MY HUSBAND ROCKS FRIDAY!

Well as promised I am posting MY HUSBAND ROCKS! Friday.
Those of you who know us already know about my kitchen re-do, but here's the skinny anyways.
I have been waiting to re-do my kitchen for some years...as I know now that we will be staying for who knows how long in this house, it was time! So we sold our camper (which we didn't use all that much anyways) and I used the money to buy cabinets. Now they really were a good deal, but there has been some issues. First of all, the cabinets had to be assembled. Sounds easy enough, right? Well they didn't come with instructions, and some of the boards were warped, hinges broke, faces a little damaged. Have no fear, the company we bought the cabinets from were a dream to work with, they exchanged hinges, and gave us stain to do touch-ups. The assembly of the first cabinet was the very worst. After that, he said, not a problem. Now before this, I wanted the stove and fridge moved, so he had to re-wire the stove, hood vent, new outlets, light switches, and also plumb a new water line for the ice maker in the fridge. Also I wanted to put the microwave in the cabinets so he will have to wire that as well. He then measured and hung all the upper cabinets by himself as I was working in Island Park that weekend. He said it would be better to do if I was gone! WHAT? LOL! Measurements said our kitchen was 10 feet wide, but oh no, it was 9 and like 3/4..but Jade made them fit by slightly moving the cabinet forward. I know it's like that, but many who've seen it can't tell. Jade still has two cabinets yet to be hung, which I'm sure he'll do this weekend since I'll be working, then he will finish my countertops. Yes thats right he has made butcherblock countertops! After that, well, we found a pretty good deal on some wood floor, same wood that the countertops are made out of actually. But that will have to come later as the budget right now doesn't allow for it. In the end, our cabinets cost us $1,300 dollars, which I have found to be extremely inexpensive. If I didn't have a husband who is inclined the way he is, it would have cost AT LEAST 3 times that amount, and look how good they look! My before picture isn't the real before picture, as I had forgotten to take a picture, but it's close enough.
To my wonderfull husband who does things for me because he loves me (like this kitchen), I love you very much!
Have a wonderful and safe weekend everyone!

I went yesterday to get some more cabinets, and will have to go today to get the very last, as the sale goes only until the end of the month. I had to return my hood vent cover, as it didn't work with my hood vent (sigh). I also have to return a set a doors I bought, too big (sigh). Someday my kitchen will be finished. I have put stuff back into cabinets though, so I'm not running from room to room to get food. While I was in the Burg I went to D.I.. It's almost always a must for me to stop. I bought some glass domes for my sister, so those are her treasures, the rest are mine. The blue thing is a clip, and I bought 2 of them...I will repaint them and put a magnet on the back of one, so I can put it on my fridge. Not sure where I'll put the other though. The metal cooling rack things are going to be a hanging pot rack. I am designing and building my own, we'll see what it ends up looking like (scary). The other is a metal hanging basket that I thought I'd put on my porch with "things" in it. While I was visiting my mom, I took pictures of the bedroom I was staying in. It had this cool old barn wood shelf with stuff on it. So, yesterday I was tired of waiting on my husband to take down my other shelf and do mine, so i did it myself. It is mostly bare right now, but the picture frame I bought will house 2 samplers I have yet to do, and am not sure I can do. The sign I will sand down and put my own touch on, and the Mountain Man statue, which was my FIL will stay up there but in a different spot. I already love the look the most! I actually closed down the D.I. last night, it was not the first time.
My sister broke her wrist! Well she had some help! Her first broken bone....My first and only (knock on wood) broken bone was my collar bone. I was in a car accident when i was 14. It never healed right. So I hope everything goes good for her, and that she heals right, and fast.
I am also going to participate in Chers blog my husband rocks friday. I have a plethora of MHR stories.

We went to Jackson Hole, Wyoming yesterday on our bike. What my old, fat butt realized after that trip, is that we need a more comfortable bike to take on trips, so we are selling ours, to get a "touring" bike. Went went for breakfast at Jedediahs House of Sourdough. The log cabin itself has been placed on the national historic register, as it was built in 1910. The sourdough start they use, and sell, dates back to the 1870's. Jades mom has been talking about this place, and even brought me back a start, so it was time to saddle up and see for myself. I had my usual breakfast of 2 eggs, sausage, and hashbrowns, but at jedediahs you get to choose from biscuits and gravy (which is what I got), sourjacks(which is what jade got), toast, and I'm sure there was something else. My breakfast was okay, but the biscuits and gravy were really quite good, and I didn't like the sourjacks at all. After we ate, we wandered around and found a chili cookoff, but we didn't partake as we were stuffed completely from breakfast. We did however, see signs for a Mountain Man Rendevouz, and traders row, so we went in search. I think there was a total of 10 on traders row, hawking about the same stuff, and no one "camping" ....one in a great big motorhome not welcome inside. I bought some beads, I had been wanting some anyways, and they were so cheap to buy there, that I did. I should have taken a picture of the row, but I didn't. Just a picture at the top of Jackson pass, and yes, that is still a TON of snow, and one of Jade. I hope LBC liked the pictures of his bike.

So, I found this new blog. It isn't very often I stray from my "family" blogs, but was just having a look on YES, Craigslist, and there it was. She has super cute ideas, ones that I know I'll use from time to time, romance on a dime type of thing. Check her out. you should be able to click on the link. I found some really great ideas on her blog. Have fun. Oh yeah, on all my wanderings on ditch banks I only was able to pickle 3 quarts, and 4 pints of asparagus. More ditch banks today! That's just barely enough for us! LOL! Have a beautiful day, it's almost 70 degrees here.

So our power was out for like 5 hours. Not just here, but clear to Rexburg as well. So, what do you do when the power goes out? You read! Yes, read. All my appliances are electric, can't cook, or do laundry, so a better excuse to read my new book, I didn't have. When Jade got home he worked on LBCs bike, fine tuned it, then watched a movie on the computer. I was still reading. I have since finished the book, now I'm going to watch whatever I could get recorded on my DVR.

So I walked for hours and miles yesterday. I am a little too early up here still to find a lot of asparagus, so I drove to Rigby. Just on one road I found 3 times more than up here. It stayed warm even though the wind was blowing. I will have double picking seasons it seems, one in Rigby and one up here, how cool is that? So the wind that was blowing yesterday blew in cool weather, and of course, more WIND! I was gonna borrow a camp chef to pickle on today, but am gonna wait the wind out. I don't want to fight with the cooker to keep the flames lit. Here is my almost finished kitchen. I found the roman shades at lowes for $15 bucks a piece. I instantly fell in love with them. I've always liked roman shades. I was a little nervous bringing them home though, cuz their red, and damask, but Jade likes them A LOT! You can see my new stove a little in the corner of the one picture.
For LBC, the chain and sprockets came today for your bike, so Jade will get to that project tonight when he gets off work, and the bike will be ready to go!

Happy belated Mothers Day to all the moms out there. I was working this weekend, but when I got home last night most of my kitchen cabinets were in, and they looked awesome. I'll post a picture when I can find a cable, or get my good camera to work.
One of my favorite pastimes in the spring is to drive out to the country and walk the ditch banks looking for asparagus. I can walk for hours picking. I just love doing that. I picked a little bit in Rigby last week, in the gale force wind, and still loved it. But now is the time up north here, and today it is already 68 outside, which makes for pleasant picking. I love asparagus anyway I can get it, but Jade just likes it pickled. I now have to get myself a camp chef because I have a brand new ceramic glass top stove, which I cannot can on. I am looking forward to pickling a ton of asparagus this year, and selling some up in I.P. this winter.

To tip, or not to tip, and how much, this is the question.

I have been in the service industry for all my life, in one form of it or another. I have worked as a waitress for some of that and at times my wage was as low as $2.15 an hour. This of course was years ago, and the “tip percent” was at 10% of the ticket. Now of course, if I get a 10% of the ticket tip I am put off. But should I be? In my new position I’ve had to take the order, prepare the meal, serve the meal, clear the table, and wash the dishes. So yes, when I receive 10%, I get upset, and yes, even offended! I have just spent almost an hour running around for “$6.00”.
My friend asked me “when did the minimum tip percent go from 10 to 18%”? I’m not sure when that happened, or if it ever really did, maybe since cost of living has increased? But I do know that good etiquette dictates, if your meal was good, your service was good, and you were treated good, 15 to 20% is the area of which you should tip. There are exceptions of course.
Jade and I were on our honeymoon, in a 5 star restaurant, and our server took our order, then we never saw her again, literally! The scandinavian bus girl who we caught on her way to the kitchen with an arm load of dishes, and who could speak almost no english, “took care” of us for the remainder of our meal. When we were ready to leave, we found her, gave her $30 and told her to keep it to herself and not share, that was 20%. The food was great, and she did our bidding, even though it certainly wasn’t her job to do so. We left no money on the table for our server!
With all that being said, statistics show that it is single moms, those working their way through school, or people like me, with little or no schooling, working as servers. I know I work very hard at my job, and want everyones experience with me to be the very best I can offer them. Not all people have the same work ethic I do, but in the end we are all just trying to survive. I tip according to my service usually, as the servers really have no control over the food. I will tip 20% and go up or down from there.
I am blogging today, because of an experience I recently had, where I apparently offended someone by saying that $10 on a $85 ticket was too cheap. Of course, those are the words that came out, but I had meant to say, that it wasn’t enough. I was in total shock, and disbelief. My answer to this, is, to never go out to eat with this person again.
I tip the way I do, because I’ve been in the industry my whole life, and I know how it feels to run your butt off for a measly pittance, and am not going to be known as one of “those” kinds of people. And because some servers are a cut above, and deserve the respect of 10% more. Think about it, the next time your eating out. Is 10% really good enough? And if you can’t afford to tip right, then maybe you should learn how to cook and stay home!

The views in this article are mine alone, and I mean no offense to anyone!