Flower Concerns

I've declared that next year will be the Year of the Landscaping at the house. That could change depending on how the interior progresses this year, but next year I would like to evaluate the landscaping.

The main goals of this landscaping evaluation are:
1. To start a vegetable and herb garden.
2. To make sense of the random bushes/small trees strewn about the yard.
3. To remove floral items from outdoor sitting areas.

Why move around the flowers, you ask? They're pretty!

But I don't like bees. Or anything that stings. Or really anything that qualifies as a pest: moths, "critters" (I inherited these phobias from my mom, who hates starts-with-"sp"-and-rhymes-with-"riders" to the point of insisting we just call them "critters".), june bugs, mosquitoes, flies, etc. My general attitude toward nature is best summarized by this:

As I've lamented how to enjoy flowers and outdoor areas, while avoiding bees as much as possible, I've decided to move all the blooming things away from the deck and patio. Which means that the rose bushes can stay since they run along the side of the house, but the lilac bush, right up against the desk, is going to have to move. Possibly to the fence. And I've already been pricing organic pest control.

Missing Zoey?

Zoey is spending the week with her Nana (Yes, my mom refers to herself in reference to Zoey as "Nana". It's adorable.) since Lee and I will be away this weekend (Sadly though not in the same place. I have a wedding; Lee has drill.). I always feel a little guilty when Zoey leaves because I kind of love it.

It's not that I don't love Zoey, because I do. I mean, look at that face! And those lop-sided ears! But there are several perks to Zoey not being around. Like I don't have to strategically feed the cat so Zoey won't eat all her food. (I have to feed her early before Zoey gets up, but then have put her food away when we leave for work. Basically, Reagan only has a chance of eating if I'm within eye shot of her food bowl.) And Lee doesn't have to cautiously approach me to avoid a dog attack. (We've realized that men can't approach me if I'm seated or Zoey pounces. Good thing she's only 15 pounds.)

But mostly, Lee and I love not having to take Zoey outside to potty. I know, I know, that's one of the big considerations when you get a dog in an apartment, but it's so much more annoying than I ever thought it would be. Lately, as I curse Zoey for taking forever to poo when I'm already running late for work, I remind myself that I  only have a few more weeks before I can just let her out into our fenced yard. :)

Week in Review: 5/7

My new favorite blog is thx thx thx and this is one of my favorite posts.

I'm increasingly getting into natural/organic stuffs so here's some information on green beauty products.

Cubic Dreams and I have the same dream workspace. Oh so nice.

This makes me laugh. And maybe cry a little. But mostly laugh.

A Circle of Hell

"I bet there's a circle of hell where the kitties have laser pointers that the humans have to chase around."
-- Lee, after harassing Reagan with a laser pointer

Color Conundrum

I have begun the exciting process of picking out paint colors for the new house. And as with all Katie decisions, this has:
A. Been blown out of proportion from the start
B. Already been changed five times
C. Taken over 80% of my thoughts

So here is the current color conundrum. I like color, but I fear color. I fear things won't really match and I want there to be a consistency throughout the house. I like lighter colors because I think they have more possible colors to coordinate with. I want a vibrant wall color, but would rather bring in interest with changeable accessories (curtains, flowers, pillows) than an over-the-top wall color.

Now that those somewhat-conflicting desires are out on the table, here's some of the color palettes up for consideration.

Olympic's Grandeur Collection: I like the teal a lot and this palette combines some brighter colors with some lighter colors. I feel a little stuck on what color would best go in the dining room because our everyday dishes are a teal that does not match these teals.


Olympic's Welcome Collection: No bright colors, but could easily match with anything. I could bring in reds, yellows, purples, or fun patterns to make things more interesting. Same issue with a dining room color.


Martha's Natural Palette: Sweet, sweet colors! More than blues and greens! I want a coral dining room! Can you guess which is my current favorite?! This one!


Lee's favorite is Grandeur, but he gets to pick the lawn mower and the grill, so clearly that gives me free reign on everything else, right? Actually his current attitude is, "I don't care right now because you're going to change your mind 8 more times before we actually go to paint anything."

He knows me well.

UPDATE: Lee wants me to add that he could "dig Martha's paint", but I had only shown him the first two, and of those he preferred Grandeur. My bad. ;)

My Favorite TV Show. Ever. Which You Should Know.

I think I've been giving people the wrong impression. It seems the people I've met in the past 4-5 years don't know what my favorite television show is, and this bothers me. (Have I talked about it much here? I dunno.) (Also, "dunno" is recognized by spell check? I think this saddens me. It's okay to use in coversational writing, but should not be legitimized by spell check recognition.)

This probably doesn't seem like a big deal, but it used to be one of those things that when you met me, it would come up in the first five minutes of conversation. It was one of "my things". You couldn't really qualify as a true acquaintance of mine without knowing my favorite TV show and my favorite book (Hello, Pride and Prejudice!) because that's how often it came up.

Since the show has tragically been off the air since 2004 (And oh did I weep and weep. I still can't watch the last few episodes without sobbing ridiculously.), and the show's events dropped from my regular conversation, people have started to assume that Grey's Anatomy or Glee or Gilmore Girls holds the distinction of "Favorite TV Show". But nothing can come between me and Friends. (Although Modern Family might come the closest. It's too soon to tell.)

Me with my big purchase of the trip. | Spring Break March 2006

I started watching Friends in the seventh grade during its third season. During high school, when I approached my academics with a not-entirely-healthy fervency, the only thing I would take a study break for was Friends. In college, it provided free therapy (I'm surprised the disc with "The One Where Monica and Richard are Friends" still works. If you're having boyfriend issues though, that helps 90% of the time.) and was an important staple of my no-hangover bedtime routine (A glass of water and an episode of Friends before bed makes for a happy morning.).

Sadly though, other than a stray episode here and there, I haven't watched Friends in a long time. Too long. This is probably why everyone thinks Glee is my favorite TV show, because I've watching about 20 times more Glee in the past year than Friends. To remedy this imbalance, last weekend I popped in season one and have been enjoying it while I cook and clean around the apartment. I've already made it to season two, which is kick-you-in-the-crotch-spit-on-your-neck-fantastic. ;)

Oh Friends, I've missed you.

My First Pastry Shell

I attempted some apple and blueberry shortcake last week. It was super tasty, although not the most physically attractive thing I've baked.

I think the unattractiveness is because this was my first time making the pastry shell.

I have issues rolling out dough without it becoming too thick or too thin and sticking to everything, even when I put flour all over the place.

So the dough kind of fell apart, but at least it was tasty!