Jun 29, 2009

Marvelous Monday Update 6/29/09

WEATHER
The heat and humidity has finally broke (amongst other things, but more on that later)! Morning temps were 66F and it's forecasted to be in the upper 70's with little humidity. Woo Hoo!!


DATING

Last Thursday marked the two month anniversary of my first date with JT. Time has gone by so fast! Yet the comfort level is such that we've known each other a long time. He's very considerate, thoughtful, helpful, and affectionate. I can't say enough good things about him! To celebrate the "anniversary", I cooked us a nice stir-fry dinner. JT brought me flowers, candy, and this:

Isn't it beautiful?!

As part of a local festival, a "movie in the park" was shown on a 30ft screen Friday night. JT and I sat amongst many parents with children to see "Surf's Up." It was a cute movie.

I found it kind of amusing that two adults with no kids show up to an annimated movie riding in on a Harley, with JT looking like the quintessential "bad boy", which he is not -- but he pulls the look off really well! I'm still getting used to riding on the back of a motorcycle, since I haven't been on one for close to 20 years.

Since the weather was so nice yesterday, JT and I went on a 14.25 mile bicycle ride on the bike trail outside of town. The last few miles, both of us were two tired pups! I ended up with a slight sunburn. It was a beautiful ride with a nice breeze, though.


INGENUITY
I can't tell you how many times I've had to iron ribbons, either for clothing, or for crafts. It's always a pain to get out the ironing board and iron to iron something like a little piece of ribbon. Isn't it? Yes, it is!

Introduce the flat iron! I use it every morning to flat iron my hair. Over the weekend, I was wearing a shirt that has a ribbon which always needs ironing. It dawned on me... "If I can use this to iron my hair, why wouldn't it work for a piece of ribbon?" So, I tried it! Whaddya know!! It works wonderfully. Just make sure you don't leave the ribbon between the two heating elements too long, otherwise there's a good possibility it will get scorched due to the high temperature.


YUM-YUM's
I haven't shown my culinary skills in a while, so I thought I'd share one of my more recent creations:

Yakitori Noodles

This was a budget-friendly recipe I found on Rachel Ray's website. Instead of using soba noodles, I used noodles I'd bought from an Asian food store. I added sliced carrots and peas. Next time, I'm thinking about adding some broccoli and cutting the chicken pieces smaller. JT said it's a keeper!

Breaking News!

Breaking is correct... or rather, Broken!

With the sweltering temps in the 80's & 90's, high humidity, HI of 100-106F, and heat advisories, I broke down and turned on my central air last week. At first, it seemed to be working. By the second and third day... the thermostat said the house was 80 yet I had set the CA to 72-74.

I let my fingers do the dialing and called a HVAC guy.

Good news (if you think a $200 service call is good): He *thought* the capacitor was bad. ONLY $25 + labor of $150-175! HVAC guy: "I haven't seen one of these in 30 years."

Bad news: It WASN'T the capacitor, which meant it was the condensor. Can you say BIG bucks?!!

More bad news: The CA unit is too old to get parts. Wanna know how old it is??? Sure you do! "45 years old," he says, "if I calculated the code correctly on the unit"


In addition, he said my furnace is probably 60 years old which means it's the original furnace put in the house when it was built. HVAC guy: "These furnaces don't normally last this long."


So guess what I spent my week doing? Yep, that's right! Getting quotes for replacing my furnace and central air.

There are a few upsides:
1. There's a 30% tax credit for Home Energy Efficiency Improvement.
2. The two HVAC guys that have given me estimates so far have both said that whoever did the duct work, did a really good job. :)
3. I had two practically new window AC units in my garage that I'd bought when I first moved into my apt years ago. Used them sparingly the first year, after that the landlord put in CA units. Go figure. The smaller window unit fits in my livingroom window. JT was the sweetest dear by putting it in for me Friday after he got off work.



Thought for the Day

Handle every stressful situation like a dog.
If you can't eat it or play with it,
Just piss on it and walk away.

Jun 24, 2009

Banister of Life

As you slide down the banister of life, just remember:



1. Jim Baker and Jimmy Swaggert have written an impressive new book. It's called ......... 'Ministers Do More Than Lay People'

2. Transvestite: A guy who likes to eat, drink and be Mary.

3. The difference between the Pope and your boss: The Pope only expects you to kiss his ring.


4. My mind works like lightning, One brilliant flash and it is gone.

5. The only time the world beats a path to your door is if you're in the bathroom.


6. I hate sex in the movies. Tried it once. The seat folded up, the drink spilled and that ice, well, it really chilled the mood.

7. It used to be only death and taxes. Now, of course, there's shipping and handling, too.


8. A husband is someone who, after taking the trash out, gives the impression that he just cleaned the whole house.

9. My next house will have no kitchen - just vending machines and a large trash can.


10. A blonde said, 'I was worried that my mechanic might try to rip me off. I was relieved when he told me all I needed was turn signal fluid.'

11. Definition of a teenager? God's punishment...for enjoying sex.

As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point the wrong way.

Jun 23, 2009

Marvelous Monday Update 6/22/09 on Tuesday

HEARTFELT THANKS
With the start of this new week and MM update, I'd like to express my heartfelt thanks for the friendship and support of my online friends. Some of you I have met in R/L and some I have not, but your friendships mean the world to me. You couldn't even imagine how your comments and emails mean to me! (((Big Hugs))) to you. And thank you for being there... supporting me in my good times, and bad.


GIVEAWAY
Don't you just love the blog world? Musings of a Fat Chick is hosting a giveaway for not one, but TWO $50 gift certificates at Auntie's Beads. Hurry on over to read up on the details!


GARDENING
My planters and hanging baskets are coming along nicely:


Previous photos can be seen HERE.


KREATIV BLOGGER AWARD!
I been awarded as a Kreativ Blogger! Woo Hoo! Lucy over at Folk-n-Fancy passed this on to me. See what she had to say HERE. She's such a sweetie! Not only that, she's a very creative crafter :)

Seven things I love, not necessarily in this order:

1. Nature
2. Photography
3. Animals
4. Crafting
5. Computer Technology
6. Friends
7. Family

Seven bloggers who are deserving of this award:

1. Courtney - All Stitched Together
2. Shari - Shari's Sharings
3. Cindy - Cindy Mae's Stitching Corner
4. Kendra - The Stitching Hour
5. Ranae - Stitch by Stitch
6. Christine - Straight Talk From The Lazy W Ranch
7. Kristin - Dragondreamer's Lair

I always have such a difficult time choosing who to award since there are so many awesome, "kreativ" bloggers!


STITCHY STUFF
I'm still spending my time stitching for a "secret" exchange, so I can't show pics yet. Bummer, eh?


COUGH-COUGH-COUGH
Yep, my barking cough is still with me... going on the 4th week now. Several coworkers have continuously told me how "bad" I sound. JT encouraged me to go back to the doctor again, which I did yesterday. Apparently, I have several things going on. The cough is mostly exacerbated by my asthma, but brought on by my being sick (4 weeks ago) plus allergies. How's that for a diagnosis?!? I was given my first ever breathing treatment in the doctor's office which immediately allowed my lungs to open up and the cough to be more productive. I've also been given drugs to reduce inflammation in my lungs, and an antibiotic in case the "junk" in my lungs caused a bacterial infection (due to my having the cough for so long). Add to those, the RX Robitussin CA and allergy drugs the other doctor gave me a week or so ago. And I was sooooooo enjoying not being sick since my tonsilectomy almost 2 years ago. LOL


WEATHER
It's soooooo HOT and HUMID here in the midwest. We've been on a heat advisory since yesterday. Temps have been in the upper 80's. With the heat index, it feels like 100F. Forecasters are predicting storms again in the next day or so, but no relief from the heat.


Today, my car's thermometer said...

... and the heat index is 106!

I broke down and turned on my CA a couple days ago. I don't mind heat, but the humidity makes it hard to breathe! Wasn't I just complaining how COLD it was not too long ago???

Jun 19, 2009

Fire!

Severe thunderstorms ripped through my area around 10:30 today. The skies were so dark, one would think it was 9PM.


As I looked out the door of my office building, thunder boomed and lightning cracked so loud and so close, I jumped back from the door. A few minutes later....


I saw smoke coming from the church kitty-corner from my office! Immediately, I called 9-1-1 and the fire department was dispatched. Believe it or not, it took SEVEN MINUTES before we heard sirens and saw the engines pull up.

Despite the torential rain coming down, the steeple erupted in flames two different times. Luckily, there was only one person in the church. I don't know if she knew the steeple was on fire or not. I tried to call the church after contacting 9-1-1, but the line was busy.

(Sorry about the poor pic. I took it through the office doors and there's reflections)

My coworker was heartbroken to see her church on fire. The steeple was just put on the church a couple years ago.

What is amazing is that by 11:30... fire was out, fire trucks gone, skies cleared up, and the sun was shining!

It was reported in a community just west of me, there were winds in excess of 50MPH and 1/2" diameter hail.

Jun 18, 2009

The 25-Step Program

TWENTY-FIVE STEPS TO HEALTHY LIVING


1) Brush twice a day.


2) Dress according to the weather.


3) Visit the dentist regularly.


4) Get plenty of rest.


5) Make sure your hair is dry before going outside.


6) Eat right.


7) Get some sun once in a while.


8) Always wear a seatbelt.


9) Limit alcohol consumption.


10) Smile! It'll make you feel better.


11) Don't overindulge yourself.


12) Bathe regularly.


12) Read to exercise the brain.


14) Surround yourself with friends.


15) Stay away from too much caffeine.


16) Use the bathroom regularly.


17) Get plenty of exercise.


18) Have your eyes checked.


19) Eat plenty of vegetables.


20) Believe people will like you for who you are.


21) Forgive and forget.


22) Take lots of vacations.


23) Celebrate all special occasions.


24) Pick up a hobby.


25) Love your neighbor as yourself.

Jun 15, 2009

Marvelous Monday Update 6/15/09

Wow... Here it is.... the middle of June already! Where does the time go?


BIRTHDAY SHOPPING
On Friday, I took my 17yr old niece birthday shopping. Her birthday was actually in April, but we just couldn't get it together then. I had a list of things I needed to get on Friday, so I told her I'd take her anywhere she wanted as long as I could stop get the things I needed. We started out at the mall, of course. I was impressed with her shopping skills. She's quite the careful shopper! We had a good afternoon together shopping and having "girl talk"... both of which was nice.



STITCHY STUFF
Last week, I started a new mail art piece for an exchange. I'm not very far on it, and can't show pics until it arrives to its destination. Not much fun without pics, eh?


DATING
JT took me to Capri Restaurant & Pizza on Friday night. They make most awesome Italian food, ever! I've been there a couple times and never had a bad meal. Neither of us could eat all of our entrees, so guess what we had for lunch the next day?

On Saturday, we spent the afternoon at a local village festival. The firemen put on a pork chop dinner that is so scrumptious. (Hmm... I see a food theme, lol)

JT came over on Sunday morning... Mowed my grass, removed the overgrown vines from the side of my garage (I can actually see out the windows now!), and trimmed my tree. He tries to make my life easier :) What a sweetheart, eh? Meanwhile, I finished creating my planters with the annuals I bought a couple weeks ago.

My niece who graduated two weeks ago had her graduation party on Sunday afternoon. More food! My Mom made pulled BBQ Pork and eggrolls! Yum-Yum-Yummy!!! JT was brave enough to accompany me and meet the rest of the family. I could tell my Mom liked him (a lot) right away. My sister didn't say a word to him, but my BIL did ask him "How's it goin?" LOL After the party, JT and I went to my parents house and visited for a while. (My Mom bribed me by telling me she had more eggrolls at home! Who can resist that?!?) My Mom was quite animated and chatty with JT. My Dad talked some (me thinks he was tired) and laughed at some of JT's jokes.

So let's see... the parents like him, coworkers like him, BFF LOVES him, online friends like him, but sister doesn't. My mother actually said to me outloud in front of JT: "He's a keeper! You need to hold on to him with both hands." Way to be subtle, Mom! (Moms... whaddya do?!) One of my coworkers has echoed the same sentiment, just not in front of him. LOL