Saturday Circle Game (Early)

We are leaving tomorrow for a two week vacation. Most likely I will not be blogging much while we are gone. However, you never know, so stop by once in a while over the next few days.

I did want to get in the Saturday Circle Game before the craziness of vacation preparation begins. I have made a few people answer this question already, but humor me and post your answers anyway so that other people can enjoy them.

Question: If you had two other lives to live what would you do? My answer will be in the comments section.

This Old House

I'll admit, our house really isn't that old, but it's approaching 23 years and every handyman that has visited likes to tell me that this is the age when things start to go wrong. Really? I would have never guessed. Our master bath is ripped up and unusable because of toilet problems, I am doing my laundry with a flashlight because the light won't come on in the basement, and the second story gutter is hanging off. My mom reminded me that things come in threes...at least I know what the three things are.

I can't begin to describe the relief that I felt when the handyman showed up today. He fixed my gutters and my heart began to soar. I have been e-mailing/calling the company since last Thursday, but I don't care about their poky service, it's fixed. I probably severely overpaid, but I don't care about the price, it's fixed. Bonus: The man was really nice. He even showed me how to fix the light in the basement and didn't charge. I may even be brave and fix it myself when we come back from vacation. NOTE TO SELF: Turn off #13 on breaker box before fooling with light. I may now leave for vacation with a peaceful mind. My house will be standing when I come home and the gutter will be secure in its place.

Some things I have learned so far about being a homeowner:
1) I need to expand my caulking and speckling skills and include some other home repair skills.
2) I need to meet more people in my area that know how to do repair work.
3) Maintenance and preventative care can never be underestimated.
4) Take care of things right away (this was a lesson from the bathroom).

Good Bye Olympus D-380

Dear Olympus D-380,

We must part ways. You served your time. I have many great memories preserved on film/computer becuase of you and for that I thank you. But I am moving on. In all honesty, your 2.0 effective megapixels no longer works in today's society, and I upgraded to a Cannon Powershot SD800 IS. Don't worry, though, you were my first digital camera and that guarentees a special place in my heart. Good work. I promise to find a nice spot in recycleland for you.

Your devoted owner,

Metacognitive

Good byes

I had to say goodbye to a dear friend today. Dear friend says it is not necessarily a goodbye, but a "I'll-REALLY-miss-having-you-in-Ohio". Regardless, it is a sad feeling. It got me thinking of all the goodbyes we say in life.

Sometimes they are not all sad. When a sales person leaves my house...good riddance. When a telemarketer hangs up the phone...thank goodness.

But often good byes are hard because we have to say them to the people we love. The time between goodbyes varies. People might see each other the next day, or they may not meet again until the next decade. Many times change often follows goodbyes and that is the most unnerving part. It is not necessarily that the change will be bad, but often we don't know how things will change. We only know that change is inevitable. The combination of change and uncertainty is what pushes us to the boundaries of our comfort zones.

Of course, the hardest goodbye is the one that is permanent. It is an experience that, unfortunately, none of us can avoid during our life time. These goodbyes twist our lives inside out.

And with that thought I came to this realization...I can handle saying "I'll-really-miss-having-you-in-Ohio" goodbyes because it is not permanent. Inevitably there will be some changes...a 1 1/2 hour is more likely to happen spontaneously than a 8 hour drive...but these changes are manageable. Hallelujah for e-mail, cell phones, reliable cars, and cheap airfare.

Baked Stuffed Tomatoes

I am back at it again...cooking...who knew I'd enjoy it so much. I got this great recipe out of our farm bureau magazine that we receive. I was a little nervous that T would not like it, but to my great surprise he loved it! And he informed me that he had heard from the Reds broadcasting team that cooked tomatoes were a great food to eat to reduce the chances of prostate cancer. Even better...thanks Marty and Thom Breneman. If you try it, let me know what you think.

Ingredients
4 medium tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 lb ground beef (I used a pound of ground venison)
1/4 cup of onion, chopped fine
1/4 cup of celery, chopped fine
2 T of butter
1 1/4 cups of water
1/2 cup of Grape Nuts cereal
1 t of salt (I used garlic salt)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Scoop out tomatoes, reserving pulp. Brown meat in a skillet, remove and set aside. Saute onions and celery in butter until onion is tender. Add pulp and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil; simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, or until pulp is tender. In a bowl combine meat, cereal, remaining 1/4 cup water, salt and half of the sauce (I also added a little pepper). Place tomatoes in a shallow baking dish; fill with meat mixture. Pour remaining sauce over tomatoes, sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tomatoes are tender. I served it with fresh green beans. Crusty bread would have been nice too, but I am trying to cut the carbs before vacation so that I can eat them on vacation. Weird how my mind works.
Thanks to Carolyn Tolonese for submitting this recipe! We thought it was delicious!

Camping

T. and I went camping this weekend with Cuz M and B-rent. Trophy Life joined us on Saturday.
Here are a couple of thoughts.

1) Cuz M and B-rent are amazing with cooking food at a campsite. We enjoyed french toast, pork tenderloin stuffed with garlic and rosemary accompanied with veggies and potatoes, sausage gravy and biscuits, and some other fare. I have informed them that for better or worse they are going to have to be present for all of my camping experiences.

2) There are many different kinds of people at a state park and every one is packed in close. Especially when a family of 16 shows up Sunday at the site next to us. Can't say I was sorry we were leaving just as they were arriving.

3) T and I have the coolest tent ever. It is equipped with a bay window. This is only our second time camping together and our first time in our new tent. I could sit in it for hours.

4) Cornhole will also be accompanying us on all our future camping trips.

5) My next camping purchase would be a cool flashlight. And then possibly sleeping bags because making the air mattress was not fun.

6) I am OK with not being totally clean.

7) Visit the bathrooms after 8 am and before 11 pm. The mosquito population seems to quadruple in the restrooms during the night hours.

8) I was disappointed that Randy and Rodney, our pet raccoons that B-rent mistook for dogs, did not show up for Trophy Life. She did have a cool rescue whistle that she found at Target for a dollar.

9) T is a pyro...in a non-scary way.

Any fun camping stories that you care to share?

Father's Day

Happy belated father's day to all dads out there. To my own dad...you're the best.

In honor of Father's Day and Saturday Circle Game that I missed this weekend (because of camping...more on that later), I want to know the best advice your dad has given you. Check the comments for my own dad's words of wisdom.

Caulking

Still not tired of it yet. Yesterday I put down blue tape before I layed down the caulk. Smoothed the stuff down with my finger and then removed the tape. Seriously, I should be a professional. It looks good! And it only took 7 minutes for one seam.

Day of Pampering

My SiL, LeAnn, and I decided last year that we were going to start an annual day of pampering to celebrate the end of the year. Last year's annual day of relaxation, however, cost us an arm and a leg at a local spa, so this year we were looking to get control of the cost. Our answer...one of the numerous Aveda Institutes in the country where they train students.

We started off the day by visiting a new, cute Chinese restaurant, and then headed down to the Aveda school. I will be honest that I was a little nervous about my first visit when the salon/spa asked me to sign a waiver releasing them from all responsibility. I read the release quickly but I remember seeing phrases such as "not responsible" and "damage and injury". We were determined to experience our day of pampering, though, so we forged ahead ignoring the scary jargon. We were very pleased with our services. My only complaint was that the woman working on my nails was not very gentle with my cuticles; I felt a little pressure and pull.

But that aside, I can't stop looking at my pretty fingers. It's been a while since they looked this good. And for only $15. I am too ashamed to tell you how much I spent on my toenails last year. Let's just say $15 is a steal. I certainly will be visiting the Aveda Institute again and I suggest that all of you who are fortunate to have one near by do the same. My next visit will include a facial. I can feel my muscle relax just thinking about it.

Mold, Mold, Mold

In the beginning...
I noticed our ceiling was discolored in a certain area one day in our kitchen. I tried to ignore it, but my eye kept coming back to the spot. A few weeks later as I was dutifully cleaning my toilet, I noticed water on our kitchen table that was directly below the toilet. Sure enough, the ceiling was damp and spongy. We called our home warranty company who sent out a plumber. The news, he told us, was that the former owners did not put the correct flange on the toilet when they put in our Pergo floors. Instead they put down two wax rings....and the wax seals had broken. The damage? No one would know until we ripped up our floors. Side note: our home warranty would not cover any damage since it was pre-existing.

Part 2
We ripped up the Pergo and the linoleum was underneath. We could see mold growing in the corners, but had no idea what to expect. The next night T ripped up the linoleum and we were greeted by the sight and smell of mold surrounding our shower and toilet. It smells bad.

Part 3
The plumber came back today. He was supposed to do some things, but by the sight of our bathroom he shook his head and called for re-enforcement. When we called T told them we found mold and a hole in our floor/wall, but apparently they needed to see for themselves. So now I wait for another company to call me. They are water, fire, and smoke damage control. They are supposed to tell me the extent of the water damage. The worse part of this whole thing...the former owners did all THREE bathrooms the same way.

Thoughts...
1) Oh crap.
2) I want to do things right in fixing these issues. Sounds cheesy...but I want to be a good steward of our home.
3) I will not lie...the potential cost makes me a little nervous.
4) I think I am taking this pretty calmly for the most part.
5) Note to self...I will never buy another home from the former owners.
6) I wonder what things we will screw up in the house? I'm sure there will be something that make the next owners scratch their heads.
7) I think I need to do some more caulking today. It'll make me feel like I am taking care of our home properly.
8) I think we might just re-do our bathrooom while we're at it. Wish we knew what we were doing. Loews? Home Depot? Can anyone help us? How do I know if we can trust the companies we are using?
9) I have a feeling there will be more blogs about experience in the future.

PRIDE

I am truly one that is deficient when it comes to repairs on my house. I am one of those people that called Gary, the repair man, at my old apartment when my outside light burned out (I could handle the inside ones - I am not sure what the difference was). Incidentally, I was incredibly proud of myself yesterday when I learned a new skill that is house related...caulking.

I invited one of my teacher friends, Tina, over to show me the new skill. Tina and her husband renovated a 70 year old home a few years ago and have, what I consider, fairly impressive repair skills. I bought Tina lunch...she showed me how to caulk. I am now an expert. OK...maybe not...but I did have visions of starting my own caulking business if teaching turns sour. If this happens be prepared, I will use my blog to market.

Afterthought: I am sure the novelty of this skill will wear off. Give me until window #7.
Afterthought #2: I also spackle (sp?) like a pro. Perhaps I can include that in addition to caulking on my postcards that I send out to future clients. Any possible names for the future caulking/spackling business?

Saturday Circle Game

Last week the fam and my very good friend, M from Trophy Life, went to a new, wonderful breakfast place. Once done at the new, wonderful breakfast place we were standing around in the parking lot talking about cars M should test drive and consider buying. Audi TTs, Camry Solaras, and various convertibles were discussed. Then Uncle D threw out the possibility of a Buick LeSabre. The Buick LeSabre is probably a very good car - however, not one that many 20 - 30 somethings are rushing out to buy...at least not that I am aware of. From there the conversation turned to possible vanity plates for M if she did pick the Le Sabre as her car of the future.

So, in honor of our discussion... what would your vanity plate be?

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR THE SUMMER

Wahoo! I have completed another school year.

I have spent my first day of freedom cleaning dishes, removing old caulk from my windows, and counting change. Now I think I will work for an hour or so on school work for next year. I understand that this might odd since I was just celebrating my freedom, but I would rather do this work now than under stress of the beginning of next school year. I think I am starting to learn to practice preparation instead of procrastination.

By the way, I can't explain how nice it is that my schedule is not dictated by bells that ring twice every 40 or so minutes.

Chicken Broth Latte

I got this e-mail from my cousin the other day. I asked if I may share it, and she agreed to let me post it to my blog. Enjoy...I know I did. Sorry, cuz, that it was at your expense.

Well, tonight I inadvertently gulped down a huge swallow of a chicken broth latte! I would not recommend it under any circumstance. I was hungry for a chai latte and so I mixed up the concoction, prepared for the yummy goodness, and was greeted by a most horrible mixture of chicken broth and milk capped off with ice cubes. Apparently I grabbed my "organic chicken broth" which comes in a similarly sized box as chai, and mixed up the proper proportions of what I thought was chai and milk. Much to my surprise it was not. If you have ever gotten sprite when you expected water you will know how difficult it is to adjust your cognitions mid swallow. At leas sprite is a pleasant surprise, chicken broth latte is not. I couldn't run to the sink fast enough to spit it out that I partially spit some on my kitchen counter.

YUCK!!