A Month of Meals Coronavirus Style

Long time no post again. However, with the now-pandemic situation I thought I’d use this medium to share some of my plan to cope with the COVID-19 outbreak.
Panic? No. Concern? Yes.
Why. Why be concerned? Personally, I am fortunate to have all four grandparents still living at nearly 30 years of age. I see my mother frequently who in turn sees two of them, about 80 years old. I at 29 can likely survive just fine if not inconvenienced however if I give it to her who gives it to them, f*(8 I’m not signing anyone up for that.
Societally I’m concerned for those who aren’t as fortunate as me to be able to work remotely. Who don’t have sick leave or PTO. Who can’t afford to go to the doctor and get checked if they’re sick or worse if they’re gravely ill from pre-existing conditions. That’s a topic for a whole separate post.

So. Learning from what I see happening in Italy, I came up with a meal plan for four weeks. Should we not be able to leave our home, my husband, 10 year old, 3 year old and I should still be able to eat. I make no promises about the nutritional balance of these meals. It’s what works for us.

I thought I’d share in case someone wants to piggy back and not have to reinvent the wheel. I just bought most of what was required for 28 days of meals for less than $400. Granted, breakfast and lunch doesn’t include everyone. I assumed I would be reporting to work and need to have grab and go breakfast and lunch and that the 10 year old and 3 year old would have breakfast and lunch elsewhere. I know now that’s not the case.

The Governor of Ohio has ordered schools to close for three weeks. I didn’t account for that. But to me that means this plan may not make 28 days. I may have to return to the store. But I’m prepared to feed us for some time if it comes to a point where I may not be able to shop. God willing this food won’t spoil between now and then. I have work to do separating milk and beef and freezing in reasonable portions. I’m running out of freezer space. But I think it will work.

Here’s my plan.

Warning: I haven't checked this list more than once in typing it. No guarantees it's all accurate. Double-check yourself as you decide what might work for you. **edit- I think I forgot the ingredients for chicken parm.**

Week 1 | Breakfasts
Frozen waffles Monday and Friday
Yogurt and granola Tuesday
Fruit (apple, banana) Wednesday
English muffin with peanut butter Thursday
Homemade French toast Saturday
Cereal Sunday

Week 1 | Lunches
Frozen pot pie Monday
Lunch meat sandwich Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday
Canned soup and crackers Wednesday
Tuna salad sandwich Friday
Fish sticks and fries Saturday

Week 1 | Dinners
Shepherds pie Monday
Spaghetti and garlic bread Tuesday
Sloppy joes Wednesday
Chicken and balsamic veggies Thursday
Grilled cheese and tomato soup Friday
Lasagna Saturday
Chicken and noodles Sunday


Week 2| Breakfasts
Yogurt and granola Monday and Thursday
English muffin and peanut butter Tuesday and Friday
Frozen waffles Wednesday
Eggs, bacon, and toast Saturday
Pancakes Sunday

Week 2 | Lunches
Canned ravioli Monday
Leftovers Tuesday
Lunchmeat sandwich Wednesday
Canned soup Thursday
Tuna salad and crackers Friday
Chicken nuggets and fries Saturday
Cereal? Sunday

Week 2 | Dinners
Southwestern Alfredo Pasta Monday
Chicken nuggets and Fries Tuesday
Baked pasta and garlic bread Wednesday (cook pasta according to package, stir in spaghetti sauce, pour into casserole pan, cover with shredded cheese and bake until cheese is melted)
Logan county hamburgers Thursday
Frozen pizza Friday
Crockpot ribs, beans, and rolls Saturday
Southern Vegetable Soup Sunday

Week 3 | Breakfasts
Oatmeal Monday and Thursday
Cereal (to go bag) Tuesday
Waffles Wednesday
Yogurt and Granola Friday
Waffles and eggs Saturday
Cereal Sunday

Week 3 | Lunches
Leftover soup Monday
Frozen pot pie Tuesday
Tuna sandwich Wednesday
Canned soup Thursday
Canned ravioli Friday
Lunches Saturday and Sunday undecided/leftovers

Week 3 | Dinners
Spaghetti, Tomatoes, and Spinach with garlic bread Monday
Fish sticks and fries Tuesday
Tacos Wednesday
Tortellini and garlic bread Thursday
Ham and cheese sandwiches on Hawaiian bread Friday
Enchiladas Saturday
Chicken parmesan Sunday

Week 4 | Breakfasts
Oatmeal or english muffin (assuming muffins keep long enough) Monday
Waffles Tuesday
Pop tarts Wednesday
Yogurt Thursday
Oatmeal Friday
Egg in a hole Saturday
Eggs, beans, and tortillas Sunday

Week 4 | Lunches
Canned soup Monday and Thursday
Leftovers Tuesday
Tuna sandwich Wednesday
Canned pasta/ravioli Friday
Lunches Saturday and Sunday undecided/leftovers

Week 4 | Dinners
Baked Pasta and Garlic Bread Monday
Fish sticks and fries Tuesday
Enchiladas Wednesday
Ravioli and garlic bread Thursday
Breakfast for dinner Friday (probably french toast and eggs)
Cowboy Calzones Saturday
((Easter on Sunday, I didn't plan for Sunday))




Here's the insane grocery list (omitting things like salt and pepper that I have on hand always):
frozen foods:
30 waffles
3 frozen pot pies
5 meals worth of frozen french fries
3 meals worth of fish sticks
2 meals worth of chicken nuggets
24 slices of garlic bread
Frozen pizza
12 oz frozen egg noodles
package of frozen ravioli
1 C frozen okra
16 oz frozen mixed veggies
2 Cups frozen corn
2 cups frozen peas and carrots


dairy:
10 yogurts
Shredded cheese 2 meals worth for topping
2.5 C shredded mozzerella
4% cottage cheese, 12 oz
20-22 oz ricotta cheese
12 slices american cheese
swiss cheese slices
grated Monterrey jack (1/2 cup, I end up substituting something else usually)
2 cups shredded cheddar
41+ eggs
Milk. All the milk. (nah, I picked up a couple gallons)


cereal:
1 Box/bag granola
peanut butter
2 cereal boxes
8 servings oatmeal
Pop tarts


produce:
Apples
Bananas
4+ celery stalks
red pepper
2 yellow onions
small potatoes
grape tomatoes
5 carrots
broccoli
12 oz baby spinach
3 tomatoes


bakery:
8 english muffins
hamburger buns for one meal
Hawiian Rolls
73+ slices of bread


baking supplies:
waffle ingredients/mix
pancake ingredients/mix
olive oil, at least 1 cup
1/2 packet active dry yeast
4 cups flour


canned goods:
2 cans of black beans
5 cans of soup
4 cans tuna
mayonaise
3 cans ravioli or pasta to go
sloppy joe sauce
1 can corn
better than bullion chicken flavor
1/4 C balsalmic glaze (possible to make your own)
1 can tomato paste
14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes
2 14.5 oz cans vegetable broth
1 10.75 oz can cream of chicken soup
can of tomato soup
1 jar BBQ sauce
1 can baked beans
28 oz can crushed tomatoes


international:
masa tortilla mix
two boxes of spaghetti
3 jars spaghetti sauce (5 meals, split jars)
4 cups dry pasta
2 cans green chilies (3.4 oz)
3 packs taco seasoning
2 cups dried penne
14 oz jar Alfredo
6 lasagna noodles
2.5 Cups grated parmesan
1 package of tortellini
16 oz can refried beans
2 cups of rice
16 oz can salsa
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies
16-20 tortillas


meat/deli:
2 packages lunchmeat
7 pounds of ground beef
8 chicken breasts

1 rack of ribs

1/2 lb hot breakfast sausage

sliced ham

misc departments:
crackers (for soup and tuna salad)
2-3 cups mashed potatoes (or a box of potato mix and ingredients)
2 16 oz cans beef gravy

Don't forget things like toothpaste, shampoo, soap, etc.

My KonMari Clean out Plan

I haven't been blogging, but I've been working on the goal just the same. As I'm cleaning out, I'm sorting into four categories:

• trash - easy, goes in the trash can--- I haven't been tracking the volume, 
• pass on to a particular family member - only things of enough quality and value they would be purchased, this family member is essentially starting over with a kid younger than mine,  
• sell/consign - to take to various outlets and/or save for the seasonal kids consignment sales I participate in, and 
• donate - Goodwill here we come!

Because of the snow, things have been staying in our home longer than I'd like, but I have committed to what is going where. I managed to make one trip out to Goodwill and GameStop a couple of weeks ago. I weighed the bags and we got rid of 94 lbs of stuff!! That was just the donate and games pile! The nicer things I'm going to sell are piling up, too. 

My goal for January was to make it through the kids' things. I know Marie Kondo tells readers to start with their clothes. I've made an attempt before and while it didn't last it gave me an idea for the general process and how to determine whether you are keeping what. Because we are moving one kid from the playroom to his room and working on a mini remodel to pre-teen decor, I started this journey with kids stuff this time. 

I'm happy to report that as of yesterday, I met my kids stuff goal--haven't touched the outdoor toys (it's freezing here!) or sentimental things (doing these with my sentimental things), but otherwise, I believe I have touched and sorted through every child's thing in this house--minus LEGOs, those are waiting for new organization equipment. 

Here was my KonMari Plan:

Kids' Stuff

• Toys (big kid & general)
• Stuffed animals
• Board games
• Building toys (LEGOs, etc.)
• Figures (dinos, Imaginext, animals, army men)
• Costumes
• Weapons/shields
• Sports balls/bats
• Cars & trucks
• Water toys/squirt guns
• Remaining miscellaneous toys
• Video games
• Consoles
• Toys (little kid)
• Dolls & accessories
• Play kitchen & accessories
• Miscellaneous baby toys
• Bath toys
• Bubbles*
• Chalk*
• Other outside toys* -- still need to do these, it's too cold!
• Kids' books
• Computer games (kids)
• Kids' movies
• Kids' drawing & craft supplies
• pencils
• markers
• crayons
• paper
• scissors
• erasers
• glue
• Bid kid's clothes
• Tops
• Bottoms
• Jackets
• Socks
• Underwear
• Seasonal
• Sleep
• Formal wear
• Outerwear
• Swim
• Belts
• Ties
• Hats
• Bags
• Little kid's clothes
• Tops
• Bottoms
• Dresses
• Jackets
• Socks
• Tights
• Underwear
• Seasonal
• Sleep
• Formal wear
• Outerwear
• Swim
• Hats
• Kids' health and beauty supplies
• Shampoo and soaps
• Hair accessories
• Brushes & combs
• Nail clippers/accessories
• Medicine
• Baby equipment (this was a catch-all, I'll explain below)
• Eating equipment
• Plates
• Bowls
• Cups
• Cutlery
• Bibs
• Kids' blankets
• Kids' sheets
• Kids' towels & washcloths
• Kids' pillows
• Kids' chairs
• Roundup of any remaining untouched kids' stuff in each room (where baby equipment got covered):
• Bid kids' room
• Little kids' room
• Playroom
• Kitchen
• Family room
• Master Bedroom (yes, things end up there too!)
• Dining room
• Office
• Basement

That took me three weeks, with breaks from work for the holidays. I had intended to start on my things afterward in February. I'm ahead of schedule, but while on a roll I think I'm going to charge through and keep going. Plus, I scheduled too much fr February now that I consider it realistically. 

Below is the remainder of my list, as of now. They change as I work through it.

My Clothes

• Bottoms (I did the tops last month)
• Dresses
• Jackets
• Socks
• Tights
• Bras
• Underwear
• Seasonal
• Sleep
• Formal wear
• Outerwear
• Swim
• Activewear
• Jewelery
• Bags & purses
• Hats
• Belts
• Scarves

Books

• General
• Cook books
• Reference books
• Instructional books
• Magazines

Papers

• Clippings
• Course materials
• Warranties
• Manuals
• Insurance papers
• Credit card statements
• Tax papers
• Court papers? 
• Bills
• Birth certificates/Social Security documents
• Greeting cards (some may end up in sentimental)
• Business cards

Miscellaneous electronic/office type equipment but not supplies

• Phones/accessories
• Computers & accessories (NOT digital cleaning, but physical hardware)
• Computer software (on physical disks)
• Tablets/accessories
• Printer & accessories
• Cameras & accessories
• Music players, CDs
• TVs
• DVDs
• USB & memory cards (may require digital cleaning-to figure out later)
• Cords, chargers, power strips
• Headphones/earbuds
• Empty electronic boxes

Office and craft supplies (beginning of March goals)

• Pens, pencils, markers (from the craft area too--all of them minus specific kids' stuff--may include kids' stuff?)
• Filing supplies
• Labels and Label maker
• Pads of paper, bulk paper, post-its
• Mailing equipment: boxes? (don't know if I have these), envelopes, stamps
• Cards - notecards, postcards, other
• Paper punches
• Paper clips
• Binders
• Planners & calendars
• Scissors
• Staplers & staples
• Tape & dispensers (paper tape, not heavy-duty)
• Erasers
• White out
• Rubber bands
• Scrapbook paper (😱 )
• Scrapbooks (unused)
• Stickers
• Ribbons
• Stamps
• Ink pads
• Adhesives
• Cutters
•  
•  
•             (I left three blank places in my written list, because I just know things will come up here...)

My health and beauty supplies 

• Shampoo and conditioner
• Hair creams/products
• Hair clips
• Hair brushes
• Hair appliances
• Rollers
• Skin care
• Makeup
• Makeup brushes etc
• Trimmers
• Nail clippers, files
• Medicine
• Nail polish and accessories
• Perfume
• Soaps
• First Aid
• Bandages
• Massage things
• Shaving products
• Feminine products
• Other health and beauty
• Contacts & glasses

Money

• Money and spare change
• Checks and checkbooks
• Foreign currency
• Wallets
• Rewards cards
• Gift cards
• Coupons

Pets (Cat)

• Food and treats
• Bowls
• Collars/Leashes
• Toys
• Beds
• Litter
• Medication

Tools (mine, if they're around anywhere, gathering husbands if they're around and not where they belong--NOT clearing out the husband's tools, that's grounds for divorce)

• Hammers
• Screwdrivers
• Nails/Screws/Nuts/Bolts
• Wrenches
• Sand paper
• Tape measures
• Batteries
• Tape not covered in office
• Paint
• Paint supplies
• Wall repair supplies
• Lightbulbs
• Lighters & matches
• Yard and garden equipment
• Campling supplies
• Emergency Supplies

Cooking equipment (beginning of April's list)

• Pots & pans
• Colanders
• Mixing bowls
• Prep bowls
• Cooking knives
• Food processors
• Tongs, spatulas
• Blender
• Measuring cups/spoons
• Graters
• Icing equipment
• Peelers
• Pizza stones & equipment
• Cookie cutters
• Baking sheets & tins
•  
•  
•   (again, left room for forgotten items)

Eating/serving equipment

• Plates
• Bowls
• Drinkware
• glasses
• mugs
• travel
• specialty (wine, liquor)
• Cutlery
• eating
• serving
• Platters
• Pitchers

Food and food storage

• Fruits and vegetables
• Meat and seafood
• Breads
• Baking powder, soda
• Grains
• rice
• quinoa
• oats
• pasta
• Flours
• Sugars
• Beverages
• Frozen foods
• Snacks
• Herbs & spices
• Baking chocolate, etc
• Eggs and dairy
• Condiments
• Canned goods
• Storage containers

Knitting/Crochet materials (beginning of May list)

Sewing equipment

Cleaning supplies

• Cleaning soaps
• Rags
• Scrubbers
• Floor care
• Miscellaneous cleaning tools

Linens

• Towels
• bath towels
• kitchen towels
• Washcloths 
• Blankets
• Sheets
• Bed pillows
• Throw pillows
• Table cloths
• Placemats
• Napkins & holders

Decor

• Photo frames
• Candles & holders
• Nicknacks/Decor

Holiday decorations - Counting Christmas as done-did while putting away this year

Sentimental

• Awards and certificates
• Yearbooks
• Artwork
• Letters
• Journals
• Scrapbooks/Baby books
• Childhood toys? (most of mine are likely still at my parents' house-do I go clean them out and move them? I should, we'll see how things go.)
• Heirlooms
• Photos
• Gifts
• Antiques
• Collectibles

I'm posting this list here for both accountability (now that it's public, I'm held to my word), and for others in case they are interested in finding a list. There are tons out there though. I believe we have to work with what we find to make it work for us.

Happy New Year-A Time for Resolutions

It’s been five years. Five years since I’ve posted a single thing on this blog. My head is all over the place with where to start. I apologize as this will turn into a mind dump. The writing may be poor. But I mostly see this blog for myself now. If you’re reading this I’m honored but no longer anticipate much of an audience.

I considered starting a new one (blog). There are plenty of services out there and I could run afresh. But that wouldn’t be true to myself. This blog is sort of a history. Sometimes I’ve referred back to it for a certain recipe, or found a sweet memory that takes me back. All too often the internet, and I believe even our society is quick to discard and start new. I grow nostalgic wanting to look back on my old, forgotten accounts. 43 things. Oh how I miss you. I was saddened to find last year my list was gone. Perhaps that means I don’t need it. Life goes on. Since that service is gone, a new one has taken its place and sure I’ll give it a try, but where did my list go? What did I plan to do years ago and how many of those goals have I since met? I probably got an email about it’s shutdown on an old address I don’t have access to anymore. This reminds me of Xanga. I had an account. I would love to look back on my teenage self and find how far I’ve come. But alas, I don’t know what my account whould have been and certainly even which old email address I would have used.

This brings me to the point of this post...New Years revolutions. Im not one for resolutions on the new year. I generally set goals constantly. Whether or not I achieve them is a different story. This year, or at least starting right now, even though it’s not technically the new year yet...I’m going to try the KonMari method again. It’s not supposed to be something that you have to do more than once, so I must have missed something along the way. I didn’t do it right before. I did, admittedly, skip some things here and there.

It has since changed my vision though. I now find it much easier to donate or discard things now that I consider whether they bring me joy, and how I want my home to be. My home is in no way shape or form where I want it to be yet, but I really try to consider the lessons Marie Kondo teaches. Why would you keep anything in your home that you don't either love or that doesn't at the very least bring you utility?

I'll confess, I love to shop. I'm also a bit of a hoarder in that I keep things thinking I'll use them "someday." A challenge area for example is my craft supply hoard. In all honesty, this time of my life is not one for many crafts to be done. I have an 8 year old and a 1 year old and work full time. Crafts bring me joy, in that I love making and sharing them, but do I have much time to do them? No. Will I someday? Yes. And that's ok. But I often find when I do actually get an opportunity to craft, I don't want to use a certain paper, certain material, because maybe I'll want it another time. After reading and (halfway) adopting the KonMari method, I realized this was sort of nonsense.

If I'm not going to use it now, why have it? I love shopping--this is the key--I can always buy more paper. I'm fortunate enough to be in a financial position where I can go buy something else if I do find I need it. I've stopped buying paper because I have too much. That right there tells me I need to use what I have, without guilt, and enjoy it.

I love how nice my closet can look with things sorted by color. I still hang my shirts--I don't have that kind of drawer space to fold like Marie suggests. But it's an improvement.

I folded the grocery bags for a while. I still like when I find time to do it, but often my husband comes through and wads them up before I get the chance to fold them. It's a little extreme, and he laughs at me for good reason when I try folding.

So why did my last attempt fail?

Where did I go wrong?

Maybe it was because I skipped some steps? (Craft materials, never got to toys, didn't exactly collect every single pen from the whole house to go through them...)

Maybe it was because Marie didn't offer any real solutions for life with kids and all the stuff they bring.

Maybe it's partly because I didn't completely change my way of thinking while shopping and bringing more of this stuff in.

I'm not sure. But I'm going to try again. As I mentioned, it has at least changed my thinking a bit. But I'm going to try again. That's all I can hope for.

Something that trips me up is timing. I know Marie says to do it all within a short span of time...but really? I'm supposed to sort through four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a living, family, dining room, kitchen, basement, and all sorts of other nooks and crannies in a "short span of time"...what kind of time are we talking here? I don't recall exactly but I believe she says not to worry about how long it actually takes? It's more important to really focus and get through everything.

Maybe it's brought on by the Christmas influx of stuff. I'm sure that's part of it, but I've been considering this for a while--going through the house again. The older kid no longer plays with most of what's in the playroom. We've been talking about moving his video games and NERF guns upstairs to his bedroom. This can make way for the little kid to bring all her dolls and baby safe toys to the playroom. I've been working little by little on getting things how I really want them--two of our kitchen drawers have been rebuilt (by me 😊) and I'm working on tweaks here and there. My head, much like my stuff, is all over the place.

So, my "resolution" is to clean out the stuff, and work on making this home just what we want it to be, while realizing that may take more than just 2018, the cleaning out can certainly start right now. I already did my tops, now I have to revisit the rest of the closet and keep it going. I'm also hoping to spend less money or be more careful with what I spend money on this year.

Here's to making this really work this time. Let's hope...

Crochet Beard Pattern

Inspired by all the crochet beards online, I desperately wanted to make one myself. Mostly because I don't have a spare $50 to drop on one, and secondly because the level of awesome exponentially increases with the effort put into a project like this. For me at least.

I couldn't really find a crochet pattern that fit what I was looking for, I tried a few and knitted a few and got a basic idea for the shape/lengths to use and then figured out what stitches I liked and came up with my own pattern for a crochet beard.

I have yet to finish the beanie that I will attach the beard too, though, and I haven't photographed it because I'm super busy with school and things, and I can't find my crochet hook right now to finish the beanie. And quite frankly I'm too lazy to go find another of the same size. Though I know I have one. Somewhere.

Ahem. Back to the point of the matter: the pattern.

I used worsted weight yarn and my missing crochet hook is an H or a K. I forget, and since it's missing.....

Ch42 for the base.  Or…Make it the length you want, plus two. (This length is the bottom of the beard…all the way across between fastenings on the hat)

Ch2, turn.

DC in third stitch from hook.

3DC (total of 4 on this row so far)

Popcorn stitch in next stitch: Popcorn = 4DC in same stitch, release loop and insert hook front to back through opening before PC, re-hook end of popcorn and pull through opening)

[DC, PC] repeat across until end: then 3DC last 

*Ch2, turn.

 3DC, [PC,DC] across (this popcorn is done reversed: 4DC in same stitch, release loop and insert hook back to front through opening before PC, re-hook end of popcorn and pull through opening—this pops the stitches towards you, keeping them the same as the previous row) until last 3 stitches: 3DC last.

Ch2, turn.

3DC, [PC, DC] across until last three, 3DC last. *

Repeat from * to * until beard meets the length you’re looking for: just under the bottom lip. Mine is 6 rows, but it covers most of the under side of my chin.

Next we’ll make the mouth opening.

Ch2, turn.

3DC, [PC, DC] 8times.

…if you made yours a different length, you can fold it in half and count 2.5 popcorns in (this will be the mouth opening—mine is about 5 popcorns wide) from that you can count how many remaining popcorns +DC  you need to crochet to get to that opening point. The chain you make has to be equal to the number of stitches you are skipping, one for each DC and one for each PC.

Ch 9 (or the amount required from the math above)

Skip 9 stitches and DC in the 10th stitch. [PC, DC] across to last 3 as before, 3DC in last.

Ch 2, turn. Repeat the popcorn, DC pattern across as before. 

I only needed one more row of popcorn/DC to make it a good size, so from there I finished by doing slip stitch around the perimeter. I added an extra chain or two around the corners to keep it square, but this is all up to you, get the feel for what works with your stitching and yarn weight. 

Once the perimeter was even with a round of slip stitches, I cut the yarn and tied off, weaving in the ends. 

My particular beard covers most of my neck here, which is nice in the cold of winter, but aesthetically you may be looking for something else, adjust your number of rows of popcorn/DC as necessary.

When I have a finished beanie and attached the beard I'll post a photo, in the mean time if any of the above doesn't make sense, just ask! I have only made one and haven't followed the pattern as written (I wrote as I went) so there may be some errors. 

Jeep Clean-Up

My Jeep has not started in....months. It hasn't run in....years. It makes me very sad.

It sits. And rusts.

And sits.

The problem is electrical. Though I don't know exactly what is going on with it, I suspect there is a bad ground somewhere. (And right now, no battery...see below)

Something that is only going to be found with careful, patient searching.

The engine compartment is filthy. Mud, dirt, dust, leaking fluids, rust, etc.

So I'm thinking the best way to start this is to go through piece by piece and clean this thing up.

It's turning into restoration-level cleaning. Everything is dirty, so everything is going to be cleaned.

And it makes me happy. The potential.

There is some hope for my car.

As filthy as it may be now.

We had a warm enough day here to get some cleaning done on it. Now, it's been too cold to think about doing this...

 Some steel wool was a good start on this....

It was quite filthy. Rusty. Dirty.











You couldn't even read the warnings on it! Oh no! (Don't get your brake fluid dirty, is basically what it says)

Unless you want to clog the line and no longer have breaks.

But I'd have to have a moving car to worry too much about that, wouldn't I?

Progress.

You can see here (above) the corner I've started working from. The plan is to work from the front driver's side corner back and over.

The passenger side is a good example of how filthy the whole thing was to begin with.

Even the radiator needs cleaned, look at those deposits. Good sign.

I have a lot of work left to do.

But it's a start, and at this point that's all I can ask for.

And that I follow through with it.

Valentine's Candy

Valentine's Day is coming!

I'm very excited.

But also distraught because of how busy I am.

I'd like to do some paper crafting/card making soon.

But I'm not sure when I'll get to it.

I indulged in some candy hearts at the grocery store yesterday.

I have a young kid.

And I'm crazy, madly, hopelessly in love.

These two factors are important in rationalizing my purchase of kiddie candy.

That and, I just like them.

I also like Ball jars.

So I got out the camera, and took some shots.

Maybe I overdid it a bit.

But that's ok. It's digital. And it makes me happy.

Slot Car Racer

It's been a long week!

Classes started again at OWU, and after a week full of classes I needed to make a trip to Target.

Needed for a few things, wanted for some retail therapy, to be completely honest.

At Target, I found something unexpected for Aidan.

A Slot-Car Race Track.

He's two.

He doesn't need a slot-car race track.

But. It was on clearance.

For $12.

Ok, $11.98.

And it's from Cars 2. My child is obsessed with "Lightin' Queen".

I couldn't pass it up.

I was going to save it, but he saw me put it in the cart, and all bets were off.

Even Arlo likes chasing the cars.

This is definitely a toy to be used on a table, under adult supervision. But, he loves it, it was cheap, so why not?

Back to homework for now, I'll try to keep posting in between memorizing chemical equations and cloud types.