Scattered Sundays

To my American friends and readers, happy Thanksgiving eve week! To everyone else, happy fourth week of November!

So tell me, what are your plans for this week? Are you hosting? Going to someone’s house? Cooking? Buying dinner?

We are doing our first extended-family hosting since the ‘rona showed up. The last time I hosted Thanksgiving was in November of 2019!

If you’re still up in the air on what to make or how to prep, check out my printable Thanksgiving Checklist and my list of the Best Make Ahead Thanksgiving Side Dishes.

This week has found me waging a war against a trash panda (raccoon). We have only had one issue with a raccoon in the last 10 years of owning chickens. Just one.

Well, last Friday, we had an attack and some of the chickens got roughed up. The chickens rushed into the coop for safety. As soon as I heard the commotion, I closed the automatic door we have in the coop that opens up at sunrise and closes at sunset.

I must have missed a few of them, because the next morning I realized that at least one of the girls spent the night out and, um, it wasn’t pretty. She was still alive and I treated her wounds and put her back in the coop. Sadly, Troy had to put her out of her misery later in the week.

The next morning I set an alarm for 7:10 am to go make sure I caught the auto-open door as it was opening. Well, at 7:09 I heard a commotion and ran out and had to watch that ahole carry one of my chickens in its mouth up and over a fence. I was livid! That jerk was waiting by the auto door and as soon as the ladies came out, he attacked.

Some of the girls scattered and ran through our yard, across the road, and fled into the neighbor’s yard. I locked up all the girls that I could, and then we had to leave for almost the entire day for a travel soccer game.

When we got home, the boys and I spent 30 minutes rounding up those dumb chickens, much to the delight of my neighbor who watched and laughed from her deck. We’re outstanding entertainment.

I also covered the motion sensor on the automatic door that senses the sunlight so that it wouldn’t open the next morning. I covered it with multiple layers of painter’s tape and then stapled cardboard over the little door so that even if it would open, the ladies wouldn’t go rushing out.

And then, I decided to go John Wick on that raccoon. Red Rider BB in hand, I’ve been shooting that buttface from our window and patroling the yard as often as I can. We also have a (humane – like for catch and release) trap set but while I hate this foe, he’s wiley and impossible to catch.

For now, the girls are permanently locked in the coop. They’re miserable, we’re miserable, and the trash panda is hungry. I freaking hate this!

ServPro came out this week and were absolutely delightful. For reals. The demo crew took up the flooring in my dad’s room and part of his living room.

We had already removed the carpet in our part of the basement, but they removed the linoleum that we found underneath it, as well as the terrible peel-and-stick tile that was in the laundry/bathroom.

The baseboard/trim was removed and holes were drilled into all of the drywall to make sure everything inside was fully dried. They set up a total of 12 giant fans (this was new) and the 2 giant industrial dehumidifiers that had been running nonstop for two weeks.

My friends, if you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to live and sleep inside of a jet engine, let me introduce you to the sound of 12 industrial fans. My gosh!

Even with the door to the basement closed, we were having to yell to be heard upstairs. Going down the stairs was a 20-step descent into madness. That being said, they were fantastic aids for air-drying clothes on our folding racks.

Before the demo crew left for the day, they told us that the laundry/bathroom had to fully dry out for 3-5 days and that the washer and dryer couldn’t be in there.

Hi, it’s me. I have two male children, one of them plays competitive sports, and the other one is a filthy dirt magnet. I need a washer.

They said that we’d be able to put the washer back in there if it could be elevated off the floor because that would allow the giant fans to dry under the washer. I remembered a pallet that we’d been trying to get rid of for months, and they said it would work.

Troy cut down the pallet, and when the demo crew found out I was on lifting restrictions because of my surgery, they went above and beyond and lifted the washer up onto the pallet. And then they also plugged everything back in.

Did they need to do that? No. Was it a little thing for them in their day? Probably. But it meant so much to us and it was so very appreciated. We secretly tipped them (they’re not supposed to accept cash) and I called the office and sang their praises to their boss.

After two days of living inside a wind tunnel, our main point of contact from the company came back out to test the drywall moisture level. He declared everything dry, turned off all the fans (HEAVEN), and hauled them and the dehumidifiers out and into their van. My house now feels as quiet as a monastery.

I will also say that the fans and dehumidifiers did their jobs amazingly well. Our throats and eyes were so dry, and Troy kept getting horrible bloody noses. We simmered a pot of water on the woodstove nightly, but getting rid of the equipment was really what stopped the issues.

Through an internet search process that I couldn’t even begin to describe, and without knowing the brand name, I am 99% certain I have tracked down the flooring that my dad has in his place.

It was a journey. Cassie said I was basically the Liam Neeson (from Taken) for flooring google searches. Fingers crossed we can match it exactly because it’s a really pretty floor. Which also, ironically, is marketed as being 100% waterproof. Lies.

Last Sunday afternoon, I told everyone who was willing to listen that I could NOT SIT AND REST FOR ONE MORE SECOND. I understand why foxes and other animals caught in hinge traps would chew off their own leg for freedom.

I’m still four weeks out from being able to tackle hills, so Troy, the boys, and I all piled into the car and drove .5 miles up our hills to a flat road that is at least one mile long.

Troy and the boys played at the elementary school while I took a very slow and flat 2.6-mile walk. It felt amazing, but like a rookie, I dressed for the weather but forgot my gloves. It took two hours in front of the fire while hand-snuggling mugs of tea to thaw out. Still worth it!

The next day though…I realized that my walk had been too much, too soon. I felt achy, tired, and um, swollen. I took the day to rest and pretty much only sat at my computer or the kitchen table. I did zero exercising and was feeling great by the late afternoon.

For anyone who might be planning a laparoscopic surgery in the near future, I have to share this clothing hack that I discovered about eight days after surgery. I was sick of joggers and “cozy clothes” and wanted to feel normal in jeans, but didn’t want to irritate my stitches.

If you’ve ever seen or heard of a Bella Band, it’s a super stretchy but tight piece of fabric that a lot of pregnant women wear. It’s used in that weird time when you’re too big for normal jeans but too small for maternity jeans.

You can wear it over normal jeans that are unbuttoned/snapped and it will hold your pants up. Being a super sick pregnant lady, I wore mine even with maternity jeans because I suffered from an acute case of noassatall syndrome. My butt just completely disappeared during pregnancy.

Well, I still have the Bella Band that I bought when pregnant with Jack. I wear it over yoga pants when I’m out on my walks, because there aren’t shirts long enough to cover my bum. The band gives me a bit of extra coverage.

I used the band post-op as a barrier between my incisions and my jeans. It kept everything safe and because the band is a lycra-style material, it’s smooth and didn’t “catch” on the bandages like a normal cotton tank top would have.

This worked great for me for about two weeks, until I finally felt like I no longer needed a barrier. And yes, I look a bit sickly in that photo. No need to send me emails about it.

This was back when I could barely eat because all food tasted like cardboard and felt like sludge. I wasn’t remotely happy at that weight, but thankfully food tastes delicious again. I am now back at my healthy weight, so there is no need for concern.

But, feel free to comment on our sweet gold-veined bathroom countertop and patchwork dusty rose floor tile. The spirit of the 80s is very much alive in our primary bathroom.

READER SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Larissa left this concise five-star review on our Garlic Butter Rice {Pin this recipe}, which proves why this is consistently one of our top five recipes:

This is now a household staple and favorite for the entire family.

ON SUSTAINABLE COOKS THIS WEEK

Cheesy Green Bean Casserole – this is NOT the traditional casserole that I have been running and screaming from, for all my life. Oh no, this is loaded with fresh green beans, a homemade cheese sauce, zero mushrooms, and no canned soups. {Pin this recipe}

Crispy Fried Shallots – These crispy fried shallots are easy to make and incredibly tasty! You’ll love these gluten-free and vegan shallots on casseroles, soups, vegetables, and proteins. {Pin this recipe}

Puff Pastry Turkey Pot Pie – This Puff Pastry Turkey Pot Pie is delicious homemade comfort food. This simple dinner has a flavorful creamy base paired with LOTS of veggies and tender leftover turkey. {Pin this recipe}