Homeward Pivot

Milestones over mile markers.

Recent Posts

  • New Bathroom Inspiration

    In the primary bathroom, I like warm neutrals and natural elements like stone and wood. I want the bathroom to feel spacious and spa-like. I love wet rooms where everything, including the ceiling, can get wet without any concern. Functionality and ease of cleaning are key. I love the look of one sink with two faucets.

    Since we are planning this to be our forever home, I want to make sure that we can age in place with a few tweaks and minimal danger. Most of the first floor has wide doorways, except the bedroom and ensuite. Widened doorways would allow wheelchair access. I like the idea of a floating vanity with a shelf below that could be removed later, if needed. While we are messing with plumbing, this seems like a great time to add a washer/dryer on the ground level, so we don’t have to go up and down the basement stairs with laundry.

    A non-negotiable is a toilet with a bidet. Our bottoms are pampered after living overseas. Sitting on cold toilet seats in the winter now seems like torture. After I purchased a car with seat warmers, I can’t imagine going back to unheated seats. A warm toilet seat seems to be the same. Hubby’s sole request for the bathroom is a toilet with a heated seat and bidet.

    What are some of the things you can’t live without in the bathroom?

  • Primary Bathroom – Before

    The shower leaks into the basement. It is not an issue with the pipes. The bathroom is so old that the water seeps through the grout. I have zero interest in regrouting this problem. Bottom line: The bathroom is not functional and needs a total redo.

    Look at all of those ugly grout lines!

    Some of the things I hate most about this bathroom: the single sink, the cramped shower, the molding trim, and the wasted space of the bathtub and mystery drain/box next to the tub. I also hate when the kids run into the bathroom when I have the vanity drawer open because the door bangs against the drawer. Did I mention my fear of black mold and water the basement?

  • Weeknight Meals – Hiding Zucchini

    The Escalator Zucchini has been doing well. The chickens and pigs both eat their zucchini treats with gusto; the kiddos not so much.

    I started with chopped zucchini in the Japanese curry, then realized the kids would eat around it. I fished most of the zucchini out of the curry, pureed it, and mixed it back into the sauce. My son gobbled down his usual third helping of curry.

    In the chicken noodle soup, there is an entire zucchini pureed into the broth and no one realized it.

    One of our go-to weeknight meals is rice bowls. We use whatever protein and veggies we have in the fridge: chicken with a teriyaki sauce, shredded carrots, grape tomato, and asparagus.

    The kids’ least favorite meal of the week was Sloppy Janes with izakaya cabbage salad and corn salad.

    Friday’s clean out the fridge dinner was colorful. The green bean harvest is limited this year. I thought I planted pole beans, but they were actually bush beans and, well, the spacing didn’t work out well. There were a handful of beans available for dinner. Leftover asparagus from rice bowls. Leftover sweet potatoes from curry night and, of course, cinnamon sugar. Basil out of the garden wrapped around tomato and cheese for caprese bites. Two leftover hotdogs from the week prior and some rolled up sliced ham.

  • Reclaiming the Coop

    Hubby and I couldn’t physically walk into the run.  The hardware cloth covering the run was destroyed. Eight years earlier, we purchased our coop from a company that donated a portion of their profits to charitable causes.  Our coop was still in fantastic condition, despite the weeds and bramble that had overtaken the surroundings, as was the greenhouse frame we used as a run.

    A football player, local for the summer, was looking for work. He and some hulking friends were interested in earning cash before the weekend.  After a morning of conditioning, they came over to hack their way through the chicken coop.  Within a few hours, we had a clear path through our chicken run. 

    Time and Labor: One afternoon / $480 and a pizza