It’s Wednesday, so you know what that means! I was up raring for a bike ride. If only it could be outdoors. It was 2 degrees out this morning, so that just wasn’t happening LOL! I hopped on the trainer for 10 miles and read. I have to say I am loving reading while on the trainer. The time goes by so fast, and I don’t lose speed (which is what I was worried about). I just have to be careful not to drip sweat on my reading material. 😳 Then we were off to bagels! Carb up day today. I had a wheat bagel. These are made locally and tasted very fresh. Nummy. 
I was sad when it was gone. We also stopped afterward at the county building and are given the go ahead to start on our laundry room remodel! I am so excited to start ripping it apart. 😈 We are walling off this portion to a separate room and adding a toilet and sink. 
Then this part will become a pantry with doors so anyone who comes to visit doesn’t have to look at all my oat products. 
Of course, things could possibly come to a screeching halt once we open up the floor and see what has to be done to put in the waste pipe. With a 100+ year-old house, you just never know. But I shall be optimistic. 😀 This should make for some good blog fodder, at any rate.
Lunch time! Laughing cow egg/egg white omelet.
I split a pear with John. He asked if I wanted half, so I decided to have that. I should have had a whole one because I wanted more 😀 Then I had some nuts. 
I am starting to crack out on these. Must be careful.
<insert whine> I got stuck with one of the worst dictating PAs for work today. I am not sure why, but I judge the quality of their work based on the quality of their dictations. I figure if they consistently dictate sloppily, rushed, or just poorly – then that is someone I will avoid going to them for medical care. Isn’t that weird?
Two of my favorite things for a snack today: 
Only a few more months until I can pick my own!
John set up to make coconut chicken curry for dinner tonight.
From this recipe. Changes are lined through.
Coconut Curry Chicken
1 ½ cups white rice brown rice (ours was already cooked and frozen)
2 teaspoons curry powder
One (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 teaspoons five-spice powder
1 jalapeno, chopped (seeds removed for milder flavor) didn’t have
½ large white onion, finely chopped
Salt
Pepper
In a medium saucepan, bring 3 ¼ cups salted water to a boil. Add the rice, bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Stir in the curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add the coconut milk and jalapeno and cook until reduced by half, about 7 minutes. Toss together the chicken, five-spice and ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. In a large, heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Increase the heat to high and stir-fry the chicken until just cooked through, about 6 minutes. Stir in the coconut sauce.
I had mine with sauteed brussels and no rice. Sprinkled with a few cashews on as well. Easy and tasty!
Now I am off with my mom for a lecture at the library (not the library!!) on perennials. Should be fun! thinkspringthinkspringthinkspring
Question: Are you handy around the house?
Oh, I know how you feel about reading on the trainer, because I watch movies on the stationary bike. I figure if I’m riding to nowhere physically, at least my mind can go on a little adventure!
No, I’m not handy around the house, but probably more from lack of practice or need to be. (I did take a hands-on auto maintenance class in college, though, does that count?) “Mr. Handsome-and-Handy,” as I’m sure you guessed, is particularly so. I’m constantly amazed at how much more life he’s gotten out of various appliances with his mad tinkering skills.
Glad you enjoyed your bagel day, and hope you have fun at the perennials lecture!
I am so NOT handy around the house! But, every time I watch HGTV I think “oh that looks easy”. I try it and realize… not so easy 🙁
Can’t wait to follow your remodel!
Tell John that dinner looks yummy!!
I can’t wait to get my bike out this year 🙂 And guess who’s responsible for that??
That curry looks awesome!!
Good luck with the renovation.
😀
Spring, yes please!
I am darned handy around the kitchen and I am also in charge of putting together any furniture we buy…and I do it alone. D has to actually get in the car and go. 🙂
Can’t wait to see the renovations take place. I love see progress pics.
Coconut chicken curry looks great…we had it last night and the night before…can’t get enough curry.
Hi Pixie!
I hope to become handy around the house!
Do you eat salted or raw nuts?
Enjoy getting and building a new pantry. I can only imagine how frustrated you must feel having such an open pantry for everyone to see.
I prefer roasted nuts to raw. And I like salted. And candied 😀
I’m wondering: do you have to get permission to remodel your house on the inside?
Here you can do anything within your 4 walls what you like, if you want to built outside or make your house bigger you have to get permission.
I’m absolute not handy around the house but I have a hub for that 🙂
He is extremely handy and rebuild our bathroom, living room, toilet and kitchen by himself. We have an agreement: I do all the housework and he does all the heavy jobs and maintenance of the house.
You need permits depending on what you are doing.
Since we are altering the plumbing and putting in new wiring, we are going the legal route and having an inspector come in to make sure it is all okay. Some people would just do it without permits, but we want to know if something is really wrong so we don’t have a disaster on our hands. Cause that kind of thing would happen to us LOL.
Most other stuff doesn’t require permits inside.
That bagel looks dang incredible, so does everything else you ate, man I’m starving right now LOL!
Good luck with the remodel 🙂
Pixie, Pixie, Pixie – I missed you so!!!!!!!!! 🙂 Ya think I came here for just Pixie! 😉 NOT but I so love seeing pics of her!
I am so bad with any home type of stuff… not a bone in my bod that does this stuff good! Lots of respect for what you two do!
That bagel looks divine!
I am SO not handy at all around the house. I really can’t do much besides change a lightbulb and clean, but those are important, right? 🙂
There’s something about a remodel that can make even a hundred year old house feel new again! Well, at least once you get through it. I hope it’s fun and not a big pain for you.
It’s so springlike here today I’m afraid to leave my office… if I do I might not come back!
Looks like Pixie has taken on the role of “Foreman of your Reno”! I SOOOO related to “only a few months ’till I can pick my own blueberries!”.
I’m not particularly handy. Sadly, that doesn’t stop me from doing things. I’m prepping the front part of the house for painting now. Caulk everywhere. 🙂
Congrats on the remodel!! Such big plans and such a big bagel. If putting together IKEA furniture counts, I’m handy 🙂
Unfortunately neither my husband or I are very handy around the house. And, my husband bought a fixer-upper of a house! We have done a lot of work to it, but most of the time we have to hire it out, and then we just do the painting (the no-brainer work!) It gets kind of a pricey….
Good luck on your remodeling project! That will be so nice for you when it’s done! I would love a pantry!
That coconut chicken sounds delicious. My husband is very handy around the house- so I’m glad for that! I know a lot about windows and doors because of my job- so I can do things like that if that counts! 🙂