We’ve got a whole passel of things that we need to get done, with a tentative deadline of July 23rd. Totally abandoning the “official list“, there a much more urgent roster of items that really needs to be done before we’re graced with Baby Smannon. Like to hear it? Here it go:

• Finish electricity in the garage
• Tear out house carpeting (gross and really old)
• Build a wall in the living room to close off the basement from the upstairs of the house
• Install wood floors
• Replace interior doors
• Insulate outer wall of basement
• Repair or replace basement exterior door
• Insulate floor of kitchen and bathroom
• Install smoke alarms
• Paint/decorate nursery

We also have a list of “things that would be nice to finish but aren’t as urgent”:

• Rebuild basement stairs
• Paint/prettify basement stairs
• Install ceiling fan in living room
• Paint office

There are a few items we want to buy, too, like a new dishwasher, but those will probably be at the mercy of the projects that actually need to be done ASAP. Meanwhile, we recently bought all of the flooring (goodbye, tax refund!) as well as a new couch and chaise lounge, which Kevin is modeling above, and which will probably become my nest during my maternity leave.

AAAAANNNNNNNDDD, GO!

That’s not what I want to tell you about this time, though. See, we’ve embarked on another household project:

This one will take a few more months to complete, and a few other projects are going to have to happen concurrently in preparation for the final reveal, but in the meantime, we’re going to try to spend as much time enjoying ourselves as possible.

XO

Before

Aaaaaand, that brings us roughly up to speed!

2 bedroom, 1 bath, 1100 square feet, $120k

3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1500 square feet, $225k

3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, 1500 square feet, $225k

And here are a few more on neighboring streets:

3 bedroom, 2 baths, 1200 square feet, $205k

2 bedroom, 1 bath, 1000 square feet, $207k

2 bedroom, 1 bath, 1500 square feet, $189k

And if you’re looking for something a little more fancy, there’s a Summit Street mansion for sale!

4 bedroom, 3 bath, 3100 square feet, $465k and on its way down

So, who’s ready to move in?

By some miracle, I have an honest-to-goodness three-day weekend, starting today. Oh mah gah. Can I tell you how badly I’ve needed some time off? I know I just came home from vacation a month ago, but you should know that my life has been nonstop stress and busy work ever since then. Usually, I have clinic over the weekends, busting my ass for 9 hours at a stretch at the hospital, learning what I can and soaking up as much experience as I can grab. I was even supposed to have clinic this weekend as well, but by the grace of my poor instructor, I got out of it and will manage to enjoy my three-day weekend like a normal person. Hooray!

Unlike most normal people, though, I’m going to choose to spend my long weekend being as productive as fuck, because I can’t do it any other time. And because I am in love with making lists, here is the one I’ve made for this weekend:

FRIDAY

• Check out a possibly awesome antique garage sale
  (the pickings were slim, but Kevin snagged an old drive-in theater radio)
• Go to the bank
• Go out for vegetarian Indian food at Masala
  (we ended up eating at Exotic India in Coralville to avoid the Jazz Fest crowds, and we really missed Masala)
• Go to hardware store to schedule garage drop-off, price railroad ties for retaining wall, buy hole saw, price garden sheds, stare longingly at hardwood flooring
• Lie around watching Moon and drinking cocktails (hey, gotta start the weekend out right, am I right?)
  (Moon was delicious, and only partly because I want ravage Sam Rockwell)
• Write grocery shopping list/menu
• Organize linen closet
• Hem living room curtains (which have needed to be hemmed for over a year)

SATURDAY

• Workout at the gym
• Study session with clinic girls
  (didn’t get up in time, so I studied at the gym)
• Take stock of spice cabinet
• Trip to Kalona for cheese curds, doughnuts, and spices with Dawn
• Order some spice jars to get that shit organized and pretty
  (I ended up getting a case of 24 2oz jars)
• Take pictures of backyard and baby birds nesting on the side porch
• Write up backyard/garage update
• Barbeque for dinner
• Bake something
  (Can I pretend I baked something if I bought a Dutch apple pie in Amish-town instead?)
• Build shoe shelving in front closet
• Organize front closet

SUNDAY

• Workout at the gym
• Study/homework
• Laundry
• Organize basement
• Take pictures of basement
• Write up basement update blog post
• Help classmate with setting up her iPad
• Boating with friends
• Bake something
• Barbeque for dinner
• Go watch Iowa City’s fireworks from parking ramp rooftop
  (we watched from the Pentacrest instead)

MONDAY

• Workout at the gym
• Study/homework
• Friendship bracelet-making!
• Set up computer backups on new hard drive
• Bake something
• Pedicure
• Buy new cat food bowls
• Go watch Coralville’s fireworks in the park

Jesus, that’s an ambitious list. We’ll see how far we get.

Oh yeah, and this happened, too!

Yeah, it was a good vacation.

You can try some of Alicia’s scrumptious granola by ordering some from her Etsy shop, Rosie’s Best, or stopping by the Iowa City New Pioneer Co-op. Check out her food blog, Culinary Bliss, to keep up with the beautiful local and nutritious food she’s whipping up. Congrats on your success, Alicia!

I don’t know why I’m still so scared of pie dough. It’s never as difficult to make as I think it’s going to be. I’m just a lazy wuss, I guess.

It was pretty much the ugliest pie ever.

Until it was done! Then it just looked delicious.

Homemade Chik’n Pot Pie

• Half of a medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 4 Tbsp butter (I used Kerrygold)
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 can veggie stock
• 4oz. white mushrooms, sliced thin
• 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
• Fake chicken (I used Morningstar Farms’ Meal Starters Chik’n Strips)
• About 6 pinches dry sage
• About 1 pinch dry rosemary
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Smitten Kitchen’s All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough
• One egg, whipped, for eggwash

1. In a large skillet, saute the onions and garlic in the butter on medium heat until translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in flour until fully incorporated, and then slowly add the veggie stock until you’re left with a thick gravy. (While you’re doing this, you can be par-baking your lower crust in the oven. I baked it for 10 minutes at 325°.)
2. Add your sage and rosemary pinches now, and adjust to taste. Add mushrooms and bag of frozen vegetables and lower heat to allow to simmer.
3. Once the gravy is simmering again, add fake meat. Allow to heat up again to a simmer. Salt and pepper gravy to taste.
4. Dump the contents of your skillet into the waiting pie crust. Add the top crust to your pie, crimp the edges, cut three slits in the top, and brush the top with your whipped egg.
5. Bake pot pie at 375° for about 40 minutes, longer if necessary. It’s helpful to place your pie pan on top of a cookie sheet so that any overflow is caught and doesn’t dirty up the floor of your oven, smoking up and causing the smoke detectors to go off.
6. Enjoy!

NROM

I don’t know why I try to set non-guest goal activities for myself when I have people coming over. Isn’t that silly? Like I’m going to be tromping around with a dirty laundry basket while people are trying to socialize! Tonight’ll be my catch-up night, to finish the things from the other two nights this week that I didn’t manage to get to, plus a few extra. Tonight starts my 5-day weekend, too, ahhhhhhh! I think I’m going to drink an organic raspberry ale in celebration. And eat a salad. I’m so subversive.

THINGS TO DO WEDNESDAY

• Finish laundry
• Straighten bedroom
• Vacuum bedroom
• Order sink unit for basement bathroom
• Cook dinner
• Plan menu and grocery list for St. Patrick’s Day feast tomorrow
• Wash bedding
• Spot vac floors
• Sweep kitchen