Rebecca Homecca

Part of my job is to answer the phones. We get a lot of telemarketers that call. They usually ask for the owner and I can usually pick them out because they say his name wrong. Every once in a while, I get a tricky one that gets through.

That happened today. I paged my boss that he had a call holding. He picked it up on one of the phones in the middle of the office. I could tell right away it was a telemarketer that had slipped through the cracks and he was just trying to get off the line.

I am not sure what they were selling, but I heard him tell them he was a recovering alcoholic and said product was somehow going to make him fall off the wagon.

I should point out he is Not a recovering alcoholic.

I did not have a chance to ask him what product would make someone fall off the wagon. I did think it was a very creative way to get off the phone.

It reminds me of a time when the newspaper kept trying to get us to subscribe and Hubs told them that Every Sunday we walk down to the newspaper box and buy the paper and walk back. We really enjoy this time and if we subscribe, it would take that away and ruin our marriage.

They did not call anymore.

We went and ordered the new appliances for the new house today.

Ouch.

We need everything, because the couple of things that were there, were left behind because nobody wants them. I am not sure how you can a get a stove and dishwasher that gross.

We had done some research before hand and decided we wanted Kenmore. Plus Hub’s mom says Kenmore, and who can disagree with that recommendation? I figure she knows stuff.

So off to Sears we go.

First we picked out a stove, pretty basic stuff. We went middle of the road. It cooks, it bakes. What else do you need? Now, if it mixed the ingredients and served on a plate when I walked in the door, I might upgrade.  We also got a matching hood (the cheapest one, It’s a hood, who cares?)

Then we picked out a dishwasher. We ended up re-thinking that decision and went with a less expensive model. I have a Hotpoint (whatever that is) and it works just fine. I wash all my pots and pans and bigger things by hand, so really a base model will do.

Next we had to “cross the aisle” over into fridges and laundry. You get a new salesperson over there. Wierd.

We had decided we wanted a front loading washer because it uses a ton less water. We did not want to spend the high price on the matching front load dryer though. It’s a dryer. Stuff goes in wet, comes out dry. So we were going to get a mis-matched set. I think the sales guy thought we were crazy. But the dutch girl inside said no way (no way also to those pedestal things. I can manage for $300 thank you very much) . Oh! but luck would have it! There was an open box model of the matching fancy dryer that would only be a hundred dollars more than the one we picked. So at this point we’re thinking What’s a hundred dollars at this point? We’ll take it.

The fridge is next. Yikes. Those babies are expensive!!! As luck would have it, the one we picked out, they don’t make any more. However, they will sell us the upgraded versions for $100 more (normally $400+). Since we are apparently throwing hundred dollar bills around like confetti, We’ll take it!

Thankfully, the had 12 month same as cash so each month one of my paychecks will go to the appliances. Yikes!

It was kind of crazy just going in and picking things out like that. And getting everything all one brand! Pretty much everything we have at the old house was whatever display model/scratch and dent item we could find.  But we plan on staying at the new place for a long time, so I want stuff to last and be as energy efficient as possible.

And we still got one open box item, so it is our  house.

Since the impending move is getting down to days instead of weeks, we are trying to prepare the cat. We got his travel cage out. Which he wants nothing to do with. Despite the fact that we put some toys in and around said cage. He’s not falling for it.

It probably brings back bad memories of the time he spent in kitty jail before we busted him out.

We also have a towel that we have put on the couch for him lay on and get his stink on. I read online that supposedly helps comfort him during the ride in the cage.

I’m guessing the comfort will be marginal at best.

We have a plan in place for his arrival. Basically we are going to move him last and have all his things in the back room. Then he can hang out there for a while and get acclimated before we let him out to explore the rest of the house.

That’s what we did when we brought him home for the first time and it seemed to work pretty well. But the cat and I are both still anxious about the whole thing.

Bye Bye Brooke.

I saw that Brooke got the boot from American Idol. I really liked her, but I can’t say I am too surprised. As long as she stuck to the singer/song writer vibe, it worked. But outside of that, she was a train wreck.

Speaking of train wrecks, how about Paula? Some people think she is on drugs. I think she just might be that stupid. I don’t know how long her contract is for, but she has got to go. She gives nothing to that show. And her crazy isn’t even like crazy that is funny, or that you want to see. It’s just uncomfortable.

Really, I am not sure why they are even continuing on with the competition at all. David Cook is so far beyond the other people. I kind of hope he doesn’t win and comes in like 3rd. That way he won’t be forced into recording some horrible song that they write for him.

I think Jason will be the next to go. Unless he steps it up big time, then maybe Sayesha. Sadly, the other David will no doubt make it to the finale.

Ugh.  I just don’t get it! I fast forward through most of his songs. I just can’t even stand it!

Oh, and now that they are doing 2 songs, I wish they sang them in a row, with a little interaction with the crowd in between. Like you would at a concert.

Hubs gave me the night off tonight and insisted I go to art class. I haven’t been in weeks so it was good times. I painted a really nice Iris painting. Time permitting I will post a picture later in the week. I also painted an avacado. They were both smaller in size so I was able to do 2 tonight.

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Today I went to a luncheon for Gilda’s Club at Meijer Gardens. My friend Pam volunteers there and was hosting a table. It was really interesting. I guess I just thought it was for people dealing with breast cancer. But it actually is support for people with all kinds of cancer. The most amazing thing they do is the support of the families of people dealing with cancer. They really focus on the children of people who have been diagnosed. I can’t imagine trying to explain to your children what you are going through and also making sure their needs are taken care of. They have a lot of programs for kids of all ages. Several members made videos talking about how Gilda’s Club has helped them. The kids repeated the same message in different words. It made me feel like a regular person again.

It was really amazing.

I also found out they are only funded by donations. They don’t get any government grants. You can do what you want with that information.

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When I come down to sit on the couch the cat often hops up and stands where I was just about to sit. He did that tonight, but I did not see him. I lean back and I am like “What is wrong with the pillow?” So I am smashing up against what I thought was a pillow trying to get the lumps out. Nope.

It was the cat.

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I will leave you with that. I am going to go try and watch some AI before I find out who got the boot.

We opted out of working on the new house Tuesday night. I think hubs felt sorry for me. I am running out of steam. I was sleeping when he got home from work. Which is pretty impressive since he usually gets home10 minutes or so after me.

But also, the laundry mountain was taking over the basement and the rest of the house was getting kind of trashed out. That’s what happens when you are home only long enough to heat up some sort of pre-cooked meal, then go work until you can’t stand up anymore, only to come home and crash, hoping you will have the strength to get out bed in the morning.

Which I did not have on Monday. I was an hour and a half late for work. I had a feeling when I went to bed Sunday night that 8:00 probably wasn’t going to happen. But you can’t really call and say you slept in late at midnight.

So I called and my girl Kim answered the phone. I just said “I’m running a little behind today.”

So it’s kind of a night off, but hubs mowed the lawn and I cleaned up a little and got the laundry done. The cat was stuck to me like glue. Poor fella. He is so lonely.

Last Friday we took the night off and went to see Arena Football with our friend Squarepants (since he was the one with the free passes!). We had a good time. We used to go to games all the time, but our team has been in a re-building season for like the past eight years. So, we kind of stopped going. They are still not very good. Our team won, but as hubs pointed out, someone has to win. We missed the pre-game festivities, which is kind of a bummer. They have fireworks INSIDE. Who doesn’t love that?

Now, I would like to discuss the obscene price on the pop. $3 for a 20 oz bottle. THREE DOLLARS. It was not listed anywhere on the sign so… We ordered a couple of hot dogs (I don’t remember how much those were, but I am guessing more than they were worth. My bun was hard. Really you can’t get fresh buns for a game??) and hubs ordered a pop.

Then he turns to me and says “Do you want your own drink?”

I ask the guy “How much is the pop?”

THREE DOLLARS.

Um, no thanks.

While I fully expected it to be overpriced, I really feel like THREE DOLLARS is an obscene amount for pop. Even at two dollars, while they would still be taking advantage of me, I would not be so offended by the price. I mean, what am I, at Cedar Point?

It was family night, which made this price even more obnoxious. Can you imagine buying snacks for your kids at those rates?

Well, I guess Sally and Suzy can share a pop. Hmmm, Sorry Junior, maybe next time.

I did something today that I pledged I would NEVER do.

I bought those pre-grilled, pre-sliced chicken breasts.

I know. Total waste of money. It’s one of those foods that I am morally opposed to. Along with those frozen peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. Honestly, it takes like one minute to make a real sandwich on real bread.

However, it takes like five minutes to grill a chicken breast, another couple to slice it. So the justification begins!

I had intended to make chicken for some other meal, and use the leftovers on pizza. However, that other meal never happened and Frankly, the thought of grilling and slicing a chicken breast makes me tired. I’m all about fast and easy right now. Time & energy are both at a premium.

And so my downward spiral begins. What’s next?  That microwave mac & cheese?

In the interest of full disclosure, I also have to tell you that I bought Mashed Potatoes that you put in the microwave. But I have had those before and they are quite good. And only take a couple minutes.

I also bought a tub of LLoyds, which you also microwave. But I don’t, even in the best of times, have the energy to shred pork.

I am looking forward to the day when I can make a real meal. I figure at least “homemade” convenience food is cheaper than eating out all the time.

Yesterday was an incredibly long day. I think we got started around 9 am and got home just before midnight. We made lots of progress though. Hubs got the floor just about done, he just has a little finishing work to do this morning. I got his office painted (2 coats). It turned out a little more Green Apple than Sage, but it looks good. We both agreed, once the white trim goes in, that room will be sharp! I also got both coats of the orange on. It was tedious going around the cabinets but it looks really good. And I LOVE my orange wall in the dining room.

We had to make 3 trips in to town (Ha! I get to say ‘going in to town’ now!), which slowed progress some. I made the first one, because we forgot something at home. We both went in for the second one because we ran out of flooring. Apparently, taking measurements from memory and doing math in your head are not a good idea. Turns out we needed almost twice as much as I thought. Hubs made the last trip in to rent the floor sander.

And that brings us to today. Sanding the floor. I am in charge of the little sander to get into the corners, etc. Hubs will be driving the big sander. We refinished the living room here at the old house, so at least we have some practice.

Off to another long day!

Farmer’s Wife calls a post about a bunch of random things Sweeping out the Kitchen. I love the idea so much I stole borrowed it! Except I changed it up a little, and I calling it Cleaning out the closet (goodness knows there is a bunch of random stuff in there!). So here we go, in no particular order.

First-I just watched this weeks AI and can we talk about David Cook here a minute!!???!! Who knew he could sing like that!? I agree with Simon, I too prefer his edgier, more rockin’ stuff. However, I was beyond impressed that someone who can rock out like he does can also pull off a song like that! He truly could sing the phone book.

Next- Hubs is home! Yeah!! I can sleep again!

B. -House update! I got the Light Copper portions of the house finished last night. Next is the darker orange accent wall in the dining room and around the kitchen cupboards. I am excited for that! Hubs has been laying the hardwood floor yesterday and today. It was slow going yesterday because he had to do some tear out and he was working in the hallway (tedious!). I have not seen it yet, but it sounded like he got a lot more done today. I can’t wait! My awesome parents have been putting up light fixtures and changing out plugs and switches. So that has been a big help. Mom pulled the staples out of the floor so that hubs could put down the wood. BIG help on that one!

12. No work on the house tonight because our friend Squarepants got passes to Arena Football. Stories to follow!

Last but not least-I saw some people were heading to the dollar store to try out the denture cleaner. Let me know how it works out!