<![CDATA[pixyofwhimsy - Book Syrup]]>

<![CDATA[pixyofwhimsy - Book Syrup]]>Sat, 19 May 2012 10:59:57 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Put a Bird on It]]>Sat, 19 May 2012 07:56:35 -0800http://www.pixyofwhimsy.com/1/post/2012/05/put-a-bird-on-it.html

Our little house is a shambles right now, though I'll be updating you as soon as we've made some progress on the repairs. So far, we're replacing studs and the header supports that have dry rot. It's much of the same type of work that we did the last time. We hope to have a new sliding glass door installed in the next couple of days, so when my Charles and I attempt that, I'll bring you the play-by-play. Until then, please enjoy my recap of my recent trip to Portland, originally posted on my food blog.

I just got back from a business trip in Portland, Oregon. Unfortunately due to luggage restrictions/items I needed to bring, I had to leave the camera at home. Since I didn’t get any Portland photos, I did the next best thing — I’m sharing one of the awesome velvet paintings my friend, Chris, has created for me. Chris lives in Portland, ergo, Portland photo! Erm, sort-of, right? Anyway… let’s move on. Portland is a foodie paradise, and even more, a beer-lover’s dream. I consumed way more beer than was good for me, but I had to pack so much consumption into such a short space of time, you really can’t blame me.

The first evening found us at Deschutes Brewery. There, I had the great presence of mind to order a Hop in the Dark. I was a bit skeptical — a dark ale with hops? The resiny flavor played nicely with the chocolate sweetness of the malt. Who knew the two could be such great friends?

My next stop was dinner. While I’ve been told the restaurant at Deschutes is dynamite, I was overruled by my group, so we moved on. After being disappointed that all of the food trucks were closed, we continued to what appeared to be (at least on the outside) a hole-in-the-wall eatery with some nice, outdoor seating. I have to say, the Dan & Louis Oyster Bar makes a spectacular salad. I enjoyed a half salad of the Dungeness Crab Louis with a marionberry vinaigrette. The vinaigrette was spectacular. I can’t recommend it enough. I’m going to need to replicate it, in fact. Dinner was washed down with a Fish Tale Organic Amber Ale, a beer I know quite well and just wanted to enjoy.

There was no hesitation when it came to our next stop, plus it was just down the street. It’s almost a requirement to get a unique concoction at Voodoo Doughnut when you’re visiting the City of Roses. I had their Bacon Maple Bar. It was… weird — keeping Portland as it should be, I guess. I ate the whole thing, odd or not.

Then it was on to a nightcap at Rogue. By this time my head was spinning, what with all of the, um, sugar and socialization, so I opted for an old favorite — Dead Guy Ale. I did indulge in a sample of Rogue’s ode to Voodoo Doughnut, its Bacon Maple Ale. I’m sad to admit that it was the first Rogue creation I haven’t enjoyed. The liquid smoke flavors coupled with the maple sugary-ness just weren’t my thing.

After a full day of learning, my next dinner excursion was at The Original. Holy mother of … really, there should be a special award for places that make food this delectable. I intended to get the beef stroganoff and had ordered my beer accordingly, but I was wooed by the braised pork shank. I was completely under the spell of the so-tender-it-was-falling-off-the-bone meat drizzled in a brown butter sherry sauce. I have no words. Recalling how staggeringly good that meal was makes me want to weep. Fortunately, the sauce allowed my equally amazing beer to compliment the meal. The Original had Fort George Bourbon Barrel Cavatica Stout on tap. What a gorgeous beer! Black, malty, sweet, and smooth — I wish I had purchased a case.

And that was it, a short adventure filled with brewed and culinary pleasures. I gained a lot of knowledge on new, awesome techniques in social networking, gained some new friends and colleagues, and most definitely gained some pounds. It was great. Stay weird, Portland, and stay yummy!

]]><![CDATA[So... This]]>Sat, 12 May 2012 13:28:01 -0800http://www.pixyofwhimsy.com/1/post/2012/05/so-this.html

In the words of the great Yogi Berra, "It's deja vu all over again."

During the process of taking out the siding to fix what we thought (and hoped) was a small problem, that bit of dry rot where the deck met the house, we encountered more of an issue. Just like the other sliding glass door, this one had leaked, and had been leaking for at least a decade. To add to the problem, the previous owners had poured self-leveling concrete and then installed slate tile ON TOP OF THE DRY ROT.

So here we are again, fixing more than just a line of water damage. We're having to demo the concrete and slate floor back far enough to guarantee that the subfloor is sound.

My Charles is building muscle demoing with a sledge hammer, and I'm keeping busy cleaning up bucket after bucket of the heavy mess. At least we know how this works, and we were going to buy a new door anyway...

]]><![CDATA[Planters]]>Tue, 01 May 2012 07:46:15 -0800http://www.pixyofwhimsy.com/1/post/2012/05/planters.html

Since buying our house, one of my goals has been to create a garden. It's taken some time, assessing potential deer damage, figuring out how to work it into the space, and watching for the best light.

Finally, almost three years later, I came up with a way of incorporating planter boxes into the hillside, and using some other spaces, too.

The wine barrel we got from a local winery last year got cut in half. My Charles and I used the circular saw. We snapped off a straight line around the middle of the barrel. Then he held the saw as I slowly rolled it, on its side, toward him. The method worked pretty well.

The boxes were constructed from the leftover wood from our old stairs. I salvaged pieces that weren't too damaged.

Then I screwed in small pieces at the inside corners for stability. Next, I attached the the corners of the wood together. (Did I mention I used salvaged screws from the old stairs, too?) Finally, I attached corner brackets to make sure everything stayed strong and connected.

The hardest part of the whole project was actually getting the open-backed boxes to fit on the hillside properly. It required a lot of digging, positioning, and more digging until I was finally able to get the box level.

Once the boxes were level, I drove some rebar into the ground at the front of each planter, further stabilizing the box since I knew the earth was going to be HEAVY, and since I was incorporating the boxes into the hillside, gravity was not going to act as a friend.

Originally, I had planned for three planters, but due to the shape of the hillside, I ended up only creating two. The planter shown above is huge, so I think it will be the main, large vegetable box.

The second planter will hold lettuce and herbs -- all of those awesome leafy greens. Yesterday morning was spent shoveling a special veggie-mix compost into the boxes, and some starts were planted. I'm planning on finishing the planting today and stretching netting over the boxes to keep the deer out.

The front yard is starting to come together. Where the stairs used to be are now graduated planting areas sporting daffodils and the sprouts of wildflowers. Half of the wine barrel is going to be a planter for a small chaste tree. The other half will be a solar powered fountain. My veggie garden is finally underway, and the whole area should be mulched soon. Now I just need to get that clothesline built...

]]><![CDATA[Our View]]>Sat, 28 Apr 2012 09:18:22 -0800http://www.pixyofwhimsy.com/1/post/2012/04/our-view.html

No matter how many projects are in the wings, no matter how insurmountable certain tasks may feel, there is one thing that stays constant -- the reason why we bought our house -- the view. Golly, I love that view.

]]><![CDATA[Lights]]>Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:14:39 -0800http://www.pixyofwhimsy.com/1/post/2012/04/lights.html

I have been obsessed by updating the lighting in our house, much to my Charles' frustration. (He'd rather we focused on the outside right now.) Since we have the awesome 70s cabin in the woods, lighting is pretty scarce.

Luckily, there are some nice choices, for affordable prices, that spring up on Fab.com, though they can take awhile to arrive. The top light hangs in our living room area. It's white on the outside and red underneath. I love its branchy, artsy qualities. The other light with its modern minimalism is hanging above our dining room table. It's the perfect amount of substantial-without-causing-the-eye-to-stop. That's the ideal quality for our small house with its living room/dining room of shared, vaulted ceiling space.

Next on the list of lights to replace are the sconces in our "great room" and the bathroom light. The sconces are from Amazon, and the bathroom light is also from Fab. They have yet to be installed, as they need to be hardwired, so those will wait for another post. With all of the glorious sunshine we've experienced the last few days, we haven't needed the lights as much, but it's still really wonderful to update our space in every way possible.

]]><![CDATA[Spring Cleaning]]>Tue, 17 Apr 2012 07:47:18 -0800http://www.pixyofwhimsy.com/1/post/2012/04/spring-cleaning.html

It's finally spring in Nevada County, so I've been climbing ladders and dusting out-of-the-way corners, doing rotation in the pantry, and finding cleaning options on Pinterest. I've really been appreciating the tips and tricks I find on that addictive site.

One of the tips I used during my spring cleaning sweep was to refresh the mattress. Make it Do had a terrific how-to on cleaning a mattress. Basically, you dust that giant dust collector with baking soda and essential oil. I used half a box of soda and a liberal sprinkling of peppermint oil. I use the peppermint for other cleaning as well because it has antimicrobial properties.

After dusting the entire mattress with the soda/oil combination, I let it sit for a couple of hours. Then I vacuumed with the wand and brush attachment and was amazed at how heavy the canister became. There were a lot of dust mites and moisture that came out of our six-year-old bed. Then the room, heck -- the house, smelled so fresh, and nice, clean aromas of mint wafted up from the bed when we settled in for some intense sleeping. It was outstanding.

*I will be working on our bedroom this year, and yes, one of my goals is to make a new headboard so we're not sporting the inexpensive IKEA bed look anymore.

]]><![CDATA[4 x 6 Art Project]]>Mon, 02 Apr 2012 11:26:10 -0800http://www.pixyofwhimsy.com/1/post/2012/04/4-x-6-art-project.html

I didn't end up painting a landscape, that's for dang sure. World, meet "Provenance," the piece I created for the 4 x 6 Exchange. I really tried to paint the landscape I had planned on, but my art brain just isn't in an even slightly realistic place right now. The attempt got painted over, and this went out in the mail Saturday. I can't wait to get my piece in the exchange. I'll share it when I do.

]]><![CDATA[The Foodie Posts Have Moved]]>Sat, 31 Mar 2012 09:54:19 -0800http://www.pixyofwhimsy.com/1/post/2012/03/the-foodie-posts-have-moved.html

Recently, I needed to create a new food blog location for work. Seizing the opportunity, I created it for me, too. I'll be posting most of my recipes, coffee, etc. writing over there. I'm still deciding on wine and beer -- I may post both places, I may just post there. But if you enjoy my foodie nature, please visit Sapid Cellar Door.

]]><![CDATA[Death Valley 2012]]>Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:12:33 -0800http://www.pixyofwhimsy.com/1/post/2012/03/death-valley-2012.html

Spring means a trip to Death Valley. We travel down 395 because it’s a beautiful trip, much better than blasting down the valley. After getting south of Topaz Lake, the same thing happens each year – all of my cares seem to evaporate, and I’m calm. Driving by Mono Lake always brings us joy, and visiting The Barn for some good, old-fashioned burgers in Bridgeport has become tradition.

Then we point the car towards Death Valley, nearing one of our favorite places in the world. The first Joshua tree sighting still makes me giddy. They’re like old buddies that I’ve been missing. I have to keep myself from throwing an arm around their trunks and pressing my face into their spiny bark.

After setting up the tent and getting the campsite organized, it’s time to hike. This year, we hiked up a couple of different washes, following the water-carved paths up to the top of hills as well as wandering along Mable Canyon. The way to the canyon required four wheel drive, but the washboards, rocks, and gullies were worth it for the hike.

Since it was a very dry winter, there weren’t any wildflowers this year. The vistas and geology were as impressive as usual, though, and the lack of flowers meant that we didn’t have to deal with as many people. Since one of the things we love about vacations is finding solitude, we ended up not missing the bloom that much.

This may be our last camping trip using the tent. We’re beginning to have trouble sleeping on the ground and are missing some creature comforts, like shelter from the high winds. We’ve been seriously considering a cabover camper. It will give us shelter and a bed but still allow us the freedom we enjoy.

As always, vacation wasn’t nearly as long as we wanted it to be, but it was lovely while
it lasted.

]]><![CDATA[Just a Wee Shelf]]>Tue, 13 Mar 2012 19:27:42 -0800http://www.pixyofwhimsy.com/1/post/2012/03/just-a-wee-shelf.html

West Elm is having a sale. Golly that's hard to pass up. One of the things I picked up was a small, sculptural shelf for above the toilet. It works really well in the space, I think. White on white with a bit of interest and texture... it's just what the teeny, tiny area needed. Sometimes it's the little things. Sometimes it's the little things on clearance.

I've been a busy bee, writing a lot and creating a cookbook as part of an internship. Other than maintenance, I haven't been able to do much on the home front. The cookbook is almost finished. My Charles and I are soon going to be on vacation. Hopefully, we'll come home revitalized with many photos of our most recent adventure to share and ready to tackle a ton of projects we have waiting -- including a couple of other things I got on clearance from West Elm. I'm taking next week off, and then stay tuned for lots of sparkling, new posts.

*Sorry about the lighting. Our bathroom is dark -- even with three lights on. I even white balanced.

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