Happy veteran’s day, Americans!
Go hug yourself a veteran, won’t you?
Have you seen Shae? Spread the word!
©Heaven Mahle
This is Dirty Feet – she belongs to Heaven, a foster mum for Challenger’s House. (You guys think I have a lot of cats in my house at one time? Heaven routinely has WAY more fosters in her house at one time than I do. And she’s a miracle worker. I’ve seen kittens that don’t look like they’re going to make it one more hour when she gets them turn out to be the most beautiful, healthy cats. Which you already know if you’re Facebook friends with her!)
Last week, Dirty Feet was ill, and ended up at the vet’s where she was for most of the week. They couldn’t seem to figure out what was going on with her until Heaven took her to another vet who was able to ultrasound Dirty Feet and find the blockage causing her illness. She had surgery on Friday and as of today is recovering at home and doing well.
©Heaven Mahle
Like so many of us do, Heaven spent every penny she had to save Dirty Feet, and she still owes money to the vet. I encouraged her to sign up for a Chip In fundraiser, and I hope y’all will consider helping out. The widget should show up below, but if it doesn’t, you can go here to see her Chip In page. Thanks in advance for any help you guys can give!
And here are some pictures of Dirty Feet as a baby, because I knew you’d want to see them!
All above pictures ©Heaven Mahle
Sights from around Crooked Acres.
(The inside-my-cupboards tour is in the next section!)
I pickled onion slices in a sweet brine last weekend. I haven’t tried them yet, so I can’t say how they’ll taste – I’m going to let them sit in the brine for a month or so before I open the jar.
I bought this spatula in Myrtle Beach at one of the outlet stores, and I LOVE it. It’s a small spatula (though you really can’t tell from the picture), and I use it every morning to scramble my egg for breakfast.
Green cherry tomatoes. I pickled half of them (in the same brine that I used for the onions), and saved the other half so that Fred can get a few more weeks of tomatoes on his lunch salad.
Black Silkie and her babies. She was the last hen to go broody this year, and her chicks are still relatively small so they stay close to her.
One of our roosters.
Rooster and his wimmin.
This next set of pictures cracks me up. See if you can guess why.
The dogs were barely moving at more than a casual mosey, and that hen was like “HOLY CHRIST, THE DOGS ARE COMING! THE DOGS ARE COMING! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!!”
::thlurrrrp::
::thlurrrrrp::
Sweet Gracie Mae.
Inside my cupboards.
(Click on any picture to see the much larger version.)
Not that it matters, but these pictures are done in order, top to bottom and from the left of the kitchen (if you’re standing in the doorway facing the sink) to the right.
Top shelf: the alcohol. I think we’ve got vodka, rum, a bottle of Kahlua (though maybe we got rid of it, I don’t remember), strawberry dacquiri mix, and pina colada mix. Fred stopped on his way home from work TWO YEARS AGO and bought pina colada mix and whatever the hell alcohol goes into it. I don’t like pina coladas, so I stopped at Target the next week and bought strawberry dacquiri mix. Did I mention it’s been two years and neither bottle has been opened?
Middle shelf: White sugar, brown sugar, and more white sugar in the back, I think.
Bottom shelf: Plastic containers, colanders. I think there are a couple of bags of powdered sugar back there, too.
Cereal, rice cakes, and a box o’ Triscuits (which belong in the pantry, I don’t know how they ended up there.)
These shelves pull out, which you’d think would make them perfect for holding canned goods, but I never considered that before this moment, so right now they hold sandwich bags, storage bags, tinfoil, and Saran wrap on the top shelf, and onions , storage bags and shallots on the middle shelf. On the bottom (which you can’t see) are freezer bags for chicken, and a big-ass container of those peppermint candies you can buy at Walmart. You know, the really soft ones? Love those.
Top shelf: salad shooter (for chopping up soap when I make laundry soap), freezer containers.
Second shelf down: Miracle Grow, freezer containers, pantry pest traps (to catch those damn pantry moths).
Third: Lunch bags, Advantage, and various might-come-in-handy empty pill bottles.
Bottom: Tylenol, advil, that sort of stuff.
These corner cabinets are so nice and big that you’d think they’d be really handy for storage, but they’re kind of a pain in the ass, because when you’re three feet tall like I am, you have to get a friggin’ stool to look past the very front of the shelves. So this is where the plastic storage containers go (except for the top shelf, where I put cookie tins WHICH I DO SO REUSE so shaddup, I’m not a cookie tin hoarder).
Canning pots, pressure canner pot. Hand mixer, cider vinegar, pie plates. Random shit, basically.
If I go into this cabinet as often as once a month, I’d be surprised. Random candles, plastic forks, lots of fiber supplements for the fiber impaired, popcorn seasonings, maple syrup. That sort of stuff.
Silverware drawer, which also contains various knives, lots of straws for some reason, annnnd that’s about it.
More randomness – cooking utensils, potato peelers, biscuit cutters. One thing my kitchen is not: organized.
Dish towels, dish cloths, measuring spoons and cups. Yes, I have a lot of dish towels – I use clean dish towels every day, if you must know.
The drawer of batteries, straws, filters for the water fountains, and I think there are some instruction books in there, too.
Under the sink. Would you believe we’ve owned this house for four years and have lived here three and a half, and this is the first time I’m realizing that there’s a damn fire extinguisher under there? I must have cleaned out under that sink at least five or six times, and yet never noticed the damn thing.
Cups ‘n mugs.
The other corner cabinet. Let me reiterate: it’s a pain in the ass pulling stuff out of here. Those are the bowls I use most often when cooking dinner.
Food processor, blender, dutch ovens. This is stuff I use a lot – except for that ice cream maker in the back, which we haven’t used in a quite a while. But I know the instant we get rid of it, we’ll wish we had it back, so there it stays.
Top shelf: Fiesta Ware creamer, salt and pepper shakers, and mugs.
Second: Cake pans.
Third: Cat food, cat snack plates (like you don’t go out and get a bunch of matching plates to feed your cats on. YEAH, RIGHT.), canned cat food in the back, and some of the spices that don’t fit over the stove/ in the spice drawer.
Bottom: Spices that don’t fit over the stove/ in the spice drawer.
Top and second shelf: dishes for the cats, and loaf pans (not for the cats.)
Bottom two shelves: bowls of all sizes.
Junk drawer. Scissors, cat medication, okra pods that need to be dried (and the seeds saved), you know. Junk.
Muffin tins, cookie sheets, cooling racks.
Good god, does someone like some popcorn? Actually, Fred’s the one who eats popcorn, and he does it rarely. I guess I need to stop buying popcorn when it’s on sale. Those white dishes? Dishes for the cats. A small food processor/ chopper that I rarely use and in fact probably don’t need.
Dishes. And Splenda.
Extra pot, roasting pan, glass baking dishes. And nosy kitten, of course.
The cupboard over the refrigerator. This explains why I couldn’t find my damn Christmas dishes anywhere last year. Those green dishes on the top shelf belonged to Fred’s grandmother. I need to get them out so we can use them – I really like them a lot.
On the left, spices. On the right, battery charger, labels, other crap.
Extra flour, pectin, canning utensils, lots of canning lids. Fun stuff.
Another junk drawer – screwdriver, nails, screws, the Ball Blue Book o’ Canning (or whatever the hell it’s called).
Bread machine, slicer. That tan bin holds a ton of canning rings.
Inside of the fridge (and Tommy, inspecting).
This used to be what I used as the pantry. Now it holds all the baking stuff (except for the flours and sugars, which are spread in various places in the kitchen), the rotisserie cooking thingy, the Foodsaver (the tan bin holds empty Foodsaver bags), and the popcorn popper.
The canning cabinet. Top shelf: pickled stuff, salsa, applesauce, black beans.
Middle shelf: canned chicken, stock, some jams.
Bottom shelf: canned chicken, green beans.
Elwood, kicking some Buster butt.
One thing (of many) that I adore about Buster: he has this light spot on top of his head that I’m forever thinking is fuzz, and I go to brush it away, then remember that it’s part of him.
Elwood and Rhyme.
Corbie, keeping an eye on things.
Starsky believes in clean toes!
“WHAT?”
Happy Hutch. And just why’s he so happy?
Mystery solved.
Snoozin’ brudders.
Look at Reacher there, making himself at home. And look at Spanky and Tommy (but especially Spanky!) putting up with him! (And look at Fred over there in his Snuggie!)
Previously
2009: No entry.
2008: The goddamn cats can’t go three feet without falling over a bed but, you know.
2007: Why should I answer the door if I’m not expecting anyone, I ask you?
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
2004: That girl has some serious lung power.
2003: Not holding my breath – but a girl can dream!
2002: Let me tell you about the saga of the box.
2001: No entry.
2000: No entry.
1999: No entry.
I have those corner cupboards too and despise them! They go so far back and it never fails that the thing I need has always gotten pushed all the way to th back corner! I also use them to store gladware and casserole dishes.
Yup, creepy.
On the shelf with the Cupie Doll…is that “eyes” in a canned jar? Fred’s maybe?
Those are probably canned green cherry tomatoes. But Fred better watch himself, I’m sure canned eyes would be FAAAAABULOUS!
two comments:
one: I am jealous of all your cabinet space!
two: on the safety front, you mentioned you hadn’t noticed your fire extinguisher for a long time. you may want to double check (if you haven’t already) that it still has a charge. (should have a meter at the top which will tell you if it’s still usable) Nothing as bad as needing it and discovering that it has lost its whoooooosh
The funny thing is that we DO have a fire extinguisher in the laundry room I knew about (and it’s charged) – I still can’t believe I never noticed the damn thing under the sink!
When we bought our house there was a lazy susan in the upper corner cabinet. Cut down on the storage size but it was convenient. Then we redid the kitchen. Still have the corner cabinet but no lazy susan anymore! Pain!!
Make your cookie sheets do double duty by using them as shelf sliders. Then you can have a lot more cookie sheets since you’re using them all the time.
Put a piece of craft paper down the cookie sheet — that will keep it cleaner and protect it from scratches. If you have an old banged up cookie sheet, use it for a slider instead of throwing it out; rub a little candle wax on the bottom side to help the old sheet slide better (or use a quick spray of Pam and let it dry for a couple of hours — don’t use the flavored Pam).
If you have the right tools (sheet metal cutter) and an old cookie sheet, you can customize the sheet to fit that odd angle in corner or “L” shape cabinets. Just make sure to curl the raw cut edge of the sheet over & crimp it closed to protect yourself and anyone else.
And as someone who has hundreds of tins, one shelf does not make you a hoarder.
I love my lazy susan corner cabinet. It has two revolving shelves, and I keep all my small appliances in there … blender, food processors, crock pot, mixer, george foreman grill, etc. So easy to access anything!
Do you have an issue with kittehs nosing their way into your cabinets? I’m having that issue right now and am thinking about putting some magnetic catches or some kind of locks so they can’t get into them.
Hmmmm, how did you get a Chinese food menu from the little spot here in Tiny Town Ohio? I swear it looks just like ours. Great… now I know what I must get for lunch now.
I just thought of a way you could help with those invisible high and big shelves: mirrors!
I was trying to think of a way to make some inexpensive lightweight ones out of plastic and Krylon paint, but thought it through and couldn’t. Sorry. Fred would end up cutting glass, and I know he already has a long assed to-do-last week list. So sorry.
OR, BETTER IDEA:you could climb up there once and, and,, take pictures! print and tape those at eye level.
Brave Woman, you, showing your open cabinets and icebox to the world. So neat and organized!
We used to buy that Popov vodka from Sam’s club till I unclenched and bought some Absolut. Now I’ll never go back. You do know you’re supposed to keep vodka in the freezer, right? Maybe only boozehounds like me know that?
Nothing better than George and Gracie pictures.
At first glance that first picture of the Silkie and her chicks looks like the hind end of a very furry cat going after the white chick.
>>>These shelves pull out, which you’d think would make them perfect for holding canned goods<<>>Make your cookie sheets do double duty by using them as shelf sliders. Then you can have a lot more cookie sheets since you’re using them all the time.
Put a piece of craft paper down the cookie sheet — that will keep it cleaner and protect it from scratches. If you have an old banged up cookie sheet, use it for a slider instead of throwing it out; rub a little candle wax on the bottom side to help the old sheet slide better (or use a quick spray of Pam and let it dry for a couple of hours — don’t use the flavored Pam).<<<
::double stunned:: WHY have I never thought of THIS?!?!!?
How serendipitous. I was planning to Do The Kitchen this weekend anyway. *smooches* to you and Jai for giving me ideas!
Jai: I DREAMED about the cookie-tray-slider thing, that’s how awesome of an idea it is. (In my dream, the cookie sheets fit my shelves so perfectly that it was like they’d been custom-made for each other. In real life, I’m not that lucky, but it’s still a fabulous idea.)
Tch. Silly pseudo-HTML tags.
There’s meant to be a “::stunned:: Why have I never thought of this??” and a hard return after Robyn’s canned goods quote.
I am having major kitchen space envy!
I LOVE the red kitty egg turner-um-spatula. I really call them flippers because my Mom does.
I feel poor Starsky’s pain. I fell asleep on the couch last week and woke up with Ollie’s week old Dorrito stinking giant Basset paw in my face. Nasty!
Okay, what IS it about dog paws that make them smell like Fritos/Doritos/etc??? I thought my dog was just weird for YEARS until I saw an episode of “Will and Grace” where Will was getting all goofy over a dog and said “and his feet SMELL LIKE CORN CHIPS!!!”
*whispers shamefacedly*
My feet, and my son’s feet, smell like Fritos too.
Maybe we’re part dog? Would explain why I’m such a bitch sometimes… lol
Elayne, my feet and my sister’s smell too. I saw a cheap homeopathic hint on tv somewhere. You soak your feet in a bath of ordinary tea every day for a week and then once a week thereafter as a preventative. The tanic acids in the tea kill whatever organisms are causing the stank. I have a big box of tea from the dollar store waiting I really need to get on the stick and try it. It’s cheap and easy enough if it works! I’m not sure how long you soak for -ten minutes maybe?-but I’m sure a google search would yield some info.
Luv luv LUV them pups!!! Such a happy boy and girl.
And I am faint with the jealousy over your neat, tidy shelves whereas mine look like bombs have gone off at various points. My only excuse is that I have a 5-year-old boy, and all the accompanying accoutrement, which takes up FAR more space than it should…
Drat, your shelves are uncrammed and organized, just as I suspected! Now I’m inspired to tackle the upper cabinets.
Like you, I have a lot of spice bottles. I thought about getting one of those iron racks like yours (which, btw, I love) but I have this crazy need to have all the spices together, and they wouldn’t fit. So I have like 75 spice containers of every description and vintage piled onto those rubbermaid shelf/steps in a cabinet. And every single day a spice comes flying out of the cupboard when I open the door.
(P.S.: Love the stray mousie hiding under the Dutch oven cabinet.)
Once upon a time, I had organized spice jars and I would even write the date on a label one the bottom of each one so I would know if they were too old. Then I moved and I think they are in my parent’s storage building. Now, my focus is on plastic containers. One day they will all be matchy and organized.
Also, your fridge looks a little empty to me. That’s probably because mine is such a mess and I need to do a serious purging.
Your shelves are so clean and tidy-I couldn’t publicize the contents of mine!
where did u get that rack/holder thing for the baking/roasting pans? that looks like somethign that i badly need… well maybe 2 of hahahaha