{Not} Living Vicariously

Lightning Strikes Again

We had a big storm on the 21st of August, a huge storm, lots of thunder - lightning - rain action going on. There was actually a lake that appeared in our front yard for a few hours. Luckily we have good drainage and are happy to report no flooding at our place. We also had no damage to our property however when we got up Sunday morning we were somewhat surprised to walk out back and see this.

 
We didn't hear a thing . . . and surely it had to have made noise as it happened. Wouldn't it? It has actually caused the fence to sag. Anyway, we went out of town and were gone for several hours. By the time we got back, all of the dead wood had been cut away and a bonfire was going which had obviously been going for quite some time. It continued to burn for quite a bit longer . . . in fact it was still going when I got up for work Monday morning. However this is what the tree looks like now.

 
Do you think the tree will survive? I sure hope so. It looks to be a beautiful tree . . .

Washing Machines

Since putting our other house on the market, we have been having weekly dates at the local laundromat. We had not wanted to bring over the old washer and dryer as they were a stacked unit perfect for the small laundry closet in that house. We also didn't want to go out and buy new ones as we were pretty sure we were about to receive some from a relative selling a house. So we went on Monday nights to the laundromat, enjoyed the people watching, and managed to get lots of clothes washed and dried in about 90 minutes each week. Not too bad from one perspective. However, there is always my fear of the delicates and not being able to use my Dryel there . . .

Anyway, last weekend we were able to head down to Alabama and pick up our free washer, dryer, and chest freezer. Color me happy! However, times since them have been a bit interesting. The first load of laundry I did refused to fill up for the rinse cycle. Turns out we had sediment in the cold water hose and once that was clear, it worked just fine. So we tried a second load, and it stopped after filling up for the rinse, it wouldn't spin dry. Once again we did get it to work, but we were pretty nervous. Well, we fiddled with this and tweaked that and crossed our fingers and tried a third load yesterday when we discovered a leak. Turns out we had the hoses connected backwards and one was leaking water. We got that straightened out and I started up the next load to discover hot water coming out with my cold water cycle. We had re-attached the hoses backwards. Fixed that and loads four through six have actually finished themselves as expected. I sure hope we are done with the drama - the poor cat is traumatized over how many times we've moved these appliances in what she thinks of as "her room" . . .

Creative? Storage 7

I'm not quite sure I think of this as "creative" however enough comments have been made on it in the last few months I thought I'd throw it out here. Let me start by saying I own a LOT of books. And when I say a LOT, just ask my husband and my father how much a LOT is. They would probably tell you to multiply the normal person's amount by 1000 and you might come close. All I can say is, I like books. And . . . I own a LOT. Even with all the shelves I've managed to squeeze out so far in this house, I still have over 20 boxes packed up and stacked up in the garage. Which I don't see coming out any time soon. But let's not dwell on that or I will get sad.

Anyway, bookcases get expensive. Especially if you need ones that will actually hold any weight on them. And I know how heavy books are . . . because I've moved a LOT of them. Since I need shelves that will actually hold substantial weight, I build my own. I've been doing this for years, my father got me started. And people always comment and compliment me on them. So ta-da! Two variations on my homegrown bookshelves:

 
This one is made from 8 by 8 shower glass blocks and 1 by 8 boards. It is the perfect size to hold mass market paperbacks, of which I own a LOT. After all I read a LOT of genre fiction and it tends to come in mass market.

 
This one is made with cinder blocks and 1 by 10 boards which holds most additional sized books.

Please excuse the mess of books on these shelves. We've been putting books up somewhat haphazardly as we unpack them and they are not properly organized. I'm trying to keep my librarian personality from having a hissy fit! Someday soon though I'm going to have to take the time to organize so I can actually find the ones I'm looking for.

Some fun and then chores

We have been so busy lately with the two houses, the move, the party, everything . . . that we haven't spent much "us" time lately. Well, today was our day to remedy that. At least in part! The heat broke last weekend, we had a torrential downpour the day of our Open House last Saturday, and it has actually been almost pleasant for August. Highs in the upper 80s, lower 90s.

After we got up this morning, we grabbed the dog and headed off to Barfield Crescent which is a local park with some wilderness trails. Three miles and an hour later, we were happy folks.

 
A little stinky perhaps, but that was remedied after we got home. And then it was time for some chores (in other words, I had laundry to do!)

Things I Love - Chillow

Okay, I'm not sure I should be admiting this. However, I love my chillow. Do you even know what a chillow is?

I really like a cool pillow when I sleep. I used to keep four pillows on the bed and would rotate through all eight sides through the course of a night - just so there was always a cold spot for my head. Well, one day, flipping through one of those junk mail catalogs I saw the "chillow" which was advertised as being an insert for the pillow that would stay chilled, hence the name. For not too much money, I decided to chance it. It arrived, I put water in just as instructed, and it works just as it advertises. 

Now that I'm married, it is even better because there is no longer room for four pillows just for me on the bed and I am down to just the one. There is only an issue when I find Aaron sleeping on my pillow, enjoying the comfort. Hmm, maybe I'll get him one of his own!
 

Creative Storage 6

We don't have any place to store our wine and somehow we've managed to acquire quite a bit recently. Several bottles have been gifts from others, and we also stocked up on some favorite bottles at a good price. They were just piling up in the empty laundry room. However that room should not be empty much longer. It is expected to house a washer and dryer soon. So we had to find a new space. We have this wardrobe in the guest bedroom.

It has held a variety of things, few clothing related recently. However in this house, the left is holding guest linens and the right was empty. Behold the thought process of a creative husband!

It may not be the prettiest arrangement. However it cost us $0 to create and it works. I'm not asking for anything more right now.
 

My poor crocs

I bought a pair of brown mary jane style crocs some years ago and have loved them ever since. I've lost them and found them and want to wear them almost every day. However, that is not appropriate. I have also made a major mistake in this heat.

Leaving wet and covered in grass crocs on the back porch so you don't track stuff into the house for a few hours is fine. Leaving them there for several days when the temperature is in the high 90s and the heat index averages around 108 is not fine.

They have shrunk and my feet no longer fit inside of them. I'm so sad. I hope to invest in a new pair soon and I will treat them with the respect they deserve . . .
 
 

Pottery Play Time

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to hang out with a niece and nephew while G and Aaron went off to a funeral in Alabama. As hot as it is, we really couldn't do much outdoors and my house doesn't exactly have a lot of kid friendly things to do: seeing as we don't have kids, we don't have cable, and 90% of my books are still packed away. With the electricity acting up due to the heat, we headed off to The Avenue and luckily K noticed a "paint your own pottery" place. These things are not cheap, but we spent a pleasant 2 hours hanging out painting our pieces.

My piece:

K's piece:

L's piece:

Money well spent and the memories are wonderful!
 
 
 

Don't scare me like that!

We got up about 3 AM Friday morning to watch some of the meteor shower as it passed by. Unfortunately, even though we are technically out in the country now . . . there are still too many lights at night to get a good view of the night sky. I think next year, we'll take vacation and actually go out of town to enjoy. Speaking of vacation, Aaron decided to play a little trick on me!

Most mornings I get up first and after a shower I make our breakfast and pack our lunches. Don't think of me as an overachiever. Our breakfasts consist of a meal shake made of crushed ice, chocolate or vanilla powder, milk, a banana, and whatever other fruit we have around, blended together. And I make Aaron peel the fruit! Lunch is usually a sandwich, some more fruit, and a veggie of some sort. Nothing too exciting, however quick/easy/dependable and we can truly enjoy being creative at dinner and on the weekends.

Well this past Friday he was teasing me about taking the day off since it was Friday the 13th. I happened to have a major deadline that day so declined the offer and went about getting ready. I was running a bit slow, due to the early morning meteors so when he told me I didn't need to make his lunch - I was happy to oblige. I worked feverishly all day and didn't notice that I'd had no emails or phone calls from him. I was just happy to finish.

I arrived home just a little bit late and was surprised to see him already home and in his play clothes. He shouldn't get home until after me, even when I'm running late. When I wondered at this . . . he jokingly asked how would I feel if he just hadn't gone to work that day. Ack! In this time of job downsizing, I, um, was scared.

Turns out he has a bunch of vacation time he needs to use before September 30th or he will lose it. So he stayed home that day and worked on projects. My favorite one is he took the dog for a nice long walk before it got too hot. Because let me tell you, our heat index is hotter than Fresno right now and when I start thinking Fresno heat doesn't sound too bad - I'm not feeling well!

Creative Storage 5

Luckily we love our Fiesta dishes and are not opposed to using them as decor. We have this "piece" that has been moved in and sits against a wall in the dining area of our kitchen. It has lots of cubbies that have now been put to use holding dishes.

I'm not positive it will stay looking like this. If the heat ever breaks I'm considering sanding it and painting it white to match the trim work. But with a heat index of 110+ degrees most days, we're limiting our outside work to the bare minimum. And this is a piece I'd rather paint outdoors. For now, it adds a bit more color to the room and keeps those dishes nice and handy for use.