Living Large In Our Little House

Small House Living

15 Mar, 2012

Time to Spring into Cleaning

 

The Belle Writers Studio in the early morning mist

 

I started making my list for spring cleaning yesterday.

After all, when it feels like summer outside, I feel like I’m running behind.

Dale actually began the spring cleaning two weeks ago. I was working one weekend day, so I took the dogs over to The Belle Writer’s Studio so he could pull out the stove and fridge and vacuum the top of the cabinets.

He also came home from work the other day and cleaned the ceiling fans, as it was hot and we needed them.

My list is still pretty long:

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In the Kitchen/Recipes

13 Mar, 2012

I Learned a Cooking Tip on Criminal Minds

I posted on Living Large’s Facebook page on Sunday morning that Dale didn’t pick up the remote on Sunday morning and instead, kept the house nice and quiet while we both read.

While I do not like the television blaring 24/7, I’m not anti-TV. I think there are some good educational, as well as entertaining programs.

Not many, but Dale and I have favorites we watch together.

Sometimes, if I’m paying attention, I can learn from the entertaining shows too.

Take “Criminal Minds,” for example.

We watched an episode last week we had DVR’d (as we do most programs to be able to fast forward through the ads) and two of my favorite actors, Kathy Baker, who starred in the 1990s  series “Picket Fences” and William Russ, who played in the 1980s series, “Wiseguy.”

The two played (bad) parents trying to appease their son who was paralyzed in a car accident.

Little did I know, Kathy Baker would be opening up a cooking mystery that has boggled my mind for a couple of years.

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Small House Living

8 Mar, 2012

Stress, Age or Something Else

The week began stressful here at Our Little House, no doubt.

On Tuesday, after a couple of hours sleep  – thanks to Molly having a bad night and Chloe fighting the E-collar (those big cone head collars dogs have to wear to keep them from chewing stitches or pulling out drains) – I made a pot of coffee and headed to The Belle Writer’s Studio.

At noon, I put my computer to sleep, headed home for lunch and while there, popped a roast in the crockpot for dinner.

I could almost taste the tender pork that we could also have the following night in burritos.

When I came dragging home after completing an assignment at about 6:30, all the while believing all I needed to do for a delicious meal was pop some rolls in the oven, Dale said, “You know, the lid wasn’t on the crockpot when I came home.”

That meant the roast had not been cooking on schedule for most of the day.

I’d like to blame the stress and lack of sleep on this “Duh” moment, but the truth is that I’ve been having these types of moments with more frequency.

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Small House Living

6 Mar, 2012

A Side Splitter

Chloe was pulled from the shelter by Half-Way Home Rescue

I wouldn’t have made a good nurse. Or doctor, or phlebotomist. I wouldn’t have even made a good vet tech.

I get queasy at the sight of blood. I hyperventilate and sometimes, depending on the situation, I get physically ill.

When I was a teenager, I somehow managed to cut a small piece of the tip of my finger off with scissors.

“Go run it under cold water,” my mom said, helping me hold a towel to the wound.

The feel of the cold water as it hit my hand and the red washing down the sink was the last thing I remember before waking up on the kitchen floor.

We had yet another medical emergency at our house yesterday, the worst of them all to date.

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Small House Living

1 Mar, 2012

Lions, Lambs, Tornadoes and Fires…Oh, My!

I don’t know whether to consider March in like a lion or a lamb.

Today, officially March 1 is beautiful and sunny, with a high expected of around 70 degrees.

If it weren’t for Leap Year, yesterday would have been March 1 and if that had happened, definitely in like a Lion.

Most of you probably have heard, – or may have even been affected by – the storms that began Tuesday as a huge snowstorm elsewhere, but as the storm headed south and hit warmer air, it really turned deadly, hitting 9 states with severe storms and tornadoes.

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Small House Living

28 Feb, 2012

Talkin’ Septic Tank Sludge

Living in the city most of our lives, we didn’t really think too much about the water and sewer at our house, unless the government’s fee for them went up.

Here, we don’t get a monthly reminder of our water or sewer, it’s all our responsibility out here.

The septic tank is not something we like to think about, but when you live in the country, it’s necessary in order to keep from having a disaster.

We built Our Little House nearly 9 years ago now and The Belle Writer’s Studio was built nearly 4 years ago (time flies!)

We’ve never had the septic tank pumped, but Dale and I talked about it this past weekend. Not pleasant conversation but necessary.

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Small House Living

21 Feb, 2012

Trapped

Sunday was one of those picture-perfect days here in the Ozarks, for February anyway.

It was sunny and warm, between 55-60 degrees by afternoon.

Dale and I took the dogs out on the deck and we all soaked up the sun for awhile and then he decided to head down the hill to bank fish.

He came home later with a report, “No luck fishing, but there was a reason I was supposed to be down there.”

We had been hearing boats all weekend, not unusual on a nice weekend and certainly not unusual this time of the year as the spring fishing tournaments on the big lakes begin.

Dale said when he got down to our cove, Sade Sue, our pittie who warned me of the strange truck in our driveway a few weeks back, started acting sheepish and walking slowly by Dale’s side, a sure sign something’s amiss.

Then he saw an empty boat on the bank. He was curious, it isn’t unusual for hunters to come on the shore during rifle season, but that season is over.

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