Apples, apples, apples...

I love the smell in the air as it starts changing to fall weather. Regrettably, it took awhile for that season to get to us this year, but mornings are finally starting to be crisp. One of my favorite fall activities is apple picking. Two weekends ago, we went apple picking with some friends, and then last weekend we had the opportunity to go apple picking again with Matt's company.
As you can imagine, this resulted in a lot of apples. Almost a bushel of them, to be precise. What on EARTH does one do with a bushel of apples?

Well, first one takes fresh apples for lunch daily. To vary things a bit, sometimes one's fiance cuts the apple slices into anteater shapes.

Next, one makes three and a half apple crisps. One to be enjoyed immediately, half of one (made in individual tins) to pack in lunches, and two to be packaged up and stored in the freezer (we're set if we need to do any surprise entertaining!).

After the apple crisps and fresh apples, you need to start looking further afield for ideas. So, you make a pot of applesauce, eat several bowls of it hot, and take applesauce in your lunch for a week.
After all that, you still have half a bushel of apples. At this point, you really need to get creative. You'll see what we did with the second half-bushel of apples in my next post!

Home Improvement

When Sheila and I moved into our apartment last summer, it seemed pretty perfect...especially compared to some of the really scary places we'd looked at. We moved in, and everything was hunky dory for, oh, something like 2 weeks. Then we started realizing all the little things that bugged us.

Take this, for example:

Looks like a perfectly respectable kitchen, right? Well, until you add in a microwave, a coffee maker, a toaster, the mother of all spice racks and some drying pans. See the problem here? Practically no counter space.

However, being rather ingenious people (after several cups of coffee, anyway), we saw a need and decided we could fill it. Of course, we procrastinated a bit, but last week we decided was finally the time to start on a bit of around the house Do It Yourself. Sheila and I contemplated the space in the kitchen, and formulated A PLAN. Luckily, the apartment we live in allows us to drill "a reasonable number" of holes in the wall, so we got to work.

First step, measure areas in need of improvement. Check.

Second step, buy shelves. Check.

Third step, install shelves. (??? -> Profit! Wait, no...that's a different story) Wait, there appears to be a problem. The instructions say "Drill a hole. Do not punch." We looked at our screwdriver, the wall, and the instructions. We did not own a drill. Neither did anyone else we knew.

Ok, third step, buy a drill. Sheila and I set out for an evening of drill shopping and looking at bridesmaids dress colors at the mall. Side trip for burgers at Burger King. We walked confidently into Lowe's Hardware and made a beeline for the drill section. Found our drill, purchased it and a set of appropriately sized drill bits and were on our way. We were a little disappointed that nobody asked to assist us or whether it might be better for our boyfriends to buy the big scary tools, but we decided that it was probably our confident, knowledgeable air that stopped them. We then proceeded to spend too long at the mall and craft store to make it home by a reasonable drilling hour in an apartment complex, so we put our finds on the table and went to bed so as not to disturb the neighbors.

Next day, fourth step, install shelves. Hm, the tape on the drill box was already open, but whatever, carry on. But...wait. The instructions say that the drill should twist here, and that should loosen the place we need to put the drill bit. It's not turning. "Wait, let ME see the instructions. Nope, that's what they say. Try again..." *mutter mutter, much twisting of drill that is not budging* Ok, fine. Maybe our hands are too small. Matt! Try this! Hm, you can't do it either? Well, we all have college degrees, we all read the instructions thoroughly...this isn't working. CLEARLY, it is the drill, not us.

Fourth step, go back to hardware store to exchange drill. Explain to man at exchange counter that the drill was previously opened, and furthermore does not twist where the diagram says it should twist. (Large, beefy) man at exchange counter raises an eyebrow, opens the drill box, and proceeds to twist the stuck drill part with what looks to be the side of his little finger. Looks at us, looks at drill, scans drill for exchange and hands us the receipt without question. We sheepishly went and selected a new drill off the shelf, paid, checked the much more functional drill in the car (THIS one we were able to operate on the first try without exertion) and went home. Once again, too late for drilling without disturbing the neighbors.

Step five, install shelves. When I got home from work today, I said to myself, "Self: those shelves are GOING UP today." I measured, checked instructions, mesured, checked instructions...damn. The instructions say "drill a 1/4" hole." Our biggest drill bit is a bit smaller than that. I think about the drive to the hardware store, and look at the drill bit. Then, I settle on wiggling the drill around just a bit after drilling the initial hole to widen it. From then on out, things proceeded rather normally, aside from the usually extremely loud neighbors upstairs who took exception to my hanging shelves and stomped on the floor while yelling obscenities every time I hammered in a nail.

Step six, stand back and admire self-installed ingenious drying rack that not only frees up counter space, but also lets dishes drip directly into the sink.


While I was drilling and all, I also installed our mail sorting box in the kitchen so we can reclaim the table space it used to use up:

Tabi Assembles a Chair

I decided I wanted a comfortable chair to use for reading, knitting, etc. It would also be nice to have an extra seat when we have people over. So I trekked out to Ikea with Matt today (boy was it a trek...we forgot to take directions with us, and Ikea is new enough that it's not on the maps) to look for a chair.

As usually happens with places like Ikea, I found a chair and several other things I wasn't aware that I needed. A large wok for cooking stir fry because the small frying pan we have always overflows. A bag of frozen swedish meatballs. A sheepskin rug for Tabi (really, don't ask).

When we got home, Tabi declared that the new chair was actually hers and that we could take the sheepskin for ourselves.

In fact, she claimed it before it was even completely assembled.


Those people at Ikea are smart folks. Right next to the chairs, we found a big bin of 99 cent fleece "chair protectors" in a rainbow of colors. We chose a Tabi colored one to protect the chair from fur when humans aren't using it (which is frequently, if Tabi has her way).


Finally, Tabi deigned to sit on the rug we chose just for her. In real life, this sits at the feet of the new bouncy rocking chair for tired feet (and kittens).

On the road again...

I've been pretty busy this week preparing for my impending move. I just got word from the moving company that their morning appointment cancelled, so I'm suddenly moving at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning. I'm pretty happy about that, though, as it gives me a good excuse to get moving and have the rest of the day to take care of stuff and do other things.

I went out there today to pick up the keys, pay the first month's rent, and oversee the delivery of my new bed. I was most impressed by how much bigger the apartment seemed than the last time I was in it. I took a lot of photos to document the "before" of the apartment...as in, "before all of the stuff shows up and makes it look cluttered."

Below are the photos, and just a note that I will not have internet access again for possibly quite some time after I move, since I haven't made an appointment to have our internet hooked up yet.


The living room, from the front entryway:

More living room:
Hallway (and a peek into the kitchen), coat closet, front entry way:
Kitchen from the doorway:
Fridge, pantry, hallway, some more kitchen:
Kitchen work area (note the dishwasher...and the fact that the laptop goes everywhere):
Hallway to bedrooms:
Bathroom (I think the blue tiles are kind of cute. They at least break up the institutional feeling a bit):
Linen closet, utility closet:
Roommate's bedroom:
My room (doesn't photograph well...):
My bed is extra tall...which wasn't exactly planned. But everyone could benefit from a little mountain climbing before bed, right?
There's still lots of space for my desk...

A Tale of Two Cities

For the past four years, I have effectively lived in two cities at once. Neither one of them is, in itself, a really big city, but they both lie close enough to large metro areas that I consider myself to actually be from the large cities next door.

A couple years ago, when Starbucks* started selling mugs with the skylines major cities on them, and I became aware that both of "my" cities were available, it only seemed reasonable to beef up my mug collection a little bit with some of my favorite skylines.

But, it never seemed convenient. Whenever I saw the mugs, I was in a hurry. Or carrying all my luggage at the airport. Or something. But last week, when stopping at Starbucks on the way home from work to celebrate our first real paychecks with a friend, I noticed that once again, the skyline mugs were on sale. So after a few moments consideration, I decided to splurge on the mug from Boston.

On my way home that evening, I gave mom a quick call with an odd request: "Can you go to Starbucks in Austin and see if they have any of the city mugs?" You see, these mugs seem to only be available in the cities printed on the side, so it wasn't a simple matter of picking up the correct mugs and walking out. Luckily, after all of these years, mom isn't too put off by my random questions and requests and agreed to keep an eye out.

So, after all these years, my two cities are now right where they belong: side by side.


* Editor's note: The spellcheck appears to think that "Starbucks" really ought to be "Starfish."

A good cleaning

Despite the fact that today was yet another holiday (It was Yom Kippur), things are possibly even more busy than usual.

This weekend I'm having "company," which means that today was spent in the standard "company is coming" ritual of bathroom cleaning, grocery shopping and putting away the little things you are SURE company thinks make the house look messy (and that the company wouldn't have noticed unless it hit them on the head.)

It promises to be a good weekend. Tomorrow my suite is hosting a potluck dinner that has been in the planning stages for ages. We've all got a few last things to do so that we'll be ready, but if nothing else OUR food is bought. It will be interesting to see what everyone else brings. A lot of guests have been telling me about the things they have thought of bringing, and it all sounds pretty tasty.

Later in the weekend I think we'll be doing some sight seeing and a food tour of Boston coordinated by yours truly. I'm not sure why, but whenever anyone asks me what there is to do in a particular city, the things that immediately spring to mind are always food related. As such, I can think of all manner of food that I want to let my guests try, but I can't really think of many things to do inbetween meals.

So, I'm not sure what else we'll be doing this weekend, but I can say without a doubt: there will be eating.

A Picture's Worth....

Not much to write today because I spent much of the afternoon cleaning my room, unpacking the last few boxes, and hanging up photos and posters. The result of this is that my room is settled in, but I get to spend my evening doing homework! We're still working on moving in the other rooms in the apartment, so no no photos of those yet. In the meantime, here are some before and after photos of my room. You can tell that the desks we have were built in an era when not every student had a computer on her desk!