there's no place like gnome.

Back when we were stuck at home in the middle of winter, when flour was in short supply, when I was looking for projects, I began a sourdough starter. (Here.) I baked a loaf or three of sourdough bread, plus lots of goodies with the sourdough discard. Then summer arrived. I tucked the starter in the back of my fridge. Who wants to bake bread in a 450 degree oven when it’s 85 outside?

It was in the back of the fridge longer than it should have been. In everything I’ve read, a refrigerated starter should still be recharged every couple weeks. I didn’t for probably, oh, two and a half months. I pulled it out a week ago, as the weather begins to get cooler, and you know what? My starter is stronger than ever, baby.

A mark of a good starter is that it doubles in size after it’s fed. Mine never did that before; it would rise but never double. Now? It nearly triples in size. It’s an active little jar of delicious goop on the counter.

Last night I began prepping a deep dish foccacia bread to eat with pumpkin chili tonight. (Pumpkin chili: don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. I first had it with my Dawson-turned-Austin friends. It’s healthy and suuuuper filling and perfect for chilly nights. Tonight’s version features peppers and tomatoes from the garden.) Now, I’ve never made foccacia bread before. Dave doesn’t even know what focaccia bread is so this is new on lots of levels.

It’s a thing of beauty. And super delicious. Look at those glorious bubbles created by the wild yeast in the starter! Maybe tomorrow morning we’ll cut a piece in half to make egg sandwiches. (YUM.) Dave said it kind of tastes like pizza bread which means next time we really should smoosh chunks of mozzarella and pepperoni in it and dip it in marinara. (YUM.) This time around I added rosemary (my favorite from the garden) but cheese is always a good idea.

This is it. The last project to share from my extended time at home.* I return to school on Tuesday to work four days a week as an instructional paraprofessional – the job I left last March when the stay-at-home order began. It’s hard to think about going back after six months at home but I’m kind of ready to not paint or garden. We accomplished MUCHO over this time.

The sunroom is the room that sold me on the house. Hexagon tile floor. Skylights with loads of windows. Love.

However, I didn’t love the brick walls. The brick was, eh, not pretty brick. Between the brick and the floor, there was a lot going on that didn’t really seem cohesive.

To the horror of some and the delight of others, we painted the brick. Primed and then painted. And it was not enjoyable. Ugh. Painting brick = not fun. However, the result? Totally worth it.

The trim was painted black. The doors a shade of teal – Sherwin Williams “Calypso” to be precise. (Our front door is now the same color.) The ceiling a light shade of blue. (I ordered the ceiling paint online to pick-up curbside at our local Sherwin Williams store. An employee called me to make sure I indeed wanted ceiling paint tinted blue. Yup. We’re painting our ceiling blue.)

The far corner with comfy chairs is where Dave camps out to work from home each day. The table begs for family/friends to visit and dine. (Someday. Post-pandemic.) The dog crate on the far side is one of Emmett’s favorite spots to nap. We will hang out here and drink coffee on weekends; come fall, the cute electric fireplace in the corner will get much use.

The skylights still need a coat of paint. A couple new rugs are on the agenda. The ceiling fan begs for an update/replacement. But the improvement already is immense. IMMENSE. It’s a bright, delightful, classic room. Still sells me on the house.

*Unless I share our outdoor update. We made our way around the entire house, revamping the gardens, and spread 12 yards of mulch in the process.