Slab Happy

I’ve been wanting to incorporate some live edge slabs in here since we bought the place…it just seems to fit…and with these trees toppling around me, sooner or later, one of them might just be the right kind for milling something fab.  I gave up on my dreams of a Nakashima dining table long ago, but have moved on to other slabsessions.

Back when I still read Apartment Therapy, I got all slobbery over this post…especially if I had about $13k laying around.  I’d love to have any of these as my headboard…maybe then we’d finally get our bed off the floor…one can dream.  These first two from Meyer and Wells and Urban Hardwoods are my faves….

Photos via AT

Then there’s this one ….

Photo via JC Sterling

and of course, the classic….

via Nakashima Woodworker

Photos via Live Edge Design

Another avenue is to possibly incorporate a slab in one of the bathroom renovations….the half bath might be the most feasible one.

Photo via Western Art and Architecture


Photo via Design Milk

And remember when I so loved this?

I still do….breakfast bar/backsplash…ahhhh…gorge.

Currently, the only wooden benefit from these trees falling around us is lots of firewood…..and some stumpytime.

Photo via Design Milk

We’ve got quite a collection of similar stump stools and tables going now….but it’s the slabs I covet.  One day….


Spin Baby Spin

So, who didn’t love spin art as a kid?  I don’t think I could trust someone who didn’t like spin art…what’s not to like?

When reading through Laura Day’s Spin Party inspired by her Damien Hirst print, I thought…why not improvise and go big…Hirst style?  I need bigger pieces of art in this house… I have lots of little things that look crappy on these big walls.  Since my art budget is nil right now…time to improvise…and have fun creating something special with the Minors in the process.  Perfect summer project.  Thing One has an ear infection, so when pool time is out…craft time is in!

Although this is a clever DIY, I wanted something bigger….We have this lazy susan base in the garage that we use when painting small things so we can rotate them on the workbench.  Perfect, I’ll tack the paper onto the lazy susan and we’ll be good to go…right?  If it works, then I’ll attach even bigger pieces of paper to it.

Um….maybe not.  It’s not exactly spin art.  The LS just couldn’t spin fast enough.  Until I can figure out some way to MacGyver a drill powered spinner…we are back to that clever salad spinner version.  Visions of our giant Hirst-ish creations would have to wait. So, here we go…small scale!

She used construction paper, and I used both watercolor and painting paper both of which worked equally well.  I thought the construction paper would be too flimsy and absorbent.  I traced out the bottom of the spinner basket and cut it out with a blade.  Pop the circle in the bottom of your spinner and it’s time to squeeze and spin!  I used craft acrylic paint in squeeze bottles…they are only $.59 each at Michaels.

We’ve started playing around with some other textures of papers and edges…like this slick silver paper I forgot I had…

I think in the end we can make a big piece with all the small ones compiled some way….

Back to spinning!

Holiday Progress

It doesn’t look like much, but we did actually accomplish more than stuffing our faces with carnitas over the July 4th holiday.  We have finally had a break from the Nashville Monsoon so I could finish that pesky spot of deck floor staining.

The old railings were really getting in the way of completing the stain job, so, even though we don’t have the hog panel yet, buh bye.

We’ve kept up the support posts since we will reuse them, but now we are thinking of rebuilding and widening the stairs.  We didn’t change them when they added onto the deck since they were attached to the old section and were perfectly fine.  We’ve got some planning and potential reconfiguring to do….of course…UGH!

So while deck progress is now at a potential screeching halt, the CC tackled a little work on the compost pile…

We are now using it although far from done…he has finished one gate, but could only find the ugliest hinges ever.  He has promised to paint/camouflage them since we grudgingly conceded that mail order stainless hinges were not required for a compost pile….although it would look SO much better.

AND, groan…we started to deal with the fallen tree.  One solid day of heat and sawdust.  I dragged branches to the road and stacked future firewood while the CC got all manly with the chainsaw.  There’s more to do, but what’s left is hidden from public view in the jungle so we can take our time finishing up.

We were so exhausted after that day…we packed up Thing One and Thing Two and headed to the pool.  I cracked out an old find from the depths…I think these were my dad’s.  Love ’em…even though the Things thought they looked “funny”.  I was too whipped to care if I looked “funny” in them or not.

Pork of July

Warning:  this post is rated M for Meaty and may not be suitable for all audiences. Vegetarians and pork averse…Just sayin’.

While cooking out BBQ is the standard fare on the 4th of July, we like to infuse a little ethnicity into our holiday pork.  This year we made one dish to eat, one to freeze.  Tonight we had carnitas with chipotle avocado lime cream.  In future, we’ll be having lemongrass pork potstickers, or lettuce wraps or tossed with noodles etc….

You see, when you’re brining a hunk o’ meat. you might as well plan ahead.  We brined the butt for the carnitas and the tenderloins for the lemongrass pork all together.

The CC’s brine consists of: 2 quarts water, half cup molasses, 1.5 cups kosher salt, I TB juniper berries, 1 TB black peppercorns and 10 whole cloves.  ANY pork will greatly benefit from hanging out in this stuff overnight.

The next day, the butt gets a rubdown of of garlic powder, fresh ground cumin and coriander, cinnamon, fresh bay leaves and oregano.  It goes in the slow cooker with chicken broth and chipotle paste for 10 hours…

When done, break it down into small pieces and crisp up in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes….then…dinner!

During the 10 hours the carnitas cooked…the tenderloins were cooked in the oven, then the meat was diced and mixed with fresh lemongrass, scallions, ginger, garlic, chili garlic paste (found in asian markets) fish sauce, light brown sugar and crushed roasted and salted peanuts.  All go into a smoking hot wok.

We use this giant wok outdoors when we are cooking in bulk.  The burner underneath came with a turkey fryer and the wok was an estate sale find.

Once the pork is golden brown…we pack it into small parcels for future use.  We almost always use fresh cilantro when we eat it, but it doesn’t freeze well, so we add it fresh once thawed.

And that, my friends, is what we call the Pork of July.  Happy 4th!