Not Ready For Monday Yet

But Monday is on it's way, even if I don't like it.  :(

I spent Friday hiding from the world.  In other words, I was home.  With spring allergy induced asthma!  Except for when I went to Wallyworld to get Otter's allergy medicine and talk to the pharmacist to see if there was anything that I could take.  That would actually work on me!  The pharmacist was not exactly a redhead, but his beard had quite a bit of red in it and he was familiar with the Care of Redheads.  He knew all about the way we metabolize things and he said he has some of the issues with the Redhead Curse.  After talking to him, I think I'm still stuck and unable to take anything for my allergies since they will either not work or work in unexpected and unpleasant ways.  I'm just glad that Otter has a couple of things she can take.

Bill worked on Otter's car again today.  He bought the specific part that he replaced once already, which is supposed to be what the "check engine" light was coming on about.  When we took it in to chevy a couple of weeks ago, the manager cleared out the system and the light went off.  Bill was afraid it was going to come back on again so he went to the auto parts store and bought the part again.  He got it from a cut-rate internet based auto parts company that we've used before.  Cut rate only implies the general price, we've always had good luck with their parts before.  Except this time.  So Bill was expecting to have to replace the part again.  Yesterday Otter texted me that the "check engine" light was back on.  She came over after work to do laundry and she talked to Bill about the car.  He told her to bring it back today since it was cloudy and threatening to rain all day yesterday.  But she had to work all day today, so we went to her store and Bill got the car then.  He brought it home and let it cool down for a few hours.  He replaced the part today and also cleaned out a specific hose that could be contributing to the problem.  The hose might need to be replaced as well, it looks like is might have been crushed a bit by either Chevy or (more likely) the crooks we used before.  The light is out and Otter's going to watch to see what happens.  If the hose does clog up again, Chevy will probably be where we take it to get it replaced - but not the Chevy dealer we've been using.

I did manage to get some crochet in yesterday.  And my arm hurts today.  It was already hurting, the crochet made it worse but I have got to get one specific project completed by June because it's for Froggy's daughter!  I hate tendinitis.

Movie Review:  The Book of Life.  Don't bother!  I was disappointed with this one.  It looked so good from the previews but it was not very good at all.  They did get a few of the cultural references right, but not all that many.

Bill got out the grill this afternoon.  We had steaks for dinner and he has leftover steak for lunch tomorrow.  He also grilled chicken breast and that will be dinner tomorrow night with some rice I made.  While he was at it, he grilled hamburger patties so that will probably be Tuesday's dinner and since there were 6 patties it will probably be a couple of day's meals.  I won't have to cook much this week, which was the general idea!

We went back to the Methodist church today.  We enjoyed the service.  At this point, we are seriously leaning towards joining this church.  It's time to talk to the minister about a few things and then we'll decide.

I went to Michael's today to get paint.  I am going to put up new outlet covers and a new switchplate in the craft/front/guest/YARN room.  Bill said he would get me something printed up on the sheets he uses for backgrounds on the pachinko rooms - the same stuff car wraps are made from - but I couldn't find a picture that would work.  I was looking for a specific yarn or crochet pattern, but the only things I could find were either knitted patterns or the definition was not very good.  But Otter and I went to the dollar store yesterday while her laundry was in the dryer and I found some really neat stickers.  I think they are made for scrapbooking, but they are going to work perfectly - they are crocheted doilies!  They are almost white color on a clear background, I bought some pinkish paint and I'm going to put that on the outlet covers and switchplate.  Then I'm going to decorate them with the stickers.  But I have to finish the other painting project I have started, the shadow box.  I did a little more on it today, but I have to wait for the paint to dry completely before I can get back on it.  After it's finished, I'll get the outlet covers and switchplate done

That is about it for today.

March 12, Doggie Beffday and Mom

March 12 is Mom's birthday.  She's been gone for 14 years now, which is kind of hard to believe.  Mom loved animals and she taught us to love them as well.  So, we remember her by calling her birthday the dog's birthday as well.  Or, as the dogs would say, it's their Beffday!

(Mom would like her day being celebrated in connection with animals, it's not disrespectful.)

The dogs got extra treats tonight, we visited their treat can and they got multiple milkbones so they are happy.

Otter/Bill's car is fixed!  I took it to the tire place yesterday morning, I got there just after they opened and they were waiting for me.  The car was fixed in less time than they said and it was also a little bit less $$ than they thought it would be.  It seems to have been fixed right, also.  We've used this particular tire shop before for actual tires, including last week for Otter/Bill's car and we've never had an issue with them.  Otter met me at the tire place to give me my car back, then I drove her to work (across the parking lot!) and when the car was ready she walked back over there and got it.  She said that the steering feels much tighter and that she realizes now that it had felt like driving a boat before.

Frasier is entertaining tonight.  He's currently curled up in the floor, napping.  He's talking in his sleep, I think he's chasing something?  Maggie Moo is curled up on her blankets and underneath one of them, she hasn't been heard from in quite a while but it's a safe bet that she's asleep!.  Oops, there is a nose!  A beagle nose!  It just stuck itself out from underneath the blankets but that's all that I see of her. :)  Yesterday, the beaglebrat got stuck underneath the shed and I was really beginning to wonder if she could get herself out - she finally did, but I noticed that she was not quite as interested in getting underneath the shed this afternoon when I let them out, for some reason.

I was going to rearrange a bit in the front room.  My idea was to move the steampunk pachinko machine to the opposite side of the room (the door side) and then to move the yarn drawers down the wall to where the pachinko had been.  I was thinking I could move the futon against the wall/corner and that way it wouldn't be right at the doorway.  So, I took the pachinko off the table it sits on, moved the table to the spot I had planned and then I had to take everything (decorative) off the top of the yarn drawers.  I had to unstack the two smaller drawers off the top of the taller drawer units.  Then I moved the yarn drawers down to where I wanted them.  And that's when I realized that it wouldn't work!  So, I had to put it all back in place, in reverse this time.  At least I'll know why I have sore muscles tomorrow!

But we did have a discussion about painting that room and I think we probably will.  Not until after your visit this summer, Froggy!

Wednesday!

I have two more Fenton pieces to add to my ever-growing collection, but I still haven't gotten pictures! I had planned on taking pictures of them as well as yesterday's addition, but life got in the way so I haven't gotten the pictures yet. Today's finds are from a thrift store, which is about the best place to find cheap Fenton.

Today's Life Intrusion moment is because we got a new ceiling fan for the living room. It's bigger than the one we had before. 5 blades instead of 4, also. We had to go to Bill's other home, also known as Lowe's, to get a few things so he could hang it. But, for once, we didn't have to make multiple trips! This is a first, we usually have to make at least two trips (and usually more) when Bill has projects but not the tools, etc., that it requires. The living room has a vaulted ceiling, and Bill decided that he wanted to lower the fan slightly so he also had to buy an extended pole to hang it on.

I would much rather have spent the evening at home, playing with my Fenton or crocheting, but instead I spent quite a while holding the ladder still while the Engineer was up on it with assorted tools (some of them powered), working on something that he could just barely reach over his head. It was a little nerve-wracking, but that's normal life with Billyboy! :)

While we were at Lowe's, we also cruised the paint aisle and got several paint chips. We have a very big project coming up this summer, one that was put off from last summer because of the rent house. We get to paint the outside of the house. Which means Bill gets to be up the ladder again! And so do I. And so does Otter. The house is rock, sandstone to be exact, but there are lots of places that are wood and they are in need of repainting. I'm not sure how long it's been since it was painted, we've been here just under 6 years so I'm guessing it's a couple of years more than that. It's held up well, but it's time to repaint. It was originally a really nice tan color with a darker brown accent color and it looked great. But now that the roof is slightly lighter, we've realized something: our house is pink! The tan has lightened up over the years and the roof is light enough that it looks pink in just about every light. The pink isn't why we're repainting, it really does need it. But it won't be repainted pink. We'll probably go with a tan & darker brown color, similar to what it was originally. I found some really pretty brown colors - they are all named versions of chocolate! Also, there is another one that I like a lot - coffee! Coffee & chocolate, add in some Fenton and some crochet and I'm in heaven! :)

And, as Otter will confirm, I'm not good with colors. I can tell the difference, it's not that I'm color-blind. It's just that I can't tell which ones go well together and sometimes I can't really tell the difference between colors in the same shade. As in brown, light brown, nutmeg and all the other assorted names for brown shades will pretty much look the same to me. There is a reason I tend to wear all one color, or everything with black or white! Otter wants to know what I'm going to do when she's moved out of the house, I don't think she thinks I'll be able to dress myself without her help. She might be right.

It was a fun day at work today. My younger boss's son brought in his 8 week old baby boy. So I spent a couple of hours playing with a baby! Then I had to come home and immediately get in the shower as well as run a load of laundry because, well, babies leak! In many ways. But it was a "been there, done that" situation, so I wasn't upset about it. Besides, the baby was cute!

Frasier is due for his rabies shot, so I set an appointment up with the vet for Monday afternoon. Maggie Moo is also going along on this trip, to get her rear end squished.

Tonight could be in the high 30's. Springtime in Oklahoma!