Family – Page 10 – Not Content to Crawl

Monday 1/9

Posted onJanuary 9, 2017

I forgot to mention that over the weekend a package from Amazon arrived with an ice cube tray inside. I was perplexed because I hadn’t ordered it and there was no message inside. It wasn’t until I was chatting with brother B later that day that I learned he had sent it. A few months ago he was over when Joe was trying to release the baby food (which I was feeding to Gizmo) I had frozen in our ice cube tray and it broke. B figured we’d want a better one and the one he sent me is pretty fancy. He didn’t realize I wasn’t using a tray for baby food anymore (although I might need to start since now Milo isn’t eating his regular food) but we could use it for making dog treats or iced coffee (since we don’t need it to make actual ice cubs since the freezer makes them).

The following day I also got a $25 Texas Roadhouse gift card from B. I wasn’t expecting either of those things since we don’t typically exchange presents on our birthdays (or Christmas, for that matter).

Anywho, today I mostly worked on stuff around the house. I was reading a blog where the person types out their accomplishments, so I’m going to do that since it’s faster that way.

Accomplishments

Reorganized the freezer
Cleaned the rat cages (I moved Milo to a clean one to avoid having to clean his regular one last weekend so I had two to clean)
Dusted upstairs
Vacuumed upstairs
Reorganized the side table in the master bedroom
Cleaned master bathroom including scrubbing the shower tile with Soft Scrub and a toothbrush
Did laundry
Paid bills
Recorded some gift card balances and cashed in Discover rewards for a $50 e-certificate to Red Robin
Recorded all our receipts in a spreadsheet

Our New Laser Printer

Posted onJanuary 9, 2017

A couple of weeks before Christmas Amazon had a wireless Brother laser printer/scanner on sale for $100 (normally $145). I decided to buy it for my parents since they have a crappy ink-jet that costs a fortune whenever they get new ink cartridges compared to the four times we’ve had to replace our toner.

Keep in mind I’ve been telling my parents for years they should get a laser printer because it’s so much cheaper. So I’m on the phone with my mom and she happens to bring up the fact that the printer is out of ink and I mention the laser printer thing again. This time she tells me she knows it would be cheaper but doesn’t want to chance it because the toner would probably bother her. Ugh!!! How come she never mentioned that before? Also, shame on me for not thinking of it either.

So this is my drawn-out way of saying we got a new printer! I figured it wasn’t worth trying to convince her to try it so we kept it for ourselves.

I’m not even upset because the printer is so cool I was feeling rather jealous when I thought we’d be giving it to my parents. And let’s face it, they wouldn’t have used some of the coolest features anyway, like printing from a smartphone without having the computer on. That is my favorite feature because sometimes when we’re heading out the door we have to print a coupon and it’s annoying to have to boot up the computer just to do it.

In addition to that, I like the new printer because:

1) It’s black instead of cream-colored which helps it blend in on the shelf below my desk where it resides.

2) It has a flat-bed scanner which will come in handy once in awhile since the phone scanning app isn’t great at scanning non-paper items.

3) It’s physically lighter than the old printer.

4) And did I mention I can print to it from my phone without having the computer on thanks to the wireless feature???

Our 13+ year old Brother laser printer still works perfectly but was very basic so I’m not sure what to do with it now. Maybe offer to let my parents try it? At least I won’t be offended if my mom gives it back like I would have with the new one.

Birthday Weekend

Posted onJanuary 9, 2017September 18, 2017

Friday I decided to give the whole house a good cleaning but in the end I only cleaned the downstairs because I spent three hours scrubbing the tile in the kitchen. I used Mr. Clean and a toothbrush on the grout and now it’s cleaner than it’s been since we moved in, possibly even before that.

In the photo below, the left side is still dirty and the right side is clean.

I had to use Nature’s Miracle on the spots where Wookie’s crate and playpen are since they smelled like urine. I’d like to tackle it once more before we using grout sealer to hopefully stop it from getting so dirty and smelly in the future.

My brother, B, stopped by after work and we had a nice personal discussion about our relationship. He told me about how some of the things I do hurt his feelings and I told him the same. I think we came out of it understanding each other a little better which was good. We went to Culvers for dinner and then made a brief stop at Starbucks so I could sell this perfume I’ve been trying to get rid of for months. Glad to get rid of something I’ll never use again and get a bit of money back too!

Saturday morning I opened my presents from Joe. He always does such a nice job wrapping.

Plus he’s really good at picking out gifts: I love everything!

From left to right:

Popstar – Never Stop Never Stopping movie
Popstar – Never Stop Never Stopping cd soundtrack
Cured by Lol Tolhurst
Erasure – Remixed
Underworld – Barbara Barbara We Face A Shining Future
New Order – Power, Corruption, and Lies
Not pictured – Sea Grass tealights from Pier One

We listened to the Popstar CD (which is hilarious) on the way to Abby’s Breakfast & Lunch in St. Charles where I ordered their delicious eggs benedict. We planned to see Moana with the free ticket I received for my birthday, but after breakfast my stomach was bothering me so we skipped the movie and swung by Jamba Juice for my free small smoothie (which I put in the freezer to have a different day). We stopped at home for a bit before heading to Starbucks so Joe could get a vanilla latte on my account (which was free for my birthday) and then Target for some necessities. We played with Wookie for awhile after getting back before heading to Portillo’s for a late lunch. I had a chopped salad and Joe had an Italian beef. We shared an order of fries and a slice of chocolate cake (free) and it was only $6 out of pocket since I received a $10 gift card from my employer as a birthday treat. Afterwards I picked up a free scoop of ice cream from Baskin Robbins which I stuck in the freezer for a later date. Gotta love all the birthday freebies!

Sunday morning we used my free movie ticket to see Moana. Wow, what a great movie! Disney cartoons are the best. It’s funny how we’re always the only people who stay to watch the scenes after the credits, though. Also, I had forgotten how much I don’t really care for Classic Cinemas anymore. We only went because of the free ticket since the theater we usually go to is closer, cheaper by fifty cents per ticket, and is evenly heated. The theater kept getting really cold, then really warm. It was annoying.

We stopped by Walmart after the show to get a couple of new toys for Wookie and some frozen broccoli florets since theirs taste way better than any of the other brands we’ve purchased.

After lunch Joe fixed the pipes under the kitchen sink. Initially it was one leaking but once he replaced that another piece broke so he had to go back out to replace that part. Isn’t that always the way?

We were too lazy to go out after that so I made tacos for dinner and we watched some things off the DVR. Yea, we have one again with a new cable company. We also have all the channels again too. The only thing we don’t have? The time to watch much!

New Years Weekend

Posted onJanuary 7, 2017

Joe had Friday (12/30) & Monday (01/02) off from work for the holiday which was awesome. Friday morning we headed to Meijer to get some shopping done. Found some Bark Thins to try. The chocolate and gingerbread combo is an odd one, but I like it. Not so much that I’d go out of my way to buy it, but it’s definitely different. The more I eat it the more I like it.

As I wrote in my previous entry, Friday afternoon was a puppy plate date at our house.

We spent a good portion of Saturday morning & early afternoon at the vet because Milo’s abscess filled up again. The vet actually shaved him and did an incision this time and put medicated gauze inside in an attempt to get it to heal and stop filling with fluid. He kept bleeding which is why we spent so much time there. He was even bleeding a bit after we got home but nothing that required an emergency vet visit. Joe took him back to the vet on Tuesday and it turns out it’s actually a cyst but the capsule is too large to surgically remove which means it’s likely to be a recurrent issue. I think he’s days are numbered, unfortunately.

Saturday after the vet Joe and I got into a bit of an argument because we were both feeling stressed out. We talked things through, however, and enjoyed the rest of the evening together snacking on the pizza we ordered and watching movies. I would not recommend either of them – the latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film which was stupid and boring and The Mechanic Resurrection which was so bad we turned it off after a half hour. I ended up going to bed at 11 pm with a migraine only to be woken up at midnight by someone shooting off fireworks right outside the window.

Joe let me sleep in a little on Sunday morning while he drove down to my parents’ house to pick up brother J for a visit. Once they arrived we had some breakfast and headed to the mall for a little shopping. Originally we were going to get J after shopping but he sounded bummed when I said we would be coming later so we decided to bring him along. That was a mistake because he kept talking and I couldn’t really concentrate or enjoy browsing. I guess the upside to that is he saved me money, right? Although I did still get a few things – a wallflower and refill from Bath & Body Works and a Peppermint Bark votive and more Sugar & Spice tealights from Yankee Candle since they were half price at $5.

I was surprised that my brother was so into smelling all the different candles at both stores. I guess he’s deprived of that at home where everything must be unscented due to my mom’s sensitivities.

I stopped by Aunt Annies to get pretzel bites (birthday freebie) which I shared with Joe and J.

We had lunch and played with Wookie, who really took to J quickly, once we got home. Then we ended up watching a Garfunkel and Oats special on Netflix and I made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner while listening to a Bill Burr special the boys were watching.

After dinner we watch Storks which was way better than any of us expected. I’d really like to see it again, in fact.

Monday Joe made belgian waffles for us for breakfast. We also played Wii bowling; J could only get a strike when he was facing away from the screen which was hilarious. We went out to Half Price Books because there isn’t one where J lives and he enjoyed browsing their game guides. We had lunch at Costco before driving J back home. It was a nice visit.

Christmas

Posted onDecember 28, 2016January 7, 2017

The past few days flew by. Trying this half bullet half regular journal thing since I really don’t have the time for a full blog entry.

Thursday 12/22
Noon-2:30 – Christmas party @ work where I got “drunk” for half a lemon drop martini. Wasn’t even good but damn am I lightweight. I got a decanter and glasses during the grab bag. Too bad the decanted is cracked. Ugh. At least I got a decent Christmas bonus check and didn’t have to perform like a monkey for it unlike last year. Our table was all girls. No one got dessert. Apparently last year’s Nothing Bundt Cakes cupcakes didn’t go over well. I think what happened was we didn’t know we could eat more than one because I know everyone loved them. Party ended pretty early (before 2:30) so I couldn’t even finish my second drink (a raspberry vodka lemonade)

4:40 pm – Dentist appointment with a new person who cleaned my teeth. She either didn’t do as thorough of a job or is just faster because I was done in a half hour and it’s usually longer with my regular girl. Not that I’m complaining.

Friday 12/23
Early morning – Walmart to buy gifts for the kids.

Saturday 12/24 (Christmas Eve)
Morning – Baked cherry pie bars for Joe and I to enjoy on Christmas day.
Evening – Celebrated with my family from 5:20-9. Wasn’t too happy about a) having to leave Wookie at home and b) my mom waiting until we arrived to hop in the shower. Seriously? My parents gave us way too much money this year; queue feeling guilty for not even wanting to go. Only person who asked Joe about his new job was my dad and the only one to ask about Wookie was B’s girlfriend. Gee, wonder why I’m ready to move to Arizona?!?! J got me two CDs I’ve been wanting and I got two things off his Amazon wish list plus two poop emoji cups which I filled with holiday-themed fruit snacks I found at Aldi.

Sunday 12/25 (Christmas Day)
Early afternoon – Opened our stockings which was just candy we gave one another (and Joe got me the cutest Disney Tsum Tsum makeup bag).

Watched Suicide Squad which sucked. Also made a shank ham (purchased at Walmart) in the crockpot. Best way to make a ham! Made homemade mac and cheese.
Evening – Saw the lights in Aurora. Took Wookie who cried half the time in her crate and then puked on my lap shortly after we were done seeing the lights. Good times.

Monday 12/26
Morning – Went to Target for some last minute gifts for the kids where some lady ran over the back of my foot in the clearance holiday section. I’m SO sick of this happening, not to mention when I said “excuse you” she was pissy back toward me. Yea, sorry I don’t like people running over my feet over 30% off items. God forbid you a) say excuse me and b) watch where you’re going. Also visited Pier One but even at 50% everything was overpriced. Came home and baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, snickerdoodles, brownies, and made green bean casserole. Joe wrapped gifts and cleaned the house.

4-9 pm – The kids came over to celebrate Christmas with us and Wookie was absolutely terrified. So much so that when E approached her she peed. I was holding her at the time and she’s never peed in my arms before. Luckily it hit the floor and not my clothes due to the way I was holding her. It was shocking since she’s actually met E before but it was a month ago so maybe she didn’t remember him. Everyone wanted to play with her but she was so timid she wouldn’t come close enough to anyway, although by the time they left at 9 pm she was more comfortable at least sitting on the rug near everyone. She’d also sniff people’s hands or ES’ feet, but if they so much as moved an inch she’d run away.

As for the gifts – We got E a Deadpool hoodie (which he liked so much he put it on immediately), a Star Wars t-shirt, a Funko Pop of the robot from the latest Star Wars movie, as well as gift cards for Culvers, Half Price Books, Starbucks, and Target. For K we got some wax melts in her favorite scent (vanilla), some Pyrex containers, two cookie sheets, and some empty journals, as well as gift cards for Culvers, Half Price Books, iTunes, and Target. We got her boyfriend, ES, an iTunes card and some Dunkin Donuts coffee. Oh, and we also gave everyone some candy and K an oversized coffee mug with a stuffed bear in it. Everyone seemed to really like their gifts which was nice since we got nearly everything last minute. K’s boyfriend helped us with ideas for her since we weren’t sure what she was into these days. Joe was worried that getting her the cooking/baking stuff was lame but she really liked it and even mentioned to him later how excited she was about the Pyrex so that’s good. It was nice having everyone over. My social anxiety always has me dreading get togethers yet I always end up enjoying myself. Go figure.