Wookie Monday

So we decided to name this little devil dog Wookie because not only does she look like one, when she gets pissy she sounds like one too.

wookie

With today being Joe’s first day of work I was on my own with her. The beginning of the day went pretty smoothly. Not only did she not have any potty accidents, but she behaved while I took care of things around the house. I was able to clean two bathrooms, dust the living room, clean the kitchen, reorganize our hall table, reorganize the pantry (which had been bugging me for months but I left it alone since Joe was doing all the cooking), and do five loads of laundry.

Mid afternoon we hit a snag because Wookie decided she wanted to be difficult. This is when she also decided that she’d rather pee on my newly mopped kitchen floor right after I took her outside (where she had also peed). Oh well, I read puppies do this so I tried not to get too frustrated. But then she’d cry in her pen like she needed to go but I’d take her to the door and she’d run away or bite at my ankles. I thought we were making headway on that front but she went full on bonkers. I notice she gets that way a lot later in the day despite frequent naps which means the next few days I will get nothing accomplished after work. Oh, and it’s supposed to be as cold as balls outside too so that sucks.

Oh, did I mention that we recently bought a coat rack for the front door? Might as well since we’ve been using it non-stop since we came home from Arizona. We never had a need for it before because we would rarely use that door.

coat-rack

It’s kinda top heavy and my coat is pretty heavy (boy am I glad I kept it as it’s finally getting some use) so I’ve almost knocked it over. I need to figure out a way to anchor it because I’d like to tether Wookie to it while I’m putting on my boots and coat so she doesn’t run off.

It’s been tough dealing with a puppy because I feel like everything I do gets interrupted multiple times. Eat a meal in one sitting? I think not. I really feel for parents now. At least in a few months we should be past this crazy stage, but I’ll say this now – never again. We may have other dogs in the future but I am not interested in raising a puppy. They’re cute, there’s no doubt, but OMG they are so much work. I don’t know how people have one and young children at the same time, but now I understand why people who have kids seem to walk around in a stupor at the grocery store. I haven’t been able to focus properly since Wookie came into our lives. I’ve also not been getting as much sleep either which really sucks.

Rude Offer Up People

Last Friday afternoon we went over to a friend’s house so Joe could help set up her new cable box and make sure her router was secure. She had posted on Facebook looking to pay someone to do this so it was nice to earn a little extra money. Afterwards we stopped at Walmart and bought a new basketball for only $5. The two at home won’t stay inflated and there’s some nice empty courts at two of the parks we like to frequent and I’ve been wanting to shoot some hoops. Of course with the colder/rainy weather lately I haven’t had the chance to actually try out the new ball yet.

We also ended up at Sonic for dinner and had corn dogs because we eat like children sometimes. Case in point, later the same weekend we made Velveeta mac and cheese with cut up hot dogs.

Saturday morning we stopped at the library so Joe could donate blood. They really did a number on his arm this time: he’s all bruised. I was like “welcome to my world” since that happens to me every single time and why I am not donating any more (besides almost passing out last time).

After that we decided to check our town’s Oktoberfest since admission is free before 4 pm. It was ok but not terribly exciting, just as we suspected. We shared a pork schnitzel sandwich and a soft pretzel. The pretzel was a disappointment but the sandwich was pretty good. Not sure if was $7 good though.

That evening we borrowed Captain America Civil War from the library and ordered Lou Malnati’s thin crust pizza using a gift card. I don’t know why but the thin crust wasn’t nearly as good as I remember it being so we’ll be sticking to their deep dish from now on.

Sunday we put E’s old bed frame and mattress up for sale for $50 on Offer Up (an app). He hasn’t spent the night here in months and likely won’t again so we’re turning his bedroom into a workout room. Not five minutes from posting I had three interested parties. At one point I believe it was over ten! I tried to be fair by messaging the first person who contacted me explaining they had to take the frame AND mattress and asking if they were still interested and then waiting, but they didn’t reply. After over an hour I moved onto the next person on the list with the same message. After three people didn’t reply back I was getting rather annoyed so I decided to send the same message to everyone and include that they needed to get back to me ASAP since there was a lot of interest. The guy who replied the quickest said he could be over within fifteen minutes. Once he arrived and he and his wife checked the bed (turns out the frame was a bit damaged on the side that was against the wall) and paid us, I marked it as sold in the app. This apparently sends a generic message to all the people who had messaged me that says “I have sold the item”. Well, one woman responded “to someone else” and then about three minutes later wrote “fucking bitch”. Wow. Now, I get that she wanted the bed, and she did reply to my first message about ten minutes after I sent it, but what the hell? She didn’t reply faster than the guy who bought it so you snooze, you lose. I don’t believe she originally messaged me before he did either. In any case, I didn’t bother responding and instead just reported her for using foul language and blocked her. Some people!

Refrigerator Water & Ice Dispenser

Not sure if I’ve even mentioned it here, but over the past year or more we’ve been having trouble with the water and ice dispenser on the refrigerator which sucks because I drink water 99% of the time and don’t care for the taste of tap water.

In any case, I suggested to Joe we try to return the part we purchased online last year since it was failing. He was skeptical, but I looked for the order confirmation email and it had been a week or two shy of a year, and they allow 365 day returns for a full refund, so we requested one.

Joe also gave them a call during the week to ask whether they could just send us a new part, and that’s when we learned that the part we had ordered isn’t quite the right one for our refrigerator. I’m not sure how we came to the conclusion that it was, but the rep that Joe spoke with said they’d refund us once the other part was returned and we would have to order the correct part. Interestingly enough, they look almost identical, but the part we ordered was nearly half the price! On top of that, it arrived the day after I placed the order.

It’s only been about five days but so far it’s working flawlessly. I really hope that solves this issue so I can return the Brita water filters we purchased from Costco. We’ll hang onto the pitcher that came with two filters in case the dispenser acts up again, however. I hope not, though, since the water from the fridge tastes better.

Weekend Recap: 4/22-4/25

Friday we took my car for an emissions test and then to the DMV for the renewal license plate sticker. Mine expires in May and Joe’s in June and we were able to get his sticker too even though technically his car required an emissions test first as well but the woman at the DMV said the new rule doesn’t take effect until June. The emissions guy made what he thought was a joke about the saftey of the town we were in compared to Hegewisch. That was interesting since a) most people don’t even know where Hegewisch is (I do since I grew up there) and 2) it’s not a dangerous area. SMH

Saturday I spent the day watching a backlog of shows on our DVR and cancelling some of our series recordings because we truly are cancelling cable soon. We’re just waiting for the Stanley Cup playoffs to end first. We are probably switching to WOW for internet and possibly basic cable since it’s only $10 more which should save us at least $40 since we’re paying $99 for cable/internet from Comcast at the moment. Plus WOW doesn’t have a data cap like Comcast does and we’ll be streaming more often so that’s a plus. The only thing we’re not sure about is how we’d keep our home security with Comcast if we don’t have their internet as it works through their router. WOW doesn’t offer home security.

Sunday we used a previously purchased Groupon to attend the Chicago Pet Show in Oak Lawn. What a complete and total disappointment. There were barely any actual animals there (for instance – there was a sugar glider rescue that didn’t actually have any sugar gliders with them) and I’d say the ratio of non-pet related booths to pet booths was 1:1. No less than three different booths bugged us about home improvement stuff as we strolled by. And they wouldn’t just take “I’m not interested” for an answer until Joe said “we don’t own our home”. That really left a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t like being pestered to buy stuff, let alone siding when I’m at a pet expo! Needless to say we were there less than a half hour before leaving. Never again! I’m just glad we didn’t pay anything out of pocket or I would have really been pissed. The admission was regularly $7 per person which is a total rip-off for what was there. I felt sorry for the families I saw going inside knowing they’d probably be very disappointed.

After the pet crap we went to the nearby mall to walk around a bit and collect points on our Shopkick app. Then we went to the arboretum to eat the lunch we packed.

Once we got home I decided to declutter the hall closet a little. I went through my candle and marble stuff and filled a box full of things I’m going to sell or donate. I finally opened the label maker I purchased a year ago and labeled all the storage boxes left in the closet so I know what’s in them with a quick glance. I also realized I still have way too many old Yankee Candle votives so I brought some downstairs to use up. I freed up a box for my camera lenses so I can keep them all together and easily accessible.

Today (Monday) I tackled some items I’ve had on my list for awhile, including cleaning out my car (the backseat and trunk were very disorganized), filing some paperwork, and going through my closet to get rid of more clothing. There were more than a few shirts I haven’t worn in years yet I continue to hang onto for unknown reasons. I tried them all on and decided if they don’t fit well now I should get rid of them. In addition to the clothing, I’m getting rid of a few Ipsy makeup bags I didn’t like and three board games that were fun but we no longer play – Trivial Pursuit Nickelodeon Edition, Beat The Parents, and Scene It Jr.

Organize This!

I was very productive this morning. After grocery shopping I organized the bottom of our pantry where Joe keeps all the alcohol. Now I can actually close the door. Imagine that!

I also started a new recipe – chicken and rice soup – in the crock pot and then cut up some red peppers to store in the freezer. I couldn’t pass up the deal at Meijer (4 for $5) and I love having chopped peppers on hand for recipes. I also froze some chicken breasts. Now I just need to find a better way to store all the food in my freezer since it doesn’t stack very well and drives me nuts. I’m thinking about getting some clear storage bins like in this photo for both the freezer and refrigerator. I haven’t in the past simply because they aren’t exactly cheap, but I’ve gotten to the point in my life where I’m willing to spend money if it gives me joy and/or peace of mind, and I derive much joy when things are organized. Let the shopping begin!