piglet

elissaann and daveyfunsize came over this evening. They carried out the couch, and we celebrated daveyfunsize's birthday (better late than never). I've finished reorganizing all the knickknacks (both shelves of the mantel), sorted through the logic puzzles and finger-twiddlers and found places for the box and basket thereof, and unpacked and sorted the two boxes of obsolete media (videotapes, audiotapes and 45s -- a box to store, a stack for charlottezweb, and a stack to freecycle or something). daveyfunsize taped up the unpacked boxes into two bundles, which I'll put on freecycle tomorrow.

I still have to clear the table top, and unpack 5 boxes that are stacked in the corner. Oh, and sweep and mop. I don't think I'm going to finish tonight, alas. Holy crap! am I tired.

Can't think what else I did -- hm, took out the trash and the paper recycling. Emptied the litterbox. Put away more linens. Washed some camping gear and a rice pot that was in the fridge. Separated pictures to be hung from those that still need framing.

Tomorrow I've planned to work on the hallway -- hopefully I'll have enough time to also finish the living room. At this rate I am not going to be finished in time. (*So* dreading the office. It's jammed with stuff.)

Have no idea where I'm putting the dresser that's currently in the living room. Right now, the fish tank is on it, but I'll have to get an aquarium stand for the tank to make enough room to put the piano on that wall. And put the dresser where?!?

P.S. Having electricity at both ends of the living room? FABULOUS!!!

...I almost poured lemonade into my coffee instead of milk. (Same size & shape carton, right next to each other in the fridge.)

First pass hallway vacuum done, remaining framed pictures dusted and hung (still some to be framed -- must make notes about frame sizes), top of china cabinet rearranged again to make more room for candles & candlesticks, china cabinet insides rearranged to make more room for coffee cups, dining room table *almost* cleared CLEARED! (While I was typing, I had a brainstorm about where to put the doll house furniture -- duh, in the doll cabinet. So many of the dolls are off to the doll hospital, there's tons of room. Have put the talking Chihuahuas there, too.)

Soon as the Swiffer vac finishes recharging, I will vacuum the living room and hallway. Then I'll just have the mystery stack of 5 boxes in the corner, and the 10 and half boxes of books that I have no idea where to put.

elissaann asked me last night if I was missing the sprog. I said, "Hell, no!" but apparently some part of my subconscious is. I had the awfullest dream last night. Had lost sprog in a mall. Oddest kind of mall, at that. 3 stores (after which I woke up, phew) of mostly back room storage, one with clothes, one with rugs, and the other a restaurant? I think? Everyone and everything moving in slow motion. And me searching, searching, and not finding. Yuckity yuck.

Woke up with a headache and in lots of pain, too. First night in a while that I haven't taken a BayerPM before bed. Won't be making that mistake again soon.

Yo, daveyfunsize! I think this might be the family cheesecake recipe. Let me know if Lyndsay's version agrees with this one?

Crust:
1 2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbl. sugar
3 oz. butter

Filling:
1 1/2 lb. cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
juice 1 lemon

Topping:
1 pt. sour cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbl. sugar

Crust: melt butter, mix with crumbs, cinnamon and sugar. Line bottom and sides of a springform pan.

Filling: mix all (5) ingredients until smooth. Put in shell and bake 20 min. at 375 deg. F (medium hot oven).

Topping: beat all (3) ingredients together. Pour on top of cake. Bake 5 min. at 375 deg. F. Cool and refrigerate at least 8 hours.

Kay Dekker posted his Tante Guus's speculaas cookie recipe to soc.bi 6 years ago. I still refer to it, because I use the spice mix in just about everything I bake (anything that uses any of the sweet spices).

http://groups.google.com/group/soc.bi/msg/d923d45b4320bdbd is his original post.

For my own personal reference, here is the spice list:

30 parts by weight cinnamon, ground
10 parts by weight blade mace, ground
10 parts by weight cloves, ground
10 parts by weight ginger, ground
10 parts by weight coriander seeds, ground
10 parts by weight black pepper, ground

I like to add nutmeg and allspice, 10 parts by weight each, ground, to this mix. Am tempted to try grains of paradise at least once.

*happy dance*

Yes, in one of the mystery boxes in the dining room. Which turns out to have been holding several utensils I've been looking for, and the top to one of the sprog's sippy cups, ditto. Hurray for unpacking.

P.S. So all 5 mystery boxes turned out to be kitchen ware -- and they're now unpacked for values of unpacked that mostly equal filling the dishwasher and covering the dining room table. Now to stuff their contents somewhere into the kitchen. Ack!! I think it may be time to give up the rice maker / steamer. Hm.

Cleaned out the refrigerator (assume the culprit was the two lonely green pineapple slices sitting at the bottom of the can -- oops!), should smell better now. Took out the trash and the recycling (yes, again!), changed out the adorable-yet-dysfunctional duckie shower curtain rings for simple clear ones that actually work. Swept. Washed the contents of the 5 (mystery resolved) boxes, put most of them away. Still need to find space for the rest, currently on the dining room table.

Forgot to eat. Am now scrubbing the little bathroom.

P.S. Joined freecyclenewyorkcity, and posted an offer for the 2 bundles of packing boxes. 1 response already.