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!!

Saturday Circle Game

School is almost out! And my thoughts turn to lazy days that include multiple nap times, lunch with friends, and spending time with family. So the circle game questions for this week...

What are your plans for this summer?

My response will be in the comments section.

I am married to the energizer bunny

I get home from an 11 hour day of work and make tacos from an Old El Paso Taco kit. I won't lie, I was pretty proud of myself seeing that I haven't cooked dinner in about 3 weeks. T comes home from a similar day at work. After some chit chat about our days I ask him what he wants to get done tonight. He lists things such as laundry, dishes, setting up our new mailbox, cleaning up the house, and doing garbage. Me? I want to sit on the couch and stare at something. It's now 9:00pm and in addition to the trip to the yummy custard place and the load of laundry I put in, I have sat on my couch and fixed my stare between the TV and my computer. T on the other hand is still outside putting up our new mailbox, probably scouting moles, and hopefully enjoying the great outdoors. The guy never tires. He's amazing.

Things you should know about short skirts

1) If your skirt is short and denim and you sit down, there is a good chance the skirt will not fall down by itself like normal skirts do when you stand up. I recently witnessed this at a restaurant. A girl in her early 20s flashed the whole restaurant when her itsy-bitsy skirt remained at her hips when she stood to leave. She corrected the problem quickly, but not quick enough.

2) Sometimes you may not be sitting on any fabric when your skirt is very short. Case in point, last year my friend at Trophy Life and I were at a college football game. The girl in front of us wore a skirt so short the pockets hung out of the bottom. When she sat down the bottom of her skirt was parallel with the top of the bleacher. It must have been cold.

3) Be prepared for short skirts to blow in the wind. I myself have never witness this, but I just heard two separate stories from eye witnesses this weekend that were flashed by short skirt wearers walking/bending over in blustery conditions.

Having said this...I think there are women who wear short skirts well. I just think a woman needs to be advised of the hazards before putting on her favorite mini.

Circle Game Saturday

This question is in honor of Two/Dos Pretzels new obsession over hard boiled eggs.

What would you choose if you only could eat one thing for dinner for the rest of your life?

I would have to pick quiche. It involves eggs and you can put different things into so that you have a little variety now and then.

HeHeHe

I almost forgot to tell you about the funniest part of my week...I still laugh out loud when I think about it.

We started the project presentations that I told you about (in an earlier post) in grad class this week. The first person got up and started talking about science, mathematics, technology, and our understanding of global warming. She began with a quick "pre-test" she created on her power point presentation. She asked us to pick all of the following answers that applied. Her question was what human actions contribute to the increase of carbon dioxide in our environment. One of her answers...the use of arousal cans. We sat in stunned silence as we registered her mistake. I almost fell out of my chair when my professor piped up and asked where he could find one of those cans. (We all agreed High Street would be the most likely place.)

P.S. I am positive she meant aerosol can. Good times in grad school.

Cirque du Soleil

Recently T took me to see a Cirque du Soleil performance as a late birthday present. It was great...just as I expected. This was my second Cirque performance and in my opinion it was as wonderful as the first. If you haven't seen a show, I would highly suggest it. It is a fabulous combination of fantasy, music, humor, and acrobatics. My favorite part was the women who performed on the chandeliers pictured above. It was absolutely, stunningly beautiful.

Back to Blogging

It seems as if it has been forever since I blogged. And I have missed it. I have missed writing about random things that happen in my day and miscellaneous thoughts that I have as I observe life. As I have committed myself to a partial solitary confinement this week and last, please know that catching a few minutes here and there to read comments that you have posted about former blogs has been a highlight.

My self - imposed solitary confinement has come about because of a grad school project. It is a project that looks at how science, mathematics, and technology effect our understanding of quilting...yep, you heard it correctly, quilting. Yes, it is crazy, and I have been consumed by it for the past two weeks. I even had to get a little tutoring help in chemistry from a science teacher/friend at work. (Side note - Chemistry is a lot more interesting than I remember from high school!) Now the project is 95% done and I am relieved. I must admit, though, I had fun. But as the old adage goes, all good things must come to an end. And in this case, I am MORE than OK with that.

Happy Mother's Day

To my own Mother - Thank you for all you have done. You are a wonderful mother and friend.

To Mama S - Thanks for being a great MiL and for raising a wonderful son.

To all the other mothers out there that are not my own, but are dear to my heart- I hope you have a wonderful day. You deserve it.

Circle Game Saturday

A dear and beloved friend is moving out of the heartland soon. This circle game is in honor of her upcoming transition.

What place in the world would you like to live for a period of time? Maximum of four locations, please :).

My locations will be in the comments section.

The Forever Stamp

The USPS has raised its rates again for the 13th time in 32 years. The new rate for a first-class stamp is $0.41, up $0.02 from the $0.39 we currently pay. The new rates take effect on Monday, May 14th (better get yourself to the post office).

Good news! The United States Postal Service has come up with a great idea for any disgruntled customers out there who are tired of buying the $0.01 and $0.02 stamps to make up for their under priced stamps. Introducing...the forever stamp. Buy it for $0.41 now and use it any time in the future no matter what future rate hikes we might endure. Thanks USPS...good idea. No more throwing money away by doubling up on the $0.37 stamps or spending frustrating minutes trying to figure out where I put the $0.02 stamps from the last rate increase. FOREVER stamps here I come!

Life is good

I am content.

Thank you, A, for this wonderful bear hug.

Amused

My dad sent my mom, my brother, and I an article today from the New York Times that talked about the essential items needed for a kitchen and how much (or little, actually) you should spend on them. I am amused by this article for two reasons.

1) I am not sure that I've ever seen my dad hold a pot besides to dry it after it was washed. (No offense, Dad. It's just that the kitchen never seemed to be your realm, I picture you more in the electronics area...perhaps that's changing?) So I was shocked when the article was not his typical math/science/world event article that he usually sends to us but instead was a cooking/kitchen article. It gave me a small chuckle. I do appreciate the fact that even though he was probably not interested in the article, he sent it on to the three of us knowing we probably would be.

2) I never realized that I was a kitchen essentials snob until I read this article. (What does the author mean that a $10 plastic handle knife is ok? I've ALWAYS heard one should go with the stainless steel.) The aritcle was certainly informative and interesting, although I am not sure I can break out of my ways. My favorite quote: "The point is not so much that you can equip a real kitchen without much money, but the fear of buying the wrong kind of equipment is unfounded. It needs only to be functional, not prestigious, lavish or expensive." Thank you, Mr. Bittman. Point well taken. I will try to remember this in the future and break free from my kitchen equipment bias that I seem to possess. Click here if you are interested in reading the rest of the article.

HAPPY COOKING!