I’ve finally come to realize that our bathroom remodels are at least a year away… bigger fish to fry (Like residing and painting the whole house, replacing almost 60-year-old water lines). I have decided, however, to at least paint the bathroom so it looks better while it waits for a new sink, flooring and tile. The deal is… my tub, commode and sink are all pink. Now this was actually a selling point for me… believe it or not. I love the tub and will more than likely keep it, but the sink is a tragic almost bubble gum pink that doesn’t quite math the tub or toilet. My first thoughts about paint were to paint a blush pink with bright white trim.. hell, the paint is already in the cupboard.

WHAT DID YOUR GRANDPARENTS SAY?

“Look at what a good eater your sister is”…. that would be me… It always made me beam with pride.

LAST MOVIE YOU SAW IN A THEATRE? 

Sweeney Todd, yes Jess it’s true I have not been in a movie theater since 

Christmas… sad but I live like 30 niles from the nearest theater. 

 I heart Netflix

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? 

Read Who has time to read with so much knitting to do. That said I do buy

books and stack them on my night stand… see list at right side of this blog

FAVOURITE BOARD GAME? 

Not a board game gal

FAVOURITE MAGAZINE Well, the one work at of course. But love Dwell, Atomic Ranch, Home Companion, Cooks Illustrated and Country Living. 

I love magazines…only subscribe to one, Interweave Knits because I love to buy 

them on the newsstand.

FAVOURITE SMELLS? Coffee. my cat Noodle, before (and after) it rains.

FAVOURITE SOUNDS? Roscoe snoring, rain on the metal roof of the studio, mandolin. 

The sound of the UPS or FedEx truck pulling up.

WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD? Regret

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE? Coffee

FAVOURITE FAST FOOD PLACE?  Whataburger

FUTURE CHILDS Dogs NAME? Junebug

FINISH THIS STATEMENT—’IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D…… See my sisters more often.

DO YOU DRIVE FAST? not really

DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?  Nope, 3 dogs , a cat and a husband

STORMS–COOL OR SCARY?  I love them

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR? Volkswagen Cabriolet

FAVOURITE DRINK? Coffee… this is a predominant theme, huh?

FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD… have a cleaner house and get more creative projects done. Write letters.

DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI? well, yes

IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOUR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE? Red, always red. I was a redhead for pretty much al my twenties 

and some of my thirties.

NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS YOU HAVE LIVED IN? 

Detroit (born there),

Los Angeles

Warwick, NY

Westminster, Co.,  

Littleton, Co., 

Idyllwild, Ca., 

Rancho Santa Fe, Ca., 

Oakland, Ca., 

Santa Cruz, Ca,. 

Arcata, Ca., 

Washington, D.C., 

Silver Spring, Md., 

Hyattsville, Md., 

Austin, Tx., 

Elgin, Tx.

FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Tour de France!

ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Aside from her boundless energy and creativity, talent and sense of humor… 

Sarah has the best hair. No really she does.

WHATS UNDER YOUR BED? Dog hair… always the dog hair

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN? oh sure… I’m with Sarah…. stick with the devil you know

MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL? I love the mornings but wake slowly and quietly… 

I’m a two cup girl…two big cups to get me going. DH wakes up annoying;y chatty too. 

He wakes up way before me and has a head start on the coffee. 

I stay up a little later to be alone and knit, watch tv.

OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP? over medium or poached

FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX? home, in the back yard

FAVOURITE PIE? Strawberry Rhubarb or Blueberry

FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOUR?  Mint Chocolate Chip

OF ALL THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST? Amanda, if she was not leaving town. 

I tag… Amanda, Ahna, Amber, Rose

As I sit here,I hear the scratching of little claws in the wall behind my desk, it is a squirrel. He has taken up  residence in our wall and often goes out foraging for food and returns home through a hole where the AC tubes and wires enter the attic. Aha, we thought it would be so easy now…we'll close it up while he's out. Well, turns out it's not so easy to catch him because he just scurries up to his hole when he sees you and he just peeks his head out at us, like he's in a cuckoo clock or a game of whack-a mole. I often picture DH up there quickly nailing up boards all criss cross like a la Wiley Coyote. Roscoe is napping at my feet, right next to the wall… couldn't care less about the weird noise coming from the wall.

Today I am home sick from work… not much energy so I plan to knit until I am hungry.

yeah, finally the eggplants are growing.

Tomatoes to share with my neighbor… you should see the beets he brought me.

I've made some changes in the laundry room. Fabric softener sheets were clogging up my dryer lint screen and the machine is only 2.5 years old! I have replaced the sheets with a glug or two of white vinegar poured right into the fabric softener cup in my washing machine. It really does leave my clothes softer, static and residue free. I'm hoping to put up a clothesline, but need to be mindful of it being away from my mischievous dogs…maybe I'll do a temporary test to see if they cannot help themselves or not. The 365 powdered detergent from Whole Foods is not really that much more expensive than the other well- known brand I was using, and I like the citrusy smell. The EC-OVER delicate wash is super, and I do a lot of hand washing. The Bac-Out works well but I am over the moon about the Earth Friendly Products Oxo-Brite. I had a chocolate stain on a new favorite embroidered blouse. I soaked it while I was at work….came home and it was sparkly white again. I am amazed by this product.

and in the kitchen… I've replaced both the dishwasher detergent and my dish washing soap with eco-friendly products…and they both smell so good. Scent is a big deal in my world. The Bon Ami is a perfect sink scrub and is perfect on my stainless cookware. I've stocked up on this because I have found myself reaching for it every day. The Method all purpose cleaner for the counter tops…of course. I have knit a whole drawer full of dishcloths (no more sponges) and have a basket full of pretty dish towels. Sometimes I still need to reach for a paper towel, so I switched to recycled.

This is not meant to be preachy but simply to illustrate how just sneak in a few small changes with some of the products I've tried. All this is not new… eco-friendly products have been around for a very long time, they've just come along way. As a So Cal teen (I graduated in 1983), I remember scrubbing up with Dr. Bronners and smearing Rachel Perry Cantaloupe Lip Lover lipgloss on my lips. DH loves his peppermint Dr. Bronner's.