My husband sent me this video from YouTube. Have you seen it? My husband could have been in this video!
It made me laugh out loud at work so I had to share! I hope you find it as funny as I do.
ENJOY!
Author Archives: Jenni
Home, Sweet, Home
Okay, it’s official! I am in-hate with my house. I’ve always been its greatest fan (even more than my husband) and this is the thanks I get? Another repair bill?
We dealt with the breaker box incident (no power for 8 hrs on one of the hottest days of the summer) and the water softener snafu (all of dishes were covered with a nice film). But, yesterday I’m cooking for my mom’s 70th birthday dinner and everything was running smoothly. I had a sink full of sudsy water for the dirty dishes (I’m one of those cooks that cleans as I go). I’m chopping, stirring, etc. when I noticed my sudsy water was gone. What the heck?! I look under the sink and found the missing water. Lovely. So, I look under the sink at the drain and tug on it a bit. Bada boom bada bing! When the drain fell into my hands, that solved the mystery of how the water in the sink was now under the sink. Great. The side with disposal was still functioning so at least I could continue my meal preparation for my parents once I cleaned up the soggy mess. That did put me behind a bit, but the meal did eventually get on the table!
We bought this house 9 years ago on a whim – it was the biggest impulse buy we’ve ever made. We weren’t even really looking for a house and then one Sunday night, a friend of mine called and told me that her neighbor across the street was getting ready to put her house on the market the very next morning. She said it would be perfect for us and we should consider it.
We had just had our third child and we lived in a house that was a bit of a tight squeeze but manageable, but it didn’t have a basement. How nice would it be to have a basement for all the toys, Barbie tent, Bob the Builder work bench,etc.?! I coerced the hubby into just looking – what was the harm, right? (It’s similar to looking at puppies – don’t look unless you are ready to commit!). Well, we called our realtor the next day and were able to go look at the house on Wednesday. Long story short, two other couples had looked at it as well and made offers (just 2 days after it had been listed!). We had to make a decision literally after being in the house about an hour – did we want to make an offer or not?
It was love a first sight for me and I was hooked. But, the hubby usually has to do market research for about 6 months (consult Consumer Reports, etc) before buying let’s say, a DVD player so he was freaking out! Our realtor and I literally talked him into making the largest impulse buy of his life and we started the offer/counter-offer merry-go-round. We ended up sealing the deal by offering $5,000 above the list price. Yeah, we won!!
It’s our third house since we’ve been married and it has been my favorite one. I’ve never wavered in my love for my house (until yesterday). Yes, it was as old as the hills and yes, it did need an interior make-over when we moved in, but so what!? Nobody’s perfect.
Now, I’ve had just about enough! Everything seems to be falling apart and it started last year. Last year – water heater replaced, our chimney rebuilt, the kids’ shower re-tiled, wet spot in kitchen ceiling fixed, etc. When we returned from our vacation last week, we had our water softener fixed ($200), breaker box rebuilt ($1700) and now today, the kitchen sink (see above – $470). I mean, my goodness! I know our dryer needs something done (it just squeaks), we need new windows and I’m just waiting for the dishwasher to poop out.
It’s not a money pit, just old age, right?
I’m definitely not ready to give up on this house (I have vowed never to move again), but I’m not blindly in love any more. My eyes have been opened.
Homeownership is not for the flighty or the squeamish 🙂
Update: Part of the plumbing bill from yesterday was a fixing a drip in our master bathroom shower (which was fixed properly). But, this morning my hubby jumped in the shower only to find out that our cold is hot and our hot is now cold. Oh, brother! Now, I have to wait around for the plumber all day tomorrow to get our mixed up shower straightened out. Aaahhhh!
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Mixed Marriages CAN Work
- Photo c/o udfl.net
I was reminded yesterday that I married a Republican. So what?
When we got married, I don’t remember politics being a big deal or much of a topic of discussion (we were 25 & 26 yrs old). Let’s see, Bush Sr. was President when we married in 1991, so the next big election was the 1992 Presidential Election between Bush Sr (and Quayle), Clinton (and Gore) and let’s not forget, Perot (and Stockdale). This is when I noticed our voting records as being distinct and separate – I voted for Clinton and he voted for Bush, of course. This was the beginning of the end, so-to-speak.
It’s the ultimate in “opposites attract” (except I do have a vegetarian friend who is married to a carnivore who is also an avid hunter and has a slew of dead animals on her walls – that may be the ultimate).
Now, I have been known to vote for a Republican or two. I try to be informed and not be a straight party line voter – I really want to vote for the best person. It’s a pretty idealistic view, I know. I don’t always succeed, but I really do try.
After being married for 19 years now, there are topics that aren’t worth discussing (maybe some other couples know what I’m talking about) and one of those, as we have discovered over the years, is politics. Why bother? Nothing positive happens from these discussions. Over the years we have developed rules for political discussions. They have never been formally said or written, just understood between us (it’s as if we had a Vulcan mind meld).
Unspoken Rules of Political Disengagement (URPD):
- Rule #1: We do not bring up hot button party line topics such as. . . . . you name it
- Rule #2: We do not donate money to either political party
- Rule #3: We do not put signs in our yard during elections because it would just be confusing for our neighbors (We live in the most Republican county in the state and, I would argue, one of the top 30 Republican counties in the nation. Needless to say, Democrat sitings are rare.)
Well, yesterday we began a discussion in the car that revolved around politics and it went nowhere fast. It was totally my fault, I brought up the topic that lead to the death spiral. What the hell was wrong with me? I broke Rule #1 of the Unspoken Rules of Political Disengagement. In order to protect my husband’s privacy, I will not disclose the discussion. However, I know he didn’t mean to sound like a stereotypical stuffy, middle-aged, middle-class, white male Republican that demeaned my gender (right, babe?). I think sometimes he says things that he knows will send me over the edge just for grins and giggles. Despite the gulf between us in the political arena, I love the big lug. I just need to remember the URPD!!!
How do Mary Matalin and James Carville do it? They can’t avoid this topic. Both of their jobs revolve around politics and they are in the spotlight frequently especially during Presidential elections – I’ve even seen them on the same news show (it was fun to watch). It’s inspiring. Really. I would love to hear their table talk!
The URPD also comes into play with my parents, my husband’s parents and a few of my husband’s golf buddies – I’m outnumbered. Talking politics would be suicide and I’m not quite ready to lay down my life for a cause (pansy liberal!). I do belong to a secret support group for Democrats in our area – it has 4 members. We change the location of our meetings every time to protect ourselves.
Damn. Uh, I think I just outed myself . . . . Hopefully, my neighbors will take pity on me by knowing that my vote for our city mayor, congressional seat, county commissioners, presidential candidate, senate seats, etc. will most likely always be negated by my husband. 🙂
Remember the URPD!
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In The Blink of an Eye
Yesterday, I posted something about my life getting on my nerves. And, you know what? It’s not really that bad – it could be a lot worse. After posting my rant, I started thinking about an email I received about a week ago and began to feel self-indulgent and ridiculous.
The email informed me that a co-worker from my old place of employment had experienced a tragedy. He was the catcher during a baseball game – during a play at home, the runner collided with him in such a way that the impact fractured his spinal cord. This happened on July 1st and he is still in the hospital as of today. He is on a vent, has a trach, and a feeding tube. Due to the event, he also started having heart problems so the doctors had to implant a temporary pacemaker. You can read his story on his blog – Rick’s Recovery.
Rick is one of those rare employees that goes above and beyond the call of duty. While I worked at Symetra, he was definitely the go-to guy and you could always rely on him to find a solution to your quandary. I’m sure that he is sorely missed right now. It’s said that everyone is replaceable – I don’t subscribe to that notion. There are those that are really, really hard to replace and I believe that Rick is one of those exceptions.
Also, as you know, we’ve joined a CSA this summer – by the way, the fresh veggies have been AWESOME. The owners of the CSA send us a weekly email which lets us know what to expect in our share and identifies uncommon vegetables. Well, in the email from last week, they shared with us that one of their friends from Seldom Seen Farm was struck by lightning while working in the field picking onions. This 28-yr-old woman (with a husband and small child) has been placed in a medically induced coma, but is breathing on her own which is good news. I’m sure she woke up that morning thinking it was going to be a normal day.
Both of these stories just reminded me (again) that life can change literally in the blink of an eye. It’s so cliché to say, but it’s true. Why do I have to read these tales to snap me out of “it’s all about me” bubble? I can really get on my own nerves!!
As part of my “What If” endeavor, I’ve got to start working harder on thinking in a new way. Life is too short and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Like anything else, it takes commitment and practice, right? Today, is the beginning (again!).
Wish me luck..
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Reality, Here I Come!
Okay, I have finally returned from my back-to-back vacations! Vacation #1: vacation with my family in the Outerbanks, NC – home for 5 days (literally) – Vacation #2: vacation with my husband’s family. Whew! It has been one heck of a summer. I know, I know, you have no pity for the woman who has been on vacation for almost the entire month of July.
Even though I had a great time on my vacations, I was somewhat looking forward to getting back into a routine of some kind. There is some comfort in routine, right?
Well, Monday was my first day back and well, now, I’m thinking, “routine, shmoutine.”
Reality Check #1:
I had painting class on Monday night (my 2nd to last one) and even that is starting to get on my nerves! How could this be? It’s supposed to be stress-free me time. If you recall, I got into painting because it has mostly no rules, isn’t rigid and can be whatever (the opposite of my life). Well, not according to my art teacher. I’m doing a still life right now and just about done with it. At least, I that’s what I thought. Please look at my candlestick – for some reason, she wanted me to correct the right side of my candle. She thought I needed to fix, well, I don’t even know!
The “Still Life”
Do you see something extremely wrong with my candle on the bottom right side where it meets the candlestick? I mean, really! You can tell it’s a candle and a candlestick, right? That is success for me – especially for my 2nd painting EVER! Why does it have to be exact? I thought that was why I was taking painting – to NOT be exact!! I’m tired of being exact!! I told my husband that after my last class next week, that I may take a break from painting class and try some on my own. I do have some ideas of what I would like to paint, so I guess I will give it a shot all on my own. I think I’ve got the basic gist of oil painting – it’s really the drawing part that I really need help with :)!
Reality Check #2:
Our house is now falling apart one piece or part one after the other (probably due to age). Monday (same day as painting above!) we had to have the water softener peeps come out and fix our 7-year-old water softener – $200. Tuesday, we had to have the electricians out to rebuild our breaker box from SCRATCH! We had no power (no air conditioning, no computer, no nothin’) from 8:30am to 4:00pm – $1700. Welcome home, huh? The bad thing is that I think our dishwasher is getting jealous and wants a “fix up” job, too.
Be careful what you wish for!
Reality Bites!
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Relax . . . You’re on Vacation!
Ahhh…vacations. They’re all good, right? I got back from vacation recently and this article spoke to me “Back from the Beach? You need a Vacation”. Oddly enough, it gave me comfort. Why? Because apparently I’m not the only nut out there that doesn’t feel relaxed after a family vacation. Whew! What a relief! I thought I was alone.
Our vacation in the Outerbanks was really fun and it was great to see my sister (who lives many states away). It’s just the pre-vacay and post-vacay rituals that stress me out. Packing a family of 5 ain’t no game and is not for the faint of heart. Of course, my family thinks my packing rituals/routines are insane, but we rarely forget anything important or critical to our trip. I’m not a fan of the saying “If we forgot something, we can buy it!’.
The pre-vacay routine has gotten a little better since my kids are old enough to pack themselves. When all of the kids were little, it was C-R-A-Z-Y (totyards, diapers, baby food, bouncy seats, etc.).
The Packing Routine
The formal living room becomes the staging area and the pre-vacay routine typically begins on the Sunday prior to the Saturday departure.
1. If you want a certain board game, fishing pole or baseball mitt to come on the vacation, please place it in the staging area.
2. Your suitcase must be in this area emptied and ready for loading.
3. Please grab your pre-printed packing list from the counter (these lists are available a couple of days prior to departure).
4. If you have a favorite outfit that must go on vacation with you, please put it in the laundry at least 2 days prior to departure.
5. You are responsible for your own “fun” bag for the car ride – that means electronics, electronic cords, books, etc.
6. Friday is family truckster loading day and the pre-flight check.
Once we arrive at our destination, it usually takes me about a day and a half into the vacation to get into full relaxation mode, but I do eventually get there. Since we rent a house on a lake, the minute we arrive (after an 8 hour car trip) we must immediately unload the van so I can go the grocery store (you all know how I LOVE The grocery store 🙂 ). I feel like I never really get a break from the stuff I normally do at home (grocery, laundry, cooking and cleaning). I wish we could vacation with an “Alice”. I mean, my husband is an architect! I thought the live in nanny was automatic (false advertising!).
Of course, the return trip routine is a little easier because we just need to re-pack everything we brought with us. But, I usually spend half of the last vacation day on the post-vacay ritual. And, of course, the post-vacay ritual continues once you pull in the driveway – I’m still working on the three 13-gallon trash bags of dirty clothes we brought back with us from our trip to the Outerbanks! (UGH!! The BANE.)
My bro-in-law appropriately stated that vacations are pretty much about the kids – I couldn’t argue with that! He can be very insightful :). That’s why my husband and I take a trip once a year – just us! That’s my real vacation every year (he can pack himself and clean up after himself :)).
The news article really summed it up for me. I may have to follow some of the post vacation de-stressing suggestions in the article (except maybe the weeding – I don’t think that would relax me).
Here’s a relaxing scene from the Outerbanks! Beautiful, isn’t?
Enjoy your summer vacations!
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Really?! You Just Did That?
It’s summer and I love going to my daughter’s softball games! There’s nothing like summer, softball (or baseball) and hotdogs, right?!
Okay, we are at my daughter’s softball game waiting for it to start which also means that my son is itchin’ for his pre-game sugar to get him through the evening. I send him on his way to the concession stand (which is in view) and glance around the field while also keeping an eye on the boy. That’s when I see something very strange (we go to our state fair every year so I know what I’m talking about). See the picture of the woman to left? Well, I’m not sure I’m going to do this justice, but this woman is chatting up the concession stand worker and then all of a sudden she flexes her right arm (you, know the “gun show”) while at the same time grabbing the dangling flab of her right arm with her left hand and starts waving it around. Keep in mind that she is doing the arm flailing while also still talking to the concession worker. That’s when my mind starts racing! ” What the hell did I just see? Am I hallucinating?”
1. What the hell was she doing?
2. Does she know the concession worker (who was hidden in the shadows) and they were comparing flab?
3. Did she not know the worker, wanted a free slushie and thought the worker would throw her one to get her to go away?
4. Has her flab shrunk (or grown) and she was proud of it?
5. What was she saying to the concession worker when she was flailing her flabby tricep?
Inquiring minds want to know!
I have to say that I wish I had hopped off of my a– to stand behind my son at the concession stand in order to eavesdrop on some of the conversation, but alas, I was frozen to the bleachers in, well, horror! What could have the conversation been?! I’ve never seen anything like it.
Why do people feel the need to do stuff like that in public? No one wants to see you pinching or flailing any flab (or anything) in public! It really goes beyond just flying flab, but I don’t have enough space to talk about all of the icky stuff that I’ve seen people do in the light of day within my eye-space. This particular incident really just caught me off guard – it was not expected at a rec league softball game. It did take away from the first game of a doubleheader, but I slowly recovered. Every day is an adventure, right?
Please, keep your flab (and whatever else) to yourself!
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Hey, Do You Want to See Pictures of My Colonoscopy?
As I’m approaching my 45th birthday, I am kind of freakin’ out. Thirty and Forty really didn’t faze me. I used to have a baby-face and people always thought I was 4-5 years younger than I really was, so the actual number wasn’t a big deal.
Now I’m halfway to 50 and I don’t feel that old. And, my baby-face is growing up so I’m no longer reaping the benefits of illusion any more.
As I’m aging, I’ve really started to notice a trend that I really don’t like, the blurting of health-related personal information! Why do people (as they are getting older) want to over-share about their health problems? I’m talking about people who you really don’t know very well and see on an infrequent basis. (I do want to point out that I do want to know about the health of my family and closest friends. I do care about that!) What is driving this compulsion? Do they want to see if you are as miserable as they are? Do they want sympathy? It’s a mystery.
You know the people I’m talking about. They’re the ones that you avoid asking, “How are you doing?” because they will really tell you how they are doing in fine detail. You really were just asking the question as a polite opener and a general “I’m doing Great!” would have done the job.
This pet-peeve of mine got me thinking about myself as I’m literally approaching middle-age (I hope I will hang in there until my 90th birthday).
Here are a few of the peeves that I am going to attempt to avoid (or minimize) as I approach and pass 45:
Talking about my health with strangers and almost complete strangers. We entertained a couple that were parents of a friend of one of our kids and the dinner discussion centered around their recent surgeries, ailments and hot flashes. Yikes, really?
Being a know-it-all. I really need to start working on this now, I do have a need to be right almost all of the time (it’s the competitive spirit in me). Recently, I overheard a conversation about tomatoes uttered by someone past middle age. Person A: “My husband doesn’t like tomatoes.” Person B (sounding very authoritative on the subject of Men and/or Tomatoes): “Oh, Men don’t like tomatoes. I don’t know why that is, but they don’t.” Huh? Where did that information come from? Ask.com?
Trying to dress like a teenager. I’m noticing this tendency more and more and maybe it’s because the women are my age now (maybe this has always gone on and I’m just now picking up on it). My girls do not like it at all and they do comment on it when we are out and about. (Now, I can threaten them with dressing like that in public if they don’t acquiesce to my demands.) It’s possible for middle-aged women, such as myself, to create a look that is age-appropriate and hip at the same time. You just need to realize the boundaries – belly button rings and cropped shirts are an absolute no-no.
Being 100% absolutely sure about everything so there is no room for questions or compromise. This peeve is a variation on the know-it-all theme. I don’t think everyone over the age of 45 is like this, but this tendency seems to worsen in the aging process. I’m just thinking of my peer group. When we were young we all had opinions on the topics of the day, but they weren’t written in stone. Now, as we’ve gotten older, some of our crew think in the extreme in almost every topic of discussion – there is no gray (ie Republicans are ALWAYS right and Democrats are ALWAYS wrong). It’s difficult to converse with someone who can’t acknowledge an alternate side to an issue – I really find it rather boring and tiresome.
Now, here is my list of the things that I want to embrace as I approach and pass 45:
Keep up the latest technologies. Right now I think I’m on par with my kids’ knowledge. My goal is to keep it that way. I will not be surpassed!
Stay relevant. I want to keep well-informed on current issues and topics that interest me. So when I do offer up an opinion or comment, it’s not based on rumor. Or, if I don’t know much on the topic, admit it, listen to others and be prepared next time. I’m always striving to keep an open mind on topics – it’s not always easy.
Remember that age is just a number. It can’t dictate how you feel.
Take control of my health. I really need to start exercising more. This will hopefully prevent me from developing ailments and blurting them to complete strangers!
Continue to try new things. Hopefully, this will keep me interesting (assuming that I am already!).
Here’s to turning 45!
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Veggie Tales Suburban-Style
Pic c/o http://www.balancedharvest.com
Something new is happening this weekend for the Engledows! This Saturday we are picking up our first share from a local CSA! Maybe you’re thinking to yourself, “What the heck is a CSA?” (let me give you a hint, it doesn’t stand for Casting Society of America or Certified Senior Advisors.)
[via Wikipedia] Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is a socio-economic model of agriculture and food distribution. A CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation where the growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food production. CSAs usually consist of a system of weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables and fruit in a vegetable box scheme, sometimes including dairy products and meat.
This year I really wanted to make an effort to eat better and introduce more (and different) veggies into our diet. Since I cook almost every night now, it has been much easier for me to feed healthier dinners to my family and this seemed like the next logical step. Also, it does make me feel good that we are supporting our local farmers.
How did I hear about this foodie concept? My sister, Beth, joined a CSA near her and introduced me to this idea. Now that my two youngest are a little older and have branched out (not much, though) from corn (I realize that this is really a grain!) and green beans, I decided to seriously consider the CSA concept.
Our CSA is Balanced Harvest Farm. Once I started doing the research, I discovered that there are a lot of CSA options for us in our area! I had no idea – either they need to advertise more or we need to get out more! Since this is new to me, I asked one of my BFFs to join me this season by splitting a full share to see how it goes. It would make me sick if we let a bunch of fresh veggies go to waste. I’m not really into canning/freezing so sharing the weekly basket seeemed the best way to go. Every Fall Mike and I used to pick and can apples (apple sauce, apple butter, blah, blah) when we owned a house that had 9 apples trees (nine trees can generate a TON of apples). That experience pretty much killed any romantic notions that I had of preserving food and living off of the land – I never want to see another glass canning jar ever. It took me awhile to get to the point where I could even enjoy an apple again.
Anywho, I had a pep talk with my two non-veggie-eating munchkins to inform them of our new food adventure – if they don’t eat what is before them, they may leave the table a little hungry! We are all going to be trying new things – even me. For example, I have a strong dislike for the following foods when they are cooked – carrots, peas and spinach. These vegetables are just lovely when raw, but something horribly, terribly wrong occurs when they get heated. So, in the spirit of cooperation, I promised to attempt to enjoy these veggies (even cooked) if they end up in our box.
Here is the list of goodies that will be in our vegetable box this week:
Heirloom Salad Mix & Head Lettuce – I love salads!
Snap Peas – I’m not really a Pea fan, but I’m going to give them a shot.
Curly Endive – I’ve never had this before and I’m not exactly sure what it is. I’ve had regular endive before (a la Julia Child).
Sorrel – What the heck is this stuff? I need to do some research on this one.
Escarole – Again, I think I’ve seen it in the stores, but I’m not sure what to do with it.
Japanese Salad Turnips – My grandfather ate raw turnips at every meal, but I’m not sure they were the Japanese variety.
Mint – An interesting herb – I don’t think I’ve ever cooked with it.
If anyone has any good ideas for family-friendly recipes using some of the more exotic items listed, send them to me! My menu planning for the next week will be very challenging since I have some research to do.
Check out http://www.localharvest.org/csa/ for information on finding a local CSA in your area!
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I Now Pronounce You Husband & Wife……
I’m usually not a very sappy person, but I have to admit that I love weddings. We attended our nephew’s wedding on Saturday and I could have bawled like a baby, but I held in most of it (so as not to embarrass my children or husband). To me, weddings represent optimism, joy, expectation, happiness. . . . . It’s a nice reminder that there are good things happening in the world despite the BP oil spill, Afganistan, Iraq, tensions in Iran, tensions in Pakistan, the Gaza Blockade, etc.
The bride looked gorgeous and my nephew looked dashing – they were giddy, happy, overwhelmed by the moment….etc. They did the brave thing and wrote their own vows – the vows were so sweet and heartfelt. It was a beautiful wedding and the reception was a lot of fun (lots of good music)!
My hope for both of them is that they have indeed each found his/her soul mate and will be one of the 50% of couples that stick with it through the good times and bad. Whoa, where did that come from!? Sorry, that sounded a bit pessimistic, didn’t it?
To explain . . . . at my last hair appointment, my hairdresser who is all of about 24-25 said something very shocking to me. Three summers ago, she was a bridesmaid in about 5 weddings (think “27 Dresses”) and was a guest at a few more. The shocking news? Three years later over half of the couples are now divorced and one of her friends is getting re-married. What?!
I know you’re thinking, “Whatever. You’re so naive, woman!” Hey, I do realize that divorce rates are high, but come on! After two years, they’re ready to call it quits?! They couldn’t wait until the 7 Year Itch?! They probably haven’t even finished writing the “Thank You” notes yet!
I really feel for the parents that dished out for these elaborate affairs (some of them sounded really insane!). Not wanting to be one of these parents in the future (because, well, I do worry about it), I capitalized on this information as a learning moment for the offspring.
“It doesn’t matter how amazing your wedding planner is (don’t get me started on this topic), where your reception is held, what your ‘colors’ are, or what your dress or cake looks like! That’s not what makes a marriage!”
But, these elements do make for a nice wedding album – ONLY if you hired the right photographer! 🙂 Okay, enough of the “Debbie-downer” routine.
Attending weddings always makes me think back on my own (over 19 years ago). It was a blur, but I have happy, blurry memories of it! Look at us full of optimism and hope for the future!
To the June wedding couples in my family
My sis & bro-in-law (14 years this June) – Congratulations!!
My parents will be celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary this month! Congratulations, Mom & Dad!
Here’s to the future! Congratulations, Craig & Laura!
The Engledow Chronicles 