Hopefully, a year from now I will look upon this week as the time when I reclaimed my house from the mess.
Gabriel had been on my case for months (months!) to hire a maid, someone to come once a week and clean the house for us. I resisted. My house was so incredibly cluttered and messy, and we did not have the time or the energy to tackle the whole thing and getting it fixed without help. Everywhere I looked there was a mess, and I had just given up. I felt like a failure and was ashamed to bring anybody here, and felt I had to clean the house a little before hiring a maid. Gabe thought that was ridiculous, and could not understand my guilt and anxiety over the whole thing. Things were tense.
I finally broke down out of desperation and hired someone recommended by a friend. Now I can't imagine why I did not do it sooner. She worked hard for three days and deep cleaned the whole house. She helped me tame the mountain of laundry, load after load after load. It is not perfect, as there are many things left to do (too many toys and stuff I need to get rid of), but I now have a house that I am not ashamed to let other people enter.
I confess that I am a little cautious about claiming victory. I am careful not to be overjoyed, not to celebrate too much this development. What if it all goes wrong? What if six months from now we are back to where we were last week? To avoid that, we plan on hiring the cleaning lady to come once a week, for as long as we can afford it. For our happiness and well being, I hope it's a long time.
Showing posts with label Household. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Household. Show all posts
Friday, November 06, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Bird of prey
A couple of days ago I was getting the girls in the car to take them to school, when we noticed a bunch of feathers on the lawn. Maybe a neighborhood cat caught a bird. I did not give it much thought.
At that moment, my next door neighbor came out to tell me that the day before she had seen a hawk on our front lawn, with a bloody, dead dove in its claws. When it saw her, the hawk quickly took flight, leaving behind the feathers I had seen, evidence of its carnage. It was quite a large bird and my neighbor was shocked to see it in our neighborhood.
I was surprised too, but upon further thought I should not be. There are patches of undeveloped land in our area. Just as there are deer grazing across the street from my daughter's school and in the patch of trees next to my youngest's daycare center, there are hawks preying on the denizens of our front yard birdfeeder.
My oldest daughter was upset that a dove had been killed. Stupid hawk! - she said.
Circle of life - is all I said. Circle of life indeed. When we put a bird feeder out there, the idea of our front lawn being turned into a buffet for the local bird of prey was far from our minds. But you can't hold it against the poor hawk. He needs to eat too.
At that moment, my next door neighbor came out to tell me that the day before she had seen a hawk on our front lawn, with a bloody, dead dove in its claws. When it saw her, the hawk quickly took flight, leaving behind the feathers I had seen, evidence of its carnage. It was quite a large bird and my neighbor was shocked to see it in our neighborhood.
I was surprised too, but upon further thought I should not be. There are patches of undeveloped land in our area. Just as there are deer grazing across the street from my daughter's school and in the patch of trees next to my youngest's daycare center, there are hawks preying on the denizens of our front yard birdfeeder.
My oldest daughter was upset that a dove had been killed. Stupid hawk! - she said.
Circle of life - is all I said. Circle of life indeed. When we put a bird feeder out there, the idea of our front lawn being turned into a buffet for the local bird of prey was far from our minds. But you can't hold it against the poor hawk. He needs to eat too.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Blah
There is a hurricane headed our way. I guess it hasn't sunk into my head yet, because I could not care less.
I did buy water yesterday at the supermarket, so I am not completely clueless. But I am not in a frenzied panic, getting ready to leave town. Since we are far from the coast, and we are not in a flood-prone area, maybe I am not as alarmed as the news breadcasts expect me to be.
The latest forecast says we could get winds as fast as 70 mph in my part of town. I will need to make sure I bring all my plants inside. The brick house can withstand a lot more than that, but we have glass windows, so I do not want to have things lying around that can turn into projectiles. At times like this, I miss the "Miami" windows we had in the house I grew up in.
I did buy water yesterday at the supermarket, so I am not completely clueless. But I am not in a frenzied panic, getting ready to leave town. Since we are far from the coast, and we are not in a flood-prone area, maybe I am not as alarmed as the news breadcasts expect me to be.
The latest forecast says we could get winds as fast as 70 mph in my part of town. I will need to make sure I bring all my plants inside. The brick house can withstand a lot more than that, but we have glass windows, so I do not want to have things lying around that can turn into projectiles. At times like this, I miss the "Miami" windows we had in the house I grew up in.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Wednesday evening
I made some baked Tilapia for dinner, with a jalapeño sauce, served over whole wheat couscous and with a baby spinach salad on the side.
At least that is what I ate. Paula had french fries with her fish, and refused to have anything to do with the couscous. Isabel ate an apple, some whole wheat rotini noodles with cheese, and a bit of fries with ketchup.
Gabe is not home yet, but I saved him a plate of fish.
My jeans are getting too big for me, I have to wear a belt or they will fall. They were a bit roomy to begin with, but I guess my belly has gone down enough to make them entirely too big. If I keep going this way, in a few weeks I may need to buy new clothes. It's an exciting prospect, although I hate shopping for clothes.
At least that is what I ate. Paula had french fries with her fish, and refused to have anything to do with the couscous. Isabel ate an apple, some whole wheat rotini noodles with cheese, and a bit of fries with ketchup.
Gabe is not home yet, but I saved him a plate of fish.
My jeans are getting too big for me, I have to wear a belt or they will fall. They were a bit roomy to begin with, but I guess my belly has gone down enough to make them entirely too big. If I keep going this way, in a few weeks I may need to buy new clothes. It's an exciting prospect, although I hate shopping for clothes.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Domestic Saturday (Maybe)
I woke up around 9:30 AM, after going to be around 1:00 AM. Gabriel and Isabel are still asleep. Left to their own devices, those two could sleep until 1:00 PM. Like father, like daughter.
Of course, as soon as I wrote that line, the door to our bedroom opened and Gabriel came out. Way to shut me up.
I may continue this weekend with my domestic pursuits. Last weekend I finished the living/family room and got all toys out of there. This weekend I may tackle our front room (library/office), which is looking pretty cluttered and shabby right now. It is the first room you see when you come into my house, and right now it is full of leftover storage boxes, mountains of paper and toys, tons of toys. It's a big project, so I do not think I will have it ready in one weekend, but one has to start somewhere.
We also want to go to the movies this weekend. Hellboy II is playing.
Of course, as soon as I wrote that line, the door to our bedroom opened and Gabriel came out. Way to shut me up.
I may continue this weekend with my domestic pursuits. Last weekend I finished the living/family room and got all toys out of there. This weekend I may tackle our front room (library/office), which is looking pretty cluttered and shabby right now. It is the first room you see when you come into my house, and right now it is full of leftover storage boxes, mountains of paper and toys, tons of toys. It's a big project, so I do not think I will have it ready in one weekend, but one has to start somewhere.
We also want to go to the movies this weekend. Hellboy II is playing.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
End of the weekend
I have really enjoyed cooking the last few days. One thing I am really proud to have prepared is empanadas de yuca. If you do not know what they are, you can find a recipe here, and another one here (this one has pictures).
I did not follow these recipes, but rather went by instinct. I had one large yuca that I peeled and cut into pieces. Then I grated it, first by hand and then using a food processor. Once the yuca was ground thin, I scooped it and put it on a strainer lined with cheesecloth. This is done to separate the starchy liquid from the yuca dough. The two empanada recipes I linked to above are missing this step (I took it from a pasteles de yuca recipe), but it is imperative to do so, otherwise your dough will have a very bitter taste. Trust me, you can tell when someone does not know how to prepare yuca well (or does not want to go through the trouble), because the bitterness will eclipse any other flavors in the empanadas, pasteles or alcapurrias.
After grating and squeezing all the starchy liquid I could get out of the yuca, I was left with about four cups of dough. I mixed this with 2 small grated and pureed yautías (taro root) and two small potatoes, also grated and pureed. I added some of the annato oil I prepared the other day, to give it a nice color, and seasoned the dough with a bit of salt. Then I proceeded to prepare the empanadas. I stuffed half of my empanadas with shredded chicken, and the other half with picadillo, which was basically sauteed ground beef with sofrito and green olives.
The empanadas were delicious, even better than the alcapurrias I prepared the other day. Gabe loved them, especially the ones filled with picadillo. I am definitely making them again.
I did not follow these recipes, but rather went by instinct. I had one large yuca that I peeled and cut into pieces. Then I grated it, first by hand and then using a food processor. Once the yuca was ground thin, I scooped it and put it on a strainer lined with cheesecloth. This is done to separate the starchy liquid from the yuca dough. The two empanada recipes I linked to above are missing this step (I took it from a pasteles de yuca recipe), but it is imperative to do so, otherwise your dough will have a very bitter taste. Trust me, you can tell when someone does not know how to prepare yuca well (or does not want to go through the trouble), because the bitterness will eclipse any other flavors in the empanadas, pasteles or alcapurrias.
After grating and squeezing all the starchy liquid I could get out of the yuca, I was left with about four cups of dough. I mixed this with 2 small grated and pureed yautías (taro root) and two small potatoes, also grated and pureed. I added some of the annato oil I prepared the other day, to give it a nice color, and seasoned the dough with a bit of salt. Then I proceeded to prepare the empanadas. I stuffed half of my empanadas with shredded chicken, and the other half with picadillo, which was basically sauteed ground beef with sofrito and green olives.
The empanadas were delicious, even better than the alcapurrias I prepared the other day. Gabe loved them, especially the ones filled with picadillo. I am definitely making them again.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Culinary ambitions
One of the crucial elements of Puerto Rican identity (not just for me) is food. Our cuisine is a mix of Taíno, Spanish and African. There are also dishes that emerged as a result of the canned food and dry goods from the PRRA era. In short, Puerto Rican food is a reflection of our history and we are very attached to it.
I don't usually make a lot of typical dishes. Yesterday I had the urge to make some typical stuff, so I went to the supermarket and bought meat and some root vegetables and green bananas, because I wanted to make alcapurrias, biftec encebollado and guineítos en escabeche. This is the first time I ever attempt to make alcapurrias. Gabe had never seen me prepare annato oil before and he was very curious, asking what was it and what exactly it was used for.
Grating green bananas and root vegetables can be time consuming, so I relied on my food processor to speed things up. I used half of the green bananas I bought for the alcapurrias, and boiled the other half for the escabeche. I browned some ground beef with sofrito and seasonings, to use as filling for the alcapurrias. After the alcapurrias were formed, I put them away in the refrigerator. I will fry them today, hoping they come out right.
For dinner last night we ate the biftec encebollado and the guineítos en escabeche. Gabe loved the cube steak with onions, as he has before. But he had a harder time with the guineítos. He had eaten a lot of bread prior to the main dish, so he claimed he was too full to eat them, but I think he just did not like them much. It made me a little sad, although it is not his fault really. I can't force him to like something, and he did not grow up eating that, so he does not have the emotional tie to the dish that I have. But at times like this, I really wish I had my family nearby, so I do not feel so lonely.
I don't usually make a lot of typical dishes. Yesterday I had the urge to make some typical stuff, so I went to the supermarket and bought meat and some root vegetables and green bananas, because I wanted to make alcapurrias, biftec encebollado and guineítos en escabeche. This is the first time I ever attempt to make alcapurrias. Gabe had never seen me prepare annato oil before and he was very curious, asking what was it and what exactly it was used for.
Grating green bananas and root vegetables can be time consuming, so I relied on my food processor to speed things up. I used half of the green bananas I bought for the alcapurrias, and boiled the other half for the escabeche. I browned some ground beef with sofrito and seasonings, to use as filling for the alcapurrias. After the alcapurrias were formed, I put them away in the refrigerator. I will fry them today, hoping they come out right.
For dinner last night we ate the biftec encebollado and the guineítos en escabeche. Gabe loved the cube steak with onions, as he has before. But he had a harder time with the guineítos. He had eaten a lot of bread prior to the main dish, so he claimed he was too full to eat them, but I think he just did not like them much. It made me a little sad, although it is not his fault really. I can't force him to like something, and he did not grow up eating that, so he does not have the emotional tie to the dish that I have. But at times like this, I really wish I had my family nearby, so I do not feel so lonely.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Weekend post
I am trying to put some order in the house. This is difficult for me to do. I tend to jump from task to task without ever finishing anything. It's always easier to come up with the idea and start the project than it is to follow it through to the end. Any bump on the road, any sudden distraction, any unexpected dilemma can derail me.
But I am plugging along this weekend. My project is to make Isabel's room livable, and in the process banish toys from our living room. We had the girl's doll house in a corner of the living room, and some toys stored in boxes on the shelves. Naturally, there is always a mess of toys on the floor, and I am tired. I want a grownup space, or at least something that resembles a grownup space. So that is what I have been working on during the weekend. It will probably take me longer than the usual person, but eventually I will get there.
But I am plugging along this weekend. My project is to make Isabel's room livable, and in the process banish toys from our living room. We had the girl's doll house in a corner of the living room, and some toys stored in boxes on the shelves. Naturally, there is always a mess of toys on the floor, and I am tired. I want a grownup space, or at least something that resembles a grownup space. So that is what I have been working on during the weekend. It will probably take me longer than the usual person, but eventually I will get there.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Friday
I am in a better mood today. It's a sunny day, a bit hot, but nice and bright. I am working from home and I can hear birds chirping outside my window. It's Friday and I am taking three days off next week, so I have a long recess from work ahead of me. Also, I dealt with my finances, and that has taken a lot of the anxiety off.
I finally sat down and paid a few pending bills (those that are not set up for automatic draft). Of five, two were past due by a day or two, which was completely unnecessary and totally avoidable had I gotten my act together earlier and stopped burying my head in the sand .
After paying bills and balancing my account, my irrational fear of being destitute has abated. I am not swimming in money, but I am not completely broke either. There is money for gas and food, and maybe to watch a movie this weekend (if there's anything good on).
I finally sat down and paid a few pending bills (those that are not set up for automatic draft). Of five, two were past due by a day or two, which was completely unnecessary and totally avoidable had I gotten my act together earlier and stopped burying my head in the sand .
After paying bills and balancing my account, my irrational fear of being destitute has abated. I am not swimming in money, but I am not completely broke either. There is money for gas and food, and maybe to watch a movie this weekend (if there's anything good on).
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Slow day in cubicleland
It's a quarter to noon. Someone is eating lunch at their desk. I can smell it. I am hungry, but I am too lazy to make up my mind what to eat.
I am running some automated reports right now. Things are slowly starting to pick up at the office. I am glad about that. I already had a conference call this morning, and stuff to do for a project from this task force I belong to.
Other than work, my focus is mainly on the house, and all the things we need to do to make it more convenient and enjoyable to live in it. We still need to finish painting. And we have stuff in the storage unit that we need to bring home. All in due time, I guess. I don't want to start the new year in a frenzy.
I am running some automated reports right now. Things are slowly starting to pick up at the office. I am glad about that. I already had a conference call this morning, and stuff to do for a project from this task force I belong to.
Other than work, my focus is mainly on the house, and all the things we need to do to make it more convenient and enjoyable to live in it. We still need to finish painting. And we have stuff in the storage unit that we need to bring home. All in due time, I guess. I don't want to start the new year in a frenzy.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Progress Report
This is how our master bedroom looked on Monday, after they tore the carpet out. Gabe and I started painting, and were horrified when we saw our color choice plastered on the walls. It does not look at all like the paint swatch at the store. Called Summer, it was supposed to be a light, peachy color, not the retina-burning hue you see in the picture.
Immediately we started to plan our next visit to the hardware store, and how many shades lighter the color needs to be in order for me to be able to fall asleep in the room. Isabel, on the other hand, loved it. "I like the orange in the bedroom, daddy!"- she screamed delightedly.
This is how the room looks now, with the new wood floor in. I love the floor, it almost makes the color on the walls look normal.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Bad timing
Fenómeno, by Remedios Varo
Lately my stress levels are off the charts. There is too much to do, too little time. We finally closed on the home improvement loan, but do not get a first payment until Wednesday. The contractor did order the wood and we will not be charged until then. We are nowhere near done with the packing, and we need to figure out where to get the money to rent a storage facility and possibly a U-Haul. We have next weekend to move everything out. And we have not figured out where are we all staying (including my parents) while they do the floors.
I leave for California today. The timing of this trip is so bad for my personal life. And it is not so great for my work life either. I also am in the middle of projects at work that I will have to work on while I am in meetings. I get back Thursday night and Friday in the morning I meet with our Senior VP to review the results of a project. It just sucks.
I also feel bad about leaving the girls. I had nightmares last night, about bad things happening to them, or to me. I haven't even left and already I can't wait to be back home. And that is what sucks the most. I do not travel much for work, and every trip is usually something highly anticipated, a rare treat to be savored. And unfortunately, the stress and hectic pace of work/home have robbed me of that enjoyment.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Housecleaning
As you could see by yesterday's posted photo, while we clear the rooms for the floors to be installed, we are also painting. The living room is halfway done. As I pack rooms today, do laundry and prepare for tomorrow's trip, Gabe will be painting.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Packing
As I mentioned sometime ago, we had plans to ripping out the carpet and putting wood floors in our home. Our house has about 60% of its area covered in carpet right now, and it's dingy and stained and frayed in parts where the cats have gone to town with their claws. We suffer from allergies and the carpets are no help. So we just got approved for a home improvement loan. We have a quote from our contractor, now we need to order the wood (it takes some time to get here) and schedule the install based on that and on the contractor's availability. We also need to find boxes, pack up and get a place to store our stuff while they install the floors. I don't think our garage will be able to store everything, so we may need to get a storage facility. There is carpet in the front room, the living room, all 4 bedrooms and the hallway. Packing the bedrooms alone will be an ordeal, as there is so much mess everywhere. My parents will be hre in the middle of all this, but hopefully by the time my brother gets here (December 21st) it will be all done.
I need to start getting ready for this, at least mentally, and I am not there yet. I still have not fully comprehended what is in store for the next few weeks, but just writing about it now has made it more real. Holy crap, I better get cracking.
We are getting bamboo floors. I did not want to feel guilty about chopping down trees so I could have a pretty walking surface. At least bamboo grows back. Plus, it's cheaper than other kinds of wood, and I love myself a bargain. Supposedly bamboo is not most homebuyers' cup of tea, but I could care less. I don't plan to sell this house anytime soon, and by the time we move, if we do, it might be trendy.
I need to start getting ready for this, at least mentally, and I am not there yet. I still have not fully comprehended what is in store for the next few weeks, but just writing about it now has made it more real. Holy crap, I better get cracking.
We are getting bamboo floors. I did not want to feel guilty about chopping down trees so I could have a pretty walking surface. At least bamboo grows back. Plus, it's cheaper than other kinds of wood, and I love myself a bargain. Supposedly bamboo is not most homebuyers' cup of tea, but I could care less. I don't plan to sell this house anytime soon, and by the time we move, if we do, it might be trendy.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
What I am doing with a little bit of spare money
The other day our company stock went up and I took the opportunity to sell some stock options I had. It was only a very small amount, but when all was said and done I had a couple thousand spare dollars in my hands. I have dedicated this spare money, to improvements around the house. This is what I have done with them so far:
1- Bought ceiling fans for the master bedroom, the living room/TV room, and Paula's bedroom. Someone will be coming next week to install them. The installation is about as costly as the fans, but at Lowe's they gave me a 10% discount on the cost of the fans, because I asked. Total cost: $650
2- Bought replacement water filters for our refrigerator, plus a new shelf to replace the one Gabe broke last year. Total Cost: $175.
3- Bought new trash disposal to replace the one that's been dead for almost a year now. With installation, taxes and everything, it came to $275.
4- The A/C guy is coming back next Wednesday and to make some repairs and improvements. We are also buying a one year maintenance contract. Total cost: $500.
I have very little money left, and I am kinda bummed out because I wanted a new camera, possibly a digital SLR. I can't buy one with what I have left, it's not enough. But I'll survive.
1- Bought ceiling fans for the master bedroom, the living room/TV room, and Paula's bedroom. Someone will be coming next week to install them. The installation is about as costly as the fans, but at Lowe's they gave me a 10% discount on the cost of the fans, because I asked. Total cost: $650
2- Bought replacement water filters for our refrigerator, plus a new shelf to replace the one Gabe broke last year. Total Cost: $175.
3- Bought new trash disposal to replace the one that's been dead for almost a year now. With installation, taxes and everything, it came to $275.
4- The A/C guy is coming back next Wednesday and to make some repairs and improvements. We are also buying a one year maintenance contract. Total cost: $500.
I have very little money left, and I am kinda bummed out because I wanted a new camera, possibly a digital SLR. I can't buy one with what I have left, it's not enough. But I'll survive.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
No sleep, no inspiration
Forgive me for just doing journal entries these days. Last night I had trouble sleeping, and I woke up so brain-fogged that I can't think of much this morning. It will get better as the day goes by, I'm sure. I am in good spirits, not upset or anything. Just tired.
Yesterday I made soup with two kinds of meat, potatoes and carrots, using sofrito and chicken broth. It came out yummy and we have leftovers, so guess what I am having for lunch today.
Yesterday I made soup with two kinds of meat, potatoes and carrots, using sofrito and chicken broth. It came out yummy and we have leftovers, so guess what I am having for lunch today.
Monday, September 03, 2007
The end of summer?
I grew up on a tropical island without any clearly defined seasons, other than Hurricane Season which we all knew well. To me, Labor Day had always been "that big holiday that falls in September."
Now that I live in the US, I see everywhere the whole "Labor Day is the official end of summmer" concept, but I am not sure I feel it. I live in Southeast Texas, after all. Our seasons are Hot and Less Hot/Sometimes Cold.
Anyway, this morning I will try to take the girls to the pool for a little while. Paula and I went to the pool yesterday. After today our neighborhood pool will close until next year. I have always thought that was pointless, as the weather permits for it to be open until the end of October at least. But the reason why they close is less related to the weather than to economics and the difficulty of finding lifeguards after colleges and universities start their school year.
We are also planning to do some grilling for dinner tonight. I am planning to make chicken shish kebobs. I bought a Thai peanut marinade that I think will be perfect for some. I also have rib eye steak wrapped in bacon, and some chicken cordon bleu sausage that we bought at this place in Wharton on our return trip from South Padre Island. It is delicious. Gabe loved it, and he is not really a fan of chicken sausage. I am still trying to decide what to serve with the protein. I know my mother-in-law is bringing homemade macaroni and cheese. I may prepare mashed cauliflower: steamed, mashed and seasoned with butter and parmesan cheese. I made it yesterday for the first time and it was delicious, a good alternative to mashed potatoes.
The girls will have Shirley Temples. It will be good.
My only concern is that Isabel seems to be sick again. Wednesday and Thursday I kept her home because her stomach was upset. Friday and Saturday she seemd to be back to normal, but yesterday she got sick to her stomach again and had very loose bowel movements. This morning it happened again. So now I have to monitor her closely during the day and be careful what I feed her.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Reluctant housework Sunday
As the title indicates, housework is not really my thing. I can just imagine both my ex and my husband reading that comment and saying "Gee, ya think??!!" To say Ingrid hates housework is like saying Puerto Rico is an island, or the sky is blue.
But this weekend I have embarked in one of my frenzied housecleaning episodes. I did several loads of laundry yesterday and finished clearing toys from the floor of Paula's new bedroom. Today I will vacuum the room and it will be finished and waiting for Paula to return. Isabel's new room will still be messy. I will deal with that one with more time.
I am still doing laundry and I have a mountain of clothes to fold and put away. This is sometimes hard, as we have too much stuff and not enough storage. I have to set aside some clothes/towels/bedsheets to give away.
But this weekend I have embarked in one of my frenzied housecleaning episodes. I did several loads of laundry yesterday and finished clearing toys from the floor of Paula's new bedroom. Today I will vacuum the room and it will be finished and waiting for Paula to return. Isabel's new room will still be messy. I will deal with that one with more time.
I am still doing laundry and I have a mountain of clothes to fold and put away. This is sometimes hard, as we have too much stuff and not enough storage. I have to set aside some clothes/towels/bedsheets to give away.
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