomato plants on cramped apartment balconies and using fresh eggs from my friend's chickens. To say this book fits my lifestyle is an understatement. This year I plan to ...

For weeks and weeks now I've been wanting to make cupcakes. With all the commotion at our house lately, setting aside enough time to make dinner, let alone cupcakes, has been challenging. Well, that all changed on Wednesday! Wednesday was the first of two food-focused days for me, filled with making comfort food and necessity baking. I made two loaves of whole wheat bread and a batch of English muffins to restock our pantry, and for dinner I made a batch of fried chicken and cast iron skillet corn bread (with salads on the side for a bit of green). Thursday's baking, however, was all about pleasure. And what is more pleasurable then a pretty pink cupcake with a flower on top? (Answer: a cupcake with a cup of coffee, a sunny spot in the house and the sound of the radio, Bodie laughing, and Harper chewing on a bone drifting through the background!) Even though our general mood has been sad at home, lately, I've been trying to cheer everyone up the best way I know how ... ...

As I finally sign back into my account, I come to the realization that my last post was in regards to Koa, our beloved golden retriever. How sadly ironic it is that I am posting tonight ... our first night without him. Koa spent the last three weeks being pampered and loved. He recovered well from the surgery, but unfortunately the cancer was already very advanced. His mind and spirit were high as always, offering smiles and tail wags as often as possible, but his body was rapidly deteriorating. At 11am today, March 21, 2011, Koa's life with us on this earth ended. Even though his body is no longer with us, his positive spirit and years of happy memories will remain with us always. Needless to say, the last three weeks have been overwhelming. I felt, today, as though a cloud of grief has drifted over our house. And as sad, scared, anxious and gloomy as we were, the past few weeks have brought us so much closer as a family. We dedicated multiple days to family time ... hiking...

This past weekend was supposed to be our weekend away. To Clinton, Iowa for a wedding, or so we thought.  Our bags were packed, my hair was curled but we weren't going anywhere. Oh, but as that old saying goes, "the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray." Koa, our 10 year old golden retriever was sick. Not just sick, but bleeding internally; the tumor on his spleen had ruptured and needed to be removed, STAT! My heart sank, my stomach flipped and my head raced. What do we do? Where do go? Will he live? Oh, hell! Well, the what we do and where we go involved surgery at the local animal hospital. Will he live, well he is right now and that is all that matters.   After a day or so of having him home, and a day or so of processing what happened, here's what I need to share. My only hope is that you can relate to it, find comfort in it, or just read it!