Friday night fun.

Well, the bathroom is not done.  But it's getting there.  We're hiring a guy to the floors for us.  I think it's going to be worth it just for the peace of mind and a chance to relax a little bit.  Once the floor is in we can install the toilet and once the toilet is installed we can get the old septic tank crushed and start using the new one full time.  Then really all that we need to do is get the vanity and the tub put in and some paint on the walls.  We're going to use our old vanity temporarily while we wait for the neighbor to make a brand new custom one.  It's been fun tossing around ideas for paint and what kind of materials and colors to use on the vanity.  When it's all finally done that bathroom is going to be amazing.  We won't be able to say it's fully complete until next summer though because the fan won't be hooked up until then.
Last night we spent an incredibly romantic evening sanding the dry wall... It was dusty and I thought I was going to choke.  And, we only have one sanding thingy (sorry, I don't know what they're actually called) so really we took turns watching each other sand drywall. 
Here are some pictures of our progress so far.

Recipes...

I found this blog post today.  I have to agree with the author.  Personally, I use recipes to an extent.  I have a number of cookbooks and I have a subscription to Cooks Illustrated. 
But, in large part, I find myself mostly winging it when I cook.  I'll look at a recipe to get an idea of how the dish should be made... cooking times, temperatures, techniques, and general ingredients.  I'll tweak the ingredients if I think I can get away with it and I almost never use measuring spoons. 
If you feel recipes are holding you hostage I encourage you to be brave.  Keep the measuring spoons in the drawer for once.  You've measured ingredients before.  You should have an idea of what a tablespoon of oil looks like in the bottom of your frying pan or how many shakes of salt it takes to fill up that 1/8 teaspoon.  If you're nervous be conservative.  You can always add but it's challenging to take away herbs and spices.  Flavors can sometimes be balanced but it's never the same.

Chili

We didn't have chili tonight because the guys were happy to eat left over pork.  But, as promised I will post my dad's chili recipe.  This is straight from dad:

It's begun

The new bathroom is being installed.  Parker's dad arrived Thursday and they've been working diligently since.  To my great relief his dad seems to be pretty organized.  He worked out a list of all the things we needed to pick up before construction could start.  He sat down with us and we worked out a layout we did all of the things I would have liked to have done a month ago but couldn't because I don't know the first thing about creating a bathroom.  I like lists, I like time lines, I like plans.  All of those things that used to drive me insane when I was younger. 

Tis the season...

For large scale home projects!  Yikes.  Last week we had some guys out to install a new septic system.  They worked for 2 days.  We got a new tank and a new drain field.  But, it's not finished yet.  The septic guys did what they could but, because we are planning on remodeling a spare bedroom into a new bathroom they have to wait until the bathroom becomes functional before they can finish the septic. 
So, this weekend we're getting a new bathroom.  We've already purchased a new toilet (that will flush an entire bucket of golf balls!) and a new tub (6 feet long with 10 jets!).  We started tearing out the walls and getting the room gutted so major construction can start on Thursday.  The house is old.  Very old.  The walls are plaster over sheet rock over little tiny strips of wood and stuffed with sawdust. It's a mess.  He's been taking pictures and hopefully I will be able to post them eventually.

D-Day Update

Alright, I didn't get to post an update last night because I was exhausted.  We started processing around 3:30 or maybe 4pm.  First we gave each duck 35ccs of rum.  I'd forgotten that I accidentally drank the cheap vodka we had.  So, the ducks got Captain Morgan for their last drink.
Then, one at a time we selected a duck from the pen strung it upside down from the clothesline and slit the jugular vein.  It was very very windy so we bled them into the tractor bucket to prevent blood from spraying everywhere.  Once they were all dead we began the plucking process.  We dry plucked them to 80-90% clean then dunked them in a huge pot of scalding water with paraffin wax melted in it.  We scalded them for one minute and then dunked them in ice water.  Once the wax hardened so that it was still somewhat pliable but sufficiently cooled we peeled it off.  We did this to help remove the pinfeathers.  It worked out alright.  I'm not sure all the ducks got quite enough wax on them.

D-Day

Dispatching Day.  Today is it.  It's the end of the line for our little duckies. I'll miss watching them patrol the yard going QUAAAAACK-QUACK-QUACK-QUACK!  They're so much fun to watch.  But, they will provide us with some tasty meat and fat.  We might do the roosters too.  I won't miss them as much as they've gotten a little aggressive lately.

We are very fortunate to have a whole team of friends wanting to help us so hopefully the work will go quickly.  And afterward I'll be serving beer can chicken for supper. I am a little concerned because there is a very strong South wind today.  We don't have much for a shelter belt around the south end of the property so the yard is very very windy.  Wind is something you learn to live with here on the prairie but it sure does make things uncomfortable sometimes.  I think of all the weather phenomena wind is my least favorite.