Sunday Happy

This past week just flew on by. I don’t know if it was because I was hustling to get my shit all ready for the market (I had the mr make me all new displays which are AMAZING but took a bit of time), or because there was some hot hot days that just kicked my ass, or maybe it was all the chaos with the kilns at the studio (I’m not going to go there. Still really pissed about it all), but yeah, it came and went and poof. And in between all that good stuff I managed some strawberry and flower picking, gardening, and um some other stuff. Obviously nothing that fantastic since I can’t remember it.

Then Saturday was market day. A long full day of selling pots and talking, talking, talking. Markets are always so much fun and I get to meet so many cool people but man do they kick my ass. Honestly I could run a marathon and be less tired then spending 6 hours being social. As soon as the day is over and the car is packed I turn to trash and my brain shuts down. This is my life as a true introvert. Now I will hide from all the people for the next two weeks until my next market. I’ll need ever single day of those 2 weeks to recover. 😝

Sunday. Welp it’s another one of those “need to get a bunch of shit done” days which is fine because Mondays are usually a “get shit done day” but because it is the 4th, the mr and I are taking the morning off and going for a nice long bike ride. So yeah, today might not be all the fun relaxing doings, and if I am honest I don’t have the energy to be doing fun if that makes since, but tomorrow will be nice. And again if I am honest I am sure I’ll make it home later with enough time for at least a bit of coffee and reading time (my fun time) so it’s all good. And a nap. Or hell, I’ll probably just go to bed super early because yes, I am an old lady. Let’s just all hope that the stupid fireworks don’t wake me up again. Not good for any of use if they do.

Have a great rest of the long weekend! Don’t be an asshole with the fireworks!

Internet perusing from the week.

-Every year I forget just how much I hate fireworks until the night, usually the 1st of July, neighbors start their firework shit and wake my ass up. It’s not a good scene. How to Block Fireworks Noise for Adults, Kids, and Pets

-I love a good book list! NPR’s list of best books so far this year.

-The Rise of the Swiffer Empire. If you don’t or never have owned a swiffer then who are you? (I use a swiffer mop every day but don’t and have never used the disposable towels, I use washable rags and it works like a gem.)

-Well now I need to see these clouds before I die. Rare clouds that glow in the dark are the most vibrant in 15 years

-The Magical 10-Year Plan. I love this.

-Didn;t know this was a thing. HEre Comes Manhattanhenge! (July 11, 2022!)

-One very impressive ceiling.

-I feel like I might love these. A Review of 'Swoveralls,' the Overall Sweatpants I Can't Help But Love

-Mama Bears Use Humans To Keep Their Cubs Safe. Mama bears are so smart. Definitely my spirit animal.

Pictures from the week.

Sunday Happy

Can you believe that we are half way through the year already? It is giving me a little anxiety, like I am having a mid year crisis. All I can think of is like ‘what the hell did I do thins year?’ And I know I have done a lot but still, its that feeling of time gone by and things that I should of or wished I have done already. Oh well can’t do anything about it now. HA!

We had a pretty good and fun week. We did some stuff besides the stuff of life matinence. The mr and I took the kayaks out and paddled/blew around on a big pond for a afternoon. We went for a walk that turn into a 10 mile walk ( I got stung on the foot on that walk), I picked up like 8 ponds of greens from farm share (no joke) and now all I eat is lettuce, and we took the littles strawberry picking on the coldest summer day on record. At the farm in the play area the mr found the mini excavator in the sandbox and I think he had more fun playing with that then anything else we did this week.

Sunday. Today the mr and I are both doing work. He has a project that he needs to finish up and I have a shit ton of stuff to glaze before the markets. But it’s all good because we are going to take the first half of tomorrow off and go do something fun together. Plus we are gearing up for camping soon so once we start, its on. No more Sunday work!

Got some links from the internet to read if you want.

-Get your eggs ready! Summer Solstice 2022 And The First Day Of Summer: Facts And Folklore

-Lab-Made Honey Tastes Like the Real Deal. Is That a Good Thing? I didn’t even know this existed. Is it a good thing? I don’t know. I mean half the food people eat these days is lab grown and it is good to leave the honey to the bees. So yeah?

-Greenland’s polar bears are learning to get around in a less icy world. These bears. They are really something fantastic.

-I was just asking myself this question because I am in the market for a suit myself and I really don’t want to spend $50 for a piece of fabric I will probably only wear 2-3 times when I bring the kids to the pool. What Makes a Bathing Suit So Expensive?

-IKEA Created a List of Baby Names Based on Its Products. Why not I guess.

-Love this house.

-This house in Japan too.

-Yes, I'm a Disney Adult. Let me explain. I needed to read this because I know a few Disney adults and it confused the hell out of me.

-Fun fact. When I was a l kid I called sunscreen sun tan lotion and I don’t know why. How does sunscreen work?

Pictures from the week.

Sunday Happy

How do you feel about Daylight Savings ending? I love it! I love that we get the extra hour. I love that it is going to get lighter out earlier in the am (my early morning runs in the dark woods have been slightly unnerving..there are creepos hanging out in there) and I love that it will be dark at 430. I know, I know, most people hate it but I say embrace it. It probably has something to do with that fact that I wake up at 3am, eat dinner at 5, and go to bed by 730. Yeah, I am something …🤷‍♀️

Another week. Started with Halloween. The mr and I went over to Erins in the pouring rain and the four of us (me, the mr, Judah, and Erin) helped get Coco into his costume and took him out for his very first trick or treating adventure, and oh was it amazing. At the first house he went to, when the people came to the door, he walked into their house and started to play with their dog. It was hilarious and adorable and the best first trick or treating experience ever. After that we made our way up and down the street. We didn't stay out to long because after like the 10th house, we were all soaked to the bone and Coco had enough so home we went. Coco marveled at his foot and even shared his candy with Judah (he decided not to trick or treat) and then mr and I went home. Best Halloween.

Then the rest of the week. The mr and I spent more time then we wanted to sizing and moving 1000lb cast iron radiator into the house. Yup. We have radiant heat on the first floor but it is not efficient and have decided to bring in the cast iron and I am so excited! I wanted to put them in when we first remodeled that house, and we did on the second floor, but the mr wanted to try the radiant. Now four years later I win. HA! But gosh those freaking things are so heavy. Anyway, they are in the house, in place where they need to be plumbed, and I have been cleaning them up to get ready for paint. And now I need to pick the color and it is going to be a whole thing.

Nothing else really happened out of the norm. Well it snowed one morning and that was just fantastic. Work wise I have been organizing pots and starting the holiday sales on my instagram @stemandnod. I also picked up the first winter farm share. (YAY celeriac!) And I went into a store other then a grocery store with Barb for the first time in like 3 years. I needed new socks so it had to be done.

Sunday. Today the mr and I are getting out of town and going for a good day hike. I am happy about that because not with no camping and all I am getting stir crazy being in town. And when we get home I plan on spending the rest of the day reading and drinking all the coffee and or tea that I want because I am an adult and can do what I want.

Internet from the week.

-Daylight saving time ends Sunday. Here are 4 things you should know.

-I try to enjoy it but I just don’t like it. The Reason You Hate Your Birthday

-How to Keep Your Cool While Playing Host (It's Possible). Tell everyone to fuck off…Oh wait, that is just me. HA!

-People are getting out of had a lazy. Fifteen-Minute Grocery Delivery Has Arrived. Do We Need It?. No we do not need it.

-I LOVE decorations but I think part of the thing I love about it is that it is not all year and it is special. Christmas decor before thanksgiving is just too early for me. But day after, game on! And then it comes down New Years Eve. Here Is When People Are Decorating for the Holidays This Year

-The World’s Smallest Trailer Is Designed to Be Towed Behind a Mobility Scooter. The mr would freaking love this for his scooter.

-How to choose the best sleeping position, and why it matters. I think I am getting carpal tunnel from the way I sleep, well that and all the shit I do withy hands.

-Gorgeous kitchens. ’TIS THE SEASON FOR HOLIDAY BAKING.

-Pottery content and sales. @stemandnode.

Pictures from the week.

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Sunday Happy

What a week. Cool and dreary with a little sun sprinkled in here and there. I know a lot of folks hate this weather but I love it. It’s my favorite!

Last weeks camping was so good!. We went to our favorite state park, Half Moon, and it was just so nice. Super quiet, the trees were amazing, the temperature was fantastic. We hiked through the woods to a little pond, kayaked around 2 separate ponds, and the rm did some fishing while I did some reading. Everything was just A+. Even when it started to rain in the middle of the night. It didn’t bother me. I guess I told the mr that it wasn't suppose to rain so it didn’t matter and that he shouldn’t put the rainfly on. (My logic is spot on when I am sleeping.). And yeah we got a little wet, but whatever, still was the best. (the mr eventually put the fly on. Good call on his part to not listen to me.)

Then back to the world we came. To the doctors, to work stuff, to siding the porch on one of the houses. All the fun things that was on the list of the stuff to do.

And it was Alex’s 15th birthday (Happy Birthday!!WOO HOO!) so we went over to see him and have dinner and birthday cake. We also went for a nice rainy day foliage drive which again, my favorite weather, was really some of the best fall color we have seen in some years.

After working at the studio on Friday I rushed home fast to make a Pokemon cake for Saturday. Early Sartuday morning we grabbed the little, snagged Barb, and did our annual farm day pumpkin picking, masked and social distancing and all. We took the wagon to the field, they picked pumpkins (they all picked the first ones they saw) and did a little flower picking after. Then back to my house for a birthday party celebration for Coco. Technically his birthday is today (HAPPY BIRTHDYA COCO!) but we did a little party for him yesterday. Ate lunch, played around then surprised him with his pikachu cake. He was so happy! Then we gave him his presents (his own package of his favorite cookies, a hand knitted hat, and a vintage kids accordion) ate cake, and ran around the house playing with the accordion to the point where I wanted to smash it. He loved it all (even loved the hat!) and the accordion is home with him and can drive everyone who lives with him crazy. HAHA!

I must mention one thing. Judah was talking to Barb about her job as a house cleaner and all the things she has to do. He then said he would love to get paid to clean my house because it would be like getting free money cause my house is so clean. That really made my day. With that said, it has been a while since I have had so much cake all over the house. I really don’t understand how they do it. Everyone was sitting at the table and were not being messy or gross or anything but after they left and I started in on my cleaning routine…. cake was EVERYWHERE!. I might just make it mandatory for all food to be consumed outside from now on. Although that probably won’t work either. The littles (and sometime the mr) are slobs and no matter what or where they eat, it will get all over.

And now Sunday. So so ready to get out. Elmore State Park is the destination and we are going to take a good long hike up a mountain while we are there. Hopefully there are not a shit ton of other people around. (Vermont during foliage season is the best time and the worst time.. too many people!) I have a pumpkin packed for dinner, the rain fly (just in case) and the wool blankets. It’s gonna be a chilly one tonight!

Internet from the weeks internet.

-How to Cope When Everything Feels Bad and Somehow It Keeps Getting Worse. My go to is reading. Guess that is why I have been reading 2 books a week.

-Celebrate the House Meal, the Go-To Dish for When There’s No One to Satisfy but Yourself. Sometime I wonder how weird and screwed up my tastes are compared to others but then I think how screwy other peoples are.I think that we all eat some weird shit and the weird shit is almost always the best.

-I would live here. An Architect’s Scandi-Inspired Off-the-Grid Hut

-Sugar bread is not bread. For Subway, A Ruling Not So Sweet. Irish Court Says Its Bread Isn't Bread

-Yes, Halloween Trees Are Officially a Thing, and We Don’t Hate It. But I think I might hate it. At least use a different tree. Geesh.

-All of these floors.

-58,000 Pounds of Carrots Were Dumped at a London University. Could have just dumped them in my front lawn. I like a good art installation. And carrots.

-Vermont proud. Vermonter raises zucchini currently listed as world's largest in 2020

-May The Fattest Bear Win: Voting Opens For National Park's Pre-Hibernation Contest.. Love a fat bear.

-I just really like this. Portable Candlelight

Pictures from the week.

-C

Hummus Bowl with Roasted Veggies

I eat so much hummus. Everyday, all day. Homemade, store bought. If there is hummus, I will be consuming it. But the thing is, I usually don’t eat more then a little at a time. (A little being like 1/2 a cup). And sure, sometimes that is just fine and enough, but other times, what I really want to do is garb a spoon and a bag of carrots and eat it all. And then I do.

But there is that little voice in the back of my head telling me that if someone where to catch me eating mounds of hummus, they would liken my eating behavior to that of someone eating a jar of mustard (Not going to lie, it happens sometimes) or of a bottle of ketchup (but I don’t eat ketchup) and that have a problem and shouldn’t being eating it like that. Because hummus, for some reason, has been put into the condiment category. It’s treated like a dip or a spread and that is fine and dandy to eat it as such, but hummus is so much more. It can, and should be treated more like a main component to a dish. So let us step outside of that box and eat it how we really want to eat it.

Hummus by the bowlful. I know right! It just makes so much sense to me. And now to you too. We need to stop stopping ourselves from just a scoop or two because really, that is just not enough. Nope, this is for real. A bowl, full of hummus, topped with roasted veggies because that is just more deliciousness. And we get to eat it all.

Life can be pretty great sometime, you know. HA

Now to the bowl of hummus!

The stuff. We got chickpeas, tahini, a lemon, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. And Veggies. Brussel Sprouts, broccoli, onion, Swiss chard, and kale.

Chop up the broccoli, the onion and half or quarter the Brussel sprouts. And separately, chop up the kale and chard.

Toss the chopped Brussels, broccoli and onion into a baking sheet or oven safe skillet and season with salt and pepper. IF you want to toss in a little oil, go for it. Then pop the veggies into a hot oven to roast away.

Once the veggies are just about done to your liking, grab the chopped kale and chard and off to the veggies. Toss and roast for a few more minutes.

Done.

Hummus. Chickpeas with liquid, garlic, tahini, juice of lemon, and blend. Creamy smooth and delicious.

Dump that hummus into bowls.

And top with roasted veggies.

Would you look at that. Now all you need to to is dig in. Serve with extra lemon and black pepper. Grab your utensil of choice and eat.

-C

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Hummus Bowl with Roasted Veggies

makes 2 servings if eating as a meal

• 3 cups cooked chickpeas in liquid

• A lemon

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

• 2-3 cloves garlic

• 1/4 cup tahini

• salt and pepper

• 10 or so Brussel sprouts

• A small head of broccoli

• A small onion

• 5-6 kale and or Swiss chard leaves

Note. Use whatever veggies you want. Fresh or already prepared. All and any leftovers would be great.

Preheat oven to 450.

Cut Brussel sprouts in half, chop the onion into small pieces, and cut up the broccoli and toss onto a baking sheet or an oven safe skillet. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and stick into the oven to roast for about 20 ish minutes or until nice and roasted. Feel free to toss the veggies in a little oil if you want. Chop up the kale and chard into smaller pieces. Once veggies are just a few minutes from being cooked to you liking, remove from oven, and toss in the greens. Cook for another 5 or so minutes until those are nice and wilted. Remove veggies from oven.

While veggies are roasting, make hummus. Place chick peas with liquid, the juice of the lemon, vinegar, garlic, and tahini into a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Dump into a bowls.

And when you have hummus make and veggies roasted, its time to compile. Dump the hummus into 2 bowls. Dump half of the roasted veggies into each bowl.. Squeeze more lemon juice onto both then grab a fork.

Eat. And yes, lick bowl clean. No shame.