Bugs, Bleach, and Bedrooms

The Hubs and I have been having a bug problem.  It began innocently enough.  A few months ago we noticed a moth flitting around our spare bedroom.  It was still warm enough that our windows and, occasionally our patio door, were open, so we simply assumed that it had flown into our home mistakenly.  I took the matter so lightly that, instead of swatting the little moth, I tried to usher it back outside. [My how the times have changed.]

But we quickly realized that the first moth was not alone. We eventually noticed another one, then another one, then another one, until I began waking up every morning to 5 or 6 new moths in the spare bedroom. Moth #1 had not  ventured in here accidentally.  Oh, no.  He and his little buddies had set up a moth breeding ground in our spare bedroom, which, oh by the way, is also my office.

So I did some quick research and discovered that the best way to take care of a moth problem is to use a little pallet that attracts the male moths.  It sucks the boys in and, ahem, disposes of them, leaving the moth chicas without anyone to partner up with. Problem solved.

Unfortunately, no one around here seems to sell such an item.  Instead we took the advice of a surprisingly invested Home Depot employee and purchased a bug bomb.  Following the instructions to the letter, we opened that sucker up and crossed our fingers that it would wreak havoc on our flighty foes.

And it did.  For about two days.  And then they were back.  One or two at first (again) but soon back to their full-on numbers.  By this time it was well into the semester and I simply didn’t have the time or patience to find another solution.  So I began a direct assault: waking up every morning, grabbing the fly swatter, and taking a swing at anything with wings.

But this past week I lost it.  I had had it with cleaning bug guts off of my walls and practicing constant vigilance, always looking out for the damnable things. So I deemed it necessary to utilize one of our two remaining bug bombs, this time first emptying the bedroom of everything inside – leaving the moths no place to hide.

What we found was not pretty.  Moth larvae had created a home behind our hutch/bookshelf.  Disgusted, I bombed that place with fingers crossed.  Afterwards I vacuumed up every corpse and proceeded to bleach just about everything – baseboards, walls, door frames, furniture, whatever.  Then, just to be safe, we set off the third and final bomb, followed by another incredibly thorough vacuuming.

It was not a pretty day.  I felt gross for about 12 hours straight.  But then I decided to look for the bright side.

I have kind of hated our spare bedroom since we moved in.  I just couldn’t arrange it in a way that felt comfortable to me. But, since we had already removed all of the furniture, I decided to give it another go. I gave my “office” its own little corner and moved all bedroom-specific things to the other side of the room.  Surprisingly, it felt better.

But then I hit the jackpot. I have coveted my neighbor’s porch-chairs for a while now.  They’re nothing fancy, just slightly retro-looking wicker chairs that had been painted teal, but I loved them.  Imagine my shock when I walked past the dumpster and saw the two teal chairs sitting there, waiting to be snatched up by the garbage man!

Not usually one for dumpster-diving, I returned home to contemplate the chairs’ fate.  As I sat in my newly re-organized spare bedroom, I realized that one of the teal chairs would be a perfect compliment for this moth-free room.  I grabbed Hubs and rushed to the dumpster to choose the most in-tact chair and carry it back to our porch, where I once again grabbed the bleach and gave her a good scrub-down before bringing here into her new home.

Of course, neither the chair nor the room are perfect.  The chair needs a new coat of paint and a couple of touch-ups to the weave, both of which I hope to accomplish in the spring.  The room still needs some art to hang above the bed – I’m scouring Etsy as we speak.  But for the first time ever, I have an office that feels comfortable.  It has color and personality and it, honest to God, has already begun stimulating my work-drive.

And apparently it scares away moths, because I haven’t seen one in here yet.

Halle-freakin’-lujah.

And for your viewing pleasure:

The new bedroom layout.  Not finished yet, but a good start.

My “office.” Overflowing bookshelves are in reach and my chair is in a perfect position to allow me to sneak a peak of the pond, where the ducks are currently swimming away. And Potter’s always close by, ready for a quick pet.

And finally, the chair! Clearly it’s a little worn down and in need of a fresh coat of paint. But I love it anyway.  I need to get a bigger basket for my knitting paraphernalia so the chair doesn’t look so gigantic, but otherwise I think it’s just perfect.

The WFD Problem

It’s the age-old question: “What’s for dinner?”

While I love cooking, baking, mixing, and anything of the sort, I admit to having fallen in a rut lately.  Though Dave and I alternate cooking nights so I’m only responsible for dinner 3 nights a week (the 7th night is always a crap shoot), I still find myself unwilling to go to great lengths for most dinners.  On weekends I’m slightly more willing to fancify dinners [you didn't know fancify is a word?  loser]; likewise on Sundays when I do my shopping for the week – I think I’ll be willing to make roast or homemade lasagna, but I always lose the incentive by the time it’s actually time to do the work.

More than lack of will, however, it’s a lack of imagination.  I seem unable to come up with anything but 6 or 7 usual dinners, let alone anything entirely new.  This is, of course, worsened by the fact that The Hubs is a picky eater, often making me unwilling to try something different out of fear that he won’t eat it.

But I’m getting tired of the same ol’ same ol’ and am in need of new suggestions.  So I came up with a plan.

As a wedding gift I was given a recipe card box, which I initially ignored in deference to an album-style recipe card holder.  Gradually, however, the box became my go-to holder for tried-and-true recipes.  Once I know the recipe is a keeper, it goes in the box.

But how to find new things to add the box?

This:

 

A regular, run-of-the-mill expanding file. I’ve labeled the sections to match my recipe card box: appetizers, side dish, main dish, soups & salads, bread, and desserts.  Any time I find a recipe I like – online, in a magazine I subscribe to, from a friend – I put it in its appropriate section.  Then, when I can’t think of something to eat, I just go to the “main dish” section (or whatever it is I’m trying to make) and find something new.  If it’s a success, it gets written on a card and added to the box.  If it’s a dud, I scrap it.

I imagine that I’ll acquire more recipes than I ever have the time to try, but at least there will be something there and I will save myself the frustration of constantly trying to come up with something new for dinner.

Eventually I would like to create a similar folder for decorating, entertaining, and gift ideas. But for now, at least I know what’s for dinner.

Problems in Bed

Here’s what I need:  someone to invent some kind of device that will make a comforter stay centered on the bed while people are sleeping in it.

Background:  I like to sleep all snuggled up like a bug in a rug.  Even in the heat of Florida summers, I want to be under both a sheet and a (light) comforter, with both of them pulled up to my chin.  Then I kick one leg out and on top of the comforter (is that weird?  oh well, deal.)  My dear, darling husband, on the other hand, rarely ever stays under even a sheet for very long.  He either throws the blankets to the end of the bed or rolls them off of him towards the middle, the latter being more likely.

The Problem:  As we twist and turn throughout the night and Dave kicks off his covers, everything shifts to my side of the bed.  Halfway through the night, the bulk of the sheet/comforter combo are hanging off my side of the bed, making it virtually impossible for me to adjust anything without a fair amount of effort.

I don’t think any two people could sleep differently than David and I.  All I’m looking for is a solution to the comforter-staying-on-the-bed problem, short of using two twin beds with separate comforters.  So, someone with a creative, problem-solving mind, get on it.

Next up for invention: some way to control the temperature in our bedroom that will please both the girl wrapped in the comforter and the boy without even a sheet.

Dilemma

For the past few days I have been wanting to decorate for fall.  I think I’m having nesting-sympathies due to the eighteen gazilion women I know who are currently pregnant. But I don’t want just any ol’ decorations; I certainly don’t want to just do the same things I did last year.  My cute little pumpkin candle isn’t enough.  Not even Turkey Tom can quench this desire.  And the seasonally-appropriate wheat stalks I picked up at Publix for $1 the other day have not been helping as they lay on my dining room table, mocking my attempt to decorate.

Unfortunately this desire coincides with a shocking bout of school-related productivity. Since returning from Mt. Dora, I have gotten way more accomplished than even my over-ambitious to-do list anticipated.  I’m getting whiplash from turning around so frequently to check things off my list.  And this is fantastic.  Hooray!  I’m getting things done.

Except…the nagging desire to decorate and even to shop for decorations keeps tugging at the back of my brain.  Read more William Dean Howells?  Sure; I’m already on such a role.  Except, I could go pumpkin shopping.  Or I could find somewhere to put the wheat stalks.  But no.  Must plan spring syallbi.  Must finish making my class’ midterm exam.  Must.  Must.  But want.  What’s a girl to do?

So I compromised…with myself.  I would read two chapters of Howells and then spend the equivalent amount of time playing with fall fun-ness.  Two chapters, then pick out the appropriate candle.  Two chapters, then place the vase.  Now not only am I well into the midst of Howells (jealous, right?), but my apartment is basking in the glory of all that is fall (or would be fall, if I lived somewhere that actually experienced fall).

Now, if you happen to be experiencing dilemmas of your own, particularly of the political variety, I offer this PSA:

And I mean it, too.

Invasion of the Husband Snatchers

I might have mentioned this before, but my husband is not a morning person.  One of the best parts about having Potter is that now I can use him to wake up Dave rather than doing it myself because it is a huge pain.  And it’s no better when he knows he has to get up and sets his alarm clock to do so: he hits snooze as many times as possible and, when he finally gets up, he’s grumpy (or at least not spirited) for a couple of hours.  I, who am no less than a complete joy to behold in the mornings, find this annoying.

Which is why I’m looking into the possibility that something has body snatched my husband and replaced him with a replica.  Dave, swear to God, bounced out of bed when his alarm went off at 6:40 this morning and, after getting out of the shower and hearing my alarm going off, came into the bedroom to wish me a high-pitched good morning.  For a minute I thought I had woken up in opposite world where my dog is well-behaved, teachers of all kinds (even TAs) make good money, and my husband is a morning person.  But Potter is still a rotter and my bank account can attest to the shabby teacher salary, so it’s not that.  Must be a body snatcher.

The replacement body’s excuse is that today is his first day at this new job.  Actually (if I’m buying into this reasoning) I think it has less to do with being at the new job than it does with not being at the old job.  He is so thrilled to not have to deal with the everyday grievances that his old job presented him with.

So, body snatcher or not, I hope the new job lives up to Dave’s expectations.  Only time will tell.  In the meantime, I’m going to keep a running tally to see how long this bouncy-morning-person persona lasts.  If he’s this excited to wake up next week, I’m calling X-Files.

My Mundane Weekend

This has been a fairly slow but productive weekend for me.  Friday was the same-ol’, same-ol’.  Walked in the morning, worked, worked out in the afternoon.  For dinner Dave and I planned a low-key meal at Panera (I was craving a fruit-filled salad) but, upon leaving to drive over there, we noticed that Tallahassee’s new IHOP (which happens to be about a quarter of a mile from our apartment) had quietly opened up.  So, instead of the healthy salad, I indulged in the Stuffed French Toast.  I’ll admit, even as I ordered it I couldn’t help but think it was going to be too-sweet and disgusting.  But nope, holy cow was it good!  Now, my waistline won’t let me eat there too often, but it’s kind of nice to know that cheap, tasty breakfasts are so close-by.

Saturday morning Dave, Potter, and I went walking with our friends Lucy, Ben, and their dog Reece, which was nice.  Lucy, the dogs, and I walk every morning, so it was a nice change of pace to have the whole families together on Saturday.  Afterwards Lucy and I went to the Farmer’s Market, which on Saturdays is both a craft and a farmer’s market.  Lucy had never been and I was delighted to introduce her to it.  Plus I found some excellent tomatoes, peaches, blueberries, and cheese (from a local dairy).  Yum!  The rest of the day I enjoyed my air conditioning rather than the 100 degree heat and did some things around the house.

Today, however, was an unexpectedly good day.  Dave and I returned to a church that we haven’t been to in a while to hear its new pastor.  Let’s just say that it was the first “intellectual sermon” (which I consider a plus) that I’ve heard in two years or so.  Any pastor that recites Blake from memory, quotes Joseph Campbell, refers to Kierkegaard, and somehow makes it all urge me to refocus my faith gets my vote!  His preaching style reminded me very much of that of Dr. Powers, our pastor in Bowling Green, and was a welcome change of pace.

On top of that, on the way home from church we stopped by Target to pick up a new air filter.  While there, I took one more look at the curtains.  Mind you, I’ve been staring at curtains in various stores for weeks and weeks, trying to decrease the nighttime light in our master bedroom.  I’ve just been unable to convince myself that anything I’ve found would be perfect.  At Dave’s urging, I finally just bought some to bring home and look at next to our bedding.  Though I loved the curtains, I didn’t know how we’ll they’d match.  Turns out, they’re perfect!  I couldn’t be happier.  Finally being able to cross that chore off of my to-do list felt very good.

Too bad tomorrow starts another long week of the summer session.  I swear this session is sucking the life out of me.  Luckily I have some fantastic things to look forward to.  This Saturday I’ll be driving to Destin to visit my 6-months pregnant friend Katie who is there on vacation.  Yay!  It’s SO nice to be able to see a friend who knows me so well. Then the next Saturday starts my vacation…woohoo!  Dave’s family will arrive in Tallahassee on the 26th and then we’ll all head to St. George the next day.  I CAN’T wait!  These two facts alone will get me through the next few weeks.  And hopefully tonight I’ll sleep better than I have in a long time, thanks to my fantastic, light-blocking curtains.  Ah, the things that make me happy:)