Scattered Sundays
Who wants good news? You do? I do! Let’s all take a moment and enjoy some good news for a change.
First up: the floor AND trim in my dad’s place is done! And it looks wonderful. Next up: our contractor is (at some point…your guess is as good as mine) going to work on replacing the wooden lift boxes under my dad’s cabinets.
When the cabinets were originally put in, they were attached to some box frames that were built to lift the cabinets higher off the floor. My dad is 6’8 and even with taller cabinets, they still weren’t tall enough. Enter: the humble 2×4.
Similar to how our kitchen island was “raised” (you can see a photo of that here), his cabinets were also lifted off of the ground. And those boxes are what saved his cabinets from the leak that we found under his sink in January.
Once the toe kicks were removed from the cabinets, you can see how far the water went up the 2×4 and where it stopped. As far as we can tell, the water stopped halfway up the 2×4 and therefore, theoretically, the base cabinets should be free of damage.
Our contractor has to cut into the countertop near the sink to remove the 2×4 boxes, which means my dad spent last week picking out new countertops. Thankfully, what he had was pretty cheap laminate and it will be replaced with cheap laminate.
While I was in Chicago, Troy tackled our laundry room floor. Before the flooding, it had terrible peel-and-stick tiles on it. We came up with the idea of just staining the concrete and leaving it uncovered. The theory was, should anything flood again, we just have to let the concrete dry.
You could easily see the glue grid leftover from the peel-and-stick tiles. After trying to remove it with different cleaners, Troy declared the floors “scarred” from the glue. Staining was no longer an option, so “we” switched to epoxy.
With my dad’s walking pretty unsteady, we needed something that wasn’t slippery. That led us to epoxy with “chips” in it for traction. I circled a few colors that I liked, and Troy headed to the hardware store to see what they had in stock. And this is what we ended up with:
It looks so much better than the old tiles, and I think the lighter color makes this windowless basement room a bit brighter. Our contractor needs to put the trim around the floors in here, and then “we” can reinstall the toilet that has been sitting outside for five months. Charmed, I’m sure.
We still need a storage cabinet in this room (to replace the stupid shower that was in that back right corner) and frankly, we should probably start shopping around for that. I had some ideas at the start of the repairs, but I’m loving how open this space is don’t want a giant cabinet.
The old vanity was toast even before the flood, so we’re replacing that as well. We’ve always talked about remodeling this room eventually and were pretty aligned on the idea of a utility sink instead of a traditional one.
So add that to the list of things we need to look into finding. The list never seems to get smaller, but I do know from experience that eventually this will be done and life will seem normal again. Believe.
Speaking of believe…Ted Lasso is back for the third (and final???) season this Wednesday! We can’t wait. I’m sooooo excited. Ted Lasso was the show we all needed during the pandemic, and it fills my heart with pure joy.
If you like Ted Lasso, and you should or something is broken in your soul, you might also enjoy Shrinking. Shrinking is from the showrunner of Ted Lasso, and Roy Kent (yes, I know he has a real name but I prefer him as Roy) is an executive producer.
It has an incredible cast and gives you all the normal Bill Lawrence feels of laughter, cringe, and heartwarming plot twists. All the people I have recommended it to have enjoyed the heck out of it.
And if you’re in the mood for heartwarming things, I have more photos from Baby GG’s “spa day” last week. Y’all had such a cute reaction to her makeover, so I thought I’d share more of the photos Troy sent me.
Her fur is no longer matted with boogers and sweat, and her white paws and face are actually white(ish) again. She’s really feeling herself though, and we’re trying to keep her little stuffed ego in check.
This coming week on the site we have an updated favorite that got a glow-up (just like Baby GG) and a brand-spanking new recipe that I’m sooooooooo excited to share!
It was so fun to test and even after making it multiple times, I was still excited knowing that there were leftovers in the fridge for lunch the next day. It’s that freaking good. Plus, leftovers rule.
What I’m reading this week
I finished Twist of a Knife, and my goodness, it was stupid. Hard pass. Don’t waste your time.
I’m slowly working my way through Lessons in Chemistry. It’s a physical book that my mother-in-law lent me, so I read that when I have easy access to light.
And when it’s dark (like waiting in the car at 8 pm for Jack’s soccer practice), my ancient kindle, which is filled with library books tags along. On the kindle, I’m reading The Ministry for the Future. I’m not really too far into it, but dang it’s dark and depressing.
WHAT I’M LISTENING TO THIS WEEK
If you listen to Crime Junkie (great podcast with a terrible name) and/or The Deck, you’ll want to check out The Deck Investigates. It’s a 15-episode investigative series covering one case from the 1980s.
They deep dive hard into the case in small, 15-20 minute episodes. And all the the episodes dropped in one day, so I was able to binge them over Thursday and Friday.
READER SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK
Long-time reader, and current on-pointe user of Gen Z slang, Meghan left this five-star review on our Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole {Pin this recipe}:
This recipe slaps, and I love that you have the measurements in each step so I don’t have to scroll up and down. I added dill Serrano hot sauce and yum! <—(well, she left happy emoji with star eyes but they wouldn’t copy and paste over, so I replaced it with “yum”.)
And I’ll just say, for all of you who have made and loved this dish, check the blog on March 21st. You’re going to be thrilled!
ON SUSTAINABLE COOKS THIS WEEK
Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar – You’ll love this easy one-bowl recipe for delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar. Packed with flavor and oh-so-good, these are hands down the softest brown sugar-free chocolate chip cookies you’ve ever had. {Pin this recipe}
Crispy Sheet Pan Gnocchi – Crispy Sheet Pan Gnocchi and Veggies is the best weeknight dinner around! This one-pan meal has it all. Using storebought gnocchi, convenient frozen veggies, and a 30-second homemade marinade, this will be your new go-to dinner. {Pin this recipe}
THE FIVE MOST POPULAR POSTS THIS WEEK
- Air Fryer Egg Rolls – vegan and vegetarian as written but super customizable! Oh, and did you know you can FREEZE these? {Pin this recipe}
- Garlic Butter Rice – I can’t think of a week that goes by in this house without at least one batch of this comfort food being made. {Pin this recipe}
- Air Fryer Omelet – this post had a freaking moment in some Facebook groups this week. {Pin this recipe}
- Air Fryer Cookies – I’m a big fan of this recipe and you’re going to love it! {Pin this recipe}
- Air Fryer Pizza Rolls – unlike the ones from our childhood, these are not filled with lava and regret. {Pin this recipe}
MEAL PLAN
This week will be a ton of photographing new recipes and testing others. It’s been a few weeks and now I’m playing catch up.
Monday:: Testing a new spring time recipe.
Tuesday:: Takeout to support a local small business and my sanity.
Wednesday:: Photographing a new recipe.
Thursday:: Troy is making dinner and we’ll be excited to eat it!
Friday:: Photographing a new recipe that will be on the site soon!
Saturday:: Popcorn, leftovers, and movie night.
Sunday:: Testing a new recipe for the site that the kids are going to HATE. I can’t wait. (eyeroll)
What are you having this week?
Love the Baby GG spa snaps. What a great idea! Love Ted Lasso, too.Â
Our daughter just accepted a full PhD fellowship at UDub (astrophysics), so I’ve checked out every travel guide to the Pacific Northwest that our library had on the shelf to learn all about your neck of the woods. Â Last night was homemade guacamole and simple nachos while we read from the books. Winter doesn’t seem to get the hint that it’s time to go, so I’ve prepared Boeuf Bourguignon for tonight.
Darling Husband is attending a conference for much of the coming week; as a result, I’ve given little thought to what I will eat. I’ll probably indulge in those foods he hates, like crispy mushrooms on garlic toast; Grilled Curry Cheese; and quite likely stand in front of the open refrigerator doors eating whatever looks interesting, while in my jammies and with a glass of wine on the counter.Â
Congrats to your daughter! If you come to visit campus in the next 3-6 weeks, prepare to be in awe of all the gorgeous flowering trees in the area. This time of year fills my heart with so much visual gladness.
My friend Katie calls those meals “single lady” meals. When her husband is gone she pretty much just enjoyed fried halloumi with tomatoes and herbs on pasta.
Very excited for the new season of Ted Lasso! Â FINALLY!! Â Been waiting for this third season for what seems like forever. Â
I know!!!
You really should watch Shrinking if you aren’t already. Same concept. Same producer.
GiGi needs her own TV show!
I’d watch it!
Love love love those spa pictures. Hilarious!
So good, right?
I have a new podcast you should listen to. The Coldest Case in Laramie by Serial. True crime cold case.
Thanks! Sounds like it is right up my alley. 🙂