June 11, 2021

Friday Night Photos

It's Friday night, and I have the house all to myself (well, for a few hours, anyway). Jerry's working, Noah's working, and Eli is staying at a friend's house because he is leaving early in the morning to go on a short fishing trip tomorrow. I'm really excited for him--he's been talking about this trip for a year! They had wanted to go last year, but with COVID, things changed.

Anyway, I have no fun plans for myself--I just plan on mending a bunch of clothes that have been piling up (hemming pants, stitching loose seams, stuff like that). This is my photo haul for the week... nothing too exciting, unfortunately!

Noah brought this mocha + chocolate flavored KitKat home from work and gave it to me. It didn't sound very good, but I tried it and oh, wow--it tastes a LOT like a Coffee Crisp bar! My very favorite candy bar is called Coffee Crisp, but it's a Canadian product (I'm sure you can find them in specialty stores here and there in the States, but I have never found them outside of Canada). Whenever any of my family members goes to Canada, it's pretty much mandatory that they bring back Coffee Crisps for everyone ;)  I can't even remember the last time I had one, it's been so long... but this KitKat tasted a lot like it. (The Coffee Crisp is still better, though.)


Remember the project I said I was working on in the garage using the 2x4's I had from the workbench I built (and then disassembled)? Well, this is it! I am SO tired of chasing after Phoebe every time she sneaks out of the house. (She hides by the door, and the very second it's opened, she darts out.)

I've been wanting to build a "catio" type outdoor enclosure for the cats. Ideally, I would connect it to the house next to the window, so the cats could go in and out as they please. However, lumber is so expensive right now that I'd have to sell a kidney to have the funds to build the catio. So I used what materials I had (I even had the screening) to build this little thing. I made one of the sides on a track so it could slide in and out. I put a little bench in there and I sewed a hammock to hang.

And a few days later, I disassembled it... ugh! For as much as Phoebe wants to be outside, I thought she'd be thrilled to get to hang out in there--but she wanted nothing to do with it. So maybe someday, I'll build one that connects to the house--I think she'd like that better--but for now, I'll just have to keep chasing after her.


This. If, somehow, I could transmit smells through this blog post, you would be retching right now. Remember when Eli caught his dream fish--a 47-inch muskie? He released it, but was thinking about saving his money to get a taxidermy version that is made by using the measurements and photos of the actual fish (that way, he could have a memento but the fish wouldn't be harmed).

Well, a few days ago, my dad found an enormous (dead) muskie that had washed up from the lake behind his house. It was 50 inches long! He suggested to Eli that he could clean up the skull--an impressive thing to have, I guess. Eli thought it was a great idea and started researching how to clean bones. We even watched a Dirty Jobs episode where Mike Rowe is a "skull cleaner".

Eli started by boiling the head to get all of the meat off. This fish had been sitting on the beach for a couple of days, so it already smelled so bad I couldn't even stand near it outside without a mask on! I told him that there is no way that he can do it in the house, nor can he use one of my cooking pots. I bought a big pot from Salvation Army so he could use that and then throw it away.

Once all of the bones were clean, he started working on whitening them--we've tried baking soda, vinegar, peroxide, and bleach (not all at the same time). Now they are drying out and once they're completely dry, he has to piece the skull together with superglue. (The bones separated once the tissue came off.)

Eli was so mad when I was taking this picture--he kept gagging from the smell and he couldn't get a grip on the skull. The joys of boys! ;) 





Poor little Duckling... he SO badly wants to befriend Estelle and Phoebe (but especially Estelle). Estelle is like the popular mean girl in high school and she totally snubs him. He tries so hard, too--he follows her around like a little puppy dog, and when she looks at him, he immediately rolls over onto his back and looks at her like, "Wanna play?" She glares and hisses at him, then walks off. 

Duck just doesn't give up! In this picture, Estelle was sitting on top of one of the cupboards in the kitchen. Duck sat on the floor and just watched her for the longest time. When she got down, he went up there and took her spot. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, no?


I was washing our bedding, and naturally, when the bed looks different (no sheets) the cats are drawn to it. Estelle was napping up there, and Duck was pacing around, watching her. I could tell he wanted to go up there with her. He finally got up the nerve and jumped up next to her. He kept inching his way closer to her until he was practically touching her.






Until he was all up in her business, haha. He wanted to cuddle with her so badly--and I'm shocked that she let him touch her.



This was from today. Estelle and Phoebe were chillin' on their throw pillows/beds near the window and I could see Duck watching them, trying to figure out where he could fit. So I brought over one of the other cat pillows and set it down next to the "cool kids"--and Duck found a way to feel like he fit in ;)



Meanwhile, Chick was content hanging out with the misfits (i.e. Joey)...



Look how huge Chick has gotten! He's such a pretty cat.



When I was cooking dinner, Eli asked Jerry if he'd go outside and play catch with him. They do that a lot while I am cooking dinner and it warms my heart. But I was shocked when I looked outside and saw Noah playing, too! He is not interested in playing baseball anymore and there are many other things he'd rather be doing. I loved that the three of them were playing. So, I took my time making dinner!



My book choice for June. I'm about halfway done with it and I like it! I'll write a review after I finish.



I babysat Luke and Riley last week, and when it was time for me to leave, they ran to the door and put on Jerry's steel-toed work boots and Eli's shoes. It was funny watching them walk around like that.



You know I'm not a salad person, but I was in the rare mood for one, and I made the most delicious salad EVER. I marinated the chicken in a chipotle marinade and it was amazing. And I lightly coated the lettuce with an avocado ranch dressing. This was heavenly. (I will have to post the recipe for the chicken--I use it for burrito bowls and for quesadillas, too.)



Jerry's been going disc golfing with a friend lately and I love that he's getting out and doing that again. He was talking about wanting a hobby, but he couldn't think of something that he was interested in getting into. He and his friend both love disc golfing, so I'm glad that they've been going together. (If you're not familiar with disc golfing, it's basically glorified frisbee--but don't ever make the mistake of calling it "frisbee" to a disc golfer, because you will never hear the end of it! Haha. But really, it's actually a very challenging sport.)


And that's all I have for the week! Have a great weekend :)

3 comments:

  1. You can get Coffee Crisp at World Market. They’re about $2 and they’re worth every penny. They’re one of my favorites too

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  2. I first read about Coffee Crisps on your blog and wanted to try them. We have a grocery store chain here in the Southeast called Publix. They're not quite a Whole Foods but they are a little upscale. They have a great bakery and amazing sandwiches in the deli, seriously the best. Anyway, they have an international section and they sell them there. I get one every once in awhile.

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  3. My husband loves to disc golf too! I join him once in awhile. You're right, its very challenging! I am obsessed over these pictures of poor Duck just trying to fit in! He looks so cute!!

    Also, yes please post your chicken recipe!! It looks amazing and I love anything chipotle!!

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