Cross your fingers, but this past week was supposedly the last frigid week of winter around these parts. Most mornings when I walked the dog it was less than 10 degrees. Everyone is ready for spring. It won’t exactly be warm, but 40 degree days will feel like t-shirt weather after so many cold days in a row.
Today, I will be putting in some more work on the floor refinishing project. In case you missed it, yesterday I posted a comprehensive how-to guide for sanding floors as a DIY project. Hopefully, it will help some of you who are planning a floor project too.
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A Few Fun Links
- I fell in love with the house and the couple from this home tour over on Cup of Jo. I want to pore over every detail. “Full” houses are not always my thing, but looking at one so thoughtfully and lovingly put together evokes only cozy feelings for me.
- My friend Steve, of Wood Window Makeover and episode #4 of the True Tales From Old Houses podcast, is currently working on a historic church in Texas. He has been posting some neat photos on his Instagram feed and in his story.
- Cathy posted an article this week about buying from a scratch-and-dent appliance sale. What are your thoughts on scratch-and-dent vs. new? Over the years, Andy and I have bought several appliances this way, including our current fridge. Sadly, it is on its way out, but it has given us almost ten good years.
- Looking at photos of Emily’s home, from The Sweet Beast, always makes me feel instantly relaxed. Someday, I hope BHH will be that put together. Until then, I’ll just take a few moments of meditation while looking at her entire house on the Em Henderson blog. (That front door!) Coincidentally, Emily mentioned BHH on her blog today. We must have been having a mind-meld moment.
5 Ingredient Coconut Curry
The DIY meal kit recipe this week is so delicious. What I am about to say may be vegetarian blasphemy or something, but garbanzo beans are not my favorite. However, this recipe, plus the frittata recipe that I posted last week may be changing my mind.
If you are unfamiliar with the BHH concept of DIY meal kits, please read this post first. The initial recipe post in this series is also helpful and informative. Note: Most of our recipes are vegetarian.
Recipe: 5 Ingredient Coconut Curry
Recipe Notes:
- This dish takes about 15 minutes to prepare, but the rice takes 30. Be sure to make the rice ahead or start it early. I usually steam ours in the Instant Pot. Alternately, you could use a quick-cook version if you are in a rush.
- In our meal kit, I did not pre-measure the corn starch, so you will not see it in the photo, I also subbed bagged, cut broccoli for the two heads called for in the recipe.
- The recipe includes a handy button to scale the recipe up if you need to feed more people.
Enjoy!
Storage containers:
We use these Sistema KLIP IT boxes or the larger size (shown today) depending on our needs. We are also big fans of 1.3 cup Snapware* for small portions. They fit nicely in the Sistema Klip-it storage boxes. I also recently added these tiny lidded glass containers (intended for baby food, but they work perfectly for spices or small portions).
*This links to the plastic version, but we prefer glass. Unfortunately, the glass containers, sold in sets of four, seem difficult to find now. This 10-piece set includes the small Snapware containers we use as well as some additional, useful sizes.
Podcast Announcement
I’m just going to slip this in here to see if anyone is still reading. First, I hired a sound engineer, so we can get this show released on a regular schedule. I have big dreams for the True Tales From Old Houses podcast, and it is time to move forward and fix the things that haven’t been working. That brings me to the next little, no huge, bit of news. I invited someone to be my co-host, and he said yes! I am so excited about this new partnership.
Our first episode together will be available to listen to or download on Monday afternoon. That’s when I’ll introduce him officially on the podcast and in the show notes. Our first discussion topic is a little bit about the history and evolution of hardwood floors and refinishing products including the Rubio Monocoat we are using here in BHH. I have been talking about Rubio Monocoat a lot over on Instagram. If you are trying to sort out which type of product will work best for your floor project, we will be chatting about the pros and cons of several different products that work well and maintain the authenticity of old houses.
Finally, today is International Women’s Day. I wanted to write something smart and empowering, but I’m coming up short with something to say that is enough. If you are a woman, I encourage you to exercise all of your rights. Fight for the rights you don’t have, and let’s continue to educate the uneducated and advocate for women everywhere. I know that is not enough, but it’s a start.
-Stacy
