Merry Christmas and Happy Valentine's Day!

I realize that this post is late, but we did not get one of our gifts until Saturday, so you can see why there might be a delay.

Holidays and birthdays and anniversaries around our house go a lot like this:

J:What do you want?
E: I don't know. I don't need anything.
J: Well, what do you want but not need?
E: Nothing.

Which, in reality is nice. With the exception of my wish for smaller thighs, I have all I want. So we decided this year that instead of exchanging needless things, we would buy ourselves something for the house. This is why people get married, I am thinking. So they don't have to buy this stuff themselves.

Whatever.

Anyway, we exchanged little gifts at Christmas and were debating between new pots and pans (Hey, have you heard that eating the nonstick surface of your pans isn't good for you? Crazy, right?) because ours were hand me downs or cheapies and needed to be introduced to the trash. Or we were considering a down-alternative comforter. Because, you know. That would be nice.

We chose the pots and pans because there was a fantastic set at Cost-co and we couldn't pass it up. Seriously, awesome set. Stainless steel, copper bottom and along the sides, wonderful.

This picture was taken right after Christmas which explains all the munchies and treats on the counter. Sort of.

My dad said they were nice, my brother called me a lucky bitch, and my mom said they were too nice for my stove.

Thanks, y'all.

For anyone interested, it was the Cost-co brand (Kirkland?) and it's a huge set with lids and a steamer and everything. They all cook things evenly and once they get heated up, shit stays HOT.

Then we decided on Valentine's Day that the same thing applied. We wanted nothing. We needed a new toaster oven, as the one I had got in college had seen better days and only worked on the top side, not the bottom. So you had to flip everything you put in there. Plus, we don't own a microwave, so a toaster oven is truly our go-to counter top appliance.

So here is the old one:

 It's the Toastmaster deluxe. From the year 2000. It didn't even come clean anymore. It actually had to be tossed and could not be donated. Jeremiah suggested that I open and close the door one more time, for memories. I did.

We replaced it with this:

There are positive and negative reviews for this, but there were positive and negative reviews for all the ones we looked at. KitchenAid is the brand, and I knew once I saw it, I wanted it. Mainly because it is three pronged on the outlet, and most toaster ovens ARE NOT. Which is crazy, because think of the power they got floating through there. So the three prong means that I most likely won't get electrocuted. Yay. Also, the wire trays hook in the back so they don't slide all the way out and you find your food on the floor. Plus, this beast can cook a whole bird, people. It came with two wire racks, a broiler pan, and something that hooks up a bird.  So far we've used it to do a mess of potatoes and some toast...AT THE SAME TIME! Everything cooked up superbly and evenly.

So there you go. Two wonderful purchases and two wonderful reasons why you should get married and register for gifts.

You Don't Know What You Got Till It's Gone, or Arizona Stinks Without Air Conditioning

When I woke up Wednesday morning, it was humid. In the house.

Weird.

And I was sweating. In the house. And I wasn't exercising.

Weird.

Yeah, the air conditioning BROKE. In June. In PHOENIX.

I don't know the temperatures where you are at, but here? In June? An oven like quality exists.

And I made it through the day with minimal complaining. Because really, what can you do? When people speak of the day and my calm behavior they will use hushed tones usually reserved for churches and libraries. They will speak of me in awe, because I handled it like a champ. With a frappe in the right hand. Because that was my Wednesday birthday surprise.

I waited for Jeremiah to get home and call a couple different people. A former co-worker who now runs the family AC company said he could make it out on Thursday at six in the morning. All we had to do was make it through the night.

I honestly don't think I've ever been so hot in my whole life. At one point Jeremiah left to sleep downstairs. I tried to stretch out and lay flat so that the fan could hit as much of me as possible. Didn't work. I thought about getting an ice pack from the freezer, but I couldn't muster the energy. Plus Mel was sleeping on my legs. And Atticus was sleeping next to me. So I just laid there. It was well over ninety degrees in our house.

The next morning the AC guys came and...wait for it, wait for it...

Charged us $60.00 for a broken thingamawhoozit. Sixty dollars TOTAL. How's that for an early birthday present?!

Enjoy your air-conditioning splendor, everyone. Take a moment out of your day to thank your air conditioner. After all, you don't know what you got till it's gone.

Let This Be A Lesson

When we tore out the old tub (the Roman soaking tub) to make way for the fancy shmancy new one (which you can read about here), I told Jeremiah I wanted it posted on Craigslist. Here's a summary of the convo.

Emily: Puhlease post the tub on CList.
Jeremiah: It's not going to sell. Those tubs aren't that expensive new.
E:Will you please take a picture of the tub and post it on CL?
J:FINE. But it won't sell. How much do you want the asking price to be?
E:Um, $60.
J: Sixty? As in, six zero? As in, sixty bones? You're not going to get sixty dollars for it. They cost about a hundred dollars new and this one is fifteen years old.
E: PUT THE FREAKIN' THING AT SIXTY, PLEASE. Mind you, I thought this way I had some room for bargaining. I was willing to take fifty for it...Actually, I was even willing to donate it if it didn't sell. 


Flash Forward to Yesterday Night:
J: Someone called about the tub.
E: Oh, reeeeeaaaaallly?
J: Yeah, they are going to stop by tonight.
E: Okay. If they ask to take it for anything under sixty, you tell them fifty-five.
J: They're going to go lower.
E: Suck it up, get out there, and sell some tub!
 

Comes Back Inside, Slaps a Wad of Bills in My Hand
E:So how much did you get?
J: Sixty.
E: Sixty? Huh. That's interesting. I forget, weren't you the one that told me it wouldn't sell and then if it did that I had way over-priced it? There was actually a lot more of this irritating goading, but in an effort to save some time, I've condensed it.
J:Silence and glares in my general direction

Please, let this be a lesson. I am never wrong.

And don't doubt that I did a happy money dance. Because I did. I stopped just short of dancing over to Jer and waving it in his face. 

And p.s.
Bathroom update: We have long since fixed the shower in the master bath. Months ago, actually. And when I say "we" I mean Jeremiah. It has been taken apart and put together again and is leak-free. And it looks nicer. Not gorgeous, but much better.

The sixty dollars will go towards new hardware (right word?) for the tub. The tub should be in soooooon. Money has been tight here. It might be that we're saving for a roof and cars and I'm finishing my last three grad classes (Which, here is some irony. The raise that I get as a result of finishing my degree doesn't even cover the cost of classes. For years. I'm laughing on the inside.). Anyway, not a lot for bathroom remodeling. Once the tub is in, the rest might be on hold until those pesky classes are paid.  Stupid desire for knowledge.
 

Let the Demo'ing Begin!

Several months ago I bought a jacuzzi tub for the master bathroom.

I did. I really did.

For those of you that don't know me well, I am a bather. I mean, I hope you all bathe, too, but I really love the art of the bath. I am a batheur. I stock the cabinets full of bombs (of the fizzing variety), bubbles, gels, candles, and books. All for bath time.If there was an Olympic sport for baths, I would totally take gold.

I would. Really.

And I KNEW that MY (OUR) house would have a jacuzzi tub. I even set 1,000 aside from my tax return to buy one.

So imagine my delight when, while shopping at Lowe's, I spot a jacuzzi tub ON FREAKIN' CLEARANCE! There was a tiny imperfection in one bottom corner and it had been returned. Thousand dollar tub. On sale for five hundred.

Spoke to the manager who recognized us from when we bought the kitchen faucet and Jeremiah asked him if he could make the deal a little sweeter. Um, howsabout he took off an extra two hundred dollars? I got a thousand dollar tub for three hundred bones. Popped that big guy into the back of my swagger wagon and took it home. I love my Subaru.

But the tub? It is beautiful and wonderful and inspiring and brings tears to my eyes and it is sitting in the bedroom.

That's right. We hauled it yesterday from the garage to the bedroom.

I went upstairs after work today and Jeremiah has started tearing out the old tub - which is a "European Soaking Tub". Which is a bunch of crap, because I've been to Europe and I never saw this cheap-ass tub there. So if you want my old tub, it is on sale on Craigslist. I was hoping to move the soaker to the guest bathroom (which is where I shower, but not take baths - don't get me started) because it is newer and nicer but it doesn't fit - too big. I mean, it would fit, but we'd have to take out the toilet and I hate to be all whatever but I find a toilet to be a necessity. And a selling point when/if we move. "Like, here's our bathroom. We figured we didn't really need the toilet because we've got two others...but what do you think of the European soaking tub? It's authentic!". Um, no.  So the tub? We're selling it.

And I'm getting the new jacuzzi tub.

More details and pictures to come. Happy Monday, everyone.

So Freakin' Haunted.

In the middle of the night, I heard a weird noise that managed to wake me from a not-so-super-deep sleep. I nudged Jeremiah repeatedly until he woke up and when he did, I made him listen.

It was the strangest noise. It was constant, not a drip or beep or whatever.

He got up, looked around upstairs, went to the stairs, listened.

Are you ready?

The buzzer.

On the stove (yes, our stove has a buzzer. ha ha. our stove is old, I know.).

Middle of the night.

And I know people are probably thinking, anything could have set it off. Maybe we bumped or reset it before we went to bed. But the timer can only go 60 minutes at a time (ha ha again. old stove). There is no way either of us did it.

Jeremiah comes back to bed all, "huh. That was weird. Wonder what happened?"

And I was all, "Ghosts, the freaking things are haunting the house. I TOLD you this before."

Freakin' ghosts haunting my house.

Christmas Miracle

Jeremiah had promised me that he would build a stand for the washer and dryer. While I was away, there was some work gettin' did! Jeremiah and his dad built the fantastic stand that is pictured below. I was completely impressed and it is better than I could have imagined. I'd like to give credit where it's due, but both of the guys were doing this - "Well, he actually did most of the work." in gruff man voices. I do know that Jeremiah's dad painted it and even filled in the little screw/nail? spots with the white putty stuff to give it an even nicer finish. So thank you, Frank!


The total price came to about $70, which included some sort of new saw blade or something. The cost of the stands that are sold with the washer and dryer run between $400 - $500.

p.s. I plan on finding some stout little storage containers to hold goodies underneath.

Washin' and Hopin'

Three things. One, the washer and dryer arrived. Hence the "washin'". I know I sound like I should head back to the fifties, but I love my washer and dryer. I love doing laundry. Things start out dirty and they come out fluffy and smelling so nice. Sigh.
Plus, I painted the laundry room. The entire house - including doors, hinges, ceilings, etc. are painted a horrible yellow-y beige color. I'll be repainting everything. EVERYTHING. The door is the original builders bellow (that's beige yellow). The rest of the room was primed and painted pale sage with the trim primed and ready to be painted cottontail (a fancy white). If possible, I now love laundry even more.

Lastly, the hopin' refers to the fact that I am officially sick. blech. Here's to hopin' that I can get better. I was sick last month. I feel like I deserve a break, you know?

Floored

Carpet - gone. Adhesive - sort of gone. Paint spatters from the horrible paint job - did our best. We rented the sander. We did more of the adhesive/paint remover. We truly did our best. Then we swept, vacuumed, mopped, and finally I could apply the primer/bonding adhesive. I've also included two fabulous shots of our ancient oven and a picture of me reading (probably some warning about chemicals, paint fumes, etc.).

Here we have a gorgeous close up of the CLOCK on the stove and a picture from farther away so you can truly appreciate the ugliness of our stove/oven.

Yep. Dangerous chemicals & paint.
Primer/bonding layer
The Sandman