Category: House & Home

Every day I’m shufflin’

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I wish Facebook had a feature where you could unsubscribe from follow-up comments other people make on a status update that you commented on unless it’s the person who made the original update. I hate getting updates on crap that doesn’t matter to me. It’s the reason why I don’t comment as much on people’s updates as I otherwise would, especially if they are one of my more “popular” friends who tend to get 20 comments on one update.

Anyway, here’s what’s been going on around these parts since I’m a sucky blogger.

Home

Our garage door started acting funny a week or so ago where it would start to close and then halfway down it would go back up. It was doing it here and there before then but it got to the point where nothing would make it go down all the way. Joe had to open and close it manually to get our cars in at night and out in the morning which sucked since it’s been getting colder around here. Also yours truly didn’t have a nice warm car to get into when I left for work. But hey, at least I didn’t have to mess with the garage door! Joe figured out what was wrong – the plastic (yes, plastic) gear was shredded, so Sunday we went to the Sears parts store. $40 and an hour of Joe’s time later and it’s all fixed. That was our excitement for the week.

Movies

Hmm… what else? We saw Puss in Boots with Joe’s daughter last time she visited (his son couldn’t make it) and I thought it was a pretty good movie which was lucky since I had no idea what it was even about going in. I want to see The Muppets even though I’m not a muppet fan, because I like Jason Segal. Remember the Muppet Babies? I did watch that as a kid but I never liked the regular muppets. Rowlf was my favorite, but I hated Miss Piggy and always will. Someone needs to turn her into a BLT already. Oh, and we saw a 3D movie for the first time in years – A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas. It was legend-… wait for it… -dary. So much better than their second movie. Possibly even better than the original.

Kids

I don’t think I wrote about the fact that we got K’s iPod Touch replaced by Apple for $150. They let us purchase a refurbished one. We took the money from K’s account since she broke it, though. Sucked to have to do that, but better than buying her a brand new one. She also broke her Kindle. Well, we aren’t sure if she broke it or if it had something wrong with it, but either way Amazon replaced it at no charge which was good. So when she was over last time it was like Christmas for her getting a new iPod Touch and Kindle.

Speaking of Christmas, I’m glad that the kids are older because instead of buying a ton of little things I only have to buy one or two things which means less time dealing with the crazy shoppers. This year we’re getting E a Kindle Fire (he already knows since he asked for it) and I don’t want to mention what we’re getting for K in case she knows about this site but I think she will find it very useful.

Holidays

We’re both off work Thursday-Monday so it will be a nice extended holiday weekend. I love Thanksgiving! What’s not to love about being encouraged to stuff one’s face? Hopefully all the exercising I’ve been doing lately will lessen the weight gain.

I have no plans on shopping on Black Friday, and didn’t want to go outside at all that day but I have to get a cat scan in the morning and then pick up the kids in the afternoon. I’m staying away from all the stores though!

I don’t even know what I want for Christmas. Nothing, really. I would like an iPad, but not the one that’s out now. I can’t justify spending $500 (and let’s face it, even if it’s a “gift” from Joe it’s all the same moolah) on a device that has a lower quality screen than my phone. Plus if I had it my way I’d prefer a 7″ tablet. Maybe next year they will introduce an iPad 3 mini. I’d be all over that.

I do like opening presents, but I’m so not into buying stuff just for the sake of it. I keep trying to get rid of stuff either by donating to Goodwill or selling on Craigslist and Facebook. I recently sold Dance Dance Revolution 2 to someone I used to work with. Joe got it for me because I asked for it but I ended up hating the game because I have no rhythm; plus the stupid dance pad took up too much space. I’m glad to see it gone. Another thing I need to get rid of already are the Disney souvenirs I bought for my coworkers on my honeymoon six years ago. I’m sure I wrote about this before but I was so pissed when I came back from my honeymoon to learn that essentially nothing was done the entire two weeks I was gone that I never handed them out. They’ve spent the last six years in a hall closet and I get angry all over again whenever I see them so it’s time to let it, and them, go already. I’m going to ask my mom if she wants to wrap them up for our annual game of Crazy Bingo this year. I really don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner. I often have a hard time parting with things I’ve spent money on but I’ve come to realize it’s silly to hang onto things you’re never going to use just because you feel like you wasted your money. It’s wasted either way, so you might as well get rid of it and clear some space in your house. It’s been getting easier letting go of stuff once I see how less cluttered the closet looks without it around.

Anyway, I don’t know whether Joe and I will be exchanging gifts this year. He’s a pain to buy for and I can’t think of anything I really want, so we might go small this year. Maybe I’ll have him get me a few CDs or something.

Music

Speaking of music, in case anyone cares, these are the top five songs I’ve been playing lately. Feel free to share yours in the comments. I love discovering new music.

You Make Me Feel – Cobra Starship
Moves Like Jagger – Maroon 5
Hello – Martin Solveig feat. Dragonette
Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO
Pumped Up Kicks – Foster the People

Kitchen Appliances & Cookware

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I’ve always firmly held the belief that you don’t need to own a million different kitchen appliances, but yet somehow this year I’ve purchased a new blender, toaster oven, a belgium waffle maker, and the newest addition to the family, a Sunbeam hot air popcorn maker (image shamelessly borrowed from Target where I got it for $17 a few weeks ago).

I love this thing because it makes really good unburnt popcorn unlike the microwave bowl I purchased awhile ago. That picture is a bit misleading, however, as it shoots popcorn everywhere! It’s like a machine gun! It’s quite loud too, so it will probably scare the bejesus out of kids, pets and old people who still have their hearing left (although not for long if they stand too close). Not having to use oil saves calories better allocated toward all the delicious melted butter that any self-respecting person is going to pour all over what was once a healthy snack. Nom nom nom nom!

If you’re in the market for new cookware like we’ve been for oh, two years, I highly suggest Macy’s. When they have sales you can get some really great stuff for cheap like we did two Christmas’ ago when we replaced all our plastic food storage with glass Pyrex. We were looking around at Macy’s a few weeks ago and came across this awesome stock pot marked down to $9.59 from the original price of $39.99.

A couple of weeks later we were back at the mall because I had that Kohl’s gift card I won burning a hole in my wallet and we nearly bought a new cookware set for $120 (our out of pocket cost after a 15% coupon and my gift card) but I was concerned about the weight of each piece. Sure, that’s probably the mark of a quality product but I’m a little girl and I don’t want to bench-press my skillet if ya know what I mean. We found a nice set at Macy’s (their own brand, in fact) for $100 that met all our must-haves – non-stick, nice color, silicone handles that aren’t ugly, and a covered stockpot larger than 5 quarts. Now if only I’d get off my lazy butt and take them out of the box, clean them, and start using them!

Tools of the Trade Cookright Hard Anodized 12-Piece Cookware Set
Set includes: 1-, 2- & 3-qt. covered saucepans, 8-qt. covered stock pot, 4-qt. covered sauté pan and 8″ & 10″ fry pans

Cold as the dark side of the moon

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It feels like we got a lot done this weekend, starting with an air-conditioning repair early Saturday morning. We had someone out on May 20th to refill the freon but the coil frosted up on Thursday evening so we shut it off and starting looking for places to come look at it. The last place we used wanted $600 just for a leak test so I called a few places but they either didn’t answer, or promised to call back and never did.

Joe posted for suggestions on Facebook which led us to two guys who run their own business and are licensed/bonded, so we had them come out. Not only were they very nice guys (the one was digging Templeton because his daughter has a pet rat), but they didn’t charge us an arm and a leg to refill the freon and seal the leak. We also found out that our air-conditioner is sunk into the ground without any padding underneath so it has been working harder than it should, so we bought some concrete pavers today that we’ll be installing later tonight when the sun goes down since it’s brutally hot at the moment.

After the guys left we quickly made some sandwiches, grabbed some water, and headed to the movie theatre to see Transformers 3 which was a pretty decent film. I love seeing Chicago but some things threw me off like how it seemed as if Macy’s was on Wacker drive in the film even though it’s really a few blocks South. But that’s movies for you.

We cashed in a Groupon for ice cream instead of eating lunch and then hung out at home for a bit before driving down to the kids’ house to drop off E’s cell phone which he had left in Joe’s car on Thursday. We took the opportunity to test out our new GPS which we both love. I particularly like how it knows which lanes to stay in when multiple freeways intersect and can’t wait for our next road-trip! It’s going to make things so much easier than me trying to relay directions to Joe from my iPhone, especially since my phone doesn’t automatically recalculate the route if we take a different turn. I’m so glad we bought the GPS when we did since it was only $166 and now they’re asking $208!

Since we don’t get the chance very often, we had dinner at The Pit Rib House before heading back home. Other than Smoque on the Northside, they have the best BBQ in the tri-state area, although they don’t have brisket which is my new favorite thing.

This morning started with our regular hour and a half shopping trip to Target where I caved in and got a decaf soy mocha coconut frappachino (no whip) at the Starbuck’s inside. I didn’t feel too guilty since it was a substitute for breakfast. The rest of the afternoon included errands (Lowes, Meijer, Petsmart, Half-Priced Books, and Walmart) and a stop at Taco Bell for lunch. Once home we cleaned all the animals’ cages as well as the house. Needless to say we’re both pooped!

Quick Update

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I know my posting has been erratic as of late. I think I’m really starting to feel bogged down by the internet and having constant access to it via my iPhone. All the Facebook and Twitter updates seem rather boring to me. Please don’t take it personally, I’m just starting to question the whole point of it all. Between that and the near constant multi-tasking I do at work in order to try and keep up, I’m starting to feel like I’ve lost any semblance of an attention span.

Here’s a bit of what’s been going on around these parts lately:

I’ve been able to feed my toad dead meal worms and crickets by using the laser pointer to trick her into thinking they are alive. Although I quickly learned I don’t even need to do that – she eats them right off the spoon that came with them; as soon as I place the spoon in front of her she licks them right off!

We’ve decided to renovate both upstairs bathrooms and found both floor and wall tile the first day we started looking. Now all we need are vanities, sinks, mirrors, hardware, and tubs. I’m simultaneously looking forward to and dreading this project. I know it will look beautiful once we’re done, since Joe did such a great job downstairs, I just hate the anxiety I feel when something in the house is in disarray.

We’ve decided to table the idea of moving after looking at too many undesirable places online and scoping out potential new neighborhoods. Not to mention that our own home has dropped so much in value that we’d sell it at a loss. There are probably 15 properties in our subdivision alone for sale right now and none of them look as nice as ours, so I think if we wait even another year we’ll be able to sell at a nice profit.

The kids and Joe’s parents (who are visiting from Arizona) have been staying with us since Wednesday. Even though we didn’t get to do what we planned due to the unpredictable weather (like hit a water park one of the days), we still had a good time. We saw some movies (Despicable Me (awesome) and The Last Airbender (terrible)), played games and stuffed our faces. We’re dropping the kids off after going out for an early dinner soon. I already cleaned the dining room and kitchen so that I don’t have to worry about it when we get back. I loved seeing everyone, but I’m ready for a little quiet time tonight (and no more HGTV for awhile) before I have to return to work tomorrow. :p

My Boys premieres tonight with two new EPs!

Plans

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I’m off work until December 28th! This is the single greatest moment, right now, with 9 days of workless bliss laid out in front of me.

There are a lot of things I’d like to get accomplished during my time off in addition to the basics such as watching lots of TV, reading, and playing games. So far my list looks like this:

Tomorrow:

  • Get new strut mounts and oil change for the Jetta.
  • Check out St. Charles’ holiday lights tour. This is their first year but some of the same families from the Halloween tour are participating so it should be good.
  • Buy lotto tickets for our families and mail out care packages since we’re not getting together this year with my family. My mom has been sick and isn’t up to seeing anyone. :p

During the week:

  • Finish Christmas shopping for the kids. K is done, other than a few stocking stuffers, but E is a bit tougher this year.
  • Try and think of something, anything, to buy Joe. So far he’s getting absolutely nothing, not even a lump of coal, because he’s too hard to buy for. Damn him for not being materialistic like the rest of us.
  • Put up Christmas tree and decorations because that’s right, we haven’t done that yet inside, only outside.
  • Organize software CDs. They seem to be all over the house and we probably don’t even need half of them. I want to put them all in one place so on the rare occasion we need one, it’s not an exercise in futility.
  • Submit medical receipts for reimbursement through our flex spending account. We have a good chunk of change in there that needs to be used so we don’t lose it.
  • Visit Cosley Zoo to see their holiday lights, provided it’s not freezing outside.
  • Renew my driver’s license.
  • Check out a few local restaurants we’ve been wanting to try, namely a Vietnamese bistro, a sushi place, and a steak place called Texas Roadhouse.
  • Pull out my high school yearbooks and stalk old classmates on Facebook. And I do mean stalk because it’s less annoying than actually friending these people. I’m finding reconnecting with most of them is an exercise in disappointment. I love when I send someone a private message that they never reply to but they post idiotic status updates with grammar and spelling errors all over it, making me wonder if I dreamed the fact that we actually graduated together.
  • Schedule my annual “female” exam for some day in 2010 because I don’t want to go, but it’s one of those things that must be done.
  • Put together an Evite for my birthday. I’m thinking of having a rollerskating party. Something different. Something half the invitees probably won’t show up to, but oh well, fuck it. I’m doing it anyway.
  • Check out the second run movie theater that just opened a few months ago. It doesn’t have stadium seating which has made me hesitant to go, but I’ll give it a chance for only $2 per person!
  • Read all the People magazines my friend gave me the other day. I haven’t seen her in months so the pile is quite impressive.
  • Fix my blog so I can use a different template than this one.
  • Post a best of 2009 entry for music and iPhone apps.
  • Post a 2009 year in review for this blog.

I think that’s it… for now. Let’s see how many actually get done! It will be a battle between my desire to feel productive and have fun and Joe wanting to sit inside and play Warcraft all day since that’s his idea of fun. ;)