I’m back! I think…

Oh my, it’s been almost two years to the date since I last posted. Sorry for such a long hiatus. With the prompting of many (ok, really, just a few) I’ve decided to give this here blog another whirl. I can’t promise I’ll stick to it, but I will try, darn it. I will try.

Let’s see, since I left my dear old blog sitting and rotting not much has changed in my life.

We adopted a new kitteh…Waffle. I was NOT at all for this new addition but my, then, 11 yr. old child talked me into it by saying, “He’s cheaper than a Wii or Xbox”. Ha. If only I had known how much $ this little boy would cost me with his food allergies and habit of eating string & clothing! He is a cutie pie, though so I guess we’ll keep him.

I now have a 13 yr. old with blue hair…

Oops. Wrong picture.

Here we go….

I gained a ton of weight from boozing it up…

And baking and eating yummy crap non-stop….

Haha. I really DIDN’T become a boozer…I just had to use that photo somewhere on here! I did, however, gain a ton of weight because of my obsession with making homemade rice pudding, cherry cobbler and mac & cheese. Someone had to eat it!

I lost a ton of weight because I stopped baking and started eating only fruits & veggies and lean protein. This is a true story. Yay, me!

I became a photographer (I think I’ve always been a photographer, it’s just that now I get paid to do it so it seems more real!)…

Check me out, please: sharongollnitzphotography.com

Oh, and I started making a line of lip balm and all natural body products…

I bought a new (used) vehicle with all the gobs of money I’m making. Um, yeah. If that were true it wouldn’t be a 2005 Santa Fe.

And that, my friends, is all I’ve done in the past 2 years. Sorry to disappoint.

Let’s hope something exciting happens in the next few days so I have something to write about!

Possum Stew

Now, before you run away gagging…let me just say that possum (or opossum to some of you) stew is one of the finer things in life. NOT! Ha. Gotcha! I can’t say that I’ve actually ever had possum stew, nor would I ever choose to do so. But here’s a good story and I had to lead up to it somehow…

The other evening whilst sitting on the couch I noticed a faint scratching noise that sounded like it was coming from the front windows in my living room. As I turned the volume down on the tv, sure enough, it WAS a scratching sound coming from underneath the windows. I looked outside but couldn’t see anything rustling in the bushes. I knocked on the window. Still nothing. So, because I am a big chicken and thought that it surely must be rat in my cellar (even though I have NEVER had a rat in my cellar), I went to bed without looking in the basement.

The next afternoon I heard the scratching again and because it was daylight, and knew the boogie monster wouldn’t get me if I went into the cellar at this time of day, I headed down with a flashlight. I went straight to where I had heard the noise the night before. You see, I have a set of basement windows right underneath the living room windows. These windows are ancient, dirty as hell and double paned. Not the double-paned as in the modern, two pieces of glass that are millimeters apart and make up one window –  but two separate windows that have approximately 3-1/2″ of space between them.

And what to my wondering eyes should appear? Something gray…and hairy…and breathing! Gah! I almost ran away screaming but my curiosity got the best of me. I approached slowly with the flashlight and as I got closer I realized it was a baby possum. Phew! I could barely see in the widows as they are covered in dirt. Very clever how they installed them so there is absolutely NO way to clean them. Anyway, as I inspected further I could see that next to the little possum was what used to be his/her sibling. Splayed out. Dead. With flies crawling all over it.

I ran back upstairs fretting about what to do. My child got wind of my anxiousness and asked what was wrong. I had to tell her. And then she started crying, insisting that we had to “SAVE” him “NOW”. Great.

I grabbed a hammer and headed outside to see if I could somehow break the window open without killing the poor thing. No luck. That glass would not budge. I couldn’t really take a good whack at it as I was afraid the hammer would end up in the possum’s skull. So, I called my Dad and he came to the rescue with his expert glass-breaking technique. We coaxed the little fella out with cat food. It leaned out of the window just enough to gobble up the food. I’m sure it wouldn’t move any further because we were all standing around gawking at it. My child, of course, thought it was cute and wanted to keep it. It started to show its teeth when we moved closer. My first inclination was to whack it with something. Nice. I just save the poor, starving animal and now I want to kill it.

I have no idea how long it had been inbetween the windows. Long enough for two of his siblings to die. Yes, two! After he climbed out we saw that there was another dead baby – he had been sitting on it. Ick. So, now I have a broken basement window full of dead stank. I wonder how long it will take for the bodies to disintegrate, because I sure as hell am not going to touch that stuff! Can I interest anyone in some possum carcass for stew??

Coffee Lover

the boy…he loves coffee…he’s a sly one…

Swamped

I must apologize for not visiting all my favorite bloggers like I used to – faithfully.  I really do hope to get back into the blogosphere soon but that may not be until fall, I’m afraid. You see, I am swamped. Swamped with dog biscuit making, scone making, crafting, painting, yard sale-ing and, of course, work. The first Farmer’s Market of the season is in three days. Count ’em…3! And I’m busting my butt bagging up some yummy Bow WOW Biscuits and assorted scones for opening day…all the while attempting to figure out how to set up my market tent so I don’t have to arrive at 6 am that morning and struggle with it.

The dog biscuits are a big hit with the boys. I already knew that – as I’ve made them in the past and the boys would gobble them up. But…I used to make them at my restaurant where I was uninterrupted. Now, I must make them in my kitchen with two dogs constantly under foot waiting for hand outs.

The dog biscuit making process tuckers Gus out and he eventually ends up sleeping at my feet.

The crafting is in full swing now. Every corner of my house is full of crafty goodness…pillows, bookmarks, hairbands, clothing, purses, collages, you name it.

Kitchen counter now full of crafts...

It's all about the 'love'

The paints have found a new home

I’ve started painting furniture, to boot. Where the hell I’ll be storing all of it is beyond me.

Cutesy little rocker that will soon be all dolled up for the craft fair

Now that I’m in full furniture-scoping mode I’ve been scouring the yard sales and flea markets.

I found this little gem for myself…

It will look perfect in my newly painted dining room. Yep, I’ve painted the dining room for the third time this year. Oy. I just can’t seem to decide on a color. I think this last color – buttery yellow – is a keeper. I love yellow with red accents so I painted myself a little sign for the new dining room…

Don't ask. My favorite number is 5 and I needed something to write on the sign...it was either this or "For Sale"!

And, of course, along with the new paint color had to come new drapes and shades. Like I need to spend my time fiddling around with this stuff? Oh, but I do. So, I made new curtains and bought new bamboo shades.

We DID have time to enjoy the first strawberry shortcake of the season – complete with homemade whipped cream. YUM!

Here are a few more pics…just some crafty shots

And dog teeth! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

A photo update…

I haven’t been around the blogosphere much as of late, but for good reason. The first reason: I’ve had my kitchen remodeled. It took a long seven weeks, including several days without a sink but it is finally done and I am slowly getting things back in order. Here are some pics to prove that my house has been in upheaval (sorry Facebookers – you’ve already seen these pics):

BEFORE:

AFTER

Such an improvement! I had so much wasted space prior to the remodel. I did, however, loose the space for a kitchen table but I gained all this new counter space.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Not a terribly drastic change, just removed the cupboard doors, added crown molding, new counter tops, back splash and cabinet hardware.

BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER:

Right, so, you get the idea. Phew. Glad that’s over. The second reason I’ve been absent: I bought a Shark steam mop and every spare second of free time I have is spent steam mopping my floors. Yeah, because my life is THAT exciting. Actually, the second reason is because I’ve been invited to participate in the area’s largest arts/crafts show this summer. Eek. Which means I’ve been crafting my ass off and barely have time to eat or sleep. I’ve been sitting at my sewing machine whipping out items whenever I have a spare moment. And, unfortunately, I can no longer see my nice, new counter tops because they are covered in crafting supplies. I’ve only got a little over 2 months to prepare for this show so I’m a bit tense…and am starting to hold my breath a bit too much and have almost forgotten how to breath. Eek. Ok, back to work for me. I’ll keep you posted on the crafting progress.