After much deliberation, Matt and I have decided to try to sell our condo. As part of the process to get it ready to show, our realtor contracted the service of a home stager to give us tips on how we could make our home look most attractive to potential buyers. Her suggestions included the regular things — you know, move around some furniture, wipe down the light plates, declutter and add more cute accessories.
Now did you catch the irony in that last sentence? We need to remove all the “clutter” – which is stuff like the dog food container, our slow cooker, the pile of keys that we actually use in our every day lives – and replace with “cute things” – like candles, flowers and vases, which I don’t even own because they don’t serve any purpose. I think the stager was annoyed with my attitude by the time she left.
One of the other suggestions she made is that I don’t cook any food with strong scents while our place is on the market. Considering that my main activity most weekends is cooking foods with onions and garlic – or putting delicious combinations of ingredients in the crockpot so the scent fills our home and wafts into the hallway – I’m wondering how I will accomplish that.
But while we are still in the process of decluttering and adding cute things, and no one is walking through and assessing any lingering scents, I have been fully embracing the crock pot. I’ve made this recipe three times in the past three weeks since my mom gave me the idea. I like it because it’s easy, nutritious, inexpensive and a little different than most veggie dishes I make. It keeps well and I enjoy it both hot and cold. I usually add chicken or pork to round it out for a wonderful work lunch or perfect 4pm snack.
Sweet Crockpot Cabbage
Red cabbage, 1 head
Red onion, 1
Gaia apple (or other sweet pink apple), 1
Raisins, ½ cup
Bay leaves, 2
Chicken broth, 1 cup
Salt and pepper
- Remove core from cabbage and then chop cabbage into pieces. It really doesn’t matter what size. I chopped each half into quarters and that seemed to work well.
- Chop onion and apple into bite-sized chunks.
- Add all ingredients (cabbage, onion, apple, raisins, bay leaves, chicken broth, salt and pepper) to crock pot and stir together a bit.
- Let cook on low heat for 4-5 hours. Cabbage may brown a bit but will be find once you mix it up.
The stager didn’t appreciate your fake lemons?
LOL! Matt actually put away the fake lemons a few months ago. He complained about the clutter.
MC
Oh my, this looks so good!
Thanks!
It was great to have it in the fridge for easy lunches and dinners.
MC
Hey MC, I loved this post. I had to laugh when I read, “…which I don’t even own because they don’t serve any purpose.” I had just read this quote by Oscar Wilde from a lecture he gave in 1885, “I have found that all ugly things are made by those who strive to make something beautiful, and that all beautiful things are made by those who strive to make something useful.” I still remember one Christmas in college when we all wrote up a Christmas wish list. The only thing on your list was white gym socks. I remember being annoyed, almost angry about this…. White gym socks? Who the hell asks for white gym socks? It’s almost like she’s trying to insult us. Get your own damn white gym socks! …. Funny now, I’m sure you would still find that a dandy gift. While I, on the other hand, love to have things that serve no other purpose but that I like it. I could often be found digging in the back of a sale rack to find something…what is it? I have no idea. But, I like to look at it. I like to hold it. It brings me joy. – That is, in fact, how I go about de-cluttering my house. I ask myself, “Does this bring me joy?” If it does, I keep it, with no other purpose, whatsoever. That it might actually serve some other purpose would only be an added bonus. This includes an old stool, with just enough wear, that is neither sturdy enough to sit upon or stable enough to stand straight, an old necklace that I would never think of wearing, but makes me smile when I see it hanging on a hook on my wall, and an elegantly carved, simple, fluid-like gravy boat which never once held (and probably never will) hold any gravy. Oh, I can see you and Matt, getting uncomfortable thinking about my “stuff.”
I wish you and Matt luck in “staging” your house – keep in mind, it will only be a stage to get through. And may you ever be surrounded by things which bring you joy! Love, Amy
Amy- thanks for the great comment.
I don’t remember the gym sock story (no surprise there, I’m sure!) but it sounds like me!
I totally 100% agree with your thoughts about having things you love and bring you joy. For some reason, I seem to do that with clothes an jewelry, just not house stuff. I have 2 gowns that used to belong to my Nana that I have moved around the country with. I will likely never wear them, but as you put it, they bring me joy. Same with some jewelry. I have some things that are beautiful to me not because I wear them everyday, but because they are pretty or meaningful. I literally just last week was looking at the hair tie/bracelet that you bought for us on the Pocanos trip last year and thinking how much affection I have for that piece of colorful elastic hair tie!
I think the thing that bugs me about the staging is that I am supposed to fill my home with objects that have no particular meaning to me. That fact that they have no “use” is actually a secondary issue, now that you have helped me crystallize my thoughts better.
Yesterday I decided that that maybe the candles, etc. will take on a special meaning and I will grow to love them if they are the “candles that helped us sell the house”, rather than plain candles.
You are so awesome at being insightful and making me think! Miss you!