Podcast Ep. 39: TV Shows & The Cabinet That Made Jami Cry

This episode is all about the TV and so we thought it would be fun to remember all the way back to the first years of our marriage – before kids, house, or real jobs – and the TV cabinet that made me cry (no kidding). The search was long and by the time we found it, Brian thought was great because it was cheap and I was willing – until he actually brought it home and I could see it in the light of day. Believe it or not (spoiler!) it’s now one of our favorite pieces of furniture. We also discuss animatedly our favorite TV shows from the very late 80s to today. Plus, menu idea help in the form of our real-life example of a week of dinners, plus lots more, including an app you’ll want to check out if you’re going on a fun trip!

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TV Shows & The Infamous TV Cabinet

Here is the antique wardrobe that Brian and the shop owner pulled from the wall to sell us as an “armoire.” Yes we were young and poor. Picture it with the sides cracked and full of holes with only partial molding on top and rusted hardware.

What you see above on the left is the first fix Brian made of it and how we used it for many years. It became more and more rickety, though, and he really wanted to get rid of it. I still liked the character-filled wood and clean lines so it lived in our garage for even more years when we got another “official” TV cabinet that I never really liked (you can actually see a picture of it here in the show notes from Episode 12 where we talked about cutting cable and more TV).

On the right is during its “deconstruction.” That’s the tongue-and-groove panelling from the back leaning against the frame. He continued to take all the rest off, rebuilding it to be sturdier inside and out. And it needs to be sturdy because that old-growth fir makes it h.e.a.v.y. to move.

Here it is now in our temporary living room (while we work on the farmhouse fixer):

I really do like the patina of the wood and the simple lines. Now that we have a simple farmhouse, I’m doubly glad I never consented to get rid of it – I think it will look perfect in the farmhouse! I realize it doesn’t look all the different, but trust us, it’s much sturdier and the finish looks better after a thorough rub-down with linseed oil.

You can see the salvaged tongue-and-groove panelling on the back when the doors are open – and how much room there is to fit the new bigger, but thankfully much lighter, TVs.

The TV Shows We Love, Past & Present

Favorite past TV shows we enjoyed watching together (and some that we’re rewatching now with our daughter – streaming options are so fun!):

Late 1980s-90s:

• Star Trek- The Next Generation
• X-files
• 30 Something & ER
• Comedies: Seinfeld, Friends, Mad About You, etc. (The “Must-See TV” Thursday line up.)

2000’s:

• America’s Funniest Home Videos (great for family nights)
• Lost
• Comedies: Arrested Development, The Office, 30 Rock, Malcolm in the Middle
• House
• Ugly Betty (first season and first half of second season – after that it got weird and lost it’s way)

2010’s-Present:

• Foyle’s War (This actually started airing in 2002, but we didn’t find it until 2013 and then we watched the previous seasons on Amazon, which are now only on Acorn through Amazon.)
• Psych (Light-hearted laughing with our teen daughter – another one that started on cable in the late 2000’s but we didn’t have cable and so didn’t start watching until later when we could stream.)
• Stranger Things
• PBS Sherlock
• Elementary
• Downton Abbey
• The Crown
• Endeavor
• Documentaries: Making a Murderer, OJ Simpson, Evil Genius, to name a few.

What’s Cooking

After sharing an example of our simple real food, real life week’s menu in episode 37, I thought I’d share another, this time highlighting the benefit of having a stash of freezer meat ready to pull out as needed:

• Monday– Pulled pork tacos (using leftover freezer meat)
• Tuesday– Dinner & Movie out
• Wednesday– BBQ Ribs, Cumin-Lime Slaw, grilled Artisan Bread
• Thursday– Chef’s Salads (using frozen rotisserie chicken)
• Friday– Grilled lemon fish foil packets (these are so good – I keep wanting to get the recipe posted for you guys!), salad, bread
• Saturday– Burgers
• Sunday– On Your Own

This is Really Cool!

Brian’s: Kefir – it’s like a yogurt smoothie, but full of probiotics. Article on the differences between Kefir and yogurt.

Jami’s: Polar Steps App – super cool way to record your own travels and let your friends and family follow along!

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And if you’d like to ask a question or leave an idea for future podcasts you can call (541) 658-0215 to leave a voicemail and we’ll talk about it on the air!

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