Curing Cabin Fever: Unplug

Sometimes the best way to address the winter blues is to unplug and spend a little quality time off-grid. Hannah and I are lucky enough to have a very generous aunt and uncle who allow us to use their adorable little cabin, but we’ve had weekends just like this in our own home. There’s no need for a special place, just self-control.

Hannah & Husband - Unplugged

Sunset at the cabin

Idea #2: Unplug

The cabin is about an hour away from our house and about 30 minutes away from cell service. Family has the phone number to the cabin’s landline, but otherwise nobody can get in touch with us. There is a DVD player and a television that doesn’t receive any channels. There’s a radio we’ve only used once. The moment we get there we start a fire, open a bottle of wine, and start reading. Heaven.

How do you unplug?

DIY Car Dollies

I’m garage deficient. Or car superfluous–no, that can’t be a thing. I have more cars than garage, so I had to come up with a solution. We have a one car garage with a workshop, but I have two classic cars that need storing. I researched several car dollies, but price and negative reviews led me to go the DIY route.

I found casters with a low profile and a high weight rating that didn’t cost an arm and a leg (when you need 16, the price adds up quickly). Once they finally arrived (backorder, of course) I used some spare plywood I had and created the platforms that the tires would sit on top of. It took three layers of plywood so the stem would not puncture the tires. Add a little paint, I was ready to go.

DIY Car Dollies

DIY Car Dollies

Here’s where I jacked the car up one corner at a time, praying the entire time, and loaded the car onto the dollies. Then, by myself, I pushed the car over to the workshop side of the garage. Now I just have to figure out where to put my tools.

DIY Car Dollies

DIY Car Dollies

Ready to go skating?

Typical Friday Evening

A conversation in our house tonight:

Hannah: “I like this song. What is it?”

Husband: “Deep Purple. Hush.”

Hannah (insulted, with a little attitude): “I just asked.”

Husband (confused): “I just answered.”

Deep Purple – “Hush”

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Hers & His

Hers| Hannah & Husband

Hers

Reading:

For January’s book club, I’ve been reading David Sedaris’ latest: “Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls.” I really love satire and also prefer reading non-fiction so I adore his writing. However, from what I’ve heard, this has been pretty controversial read among the ladies so tomorrow night’s meeting should be pretty entertaining.

Listening:

The series of events that led me to this one are better suited for a longer post(s). But recently I was excited to come across the audio for Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union. It was the speech that laid out the famous “Four Freedoms” less than a year before America joined the Allies in World War II…

Freedom of  Speech
Freedom of Worship

Freedom from Want
Freedom from Fear

This speech/policy not only inspired the famous quartet of Norman Rockwell paintings but also seems to have shaped America’s foreign policy from here on out. All that to say, this one speech has led me down a bit of a rabbit hole that has been so much fun! Does that ever happen to you? One nerdy thing leads to another and suddenly you find yourself researching a period in history you don’t know enough about?

Watching:

I have this theory that Netflix is both the best and worst thing ever. In the seven years since we became subscribers, we’ve obsessively watched and subsequently fallen in love with Frasier, Parks & Recreation, The West Wing, and (most recently) Psych. After 2 weeks of binge watching, I have a new favorite show.

His| Hannah & Husband

His

Reading:

We stay up way too late, way too often. I blame most of this on Craig Ferguson. The Late Late Show is like PeeWee’s Playhouse for people that grew up with PeeWee’s Playhouse. The normally silly Craig can also get serious, like when he eulogized his father or interviewed Desmond Tutu. All of this watching led me to his autobiography. Introspective, honest, and always funny–this is a story about overcoming addiction, but it also seems to me to be a man learning to be at peace with who he was and learning how that shapes who he is.

Listening:

I’ve had the opportunity to spend some more time playing piano recently (as positive a spin as I can put on this job search), so I’ve been listening to Rachmaninoff like this. Aggression, much?

Watching:

Our Sunday was a fun day of relaxing after a rather overindulgent Saturday. We did decide to open a bottle of wine as we re-watched Bottle Shock–a fun movie worth the time from Netflix. Mostly because, well, hooray wine.

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New Year’s Eve Plans

What are you doing New Year’s Eve?

 

We’re thinking a simple night in with a home-cooked meal. What are your plans?

Our Home Bar: Repurposed Steamer Trunk

trunk-before

The trunk (and floor) before a major overhaul

Hannah and I have always loved taking weekend drives up into the Smoky Mountains. Early in our marriage, while we were still trying to furnish our new (to us) home, we stopped at a little antique store on one of these drives. Filled primarily with the usual suspects, we did happen across one item that stood out: a vintage steamer trunk.

Joe Versus the Volcano

I’ll never let go, Jack!

We loved the look of it, and thought it would make the perfect end table or ottoman. However after a year or so, and a steadily growing liquor cabinet, we decided to repurpose the trunk. We removed four of the drawers, keeping the top for cocktail books & napkins, and creating shelving with the rest. We kept the fronts for the bottom drawers in order to hide the less attractive (or downright embarrassing) bottles. The left side had a perfect shelf at the top for a cutting board we already had, and underneath I put together a wine and glass rack with pine and a brad nailer. We liked the look of the unfinished wood enough that we’ve kept it that way.

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The steamer trunk is a conversation piece, and utilizing it as a bar has given us a beautiful and organized way to store our wine & liquor.

Plus, when the house sitter comes over, we can close it.

trunk-bar-hannahandhusband-3

Bar + Dexter photobomb on the far right

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On a related note, Hannah has a post on DIY’s Made + Remade today that will help you stock your own bar for the holiday season.

 

JFK – A Nation Reacts 50 Years Ago

Today being the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy, there has been plenty of discussion about the man and the event.

President Kennedy casual sailing style

Style icon notwithstanding, I’ve been fascinated with JFK for years. Reading about that day, seeing the films of the event, watching old news coverage, and even going to the Sixth Floor Museum have all contributed to quite the fascination. However, nothing has ever had quite the impact that this recording has. The first 45 seconds place you right in that room with the Boston Symphony Orchestra as the news was announced. It is completely devastating. What follows is one of the most emotionally charged performances of the second movement of Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony.

I’m sure you’ll be inundated with coverage of this event today, but make sure you have a listen and read the article. Just make sure you’ve got your crying face ready.

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