Time Flies When You’re… well it just flies.

Wow, it’s been a while since I have posted! Funny I thought it had only been about a week or so and I log on today to find that it’s been more than two! Story of my life, time flies and strangely enough it seems to fly faster the older I get. Summer vacation from school as kid seemed to last and last; it was great, long sunny days full of fun activities. Now as an adult it seems as though you start planning your summer weekends in April and by now you’re all booked with weddings, planned get-togethers, graduations etc. It seems those warm pleasant weekends get filled up and the next thing you know that long anticipated summer has turned to cool crisp autumn! Don’t get me wrong, I love fall, but “oh those summer nights.” Now before I get off on a “favorite movie tanget” with more one liners from ‘Grease’ I’ll get to my point, in an effort to slow things down a bit, I am going to share with you a collection of some images from this fabulous but fast paced life. Some pictures of summers’ past all taken around the state of Maine. I read an article this morning about slowing down, living in the moment and enjoying today. I feel like sometimes we get caught up in our everyday routine activities and we forget to enjoy at least a part of each day. We spend our energy focusing on past experiences, or dreaming about future endeavors that we don’t stop to smell the roses, so to speak. So without further adue, let’s attempt to slow down time for a bit……enjoy some images that bring to mind summer!

“I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright.”
~Henry David Thoreau

For the love of traveling joe.

Via Really Natural

There are  a few things in life I really enjoy, simple things, 400 thread count sheets,  a well made  margarita, a new scented candle, a steak cooked exactly how I like it, and up at the top of the list, a good cup of coffee.

Via Unique Coffee Mugs

Some might say coffee is a type of drug, that you are addicted to the caffeine….  In fact there is a whole market for products which poke fun about how coffee can affect someone’s demeanor. Mugs, magnets, and signs, with sayings like “don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee” or “instant human: just add coffee.” I am sure there is boat loads of evidence/research defending the addiction argument and I am not here to try to convince you otherwise but I believe coffee is so much more than a caffeine addiction. My morning cup of coffee has the ability to set the tone for the entire day.  Most of the time, my first cup of coffee in the morning is the only hot coffee I have all day. On occasion I’ll have a small coffee in the afternoon if I’m feeling a little sluggish or the mood strikes me but most of the time, I have one shot to get it right and it has to be “on point.” On point in our house means the coffee is exactly how we each like it. I take cream and sugar in mine while Mark drinks his black. My “on point” coffee is not too strong, not too weak, not bitter or burnt and I have mixed it with just the right amount of sugary sweetness and cream until it’s the perfect shade of beige…now thats on point, for me. Consistency is key, I like my coffee to taste the same way each morning.  It’s all about the color first than taste.

Mark and I both take a travel mug of coffee to work each day. Transporting your coffee is a very important detail to enjoying your coffee experience. And for proper transportation you really need a good travel mug. I like to consider myself a travel mug expert of sorts. What qualifies me you ask? Well I take my coffee work with me EVERY day and I have many, many, different types of travel mugs. I feel as though sharing what I have learned might be beneficial to others who have been let down by travel mug purchases of the past.

Via Got Free Shipping

First I have to clear the air, I can’t keep it from you any longer, so I am just going to say it. I am not a huge fan of Starbucks actual coffee. Wait, stop! Don’t judge me, I’ll drink it for sure, it is not awful, but given the choice, it’s not my go to coffee. Ok there that’s out-of-the-way… moving on and back to my point, one thing that Starbucks has that I absolutely love are their travel mugs. In fact the majority of the mugs that Mark and I have purchased together are Starbucks mugs and they do a fabulous job! There are obviously certain qualities we look for, not every travel mug they carry on the shelf makes the cut but they do have quite a few winners. Anything stainless steel without a handle gets considered and the best of the best have made it home to our coffee mug cabinet.

Here’s the thing, a travel mug needs to do a couple of very important things and it needs to do them well. 1. It needs to transport your coffee from A to B without spillage or leakage and 2. It needs to maintain a warm temperature suitable for drinking for a reasonable amount of time. There  are some other factors that make for an excellent travel mug but we’ll get to those later.

Task 1, transportation. Key to this is a good seal between lid and bottom, a sound locking or closing mechanism for the drinking area and a size and shape the fits comfortably in your car’s cup holder. You know what I am talking about, we’ve all had the tall super skinny mug that falls over when you take a sharp corner too fast, a loose fit in the cup holder, a poor seal on the lid and that’s a huge mess awaiting to happen. Imagine coffee all over your car’s dash-board and carpet, now that is making or breaking your whole day right there.

Task 2, keeping your beverage hot. Don’t under-estimate the power of this little characteristic. We accumulated have many travel mugs between the two of us; some of which were mine and some of which were Mark’s and we have since purchase many together as I had mentioned. Andfor good reason because every morning we each grab a travel mug and go, doesn’t matter which one, we share them all…..or so Mark thinks. I have one secret mug that Mark never takes to work for a couple of reasons, one because it’s usually not in the cabinet with the other mugs (and I have no idea how that happens) and two because even if he found it, I would probably wrestle him to the ground on his way out the door for it. This travel mug is that good. Let me explain.

Have you ever had one of those mornings at work where you have a plan mapped out for your day, and from the moment you enter through the door, said plan is thrown out the window. I like to start my day the same each morning, ease into my tougher work load about an hour into my work day. My ideal morning at work begins with reading and answering my emails while enjoying my coffee and slowly becoming human again. (I am not much of a morning person with or without coffee) I just need enough time to be able to wake up, to think logically and creatively about designing my client’s kitchens, that’s not too much to ask for is it? This process usually takes about half an hour to an hour depending on the day. Don’t get me wrong I am still getting things done, I am just prioritizing my work load so that I am doing the really important stuff during my very alert hours. On a good day, there I am, answering emails, filing yesterday’s paper work,  sipping my coffee and gearing up for the rest of the day, ah life is good.

Thermos Brand

But every once and while you come into work to find 37 emails, 4 missed calls, and 2 faxes regarding 3 kitchens that were just delivered. One is the wrong color, the other is missing pieces and so on and so on, then you are thrown into your day without warning. You have contractors to call, cabinet companies to argue with and the next thing you know it’s 11am and you have not had one sip of your amazing “on point” coffee, ah the nightmare!!! On a regular day you might think to yourself, “Great, now I have to go all the way down the hall, pour out my luke-warm coffee into a microwave safe container, re-heat (which is never as good), pour it back into my mug just to enjoy my one cup of coffee today! Grrrr, the absurdity of it! Then you realize you have your special mug today. A stainless steel  Thermos brand mug (with small dent in the side, but it still rocks) with flip back top that clicks shut!! Yes, redemption tried and true your coffee is still hot and “on point!” And that in a nutshell is why Mark will never take my special mug to work.

Via Teachest.net

Now there are other details to consider when selecting a travel mug. Clean-ability, grip-ability, attractiveness, etc. I personally don’t like the travel mugs with handles, they don’t fit in my car’s cup holder and I rarely actually use the handle when drinking. And I will never buy a coffee mug that can’t go in the dishwasher. And lastly durability, let’s face it things get dropped, they roll, they bounce, they tip over.  A good travel mug should be able to stand the test of time.
Wow there is some much more to coffee than caffeine. Favorite ceramic coffee mugs to drink from at home, don’t even get me started! Well maybe but that’s for another post…. In fact that brings me to a question… What are some of YOUR favorite coffees (ground or whole bean) to brew at home? Let me know! Thanks for stopping by, happy sipping!

Chickens, it could happen to you.

KC Catalyst Image

Ever owned chickens? Ever thought about owning chickens? Ever thought you would ever in your life be the owner of 13 chickens? If the answer is no, then you and I were in the same boat when our last little adventure started! Mark’s answers to these questions are probably different than yours and mine..

It all began on a Wednesday night in February, it was a normal night of sorts, came home from work, made dinner and was about to sit down for an evening of fabulous television viewing. Modern Family is on ABC Wednesday nights at 9pm, check it out if you haven’t. We think it is absolutely hilarious, I mean comic geniuses write this program if you ask me. Anyways, besides this show a personal favorite of mine for many years is also on AT THE SAME TIME! ah! CBS’s Criminal Minds…..What is a girl to do but DVR one and watch it later without the bothersome commercials of course! Thanks to modern cable box technology another major crisis in my life averted! Anywho… back to the point of the story! Mark and I don’t watch a whole lot of TV, in fact I can probably count on one hand the number of shows that we regularly follow, but I do happen to find comfort in the routine of a normal Wednesday night, knowing I get to plop on the couch for a solid two hours without really having to think about accomplishing much more than that, well that is called a mid week gift right there! But this Wednesday night, Mark had different plans. As we were cleaning up from dinner, he said to me “put your coat on, we’re going somewhere; there is something I want to show you.” What? No, it’s Wednesday! Our shows are on tonight, I protested. You see I wasn’t expecting this “surprise” little trip to be something that I was truly going to enjoy… don’t get me wrong, I LOVE MARK, please don’t let what I am about to say allow you to doubt that… but if you know him, you’ll know that he is a self proclaimed “idea man” and believe me, i hear about 90% of them, that’s a rough estimate, but I am sure there are some up there floating in his mind even as I write this that he is choosing not share; either based on the fact that he knows I will disapprove immediately or he can’t verbalize them just yet because the world isn’t ready for his genius, either way, this little adventure to I-don’t-know-where, wasn’t all that surprising to me. So I asked him about how long it would take, DVR’d BOTH of my favorite TV shows just in case and off we went.

We got in the car and 3 miles later we were there! Let me speak on behalf of all women when I tell you that I was more than a little disappointed with where we ended up, not surprised in the least, but still a little disappointed but then again I had romanticized the whole event before it even happened so I had no one to blame but myself. I of course had my normal female out of touch with reality thoughts in the short car ride there, day dreaming of perhaps some big romantic gesture waiting for me at our destination, maybe we were driving to a jewelry store, or maybe we were going to the airport, he’s packed our bags and taken care of all the details and planned a warm weather surprise vacation!…. Whoa! Slam on the brakes! Back to reality, I am too much of a planner for that scenario to work out, Mark knows that, I mean, who would take care of our pets?… My job? How dare he schedule my precious vacation time without my approval, we have things to do this summer! No, none of those could be the surprise, next thoughts were of the horror of what could be awaiting me, we could potentially show up at a motorcycle dealership, an empty warehouse he has purchased to do God knows what with! Or we could turn down some back road and end up at a farm where I find out he has arranged for us to get another animal of sorts, one that I have most certainly turned down the idea of long before now, a mini horse or cow, a goat, a lion! Oh my! You think I am exaggerating, well you’re wrong. 

Anyways as he begins to actually brake the car and turn into our destination I look up and read a sign that says “Chicks and ducks are here” Where were we, you ask? Tractor Supply Company, of course!  And to myself I thought well could be better BUT more importantly it could be worse so I’ll cut my losses and see what he’s dealing up this time… As we enter the building I can hear a soft chirping way in the back and I already know what I am here to see. It was baby chicks! He wanted to bring me to Tractor Supply to look at baby chicks! Well this is a pleasant surprise, and one that I hadn’t entertained on the drive here; however if you know me then you know I have a thing for baby animals, and that thing is I instantly fall in love!!! Damn and he knew I would! Oh he’s clever, very clever! There were only 2 red babies left!

Baby Rhode Island Red Chick via Mrs. Rachel

Tractor Supply had gotten a shipment earlier that day and they had been there and gone very fast! Apparently it’s popular for people to buy baby chicks in the late winter/early spring? Who knew? After seeing signs on the way into the store that read “chicks and ducks must be purchased in quantities of 6 or more,” I knew we weren’t going home with any that night but his plan had been successfully executed. The idea had been planted and it was sitting there like a ticking time bomb, armed with the images of freakin’-cute, fluffy, little baby chicks, oh he is GOOD.

There were so many thoughts going through my head, and not just because I have a self proclaimed anxiety problem and I over think everything, but because this was brand new territory for me. I knew a couple things; one- those chicks were adorable, and two- I have always enjoyed fresh eggs more than store bought so right there were the first pros to hit my list. (Yes I make lists; I am one of THOSE people!) The cons however were mighty. Where do we put them (keeping in mind, we DON’T live in a barn, yet (wink)) How do you care for them? How much will this cost? So many questions so I began doing what I always do when I want answers, I Googled. Surprisingly I found out that chickens (full grown) are amazingly hardy, self reliant animals, as well as fairly affectionate to humans when raised from babies. My next step was approval, legally and supportively you might say…. Can we have chickens in our neighborhood? And will Mum and Dad approve? Haha, why the parental approval? Well, we live in a house owned by them, so naturally I would have to ask, just as any tenant would have to ask a landlord if they could get baby chicks, right? That’s a pretty typical question when you rent a place… so the first, last and security is due on the 1st, I can park on the street after 5pm and where would you like me to keep my chickens? LOL. Well it’s a unique situation but still the question had to be asked. The courage to do so came to me on the way home from work one night, I was on the phone with my mum chatting about the day per usual, and as I was about to hang up I just threw it out there. I said “hey mum, what would you and dad think about Mark and me getting some chickens?” I explained why we wanted them and she was convinced but passed the phone along to my dad, who ultimately would have the final say. Now if you know my dad at all, he’s not a very out spoken man, he is a pretty quiet, hard working man who comes out with some pretty funny stuff sometimes that you might not expect. I will say this; my parents have always been supportive of me, so I sort of already knew the answer. At first my dad said, “Chickens huh? You know you have to take care of them?” I am thinking okay dad it’s a little late for this talk, I have had a dog for 4 years now. This would have been a better speech when I told you I was getting a puppy, wouldn’t it? Then he continued, but it was more thinking out loud than talking to me “well you do have 4 dogs and 2 cats that you already take care of….. so ya, chickens would be fine…” then my dad who must have realized the entire picture, that Mark and I would have 4 dogs, 2 cats, and numerous chickens on his property, sarcastically says “Oh, I don’t care go ahead and turn the place into a F****** Farm!” (Choice words edited for some readers’ discretion) He was joking of course, and it’s was actually a very funny thing to hear my dad be so candid. I mean we wouldn’t really ever turn this place into a farm, would we? NO, NO we wouldn’t …but I had to keep that idea far away from Mark!!! So as I hung up the phone and pulled into the driveway, I noticed Mark outside clearing out an area of the yard near the garage where we keep brush and other yard work waste. I said, “my dad said he doesn’t mind if we get chickens” and I realized that smiling Mark was already moving forward with the idea.

Our Baby Chicks 5 White Leg Horns Less than a week old

Damn he won, the cute chickie bomb went off, mission accomplished. And baby chicks were at our home the very next week.
Hmmm…. Ever built a chicken coop? Ha, stay tuned!

Fashionably late, but happy to be here.

Well I guess a random Tuesday night is a good night to add the first post to our new blog. I know, 2011 and we are just starting a blog, happy BELATED blogging birthday to us. Well despite showing up fashionably late, we are here and excited!

The idea behind creating this blog is to share things about many of our passions… stories, treasures, inspiring design ideas, recipes, information, life’s journeys , fun tidbits or thoughts, anything that is inspired by how we live or just inspires us period. Life as we live it everyday…. so many fabulous things to call attention too, where to begin? We’ll share with you as we begin a small business venture, attack DIY projects in our home and just live our life… in the barnhouse…..we’ll keep you posted!