Domestic Putterings

In the Pink

This Domestic Putterer is going to be walking a bit stiffly for the next day or so.

But it's worth it.

I spend Saturday morning walking the 5-kilometer Komen Northeast Ohio Race for the Cure in downtown Cleveland.

The weather was perfect. There were just enough clouds to keep the sun from getting to strong, the weather was mild and there was a slight breeze.

For someone who is on more of a second-shift schedule, having to get up before 7 a.m. is not a fun thing. But some things are more important than sleep.

Like my sister.

And your sister. And our moms, our aunts, our grandmas, our cousins, our friends, our colleagues.

We Are Family

Some people collect model trains. Or baseball cards.

Ray Kowiako collected family. And I was blessed to be a part of that collection.

Ray passed away August 1, just a few weeks shy of his 82nd birthday. He had been slowly going downhill the past few months and the rest of the family knew things weren't good when he missed Ben's graduation party, then Rachel's wedding. One of Ray's favorite things in the world was a family gathering, and it would take a lot for him to not be at one, let alone two.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

It's hard to believe that a year and a day has passed since John and I stood before Canton mayor William Healy and got married.

It wasn't the wedding I envisioned when I was younger, or even when John and I got engaged. The original plan was a simple ceremony at Grand Pacific Junction, followed by a reception at the Grand Pacific Hotel right down the road. Maybe 100 people, tops. I even had a lovely dress picked out.

But when I lost my job, it just didn't seem sensible to spend at least $6,000 on a wedding.

Scaling back plans, however, was not a huge sacrifice. The small, intimate, family ceremony we ended up having at Bender's in Canton turned out perfect. It was relaxed, and happy.

So much has happened since that wonderful day. I've gone from unemployed to freelancing to back to work. We've both had to make the change from living apart to living together. Even after being together for almost five years, that was still an adjustment.

Pay it Forward

When you think of recycling, what comes to mind?

Newspapers? Soda cans? Plastic bottles?

Think bigger. A lot of things in your house can be recycled, and help others at the same time.

When I wrote about the "green building" trend during my time at Inside & Out, I found out one of the best ways we can help the environment when we're doing home improvement projects is to minimize building waste. The amount of waste generated building and remodeling homes is staggering.

If you're going to be doing a home improvement project soon, think about ways you can avoid sending stuff to the dump.

A Very Conscious New Year

Well, 2009 is officially in the history books and we're in the 2010s.

Many of us were happy to kick 2009 -- as well as the previous decade -- to the curb. Between terrorism, war, the economy and job losses, we had to look even harder for the silver lining.

Even in the midst of hard times, it's hard not to get a wee bit excited about the new year. Twelve months, 52 weeks, 365 days, shiny and new. Nothing bad has happened in them yet. Anything is possible.

During my career, I've written a few New Year's resolution stories. I've kind of soured on traditional resolutions, because very often they're made impulsively with no real idea on how to carry them out.

This year, I'm looking at the resolution thing a little differently.

Holiday Decorations: Something Old, Something New

I love decorating the house for Christmas. Any other holiday, I cheerfully blow off. But there's something about Christmas that brings out my inner decorator.

We got an early start last week. There's a box in the guest room holding some holiday decorations from my mom. Working in the schools back home in Southbury for over 30 years and with a wide circle of friends, she'd gotten a lot of holiday decor as gifts over the years. There was too much for her to use, so she decided to go through the decorations and pare down.

There were some things I hadn't seen before, like a pretty cream-colored porcelain jar with a pine tree and cardinals painted on it, and a peppermint-scented candle inside. But there was also a piece of my childhood in there, a little ceramic ornament I made in second grade. It's shaped like a house and, me being my mother's daughter and inheriting a love of the sparkle, covered in glitter.

Some ornaments, including my childhood masterpiece, are set aside awaiting the Christmas tree we'll go get next week. I put out a few of the decorations in the living room, clearing the top of the bookcase for Christmas cards.

Happy Holidaze!

How was Thanksgiving for everyone? It was a blissfully happy time for your Domestic Putterer, as her sister Deb and brother-in-law Marty came out from Connecticut for the holiday. They went nuts cooking the dinner down at John's parents' home, and the meal was a huge hit.

With them coming in on Tuesday and staying until Sunday, we were able to squeeze in some fun. Deb and I got pedicures, and all four of us went to see the Cleveland Symphony perform. They left early Sunday morning, and I had to go to work that afternoon, making the Thanksgiving weekend officially over.

Which means it's time to think about Christmas.

Talking Turkey, and Everything Else on the Table

It's almost as much fun to talk about Thanksgiving food as it is to eat it. So let's share all the good (and not-so-good) eats we love as the holiday descends.

Time to share!

1. What's your favorite stuffing/dressing?

2. What dish is a regular at your Thanksgiving table that you'd gladly never see again?

3. What's your favorite non-stuffing/dressing side dish?

4. What dish would you love to make, but haven't because you don't have time with all the "traditional" dishes you have to make or because no one else wants it?

5. Stuffing/dressing in the bird or out?

6. What's your favorite way of using Thanksgiving leftovers?

Turkey for Me, Turkey for You...

We're less than a week away from Thanksgiving, which John has taken to calling "a speed bump on the way to Christmas."

I always liked Thanksgiving because of its simplicity. It's about getting together, eating, and being happy. I've never gotten into Thanksgiving decor beyond a tablecloth in fall colors that looks good from September through November.

We're not all blessed to have the harmonious ideal of a Thanksgiving, as pictured in Norman Rockwell's classic painting, "Freedom from Want." That ideal can cause a lot of stress, as a recent New York Times article showed. Some people fear judgment from their mothers-in-law or from their guests, and tie themselves into knots trying to be Martha Stewart on crystal meth. People struggling with family dysfunctions, job loss, money troubles, or grief dread the holiday, feeling like they have to put on a happy face of denial in order not to upset everyone.

Maybe it's time to let go of the ideal, just a little.

Going Home ... and Coming Home

In case you're wondering about the long break between posts, your Domestic Putterer took a little vacation. And, it turns out, just in time.

I'd decided over the summer that, since I was out of work anyway, it'd be a good time to take a trip back to Connecticut to visit my family and friends. I'd missed my 25-year high school reunion last fall, and hadn't seen my grandmother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew in almost a year. Mackenzie and Nick are growing up so fast; I don't like missing such a big chunk of their lives. And, when your grandmother is in her mid-90s, you know -- but don't want to admit -- that opportunities for time together may be dwindling.

When plans started being made on Facebook for an all-years reunion for Pomperaug High, I figured I'd come back for that and stay about five or six days. Then it was announced that the Homecoming game for my college alma mater, Central Connecticut State, was the following weekend. So the trip got extended another five days. It'd leave me lots of time for family, but also time to see friends and just hang out. I knew that I wouldn't do half the stuff I'd want to, which led me to skip trips to New York City or the shore, and focus on people time close to home.