We may be one of the few households in America that does not have cable television. Captain adamantly refuses to pay for TV. Luckily for us, we have a monster antenna on the roof that brings in a lot of channels.
In particular, we like to watch channel 15-3, which is a public TV station based out of Iowa, I believe. This is public television’s answer to HGTV, the Travel Network, and the Food Network.
We are foodies in this house, so we watch Cook’s Country, Lidia’s Italy, and Martha Stewart’s Cooking School. In fact, because we watch Cook’s Country and subscribe to their magazine, I am a recipe tester for them! That’s a pretty cool deal. They send me a recipe to test, then I make it and let them know what worked and what didn’t. The recipes eventually end up in their magazine which gives me warm fuzzies when I see them.
We rarely travel interstate...much less international...but Rick Steves’ Europe is an excellent program to see all kinds of fun and exciting places plus get some really interesting historical perspectives and a few budget hints and tips. So far, we have “been” to Rome, Venice, Turkey, Prague, and Ireland. All from the comfort of our recliners!
The best day ever is when there is a Bob Ross rerun. He is just a hoot when he is painting his “happy trees” all over the place. Who can be in a bad mood when watching that?
Besides being foodies, we are history buffs around here. That makes Wednesdays pretty special because on channel 15-4, it is History Day...often specifically Minnesota history. We have watched a couple of extremely interesting (if you are a history buff) shows about the evolution of several Twin Cities neighborhoods as well as specific architecture treasures in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. Always a new tidbit of trivia gleaned from those shows.
The DIY shows on Create TV aren’t quite as much fun as House Hunters on HGTV, but we do like This Old House and Katie Brown’s Workshop...or at least I do. Some of Katie’s stuff is a little frou-frou for me, but it is still fun to see what she comes up with every day.
I always come away after watching any DIY show thinking that I can repurpose any piece of crappy junk into a family heirloom treasure. If you doubt me, ask my children. They’ve been through this a multitude of times. The problem is my desire is often out of proportion to my abilities, and the crux of that problem is the simple fact that patience is not my strong suit. I don’t have the temperament to futz with something to get it perfect. I am the original “it’s good enough and if someone doesn’t like it they can lump it” girl.
I don’t know why I can sit down for hours--literally--and crochet but if I had to, for instance, stencil something on a painted wall...nope, won’t happen. This goes waaAAaay back to my childhood when my mother had to buy special coloring books with extra thick lines because I just could not--more likely would not--stay inside the lines to make a pretty picture. Color me a rebel, no pun intended.
The one trash-to-treasure project I did accomplish was refinishing the antique icebox out of my mom’s storeroom. I remember this icebox sitting in our basement when I was a kid and I was always fascinated by it. When mom was cleaning out her storeroom a couple of years ago, she said I could have it when I asked for it.
I had to consult with my good friend, Skippy, who is a refinishing wizard (and garden guru and culinary expert, by the way). She not only gave me some helpful hints and tips but patiently listened to my minute-by-minute updates on my progress. I’m pretty sure the finished product wouldn’t have turned out as good as it did without all of her assistance. In the end, I have what I consider to be a family heirloom piece with a rich heritage. My kids will probably chuck it in the burn pile when I am gone, but I will enjoy it until then.
In the meantime, I will keep watching Create TV on Iowa Public Television to garner more ideas. Who knows? Someday maybe a project will fall within the parameters of both my desire and my ability and I will have another heirloom piece for my home.
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