Sunday Happy

A week like a good May week should be. Bright color popping all over. Trees with buds and little green things. The smell of dirt and cut grass. Out of control birds up at 4 am singing all the songs for a good day.It is all the good stuff especially when the world seems like a crap shoot. You feel me?

The week. It was a fast moving one in my mind. Lots of outdoor time (even though my allergies have taken the form of a little troll in my skull and are kicking me in my brain, right behind my eyes, constantly). I cleaned up most of the garden beds, layered down cardboard in the paths that I am going over with in woodshchips (hopefully that will help keep the slugs and weeds at bay), and got rid of a shit ton of busted up tree. Seeds are all started, mustard greens are growing everywhere, and I am slowly seeing the perennials pop up. Every year I get better at remembering what and where I planted shit.

Other then all the fun outdoor chores, the week has been pretty basic. The mr spent all day every day working so I didn’t see much of him again. But I was busy too working on some mug preorders and the such. I also stopped in to see So pogo on her stick, tried to clean my studio but instead made an even bigger mess, biked to the library twice and almost cried when I stopped in at the grocery store and everything went up in price again! Ugh. It is so fucked! Other then that just more normal stuff. Not super eventful but I am ok with that.

Seeing as it is Mother’s Day it is only appropriate that I will be going to see my mother. I think the mr and I are going to head over this morning, go for a walk, drink coffee, and cut down a busted up tree in her backyard . You know, do something nice for the lady. She did birth me after all and what kind of a place this world would be without me. HA! The rest of the day? I was suppose to go for a bike ride with Megan but not sure if that is happening anymore so I will probably stop in and see all my sister moms and their hellions and then with any extra time, yard/gsrden work. It’s that time of year when pulling weeds and getting super dirty is all the fun.

Internet fro the week.

-I just cannot with this shit. My blood is boiling. My thought are vicious and I feel like I will become a feral animal that will attack when I hear the shit coming from the mouths of old men.. Liberty No More. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, the very definition of what it means to be American will change for women and girls in the United States.

-Once an Escape, Now a Home. How a family steeped in New York and Los Angeles cultures shifted gears to a farmhouse in Vermont. The wardrobe with the handles is everything. An the rest of the house is cute too.

-Phenology: Planting According To Nature. Nature knows and knows best. Plant when the leaves are just so of the butterflies are around you know? Read the article. It will make sense.

-I love some well laced color.COLOR STORY: LILAC SEASON.

-Could cooking therapy help your mental health? Oh hell yeah. Cooking always makes me feel better if I am anxious. Keeps me sane.

-8 Types of Staircases and How to Identify Them. So you know and sound smart in any conversation that you have about staircases.

-Is this allowed? Tropicana Is Releasing a Cereal Designed to Be Eaten with Orange Juice.

-Why Are American Chips So Boring? I don’t eat chips but I even noticed they other countries around the world have way more interesting chip flavors.

-It is pretty freaking cool and I can’t find a single other picture of a toilet like it. A Tiered Tangerine Toilet Is the Best Surprise in This French Apartment.

Pictures from the week.

Sunday Happy

How is spring treating you? I have been loving the weather but man this past week my allergies have kicked in and blah. Itchy eyes and skin, runny nose, and brain fog. I feel like my head is going to float away.

We had a packed past week. There was Easter with the family. Pretty much everyone was there, no one fought, and there was plenty of candy and bubbles.. Good stuff. Then Monday the mr got his truck back from the police station. (Thank god), and now he keeps the doors lock and the key out of the ignition. I also went for a long walk in a t-shirt and sandals that day and and then the next day I went for my morning run hate and mittens in close to half a foot of the wettest snow ever. The power went out for hours and a few of my neighbors trees fell over and crashed into out fence. Also goos stuff. But then the snow bascailly all melted within a day and it’s spring again.

Thruday the mr, Megan, and I brought Alex an So to the Biodome in Montreal. Drove over the boarder (forgot to fill out the online forms and had to pull over and do all that..annoying!) but made it up there without any more issues. We got to the Biodome, walked around the different evornments, saw some animals (made me sad. I don’t like captive animals) and then finished out the Montreal outing by stopping at Ikea. They got hotdogs and shit, I got new toilet brushes!

And as always there was some other stuff, like adulting things, work things, life things, but nothing worth the mention so that was the week.

Sunday. Today I am going into the studio for the better part of the morning to glaze while the mr goes off to work. We have a date this afternoon to go see a play. Not something I usually would do but we actually kind of have to go. It is Barbs play so you know me being all nice and shit…. HA! But I am sure it will be great. And then I am probably going to come home, plant seeds, make soup, and hide for the rest of the day.

Internet from the week.

-I love everything about this. PHOTOS: How this Bolivian all-female skate crew is celebrating their Indigenous roots

-7 ocean mysteries scientists haven’t solved yet. A very mysterious place indeed.

-Oh to get exactly what you want. Weird. What Do You Do Once You’ve Fulfilled Your Life’s Dream?

-I thought everyone was making bread these days or was that a phase? If you are not or stopped, jump back on the wagon, it is for your own good. Why Not Make Your Own Sandwich Bread?

-Scientists Publish Breakthrough Study in Oreo-Splitting Research. This could change peoples lives.

-I use the phrase “junk food” all the time. I guess it is time for me to stop that. There Is No Such Thing as “Junk” Food

-Into this super cool diy backsplash.

-Four hidden reasons food prices are crazy right now. Prices are sooo crazy. I can’t leave a grocery store not pissed off. Good thing farmshare price is seasonal and I already paid for the year!

-Whoa Nelly this is something. A 4-year-old can run errands alone ... and not just on reality TV. I don’t know if my 14 year old niece would be able to do this. 🤣

Pictures from the week.

Rhubarb Bundt Cake

Rhubarb time is fast approaching. All of my rhubarb is already popping out of the ground, mostly just the leaves (don’t eat those, they are poisonous) but it will only be a week or two before the stalks are big and juicy so I can now safety use up the rest of the rhubarb that I had stashed in the freezer. And for that a cake was in order. Nothing super fancy, just a straight up rhubarb situation, with a little lemon drizzle. No strawberry. No nuts. Just a lot of rhubarb because sometimes that is all you need. (Plus the cake was for the mr and he doesn’t like other things to encroach on his rhubarb). A big delicious rhubarb bundt cake.

It is a spring time essential. You need this.

Now to the rhubarb bundt cake!

The stuff. Flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and cinnamon. Chopped rhubarb (frozen and thawed), plant milk, oil, brown and white sugar, vanilla ,applce cider vinegar, powdered sugar, and a lemon.

In a large bowl miix the oil, vanilla and sugars together until completely combined, In a smaller bowl whisk all the dry ingredients together.

Add the dry to the wet along with the zest of the lemon and the gently mix while pouring in the vinegar and milk. Fold in chopped rhubarb.

Cake batter.

Pour batter into a WELL greased and floured bundt pan. Trust me, don’t forget to get all the nooks with grease. A stuck bundt sucks.

And pop that bundt into the oven and bake.

A little over an hour later you got yourself a gorgeous golden brown cake.

And ever so gently get that bundt out of pan. If your top gets stuck like mine did, all is well, just repair as best as you can. The cake will still taste amazing..

Once cake is out of pan, let cool on a wire rack.

Make a little lemon glaze while its cooling. Just powdered sugar and lemon juice. Mix until a thick but drizzle -able consistency,

Drizzle on the glaze. And because I screwed up the top when taking it out of the pan I wanted to gussy it up a little so I added a few plops of strawberry jam.

I think is looked nice, not better, but nice. Ha!

Then you eat cake. Simple as that.

-C

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Rhubarb Bundt Cake

makes a bundt cake

• 2 1/2 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablepoon cinnamon

• 1/2 cup neutral oil like canola

• 1 1/8 cup plant milk

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 2 cups chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen and thawed and chopped into 1/4-1/2 inch chunks)

• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• 1 lemon

• 2 tabslpoons strawberry jam (optional)

Preheat oven to 375.

Add vinegar to the milk.

In a large bowl mix together the oil, vanilla, and brown and white sugar until compelelty combined. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, zest from the lemon, baking powder and soda, and cinnamon. Dump the dry into the wet and gently mix while pouring in the milk and vinegar mixture. Once mixed fold in the chopped rhubarb.

Grease and flour a bundt pan. Pour the cake batter into the pan, tap the bottom on the counter to remove any bubbles , then place into preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour or until a deep golden brown and a tester poked into the center comes out clean.

Once baked, remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack.

While it is cooling make the glaze. Squeeze the juice of the half the lemon into the powdered sugar and mix until combined. If it seems to thick to drizzle, add more juice. To thin, add more powder sugar.

Once cake has cooled, drizzle glaze all over. If you want fancy and a little flavor pop, add a few plops of strawberry jam on top.

Then you eat cake.

Cake will be good in airtight container on counter for 4-5 days. Any longer just cut it up and freeze it.

Sunday Happy

You knw that feeling you get when someone steels your car? Oh don’t worry, my car wasn’t stolen, but the mr’s truck, yeah, that was stolen. While he was working. With a bunch or his really expensive tools in it on top of like a million other things that suck ass to get stolen.

And basically that sums up the week. 😬

Actually the week started off just fine, well maybe kind of blah. We both have been feeling a bit shitty (many tests confirm not covid) but spring allergies are kicking and I always get the foggy brain feels this time of year so whatever. I took feeling like crap in stride and decided that I was going to spend the week spring cleaning (or spring mess making) and throwing a daily 10+pound pot. And for the most part I did (well I made some messes and I missed few days of throwing) which was super duper satisfying. If you throw on a wheel you know that centering a hunk of clay that big is really a full body experience. My core is sore as heck and all my studio clothes are covered in clay. As for the cleaning, well it always starts off messy and I am still in that messy state so now I need to rectify all that which basically means I just need to fill up the recycling, donation box, and trash with everything. I want to get rid of it all.

So back to the truck. Mid day Wednesday I get a prank call form the mr telling me his truck was stolen. I say prank because who the hell gets their car stolen. And if you someone where to steal a car, olden;t it be a nicer one then the mr’s? Turns out someone wanted it. And so it became the thing that pretty much made the rest of the week a shit show. But not all bad. We did have Barb and the littles also came over for puzzles, food, and bear tossing. And of course ragging on the mr about his stolen truck because duh. I also convinced them to come over this coming up week during school break for a day or two of manual labor, paid of course, so I am counting in little hands to help me get my outside looking pristine!

But yah, the truck thing kind of overtook the days. The police said the longer it was gone the less likely we were to get it back and if we did it would probably be in not so great condition. That reality sucked. I spent more time then I ever wanted combing through craigslist and online market places for someone selling a truck like ours and tools. Even time I left the house I was distracted by looking at cars, parked and driving. We had our friends and friend of friends on the lookout. And you know what? A few days after the incident (we call it that now) one of those friends of a friend of a friend, well they spotted it. She texted the mr, called the police and after the mr chased the guy down on his scooter(HAHA no joke) the guy ditched it and now the truck is happily waiting at the police staton until they can process it.

PHEW!!! I was starting to get really mad!

And now it is Sunday, and Easter Sunday to boot. Also it would be Seans 33rd birthday today (fucker). A day to celebrate with the fam so we are going over to the moms house and having a thing with food snd easter egg hunt and all the jazz. And then if I have any time the afternoon, back to that cleaning. Want to get that shit done before it gets really nice out and I never want to come inside again.

Interent from the week.

-2 Seasoned Thrifters Weigh in on the Controversial Ethics of the Resale Economy. What do you think? Personally I think it is what it is and sometimes you get the deal, sometime you don’t and if someone can resell for more money, well good for them. As long as it is not stuff like food and essentials that people need, only stuff that is non essential like brand name clothes or artwork.

-I know very little about Easter. What You Didn't Know About What You Already Know About Easter. And also. The Ancient Origins of the Easter Bunny

-Overwintering Turns Bitter Vegetables Sweet. Could It Do the Same for Me?

-How is your bean cooking game these days? How to Cook Beans: The Epicurious Myth-Busting Guide

-Why do I not live here?The Narrow Kvitfjell Cabin on Top of the Mountains in Norway

-This garden shed kitchen situation is pretty much perfect

-Oh watch out, it could be coming for us! The biggest comet ever found is cruising through our solar system’s far reaches

-Read this and be smart. Everything Everywhere All at Once, explained by a quantum physicist

Pictures fro the week.

Sunday Happy

Have you noticed all the things popping out of the ground? This time every year I get hyper aware of what is stating to grow and then get all sorts of exited when I see a new flower or weed for that matter, emerge from the brownish still thawing ground. And then my brain and body knows it’s only just a few weeks away that there will be green everywhere and all of a sudden it will be summer. Excited as hell for the green. Not so much summer. I just really don’t want to be hot.

So have you filed your taxes yet? This past week was the week we had an appointment with the accountant but I ended up canceling it. It’s not that I haven’t thought a lot about them, even attempted to maybe get them finished but you know what, I decided that I am filing an extension and so yeah. They are not done and sure I feel a little relief that I am not rushing but also a little annoyed that I have extended the dread for longer. My new goal date is May 15. I’ll get my shit together by then.

Other then not finishing our taxes, the week was alright. I basically spent most of my time making and or glazing pots and taking pictures to update the shop. The mr has started back to working like a crazy guy again so he has been gone all day every day doing some big restaurant kitchen remodel so I haven’t seen much of him. I did get to see Megan and commiserate with her on her 40th birthday.HA! I also started repotting some of the plants around the house (I ran out of soil) and I went for my first real bike ride of the season! Oh does my bike need a tune up!

Sunday! The mr and I are hoping to do a little something outside today. Its been raining a lot so all the trails are pretty muddy (it’s actually bad for the trails to walk on them in mud season), but I think we will be able to find a nice outdoor something to do. I am feeling a little stir crazy, feeling the call of the woods hard. I need to be outside!

-Stuff from the internet this week.

-Oh yuk. If you buy it, wash that shit well! 2022's "Dirty Dozen" List Reveals the Most Pesticide-Laden Produce at the Store

-Here's why most of us love the smell of vanilla and peaches and not sweaty feet. I know a guy who likes the smell of sweaty feet….. Just saying.

-How Do We Get People to Compost? Seriously, who isn’t composting? You really must if you haven’t already started. Just do it.

-I am one of those people that have a hard time finding pleasure in too much pleasure. I need balance. I need to be a little uncomfortable sometimes or else pleasure is boring. So I guess I am not addicted so that is good. Too much pleasure can lead to addiction. How to break the cycle and find balance.

-This A-Frame is siimple and lovely. Reading net nook is awesome.

-Different Types of Paprika, Explained.

-I Get Paid to Go on Fake Dates With People to Prepare Them for Real Ones. You know, this sounds like hard work. I wouldn’t want to do it.

-I am still grieving Washer but slowly am thinking about another dog. Very very slowly. What I’ve Learned from Loving a New Dog While Grieving Another

Pictures from the week.