As Done As I Can Be Until July

Another friend is having a baby. She picked out the cross-stitch that she liked and I made it!

Anyone that has done cross-stitch immediately tends to flip the thing over and look "under the hood" ~ so, I shall appease:

Who knew?!

Not this gal, that's for sure...

I love tarragon! After my "what do you use tarragon for anyway?" post, a friend linked a recipe. I just wrapped up making the "Chocolate Tarragon Cupcakes with Tarragon Cream Cheese Frosting."

It was eventful. First, I didn't have enough chocolate. The annoying thing was, I had just come back from the store with milk that I needed for the recipe. I even passed the baking chocolate that was on sale. Twice.

Even though I knew it was on sale at Meijer, I opted to go to Martin's because the people at Meijer were annoying me. Having worked in a grocery store, I should have known better than to go to the store on a holiday weekend. I ended up paying a lot more than I would have if I would have dealt with the stupid people.

Speaking of stupid people...

When cooking, I am generally impatient. I cook too fast. The frosting required to make an infused syrup. It crystalized. It became a stone. I went back to the drawing board. Success...or not. But, it'll do...

While that was cooling, I worked on the cream cheese part of the frosting. I went to add the powdered sugar and something just wasn't right. it was clumpy and wasn't sweet at all. What they hey?! Uh...yeah, dummy, you grabbed the FLOUR canister, not the powdered sugar...

So, I remade that and in the meantime, the syrup solidified too much. ARGH! I used it anyway :)

I didn't strain the tarragon out of the syrup though and they are a little tough ~ no where near as tough as bay leaves, but you can definitely feel the texture of the bigger pieces.

But, most importantly, I realized that I LOVE tarragon and jut didn't know that the flavor I often assumed was anise was in fact tarragon. My favorite Republic of Tea tea, Rainforest 'something-or-another' has tarragon in it. Yum!

Welcome to the Jungle

Oh, wait, wrong song...

My next craft project is underway! Another friend is pushing out a baby soon, so a cross-stitch is in order! I love love LOVE that this friend 1) knew she was "worthy" of one and 2) is comfortable enough in our friendship that she found a cross-stitch that she knew she would like to have and asked me to make that one for her/them.

The really fun part is that one of the 2 that she found matches the cross-stitch I made for her & her husband as a wedding gift...that I recently saw is still in the office floor waiting to be framed...ehm! I will give her a reprieve though. I know it's because they have been debating on how they want to have it framed - alone? with a picture? large matte? small matte? I know that it's still loved!

I started on the baby one this afternoon. I am excited at the progress. We chose different colors that the ones in the "recipe" ~ I did the same for the wedding one ~ I tried to match it a bit more. The colors are much more fun and little boyish

At this rate, I may have it done by the time the baby graduates from college! Win! ...now, to finish the 2 scarves that my friend's kids asked for when I was watching them a few weeks back. I guess I DO have some stuff to work on before I start my new job in a week!

Separation Anxiety...and Then Some...

No matter how much you don't want to adapt to a place and become part of it, you do. I never considered myself a "Bender," but little by little, it creeps into your pores and there you are. You know all the back ways and little "hot spot" places - as well as the place to avoid like the plague on game days.

You have some recognition of the head coach at Notre Dame, whether you want to or not and you know what draft pick the QB was. OK, well, I took a little liberty in this one...I actually don't know this info right now...and I often get razzed for it too. I can, however, still sing the Superbowl Shuffle and tell you the Bears starting line up for the 84 (or was it 85?) team.

Home. It has become home. I love this house, I love my friends. I am going to miss having them in close proximity. They, of course, are always near to my heart.

IHOL Room-By-Room: Master Bedroom

Heh..."Master" - I think the "master" in this house is Cecelia. Our (Cecelia's and my) room is just a room. It's fun because it has the widow's walk off the bedroom. I often sleep with the door open ~ provides a great breeze!

I think there are 2 memories I will take with me from the bedroom (that I am willing to share here!). First, is the FedEx & UPS planes. Laying in bed, these planes fly so low that it looks as though they are flying into my room. Or, at least they use to ~ now that there is a 2nd landing strip, they often don't pass overhead. When I first moved in, my sister wanted me to watch this "great movie" - Donnie Darko. Yeah...if anyone has seen the deranged movie...the gist of it is that a character dies when an engine falls off of a plane and crashes down on the kid and kills him in his bed. Thank you, sister. I love you too.

The other memory is of my horrible mattress. It's hard to believe the thing is 15 years old. Having been single that whole time, I tend to sleep in the middle of the bed. Now, it's got a huge dip in it (yeah...I left myself open on that!). It's hard to get out of it, but I have it down to a science now. That mattress will NOT be moving with me!

IHOL Room-By-Room: "The International Room"

Ironically, the "International" or "chianti" room hasn't housed more than one International for any length of time. The reason I have named it the "International" room is because everything in the room is either an item I brought back from my travels, or it was a gift from an International location. There is one item that I did order from a poster site, but it's still in theme - a Chicago Worlds Fair" poster from the early 1900s. It's matches in there perfectly too.

Depending on who you speak to, this room could also be called "My" room by the parents. It is, indeed, where they stay when they come to visit. Mom even has a set of slippers and a robe in the closet. She better get her stuff out of here

before the garage sale...! :)

IHOL Room-By-Room: "The office"

The intention was that this room would be an office. Eventually it was, but it was so much more before that. It has been home to 4 of the International students that lived with me.

When I saw this sign in the Pottery Barn catalog, I simply had to have it. It was meant for me!

The color of this room was based off of the color scheme in the Karma Vista Winery in Coloma, Michigan. I feel in love with it

and by fate, when I went to Menards or Lowes, the color was easily found. It is still a color I love and may end up in my next home too...this time, the color seems to suit the dining room space...hmmm...we'll see!

Part of what makes the color work in this room is that there is a ton of natural light in the house. I also love how the paint colors accent the curved ceiling. And if you are having trouble "labeling" the color, I call it "eggplant" ~ the pictures make it appear a bit more gray than it is in person.

This room is not "mine" ~ when I think of this room, I consider it "their" rooms. I am just borrowing it from my Internationals.

IHOL Room-By-Room: The Living Room

This is the room that I fell in love with. The big window, the fire place, the arched doorways, the hardwood floors. It looks amazing at Christmas too.

Originally, I wasn't going to have a television in here, but when "My Brazilian" lived here, she wasn't too keen on the basement, so we added a small TV. Someone gifted me a larger one recently, so that's that. I have to admit, it's been nice ~ a beautiful roaring fire, watching tv.

There are tons of memories in this room. From the Brazilian's request to have a television in here to the fact that one of "My Germans" wouldn't sit on the leather furniture when he came to visit because it was new/different and refused to acknowledge it was here.

I'd have to say that the memory that trumps them all includes both the Brazilian, and two on my Germans. I had volunteered to work "Late Night" at work. This meant that I got home @ 8:15 versus the normal 5:30 ish. It was January 2nd or 3rd and the girls had called a couple of time to see when I'd be home. Little did I know that one of my Germans came back to surprise me! He went to Las Vegas for New Years and decided to stop in South Bend to visit me for a day before flying home via Chicago. It was one of, if not THE most amazing gifts I have ever received. I was able to take the afternoon off the next day & surprise him too. Originally, he was going to spend the day getting things to take back, we'd meet for lunch, then I would take him to the train. Instead, I drove him up to Chicago and we spent the afternoon & evening together.

I know I speak of "My Foreigners" often in these blogs, especially the ones relating to the house. It's important to understand who these people are. Quite simply, they are family. Not the kind I am biologically bound to, but almost better ~ they are family that we made. My Brazilian is all heart. She is a mother bird that knows how to give tough love in a compassionate way. "My Germans" - there are a few. The original dates back to 1989, Charlotte "Tina", from Hamburg. Sadly, I have lost touch with her. She had a tough re-assimilation. Last I heard, she was going to go to the Middle East to help liberate women... Then there was my self declared "SGB - sexy German boy". Our story is much more complex and not one that I am willing to share here. Suffice it to say that he & I went through some interestingly tough times which solidified our bond as brother & sister. My love for him is limitless. He was here in 1996. The next 4 Germans are more recent and all lived here in this home. 2 are incredibly close, have become family. One is very much in my heart, but sadly she & I aren't as close as the others. The last one, well...she was asked to move out. She's not worth talking about here.

While she was here, one of the other Germans joined us (she was jealous of him, part of the reason she was asked to leave). He is incredibly gorgeous. Seriously. The 1st thing I said to him was that he better not be a jerk because if I ever had a kid, I wanted to name him the same name ~ and I didn't want him to ruin it. Within a week, I had fallen head-over-heals in love with him. No, not in that way. He reminded me so much of my SGB. He became a brother too. The kindest thing he said to me was right before he left. He said that he never expected to gain a sister when he came to the US. My heart swelled. Interestingly, his actual initials ARE SGB!

Right before he left, another German arrived. And boy did she! If the Brazilian is the heart, this German is the Spirit. She talks faster than me. Her English is impeccable. Her body is unbelievable! She still lives here in the US. I should see her more, but we know how that goes.

When the 2nd SGB left, me & my girls (I often refer to the Brazilian and the German as "my girls") also had another German. She was very sweet. Younger than the others and her boyfriend was in Detroit, so we didn't see her as much, but she was as sweet as can be and very much part of my International Family.

I sure hope that the new owners of this home appreciate all the culture and love that was shared within these walls.

IHOL Room-By-Room: The Kitchen

This will be a short one...not much to talk about with the kitchen - Only thing we did in here was add the countertop, sink, pot rack and then paint the very little bit of wall.

The funniest memory I have was from m 1st April here. It was Easter and I also had my uncle's dog living here. My parents and sister were here too. We had already eaten and had placed the ham on the counter. It was pushed way back against the back splash. The humans were in the living room and we all realized @ the same moment that the canines weren't there... and it was really quiet...

I got up and slinked into the dining room to peer around the corner into the kitchen, hoping to see what they were up to. Somehow, the dogs had lifted the carcass off the plate without moving it and they were both feasting on said carcass. They looked up @ me with out so much as an inkling of guilt. It was funny.

IHOL Room-By-Room: The 1/2 Bath

Really weird that I can blog about the loo, but I've got 2 worth talking about. This one is the 1/2 bath on the main level of the house. In the lsat post, I said the dining room was the only room that's been painted more than once. Technically that is true, this room was only 1/2 painted for the first 5 years. A year ago February I finally decided to go ahead and paint above the chair rail.

What makes this loo fun is the fact that the lower half of the walls are both magnetic and a chalkboard. I had that magnetic poetry up for awhile, but that got old, so now, it's just used as a chalkboard. It's a "win" when I have parties ~ at least for people that haven't been here before. It's lost it's appeal for the "usual crowd."

I feel like it's made a big difference in there. The black/white walls seemed naked, sterile. The blue just warms it up a lot.

There are odd little memories of the room. People tapping on the window from the backyard, trying to make the current occupant uncomfortable, the often humorous, sometimes tasteless, always creative drawings on the walls, "for a good time, go upstairs."

IHOL Room-By-Room: The Dining Room

The next room I painted was the dining room. It's also the only room that's been painted 2X.Iloved the original color, but it didn't showcase the artwork on the walls and it needed to. The original orange had more red in it. It worked until I received the piece of artwork featured in this image (the painting on the right). It just blended in too much and I have coveted this painting since I saw it and it needed to be displayed appropriately.

The color the room ended up with the 2nd time I painted is closer to the original color that I intended the room to be.

As you can see, the painting pops much more with the lighter, naval orange versus the blood orange that the room was. The only challenge with the room being

this specific shade of orange is the fact that it meets up with the navy room...being from NW IN, many people ask if I am a Chicago Bears fan...I don't dislike them, but I sure didn't paint my house to honor them either. The rooms dictate the colors that they want to be.

That's one thing that I learned long ago ~ which has been confirmed by many a HGTV show ~ so many people cannot visualize a space. I can not only gauge how furniture will work spacially, but I can see color too. I knew it would look descent in there, just as I knew that the navy would work well in my living room.

There have been many dinners around this table, a few parties...all have been worthy of mention in their own way, but really what I will take from this room (literally and figuratively) is the artwork. I have been proud to showcase my sister's talent so predominantly in my home. Any new visitors to my home make mention of the art and I beam with pride in mentioning that they were all done by my sister. There is a moment of bragging that she was the youngest one to win a certain scholastic award for the one painting, of possessiveness when I mention that "that one" was the "Maid of Honor" gift (the BEST I've

ever received - no offense to anyone else!!), and the other of thoughtfulness at the fact that she painted a scene from our grandparent's house ~ one that we no longer have since we sold that house.

There are a couple of other items on the wall - all have specific thoughtfulness in them - a painted porcelain plate that a friend made for me as a going away present in Australia, a piece of ceramic from Italy that my brother & sister-in-law brought back for me from their honeymoon, and the Mrs. Dash packet. For that story, I will make you search my blog. It's entertaining...or so I am told.

IHOL Room-By-Room: The Basement

The basement was the 1st room I painted and how. Yes, the images below are the real colors and how wonderful to have a bright and cheerful basement?!

I know many don't like it, but it's paint...it can be repainted. This part of the basement hasn't changed much in the last 6 years ~ the other half has gone through a transformation though. This room was the first to have new furniture and is the "family" room. A few years back, when I had 2 roommates, "my German" and "my Brazilian", I had a friend from Indy that needed to stay in my home. It ended up being 5 adults and 4 kids or so. They were dubbed "the basement family" by "my foreigners."

The other half of the basement was completely unfinished, separated by a wood paneled "wall". We tore down part of that wall and 1/3 of the space is now a lovely bathroom (to be blogged about in another post). It won't take much for the next family to completely finish off the space. One small wall here, a small wall there. However, even as it is, it's completely livable.

And lovable. <3

Dear IHOL

Dear IHOL (International House of Lisa),

Thank you. Thank you for all the love and shelter you have provided to me, my family, and friends for the last 6 years ~ almost to the day.

You, very quickly, became a home for me and Cecelia. You were welcoming to the copious amounts of people I brought home for varying lengths of time. That almost sounds trashy ~ and as you know, jokes were made in the like about adding a red light in the front ~ in jest, of course! There was nothing improper going on in this house, well...with the exception of a certain freaky German that we love. All I can say is, thank God that her room wasn't above that loose ceiling fan! However, it was fun keeping "that" neighbor guessing!

Your walls were sterile and cold when we arrived. Still, we saw the potential. You allowed me to paint your walls what some would describe as "outrageous" colors ~ yet you wear them well. We upgraded your windows, your furnace, water heater, fenced in your yard (for the most part...), fixed your chimney...constructed a new bathroom...and you took it all so well.

You let my Mom and her friend overtake you once a year to violate your yard and garage to sell their copious goods. For that alone, I owe you!

We made family here with Germans and a Brazilian. Their love still thrives within your walls. Every room provides memories that will stay with me forever. I hope that we have left a positive imprint on your life too, house.

I want you to know that I love you and that will not change. You were my first home (as an owner) and I could never have asked for more. It is time now to share your beauty and allow you to create memories for others. I pray that they will keep you safe and that you, in turn, will do the same. I have filled this house with love and I expect that you will share that love with whomever is blessed enough to next live within these walls.

Pretty soon we will have to retire the name "IHOL" and you will have a new name with a new life and new memories created. Please know it's OK to move on ~ the love we (speaking on behalf of all those that have lived here over the 6 years) have for you is timeless.

Love,

Lisa & Cecelia

What Do You Use Tarragon For Anyway?

I have started to purge the house of things. So far, 5 bags of clothes have been donated. I have a ton of magazines that I had thrown away, only to find out that those can be donated too...although, I think I may just recycle them anyway... Kitchen cabinets have been sorted, consolidated, purged. I have fancy wine glasses, why do I need copious amounts of the cheapo ones? Of course, in the process, of sorting what was what, I ended up knocking one of the 'keepers' to the floor. It wasn't a fancy (a/k/a expensive) one, but one from my favorite winery. I have already mentioned in a previous blog about the great Toiletry Consolidation of 2011, so I have at least been getting organized. It's tough though because I am fairly organized in general ~ although, don't ask my former co-workers that need to sort through the mess of emails and files I left at work :) - You have to have a "junk drawer" somewhere...

There are 2 boxes of either "yard sale" or "donation" items that I have packed as a result of the Great Purge of 2011.

I have had 3 scheduled walk throughs, one cancelled, one was too early in the game to make a decision, and the 3rd thought that the yard was too big for the 2 ND students that were looking at buying.

The shower wall has been put up, just waiting for the grout. St. Joseph has been buried for 3 days now. I have seen a few people pick up flyers, so hopefully the Open House on the 10th will muster up a buyer. I need to be hopeful!!

The day after the Open House, I have a 2nd interview scheduled for the place I had the face-to-face interview and then the following day, a meet-and-greet with their competition.

Things are moving. Not nearly as fast as I would like, but they are moving, as will I.

Right now, the only question that is lingering is: Why did I buy tarragon, much less twice, and never open either bottle?