We did have to make one more call but eventually someone did come over…and they were able to fix the door. It works much smoother now, which is a bonus. The guy said the metal wire spools were very old and frayed, which likely contributed to the issue.
Category Archives: House & Home
Rental Rantiness
I went upstairs to change clothes at 4:30 and there was no power in the MBR. I hadn’t been up there since morning—and I swear I turned the light out on my way out—so what the hell? Yeah, the breaker was tripped, so obviously I did something. I had the lights on and the heater plugged in…which I’ve done before with no problem. But…who the hell knows.
The garage door has an opener, which is a bonus, but it’s a piece of crap door and opener, and has never really worked right, and the last few months it’s started stopping half way and/or closing then opening or whatever. Tom WD40d the tracks which helped for a bit, but tonight it died. It came off the track entirely, then some metal wires got wrapped around something—and of course we were on our way out to dinner. I held the door open so Tom could at least get his car out so it didn’t get stuck…then he had to CUT the wires to get the door to be able to drop closed. And drop it did—damn thing slammed to the ground with a thunderous slam. I hope it’s completely busted and they have to replace the whole goddamn thing. We called the owners and to their credit, they were really worried that our house was left open and vulnerable—and they said they’d call someone first thing in the morning and then call us. We’ll see. I’m not holding my breath.
So we get home from dinner and oops, I don’t have my front door key—I had taken it off for the catsitter and hadn’t put it back yet. And Tom doesn’t carry one. But we have an emergency one (which we placed for this very reason)…which we used…except the screen door was locked (a habit left over from summer when the big door was open and Owen could open the screen door). So we had to cut the screen to unlock the door. (Now, I know this part isn’t technically a rant about the house. But it technically kind of is due to the whole garage door fiasco.)
Then Owen got sick and we had to clean his carpets with the Rug Doctor. That tripped that breaker [a separate one] three times before we found a plug we could use successfully. Well, we were using it but turning on the hall light and [something else I can’t remember] actually tripped it. >:XX Swear to god, they have 15 things on one breaker an then two on another (that you never use).
And it’s all worse because it’s so >:XX cold in here. [Insert last year’s rant.]
99,999…100,000!
My 2001 Toyota Highlander rolled over 100,000 miles on the last leg of our 2700+ mile road trip today! We knew it would happen on this trip, so were keeping an eye on it—to get a picture, of course! I had my iPhone camera at the ready when Tom made the 5-mile announcement…and right as it turned 99,999 (which I also wanted a picture of), my phone rebooted! 88| Thankfully there was a turnpike convenience center a half mile down the road, so we pulled in! (We also needed gas!) So I got my picture!
Since we were obviously only a half mile from 100,000, I wanted Tom to drive around the convenience center, but he said no. 😐 So the picture for 100,000 is a bit blurry since I was taking it while he was driving.
My very first potato soup!
So I made mashed potatoes the other day and since I had a ton of spices in the water (onion, garlic, salt, pepper, chicken bouillon) I thought I’d better keep it for soup…because, well, it’s what my mom would do and she’d be proud of me (if I actually ended up using it for soup, that is). :meh:
So there it sat in the refrigerator. Taunting me. While I racked my brain trying to come up with something. Then I decided to check my soup cookbook—but I couldn’t find it. Then I decided to check Food Network—but I didn’t have most of the ingredients they required. Then I emailed my mom—but she was obviously away from her computer.
What to do, what to do? :??:
So I decided to wing it.
I fried some onion and garlic and spices in butter and bacon grease, because what soup doesn’t start out that way. Right?
Then I added the potato water and simmered with potato cubes until they were soft. I knew it needed to be thickened—and I thought corn might be good in it—so I tossed in a can of creamed corn. I had originally envisioned the soup with the potato chunks in it, but really didn’t care that much and knew it would be a good thickener…so I buzzed it with the immersion blender.
But it still wasn’t thick enough, so I added some [dried] chicken gravy mix. Better. Oooh, then I thought cream but we didn’t have that so I added some whole milk—but that counteracted my thickening agents. GRRR. So I added more gravy mix and then some sharp cheddar.
And it’s not too bad. It’s not great, but it’s definitely edible! I’d love ham or potato chunks in it, but we don’t have ham and I don’t want to cook more potatoes, so it will suffice this batch.
YAY ME!
Car trouble!
I drove to an appointment and the car was just fine. An hour later I am ready to go home and I notice the Brake light on. My first thought was “Did I unknowingly put the parking break on?” So I tested it and no that wasn’t it. Then I noticed the Engine light was on. And the ABS light.
😮
I know any of those usually mean STOP DRIVING IMMEDIATELY but I had to get home—we were on our way to the birthday ball as soon as I got home! So as I was driving I am thinking that we have to get the car in that day, so I called Tom to have him call…and while I was waiting to talk to him, I see that the speedometer wasn’t working, either! By this time, all I’m seeing is $$$ to get all this fixed—and before we leave on our major road trip for Thanksgiving!
Let me just say that it’s unbelievably disconcerting to be driving with no speedometer and have the Engine, ABS, and Brake lights on. Thankfully we were able to get the car in and crossed our fingers that repairs wouldn’t be so expensive that we’d be new car shopping instead.
Parenting tip for the newbies
Keep all future clothes/baby supplies/etc. in ONE area, so when you wonder “Do I need to buy ____?” you only have to look in one place.
Yeah, I just found a 2T winter coat that was stashed in some random drawer. Since I found some online on sale and thought I needed one and didn’t see one in the closet…I bought it. Now I have two. Granted, I think one goes to lower temps than the other (both Lands End) but still, I think one was plenty. They were both on sale, so still not too bad…but I could have gotten 3T (of 4T!) had I known I already had a 2T.
I also forget about stashed food, since I keep it in the basement pantry as well as the upstairs island and cupboards. I just realized I have a box of oatmeal and yogurt…which Owen doesn’t eat any more. It’s only $5 worth, but it’s the idea that I forgot about them.
Yelp ROTD–Jake’s Automotive
Reubens!
Why is it that, when I decide I want reubens, I always forget ONE ingredient?
Yes, I always remember the corned beef, but sometimes it’s the sauerkraut, sometimes the cheese, sometimes the Thousand Island…and today? The bread. And I even prided myself at the store for remembering the cheese/sauerkraut/dressing! But bread didn’t even enter my mind, even as I was thinking about the delicious-smelling bread they were putting in cases.
:**:
Last Night’s Math
Open windows
+ neighbor’s noisy car at midnight
+ cat hairball at 3am
+ car alarm at 5am
+ ANOTHER car alarm at 6:30am
=================================
A tiiiiired Jen who didn’t get much sleep
Rant to Rave!
Our Samsung TV that needed a service call? Well, turns out it had a power supply issue that, after researching, I discovered was a very common problem. I contacted Samsung and they said they offer a one-time fix, so that saved us probably $200 or so (or the cost of a new TV). It did take like four days for the guy to get here, but he was in and out in like 15 minutes and now our TV works! YAY!
Wells Fargo is unbelievable.
We got a notice that they tried to pay our insurance and it failed because we changed insurance companies and didn’t tell them, so now we need to pay the annual fee ourselves, plus send them all the documentation. Um, no. Nothing has changed.
The cover sheet had all our correct info, but the enclosure didn’t—it listed a different loan number, different address, and different insurance company! In fact, the only things the same were the house number [on a different street in the same town but a different zip code] and the last name.
WHAT THE HELL? How does that even happen? :??:
We called them and the lady just basically said “Sorry, it was a mistake. Your account looks okay.”
But I just cannot believe a company can be this screwed up.
Happy 9th anniversary to us!
I actually didn’t even think about our upcoming anniversary until I saw the notice on Facebook. Yeah, embarrassing. 😮 I blame it on thinking about my mom’s birthday (the 15th) instead.
Anyway, through a few back-and-forth emails, we decided where to go out for dinner. On the way there, Tom says “Are you sure you don’t want to get Chinese?” I looked at him and said “OMIGOD! Of course we have to get Chinese! I can’t believe I forgot! Why didn’t you say anything when we were emailing?!” He thought I was just dead set on using a coupon we had.
For those of you who have been following along all these years, you may remember that we ALWAYS have Chinese on our anniversary. The first few years were complete accidents, so then we made it a tradition.
And I forgot. :meh:
So Tom actually saved the day…
/swoon
And that’s why I :heart: him.
I made the news [paper]!
Five Asian buffets offer change of pace
Melody Baetens / The Detroit News
Metro Detroit has a wide variety of Asian buffets. Here’s a look at five standout options.
Fuji Japanese Buffet
32153 John R., Madison Heights
Call: (248) 616-8868
Web: www.fujibuffet.comPrice: $11.99 lunch Mon.-Fri.; $13.99 lunch Sat.-Sun.; $17.99 dinner Mon.-Thurs.; $19.99 dinner Fri.-Sat.
Hours: 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Mon.-Thurs. and Sun.; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat.
Highlights: For a strip mall buffet, Fuji is surprisingly cool and hip. When I went, there was a considerable number of college-age diners, many of Asian decent. Sometimes, if you go late enough, you can get a glimpse (or an earful) of a private dance party or karaoke session in one of the restaurant’s many banquet rooms.
Food-wise, Fuji’s strengths are snow crab legs with melted butter, gyoza (dumplings), vegetable and shrimp tempura, and sushi. Don’t be afraid to try the green tea ice cream for dessert. “What keeps me coming back are the platters of all-you-can-eat sushi being made fresh as you watch,” says diner Jennifer Hudson of Troy. “Is it the best food you’ll ever eat? No, but it’s certainly worth the price of admission.”
I’m Comic Sans, Asshole.
http://www.mcsweeneys.net…5comicsans.html
Of course, I can’t figure out how to write this blog post in Comic Sans, so it takes a little bit away from it, but you can read it in its correct format on the linked page!
I’m Comic Sans, Asshole.
BY MIKE LACHER
– – – –
Listen up. I know the shit you’ve been saying behind my back. You think I’m stupid. You think I’m immature. You think I’m a malformed, pathetic excuse for a font. Well think again, nerdhole, because I’m Comic Sans, and I’m the best thing to happen to typography since Johannes fucking Gutenberg.
You don’t like that your coworker used me on that note about stealing her yogurt from the break room fridge? You don’t like that I’m all over your sister-in-law’s blog? You don’t like that I’m on the sign for that new Thai place? You think I’m pedestrian and tacky? Guess the fuck what, Picasso. We don’t all have seventy-three weights of stick-up-my-ass Helvetica sitting on our seventeen-inch MacBook Pros. Sorry the entire world can’t all be done in stark Eurotrash Swiss type. Sorry some people like to have fun. Sorry I’m standing in the way of your minimalist Bauhaus-esque fascist snoozefest. Maybe sometime you should take off your black turtleneck, stop compulsively adjusting your Tumblr theme, and lighten the fuck up for once.
People love me. Why? Because I’m fun. I’m the life of the party. I bring levity to any situation. Need to soften the blow of a harsh message about restroom etiquette? SLAM. There I am. Need to spice up the directions to your graduation party? WHAM. There again. Need to convey your fun-loving, approachable nature on your business’ website? SMACK. Like daffodils in motherfucking spring.
When people need to kick back, have fun, and party, I will be there, unlike your pathetic fonts. While Gotham is at the science fair, I’m banging the prom queen behind the woodshop. While Avenir is practicing the clarinet, I’m shredding “Reign In Blood” on my double-necked Stratocaster. While Univers is refilling his allergy prescriptions, I’m racing my tricked-out, nitrous-laden Honda Civic against Tokyo gangsters who’ll kill me if I don’t cross the finish line first. I am a sans serif Superman and my only kryptonite is pretentious buzzkills like you.
It doesn’t even matter what you think. You know why, jagoff? Cause I’m famous. I am on every major operating system since Microsoft fucking Bob. I’m in your signs. I’m in your browsers. I’m in your instant messengers. I’m not just a font. I am a force of motherfucking nature and I will not rest until every uptight armchair typographer cock-hat like you is surrounded by my lovable, comic-book inspired, sans-serif badassery.
Enough of this bullshit. I’m gonna go get hammered with Papyrus.
Owen + ink pen + couch = artwork!
We never really worried about Owen getting hold of ink pens because he didn’t know how to click the top.
Until today, apparently. |-|
So today I learned (thanks, Google!) that rubbing alcohol gets ink off microfiber. And now you know, too.
Yelp ROTD–Ridley’s Bakery & Cafe
New car colors – blech.
We are starting to think and plan for a new car minivan [Toyota Sienna]. Shoot me. Yeah, I know people love them and I am sure I will come to love it…but I just love my Toyota Highlander SO much I don’t ever want to get rid of it. It’s nine years old and would likely last a lot more years…but if we want to have a second kid, a minivan is definitely in our future.
Anyway.
What really annoys me about buying a new car is all the really blah colors offered. I hate HATE blah colors. Really, these are it? /gag XX(
What happened to green? Turquoise? Orange? Purple? Give me one of those and I’d buy one ASAP. (As a point of reference, my first car was gold, my second car was bright purple, and my current car is a deep/bright green.) I actually like the black the best, but I would never get a black car. The second closest would be the South Pacific Pearl, but it’s still too muted for me.
Maybe we can hold out another year and the 2012 colors will be better. 😐
P.S. Here are the color choices I had in 2001—soooooo much better.
Kmart online. NEVER again.
Kmart. Need I say more?
Yes, I know I am spoiled with Amazon Prime and their two-day shipping, but seriously. We are going on THREE weeks since I ordered, and I still don’t have my items. When I ordered, I expected to have the items within a week (that’s what their estimator told me). It took FIVE days just to get a shipping notice. And then I waited. And waited. And checked tracking. And checked tracking. As of today, the package is still in INDIANA. We’re leaving for a week, so will be a PITA to receive now (haven’t been able to ask a neighbor to check mail yet).
So I call to see if I can get a discount on my order or s/h charges reversed. The lady first asks me what store I ordered from. Huh? I ordered online. “Yeah, but what store?” WHAT? ONLINE I say again. Then she argues with me that my order number is incorrect. Apparently, the order number in my email was NOT the actual order number. |-| Due to them being Sears/Kmart things are screwy, I guess. The email said “Thank you for ordering from Sears” and then later it said “Item provided by Kmart.” WTF?
So the CSR finally finds my order by phone number and I tell her my story and looks it up and says “It will be there tomorrow” with a finality that she’s done her part. Okay, that’s NOT what I asked for at all. I can follow tracking as good as you can. So I tell her that it’s ridiculous that I’ve had to wait this long, yada yada yada (staying nice) and she tells me she’s sorry, but it will be there tomorrow. I ask to talk to a manager.
I wait on hold for FIFTEEN minutes and go through the entire thing again with him. HE tells me it will be there tomorrow. You’re kidding me with this, right? He goes on to tell me that it was out of stock at the warehouse so they had to outsource it to [somewhere, another store maybe?] so that’s why it was taking longer. Okay, I said, so why wasn’t I made aware of that? Well, he says, they’re working on a new system to better streamline this sort of thing. OH, WHATEVER. So it comes down to what I am asking, and he doesn’t even say “We’ll refund your shipping” or anything. I HAD TO ASK FOR IT. Then you can hear in his voice like he’s really not happy about it…but he will refund the shipping.
Lord have mercy.
I will never shop at Kmart online again. I only did it because I didn’t want to go to two stores to get what I needed (I called, and each store had one and I needed two) so I thought it would be worth the $7. Ha. HA HA.
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
This was the first pineapple upside down cake I’ve ever made, and I was planning on using fresh pineapple AND fresh blueberries! Sounds good, right? I used this recipe by Paula Deen), and was intrigued by the frosting since I’d never seen it that way before. But I made it. And honestly? I could have done without it. The cake itself was REALLY good (super moist!) but the frosting was complete sugary overload that ended up taking away from the fruit itself. (That said, I was impressed that just 2 Tbs of pineapple juice was enough to really flavor the frosting.)
I did have a slight issue with the cakes coming out of the pans—I let them cool for the recommended 10 minutes but they were still very hot and some of the fruit started slip-sliding off the cake! But I’m guessing the fresh fruit had something to do with the excess moisture. There also seemed to be too much sugar, as well. I was using 8″ round cake pans, and 3/4 cup brown sugar in each one just seemed like A LOT. If I make this again, I will use less sugar. Oh, and there was too much batter as well. I had two FULL 8″ pans plus a tiny loaf pan. Which meant we just had a separate blueberry-topped loaf (yum!).
The cakes:
Unfortunately, I suck at frosting cakes, plus the frosting wasn’t quite room temp so it was a bit hard to spread, plus the fruit was really moving around… I was just going to do the sides, but then I had frosting left so then I thought I’d just put a dollop in the center…but then it looked like there was enough to finish frosting it…then it got messy and yucky looking. 😐
Pool Basketball
The one bad thing about both Tom and me getting in the pool with Owen is that we can’t take pictures…and today we would have loved a video!
The community pool has a basketball hoop and two balls in one section. Well, Owen always likes to play with the balls, and today since Tom was there, he lifted Owen up to the net so he could put the ball through himself. Oh my, did he love that! Every time he got the ball in his hands, he’d look up at the net like “Why am I not up there yet?” and then Tom would lift him up and Owen would drop or push it through! It was sooooo cute! (I tried lifting him, but that was a joke!) I think we did that for probably 20-30 minutes total!
Water park!
We all went to the local water park today and had a good time watching Owen having fun in all the pools. He even went down a water slide by himself!
And here he is actually going down!
And then he was enthralled with the sign by the water slide—I just love this pic because it looks like he’s reading it intensely!
Everyone in the pool!
Owen was out playing in his pool after we got home from our Costco trip…and I was hot from hauling everything in and putting it away, so I stepped in the pool with him…then invited Grandpa as well.
And then I got out and let Owen and Grandpa continue having fun…
District Court can kiss my ass.
>:XX
What the hell is the point of offering traffic ticket recipients the option to write a letter of explanation for a possible reduced ticket … if you don’t even read the letter and just charge me regardless? At least pretend to care, bastards.
Yes, I know it was my fault in the end (god forbid the Secretary of State be partially to blame!), but don’t give me an option and then ignore it entirely.
And really? $125 for expired tags? What a crock. My speeding ticket [seven years ago] was $125. I think speeding is a bit more reckless than expired tags.
>:XX
I am almost done with being domestic today.
I have fed the boy breakfast and lunch.
I have made hard-boiled eggs.
I have watered the herbs.
I have baked potatoes for a new potato salad recipe.
I am frying bacon for that same recipe, plus for our BLT pizza tonight.
I have gone grocery shopping.
I have (well, we have) been to the farmer’s market.
I have filled Owen’s pool and splashed with him.
I have pretty much burnt the last batch of bacon. >:XX
I am done. DONE! My back is killing me. Tomorrow will honestly be a day of rest (or so I hope).
A new (water) slide!
Tom and I saw a sign for a garage sale (“lots of baby things!”) on the way back from the grocery store, so we stopped. And they had…a slide that was just the perfect size for Owen! And I thought it would be a great addition to his little pool that we brought to Gramma Jean’s house.
And boy, did he love it! At first, Tom sat him on the slide and then held him as he slid down into the pool…but after a handful of times, he knew how to inch himself forward just enough to move himself down the slide—without Tom even holding on! He had an absolute BLAST with it…so we’ll definitely put it to good use at home, too!
And a sample of the crazy splashing that had us all wet—and in stitches!
DMV? Easy peasy!
Twenty minutes and $250 later, I have new tags and registration through September 2011. I had SUCH a great teller at the DMV it was amazing. A-MA-ZING! It probably also helped that that I was #4 in line and the tellers were still fresh! 😛
Missing tags? Ticket! GRRR.
So I got pulled over today. >:XX In the end, it’s a good thing, but in the meantime, it’s a big pain in the ass.
I honestly had NO idea why I got pulled over since I had been at a red light then turned on a green arrow—and I was a bit worried when I saw the cop nose into the turn lane ahead of someone [but behind me] so I watched my speed, etc. So imagine my complete and utter SHOCK when she told me I had expired tags.
Wait, what? Expired CAR tags? No way. Not possible.
I distinctly remembered going to get them. I remembered having parents here babysitting so I didn’t have to drag Owen. I remembered being at the counter and changing my address. But hmmm, I couldn’t find my registration, which was odd—not even an OLD registration. And then I was ticked at myself because I remembered pulling up TO the white line instead of staying back where the cop was (a good car length behind the line—so she was able to see my plates).
So I never found a registration, and she came back and said they were definitely expired and I had no registration on file at the Secretary of State. 88| I actually asked if I could get out and look—saying that I believed her, but I had to see it for myself. Yep, they were 2009 tags. >:XX
When I got home I started to dig through records trying to find any info—my best bet would be the check I know I paid with. I had a voters registration card with a date of June 22, 2009, so I know that’s the date I was in the DMV and would have written the check. (There was a slight chance I only did hubby’s that day but I KNOW I would have done mine via the internet had I been sent the forms in the mail.) But I got nothing—online banking only goes back three months, and this would have been in the June-September 2009 time frame.
I called my credit union, told them what I was looking for, and they actually searched a YEAR’S WORTH of checks and didn’t find anything. I know I paid by check, but I checked credit card statements, too (thinking maybe I was misremembering and did the renewal online) but there wasn’t anything there, either. >:XX Then I remembered another checking account that is barely used because I have been planning on canceling the account, but I didn’t have any account numbers (I recently deleted the online account AND the mint.com connection because I was going to delete the account). GRRRR. I did end up finding account numbers so I called, they found the check, but it was only for a small amount—the amount of Tom’s registration, as it turned out.
I called the Secretary of State to see if they could help me figure out what happened—and they were no big help. They did tell me, though, that the address on file was my Grayling address (even though I changed my license address) for whatever reason. Which means my renewal info went there…except my mom never got it. She got my LICENSE renewal, though. ❓
The most baffling part, really, is that my expired registration was not in the car. I only take it out when I replace it with the new one (just like proof of insurance)…so where did it go? I haven’t needed it for anything else that I can remember…
GRRRRR.
Splash Village
We spent Saturday night in Frankenmuth at Splash Village for a belated Smith Christmas/Reunion (we’ve had enough with driving in the snow and thought this would be a nice change!) so we got to take Owen to the pool again! (This is what we were training for at the community center pool!)
Due to sleep and nap schedules, Owen didn’t make it to the pool until the morning we were leaving, and Grandma Linda and Grandpa Mike volunteered to take him in. Of course, Tom and I sat on the sidelines and watched and took a few pictures (not as good as my usual pics since I had our old camera).
With Grandma Linda in the lazy river:
He really, REALLY amazed and impressed us…as soon as he saw the pool, he walked right into it and just kept going…deeper and deeper! He did hold hands with the grandparents, but he just…kept…going! He hadn’t even done that with us at the pool! They would play with him then walk him back to the shallow entry…and Owen would turn right around and walk back out! Over and over and over. It was soooo cute!
He did a great job overall, and we can’t wait to take him back to our local pool to see if he does the same thing there. We also bought him a bigger pool for the back yard—so hopefully he’ll like that, too!
Yelp ROTD–Franco’s Cafe
Sushi Blanket!
I got the idea from a baby blanket I saw on Etsy. I had seen that sushi fabric before and LOVED it, so I went on the hunt. No local fabric stores carried it, so I had to get it from eBay. Then I had to wait for mom to come down with her sewing machine because—a) I didn’t have a sewing machine and b) I can’t sew. 😛
So she came down and it was off to JoAnns to find some backing fabric. I loved the idea of the chenille but they only had white and that didn’t seem good for my ultimate usage ideas (the park, the beach, etc.). We ended with a reddish orange denim…and I love it.
Getting Started
Finished Projects (Blanket & Bag)
Can you guess what the handles are made from?
Look closely. More closely. Yes, the handles are bra straps. :>>
Her cool sewing machine can do letters!
And look at that cool edge stitch!
The Blanket
If I remember right, it’s about 7′ x 6′.
It is SO awesome and I am SO thrilled with it! I cannot thank my mom enough!! Oh, and just so you think she did it all…she MADE ME sew the buttons on (you can’t see them in any of the pics, but they’re there!).