Where Not to Shop

Another Black Friday, another trampling at Wal Mart.

Tis the season...every stinkin year!

Recipe

With the Money Pit falling down around me and a DH who's seriously on the verge of a complete breakdown, I thought I'd share something positive. And that's dinner from last night.

In a bowl, mix together two regular-size cans of cream of mushroom soup (condensed...I use the Healthy Choice kind), a third of a cup of white wine, and a 10 oz can of sliced mushrooms, drained.

Put that into the crockpot with a couple of chunked-up chicken boobs.

Set it on low and let 'er rip for 6-8 hours. Serve over egg noodles.

Fantastic comfort food. And it's been that kind of week...

Sing It!

Just for fun (and cuz it's a teeny bit true *blush*)

Vote please!

For my kids' teachers (there are four of them), should I get gift certificates for manicures at the Red Door Salon, or give handmade bracelets with natural stones and gold/silver beads and pretty clasps?

Leave your vote in my comments section. I'm stumped.

Really?

Dear House Gods:

I can deal with the rotted wood underneath the upstairs window. I can handle the overflowing toilet, the crashing-from-the-ceiling plaster, the burner that doesn't light on the stove, and needing to leave the basement light on to run the dryer. I can also deal with the garbage can drawer that opens by itself since DH "fixed" it, the garage walls that crumble when we try to hang shelves on them (cinderblock is not concrete block, for future reference), the front storm door that won't latch, and the doors that are too long to open and close over the throw rugs we need so the WDCL can walk around without breaking a hip.

But a leaky roof? And a massive electric bill? Really? Truly necessary on top of a shiteous economy and a nervous, panicked DH who's a joy to live with?

Absolutely?

I'm trying to get this, see? We're fixing things! We're making it all right again? And yet, we get shat on twice in a day? In big old proportions?

Can't you find someone else to play with for a little while? I don't particularly like your brand of game.

Love much,

Kim (who might change her opinion of old houses if this keeps up)

(New/old house, day 15)

Sunday

Hear that? That's quiet. I'm all alone, save the WDCL. No pressure to be working. A little pressure to clean, but I've done a lot of that already. Just the hum of the refrigerator. It's nice.

Between Friday and yesterday, I spent about 15 hours working at the school bazaar. My feet hurt and my butt hurts and I'm tired, but I have to say, it was a blast. And I am LOVING feeling part of something again--we were so active in our last church years ago, and haven't been so much active in this church. I really enjoyed being around other people with my values, laughing, working together towards a common goal. My soul feels better today than it has in a long time. I need more of that.

This morning, we put the first coat of red paint on the dining room walls (so long, ugly horrible peachy-beige!) and I am thrilled with it. It's streaky as hell, being the first coat, but I can see how fantastic it's going to be, against the arched door on one wall and the white corner cabinet on another. I heart red dining rooms. We also replaced the butt-ugly 1970s brass chandelier with something a smidge more contemporary but still very classic. It's getting there. :)

After that, I went to Trader Joe's (which really would be perfect if they carried more cleaning stuff, a few more lowfat ice cream options, and if they opened before 9 a.m.), Office Depot (more on that in a sec), and the craft store. Alone. *giggle*

Office Depot...I found my two Waterman pens recently. They'd been missing for a long time, and surfaced in the move. Yay! So I got two new refills for them and am enjoying having them around and working again. Little things.

I'm starting to think about Christmas. Late for me, but I moved. Lay off. Anyway, I'm wondering how hokey it would be to make jewelry for the kids' teachers. They each have two in their classrooms, so gift cards get spendy. I was thinking nice beaded chokers with Celtic heart pendants on them. Yes? No? Maybe?

And my clients...what to give the clients. Ugh.

With that, my loves, I'm off to clean some more stuff. Alone. In the quiet. Have a wonderful afternoon!!

Politics

Dear Sarah:

For somebody without aspirations for 2012, you sure are out there this week. A media tour of your home? For real?

Girlfriend, find a shadow and hang out there for awhile. You're not helping the cause. I'm your target audience and I think you need way more than four years to reappear on my ballot. And you're causing divisiveness. 

Vamoose. Pronto. Take your wardrobe with you.

Love,

Kim

Confidential to the neighbors who have issues with my kids going to private schools and who have Obama signs in the yard: didja see the news? Michelle visited both Georgetown Day and Sidwell yesterday? Nyuh huh. Not a WORD.

Bubbles

Another case of pinkeye in my house. *sigh* We sure are susceptible to it. And yes, we wash our hands. A lot. Stupid bacteria.

Had a really yummy salad for lunch today. You've never heard me say that. I'm not a huge salad fan, generally. But this was good--baby greens, walnuts, currants, green apples, chicken, and a vinaigrette. Must duplicate, I think, with Craisins.

Turned around and had a Belgian waffle for dinner. Hee hee! I love having a kitchen big enough to hold my fun appliances! Hi there, waffle maker! Let's get re-acquainted!

My brother gave me a B&N giftcard for my birthday. I packed it for the move. And now I can't find it, and I'm Jonesing for the Barefoot Contessa's new cookbook. Talk about motivation to empty the boxes! There's shopping to be done!

On a serious Vince Gill kick. FYI.

Chaperoning a field trip for DS's class tomorrow. Lincoln's summer home. I hope it's fun and the kids like it. I also hope we get home on time. I have work to do. 

Not much to say today, girls and boys. Signing off...

Tasty

Dear Mr. Decker:

Palms up. You always approach a dog with your hands palms up. Palms down is threatening.

See?

XOXO

Kim

*giggle*

Little Paper Gift

Yesterday was the day I fell apart.

I hear it happens about four or five days after moving, so we were right on target. Yesterday was the day I couldn't find things in boxes (and the boxes were towering and overwhelming) and I kept flipping the wrong light switches and opening the wrong cabinets looking for things. By the end, I felt pretty lost in this house.

Yesterday was the day we dug into a simple-looking crack on the dining room ceiling and watched a huge chunk of plaster fall free and crash to the floor. The previous inadequate repair disintegrated and what should have been a simple tape-and-spackle became A Problem.

Yesterday was the day the towel racks were in all the wrong places, the master bath was the stupidest design ever in the history of stupid designs (and filthy, to boot), the half bath was totally devoid of character or charm, and the stupid reglazed bathtub let water get on the floor because somebody at some point hung the shower curtain rod five inches too high.

Yesterday was the day I had to leave the basement lights on to run the dryer because the wiring there defies all logic.

Yesterday, we got the first installment bill on the new siding, the final bill on the refinished hardwood floors, the final bill on the grandfather clock moving, the first electric bill, and a mysterious bill from the dentist that insurance should have covered but apparently didn't. Yesterday was also the day DH's company started talking about significant budget cuts.

Yesterday was a lot of other little, totally annoying things, and yesterday was the day the master bath toilet overflowed, flooded the room, and left a big brown stain on the kitchen ceiling.

Yesterday was the day I final

ly sank to the floor and sobbed, wondering what in the living hell we were thinking to sell our beautiful, perfect little house with no problems for this money pit, and how we were ever, ever going to get out of this mess in one piece.

And yesterday, while unpacking my childhood dollhouse furniture to give to my daughter from a box that hadn't been opened in at least 15 years, I found this.

That's my dad. I guess he's about seven or eight years old. The dog is Mugsy, who was much beloved and ver

y sweet from everything I've ever heard. Dad is playing the harmonica in his black cowboy boots

 and patched jeans--he grew up the son of a B&O Railroad worker without much money in a blue-collar neighborhood--and Mugsy is singing in the wonderful way dogs do when someone plays the harmonica. Especially when that someone is a seven year old boy.

I smiled. I thought about my dad, who died nine years ago at the age of 60 despite a life of healthy living and working out. And I realized that we'll survive this and we're going to love this old house, and that someday the ceiling stain and the stupid electrical work and the knees-up-your-nose half bath design will all make me laugh. We just need to press through.

It was a little paper gift, in so many ways. Today, it gets a frame and a place in my kitchen. My new, big kitchen with the island and the table and the French doors that I love. 

Tidbits

• We moved Saturday. And Sunday. And some every day for about three weeks before that. But everything's at the new (old) house and we're finding our way around. Missing a school uniform, but I hope it'll turn up soon. And I love my new house!
• I voted this morning. No line at all. Which was sort of unnerving--four years ago, I waited 90 minutes to vote. I had the kids all bribed up to behave in a long line today and didn't need it. And I have my free Starbucks right here. :)
• ps--It's bogus that my kids are off school today. There's no voting in the Catholic school. I'm lodging a complaint.
• Swamped in work. So I'm blogging. *snort*
• I think I'm going to let my kids sit down and eat Halloween candy until it's gone. More for my benefit than theirs--I can't stay out of the stuff. Stupid holiday. Can't we come up with something other than a massive sugar orgasm? Can't we just dress up and get spooked up and leave it at that? Sheesh.
• The parade of contractors continues: the clock guy was wonderful, the movers were great, the piano guys were fantastic, the wood floor people did a nice job but were really a pain in the butt to work with, the carpet people were ditto to that. The siding people claim they're starting next week. And I still can't get a concrete person come out to even give me an estimate. I should learn to pour concrete. There's apparently a good market for that here.
• I hate the fall time change. I'm always exhausted for about two weeks after--my body just can't adjust. Can't we just pick a time zone and stick with it? The blackouts ended long, long ago. No reason for DST to start and stop. I'll tell you, whomever wins the election today, that's what I want done in the next four years. Set the clock and leave it alone.
• Got a wonderful housewarming gift from a dear friend, and a yummy coffee cake from another for our move. You rock, girls. Thank you. :)