Our XBOX died.
And its not even really ours.
Its my brother's & he left it at our house while he is deployed, because our DVD player was having issues. I'm not sure if it is with in the 3 year warranty period, but I CAN say he won't have the original receipt. I priced it at Sam's Club today, and just like I expected its gonna be $200 to replace it.
My thought is that a wii would be better for my family- more young games, plus the FIT stuff that I could possibly find the time to do.... (one could hope.)
But we do have several games for the XBOX360...
What ever I decide I need a new VCR, and DVD player-- and I'm figuring my TV will die soon, as it's 9 years old & has moved cross country 3 times and around the state more times than I remember.
So, as I'm fretting over the babysitter wanting $15+ an hour (which is more than I make at my job) and not being willing or able to pay that much-- I'm trying to figure out how to replace the electronics at my house. Knock on wood the pc doesn't die- it's only 4 years old... and I don't wanna learn a new OS.
My house is still a wreck- and I need an addition to get it all organized.
I DO have some tax refund money set aside for a shopping trip to IKEA. I just need to find a sitter for the weekend & get my mom free so we can go spend the day shopping. (They serve breakfast, lunch & dinner for a reason--shoppers like us!)
B wants Bunk Beds- MC wants a loft, I need some storage furniture... and all the small things I love are in store only. Go figure. At least the Charlotte store is here & I'm not dreaming of a road trip to Atlanta any more.
I MUST get my paperwork under control- AND I have phone calls that needed to be made last week, appointments to schedule bills to pay-- and my desk/paperwork is now taking over teh living room.
Of course, I guess the bright side is that we won't be "living" in here much, with out a DVD player or game system... Although, now that I think about it, my Strawberry Shortcake DVD player is in the attic. $15 on a WM clearance... it works. So maybe I can slip in a Harry Potter movie & crochet, or pay bills.... nah, I'm thinking a movie & some yarn loving would be a nice treat.
sigh.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Project up date
My "Because Red is my Favorite Colour" Blanket has consumed its first full skein of red yarn.
I only work on this during bible study, so that is about 1 hour a week. Moving along at a slow but steady pace.
My Owl Mitts now have tops and the thumbs are one row away from finished. then to tidy up the tops and tails!
My Dumbledore Slippers have been finished for quite a while, but I can only locate one of them... so I wear one red old slipper & one blue-- because the other red slipper is still missing.
The reducio hat ended up being a rainbow truffle, and I didn't take a finished picture of it.
My Malabrigo Butter Crocus Bud Shawl is about 3 inches now, and rarely sees the light of day, even though it is an easy pattern, I worry about taking the thin, pale yarn out when I'm running errands.
The Neutral Crochet Argosy is nearing completion-- almost done with the third ball of yarn. I'm thinking I'll cut it close & then start the decreases with a 4th ball. Maybe. I think blocking this out will give me the wrap I'm hoping for.
My hand-dyed Beacon Street is waiting for me to sit & read the directions- since I make so many hcd hats, its hard for me not to go on auto-pilot. And I REALLY want to follow the pattern.
The Ode to the Swedish Team Hat is only lacking an ear-flap. I'm not sure why I can burn the hook up & then when the end is in sight- I can't seem to finish. Really, I made teh entire hat in two sittings, added one ear-flap & then-- it sits. I did the stripes folowing the Swedish Team Hat that I copied from photos, but I don't wear floppy slouch hats, so I left off the extra color changes & added the flaps. I wish I had Malabrigo in blue, but that part is made from Lambs Pride Bulky. Not as soft, but the colors work & gauge is okay. I need to photo that one.
I only work on this during bible study, so that is about 1 hour a week. Moving along at a slow but steady pace.
My Owl Mitts now have tops and the thumbs are one row away from finished. then to tidy up the tops and tails!
My Dumbledore Slippers have been finished for quite a while, but I can only locate one of them... so I wear one red old slipper & one blue-- because the other red slipper is still missing.
The reducio hat ended up being a rainbow truffle, and I didn't take a finished picture of it.
My Malabrigo Butter Crocus Bud Shawl is about 3 inches now, and rarely sees the light of day, even though it is an easy pattern, I worry about taking the thin, pale yarn out when I'm running errands.
The Neutral Crochet Argosy is nearing completion-- almost done with the third ball of yarn. I'm thinking I'll cut it close & then start the decreases with a 4th ball. Maybe. I think blocking this out will give me the wrap I'm hoping for.
My hand-dyed Beacon Street is waiting for me to sit & read the directions- since I make so many hcd hats, its hard for me not to go on auto-pilot. And I REALLY want to follow the pattern.
The Ode to the Swedish Team Hat is only lacking an ear-flap. I'm not sure why I can burn the hook up & then when the end is in sight- I can't seem to finish. Really, I made teh entire hat in two sittings, added one ear-flap & then-- it sits. I did the stripes folowing the Swedish Team Hat that I copied from photos, but I don't wear floppy slouch hats, so I left off the extra color changes & added the flaps. I wish I had Malabrigo in blue, but that part is made from Lambs Pride Bulky. Not as soft, but the colors work & gauge is okay. I need to photo that one.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Valentines Day 2010
Happy V Day Everybody. (It seems weird calling it that-- after living in RI, where they still celebrate V-J Day-- it's an official holiday there. Banks are closed, schools closed, and workers are paid time & a half!)
Hope you did something special. Here at our house we ate homemade sugar cookies (heats with pink frosting) and 2 bite cupcakes (Duncan Hines + homemade butter cream) FOR BREAKFAST. And Lunch. And Snack... and we had leftover cookies for dinner. The cupcakes were gone by then!
I finally got a bunch of boxes into the attic that were practically blocking the hall! Woo WHOO!
I also picked up MC's girl scout cookie order. 161 boxes of cookies. It's a good thing I had my brother's car, cause his trunk can actually hold that many cookies with room to spare.
Tomorrow is a make-up school day for one of the days we missed for snow. But MC has an appointment in Raleigh, so we will be making a day trip of it... A little side trip to Target is in order. And maybe Sam's Club- if I can remember where it is. It's amazing that I have been able to live so long with out being near to a Target. Actually, I haven't lived with a Target closer than an hour in, um, well... since college? My new job does require work casual attire, and I think Target fits that bill better than Wal-mart. But if possible & IF MC doesn't kill me I may be able to get to Marshalls & Ross & Old Navy as well. Maybe. But Target is a definite stop.
SO tomorrow-- Happy Presidents Day!
Hope you did something special. Here at our house we ate homemade sugar cookies (heats with pink frosting) and 2 bite cupcakes (Duncan Hines + homemade butter cream) FOR BREAKFAST. And Lunch. And Snack... and we had leftover cookies for dinner. The cupcakes were gone by then!
I finally got a bunch of boxes into the attic that were practically blocking the hall! Woo WHOO!
I also picked up MC's girl scout cookie order. 161 boxes of cookies. It's a good thing I had my brother's car, cause his trunk can actually hold that many cookies with room to spare.
Tomorrow is a make-up school day for one of the days we missed for snow. But MC has an appointment in Raleigh, so we will be making a day trip of it... A little side trip to Target is in order. And maybe Sam's Club- if I can remember where it is. It's amazing that I have been able to live so long with out being near to a Target. Actually, I haven't lived with a Target closer than an hour in, um, well... since college? My new job does require work casual attire, and I think Target fits that bill better than Wal-mart. But if possible & IF MC doesn't kill me I may be able to get to Marshalls & Ross & Old Navy as well. Maybe. But Target is a definite stop.
SO tomorrow-- Happy Presidents Day!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Snow on the Mountain: Oh Sorry- Make that MORE Snow on the Mountain
" I think the road is here...somewhere."
"Oh yes, this is our road." See the sign? Yep, over six feet high up the pole...
"Honey, I can't find the car"
So, mom just emailed me these awesome shots from her house. Now this amount of snow-- well it is sorta expected up north, like in Upstate New York. But to think this is a mere 3.5 hours away from MY house~ um, not so expected.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Snowy Mountain
It sure looks pretty, but all that snow & ice--- brr.
Sorry Mom, we won't be coming home this weekend! (That's Windalay in the middle.)
Saturday, February 6, 2010
WHOO HOO! PARTY TIME
So, I did several Liberating things This week-
1) Talked to boss & he is going to make notations on the payroll NOT to take out the 30 minute lunch breaks on my short days, AND I will get to take a lunch break on Tuesdays & Thursdays (my long days). He is going to work with the payroll department to correct the shifts where I got shafted! My new boss is awesome. Even if he did "give" me birds to tend.
2) I left the HPKCHC group. I joined that group right after the cut-off for signing up it's first term. There are some really awesome people in the group, but there are some issues that I have with the leadership of the group. Most of the people are great, but the creator of the group refuses to delegate certain task that would be much better handled by the staff, not her. I won't go into details, because I've aired my concerns to said person & got no reply-- I joined the leadership team & still got no reply-- I played the game until I just couldn't handle the irresponsible actions any more. This was a totally liberating thing to leave the group! I may not get as many projects finished this year, but hopefully my projects will continue to be things that I want to make, and not just things to earn points.
3) I threw out bunches of old papers and notes from the old office job.
I never had the chance to ride the bus on the last day of school, where it was tradition (at least in high school) to open your notebook & let the papers fly as you leave the school parking lot. I guess it was more students leaving in cars, because most of the ones on the buses got in trouble and had to pick up papers the next day.
But let me just say- the yucky job ball and chain is G O N E! I can't believe that my old boss hasn't even opened my resignination letter- it's been on his desk for 3 weeks. Yet, he will open all incomming mail that he thinks will be a check, the bills he just leaves sealed up on my desk. SO- On Monday, I'm going in to process my last paycheck... and then I'm out of there.
4) I found out today that one of the ladies in my Sunday School class has been knitting & is learning to spindle spin yarn, and I may just have to do that... as if I have time. BUT actually, I will have some time, since I currently don't have a job on Monday, or T/W/F mornings!
I need to get something official to do to earn money- so I can keep the kids in daycare/after school-- but I get 30 days to find that job... so if anyone needs some "consulting" work done or something I can do remotely from home-- let me know.
1) Talked to boss & he is going to make notations on the payroll NOT to take out the 30 minute lunch breaks on my short days, AND I will get to take a lunch break on Tuesdays & Thursdays (my long days). He is going to work with the payroll department to correct the shifts where I got shafted! My new boss is awesome. Even if he did "give" me birds to tend.
2) I left the HPKCHC group. I joined that group right after the cut-off for signing up it's first term. There are some really awesome people in the group, but there are some issues that I have with the leadership of the group. Most of the people are great, but the creator of the group refuses to delegate certain task that would be much better handled by the staff, not her. I won't go into details, because I've aired my concerns to said person & got no reply-- I joined the leadership team & still got no reply-- I played the game until I just couldn't handle the irresponsible actions any more. This was a totally liberating thing to leave the group! I may not get as many projects finished this year, but hopefully my projects will continue to be things that I want to make, and not just things to earn points.
3) I threw out bunches of old papers and notes from the old office job.
I never had the chance to ride the bus on the last day of school, where it was tradition (at least in high school) to open your notebook & let the papers fly as you leave the school parking lot. I guess it was more students leaving in cars, because most of the ones on the buses got in trouble and had to pick up papers the next day.
But let me just say- the yucky job ball and chain is G O N E! I can't believe that my old boss hasn't even opened my resignination letter- it's been on his desk for 3 weeks. Yet, he will open all incomming mail that he thinks will be a check, the bills he just leaves sealed up on my desk. SO- On Monday, I'm going in to process my last paycheck... and then I'm out of there.
4) I found out today that one of the ladies in my Sunday School class has been knitting & is learning to spindle spin yarn, and I may just have to do that... as if I have time. BUT actually, I will have some time, since I currently don't have a job on Monday, or T/W/F mornings!
I need to get something official to do to earn money- so I can keep the kids in daycare/after school-- but I get 30 days to find that job... so if anyone needs some "consulting" work done or something I can do remotely from home-- let me know.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Sleety Weekend ruins week.
The title says it all. Friday night, about o'dark thirty, I woke up to hear that the sleet had started. No surprises- I knew it was coming. I'm not sure when it snowed, or how much/how long before the sleet started, but by morning, we had a nice solid ground-cover. And it kept sleeting through the morning.
MC ventured out at about 7:30 Saturday Morning- The kid who can barely roll out of bed fully dressed to catch the bus at 7:15 was up & dressed in appropriate layers in winter garb & ready to go out at 7:30! Its amazing what snow-like scenery can do!
Church was canceled, School called off on Monday. And Tuesday, with a 1 hour delay on Wednesday... And Tuesday, MC had to go to work with me- *that was so much fun.* Thank goodness my work environment allows it during bad weather. The little one went to a sitter- thank goodness.
SO, my dentist appointment for Monday was rescheduled for Tuesday, and then again for Wednesday... So I had that fun fun 2 hour dentist appointment & headed straight to work. Another fun day. Oh and yep, all of this also means I'm missing work at my office job-- and this just happens to be my last week there.
I'm still not sure if the boss is going to acknowledge the fact that on Monday, I'm showing up only to process payroll & my travel mileage check-- which I need to collect for NOVEMBER, DECEMBER & JANUARY... That will be about $150 bucks in my pocket-- if I'm guessing right! WHOO HOO! That will help out since my dentist visit yesterday cost me $2,264. Ouch that hurts worse than my teeth.
After that, I'm not sure I can afford to quit that job, except for the fact that I'm happier already without it, and my mental health is way more important than the stress of that job, plus he needs full time help, and I'm not willing to do that anymore.
And since it is February, I've been working on my budget-- checking reciepts from January & seeing where my money really went. And guess what? (More sucky stuff) I discovered that my payroll deposits from the new job are off by about $20 bucks each time-- That's $10 a week- which seems like not much- except that I'm working with a tight zero based budget & that $40 a month had somewhere it needed to be.
=(
So now, I've got to confront my boss and find out WHY I'm getting 30 minute lunch breaks taken out of my 5 hour shifts. Yeah, I was expecting it on my 9:30-5 day- but that is only ONE DAY A WEEK. WHY whould I need a lunch break on a shift from 12:30-5:30? Because I've been busting my butt to get home from one job, eat lunch & change & make it to the other at 12:30... and then I high-tail it out of there to get my kids & get them home for dinner. So, um, yeah. I really don't need them to NOT PAY ME FOR 30 minutes when I'm WORKING. Really, if they want to take it out, I might as well not show up until 1:00 so I can have more time to eat at home. Plus, apparently, not that I'm paying attention, It looks like they have been doing this since I started working there in NOVEMBER. No wonder I'm walking the thin red line to a balanced budget.
Blargle. So when my boss, fixed the schedule to squeak me in a few more hours in the week, he actually did me a dis-service... OH and checking the employee handbook, it is stated that shifts are usually 8 or 8.5 hours and include a 30 minute unpaid lunch break-- but during training, we were told that that was for full-time & full shifts, that my half day shifts wouldn't have that time automatically deducted. So, I'm not sure what is going on. Other than the fact that I'm apparently being robbed.
This week sucks and I'll be celebrating Friday night after work because Other than paying myself, I won't have to deal with the office job anymore! Oh- but really, I'll still be stressing because I have no-one to babysit on Saturday, when I have to go to the job that I used to like, until I figured out that I'm getting shafted. Plus the residents have been moody & cranky and some downright mean & ~ oh the boss, yeah, he brought 2 parakeets into MY WORKSPACE & now I have to clean a dang birdcage & feed & water them. SO NOT COOL. I don't even have pets at home because I don't want the hassle of cleaning up after them . I don't even like birds- MAYBE if it was a cat, I'd be more sympathetic, but really. WTH?
And if you are still reading this- maybe you can be like the "nice" dental assistant that did my crowns on Wednesday, she said, "Wow, I thought I had it bad. Your life is so much worse than mine." Yep, she said it. So maybe your day will be a little brighter because you weren't in my shoes this week, and maybe all the crap you dealt with seems petty compared to the crap I dealt with.
Cheers!
MC ventured out at about 7:30 Saturday Morning- The kid who can barely roll out of bed fully dressed to catch the bus at 7:15 was up & dressed in appropriate layers in winter garb & ready to go out at 7:30! Its amazing what snow-like scenery can do!
Church was canceled, School called off on Monday. And Tuesday, with a 1 hour delay on Wednesday... And Tuesday, MC had to go to work with me- *that was so much fun.* Thank goodness my work environment allows it during bad weather. The little one went to a sitter- thank goodness.
SO, my dentist appointment for Monday was rescheduled for Tuesday, and then again for Wednesday... So I had that fun fun 2 hour dentist appointment & headed straight to work. Another fun day. Oh and yep, all of this also means I'm missing work at my office job-- and this just happens to be my last week there.
I'm still not sure if the boss is going to acknowledge the fact that on Monday, I'm showing up only to process payroll & my travel mileage check-- which I need to collect for NOVEMBER, DECEMBER & JANUARY... That will be about $150 bucks in my pocket-- if I'm guessing right! WHOO HOO! That will help out since my dentist visit yesterday cost me $2,264. Ouch that hurts worse than my teeth.
After that, I'm not sure I can afford to quit that job, except for the fact that I'm happier already without it, and my mental health is way more important than the stress of that job, plus he needs full time help, and I'm not willing to do that anymore.
And since it is February, I've been working on my budget-- checking reciepts from January & seeing where my money really went. And guess what? (More sucky stuff) I discovered that my payroll deposits from the new job are off by about $20 bucks each time-- That's $10 a week- which seems like not much- except that I'm working with a tight zero based budget & that $40 a month had somewhere it needed to be.
=(
So now, I've got to confront my boss and find out WHY I'm getting 30 minute lunch breaks taken out of my 5 hour shifts. Yeah, I was expecting it on my 9:30-5 day- but that is only ONE DAY A WEEK. WHY whould I need a lunch break on a shift from 12:30-5:30? Because I've been busting my butt to get home from one job, eat lunch & change & make it to the other at 12:30... and then I high-tail it out of there to get my kids & get them home for dinner. So, um, yeah. I really don't need them to NOT PAY ME FOR 30 minutes when I'm WORKING. Really, if they want to take it out, I might as well not show up until 1:00 so I can have more time to eat at home. Plus, apparently, not that I'm paying attention, It looks like they have been doing this since I started working there in NOVEMBER. No wonder I'm walking the thin red line to a balanced budget.
Blargle. So when my boss, fixed the schedule to squeak me in a few more hours in the week, he actually did me a dis-service... OH and checking the employee handbook, it is stated that shifts are usually 8 or 8.5 hours and include a 30 minute unpaid lunch break-- but during training, we were told that that was for full-time & full shifts, that my half day shifts wouldn't have that time automatically deducted. So, I'm not sure what is going on. Other than the fact that I'm apparently being robbed.
This week sucks and I'll be celebrating Friday night after work because Other than paying myself, I won't have to deal with the office job anymore! Oh- but really, I'll still be stressing because I have no-one to babysit on Saturday, when I have to go to the job that I used to like, until I figured out that I'm getting shafted. Plus the residents have been moody & cranky and some downright mean & ~ oh the boss, yeah, he brought 2 parakeets into MY WORKSPACE & now I have to clean a dang birdcage & feed & water them. SO NOT COOL. I don't even have pets at home because I don't want the hassle of cleaning up after them . I don't even like birds- MAYBE if it was a cat, I'd be more sympathetic, but really. WTH?
And if you are still reading this- maybe you can be like the "nice" dental assistant that did my crowns on Wednesday, she said, "Wow, I thought I had it bad. Your life is so much worse than mine." Yep, she said it. So maybe your day will be a little brighter because you weren't in my shoes this week, and maybe all the crap you dealt with seems petty compared to the crap I dealt with.
Cheers!
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