We had such an overwhelming week that I'm just worn flat. I've hardly read at all and I haven't gathered my next box of books to give away, although I'm working on it. Please be patient with me. I hope to get the next giveaway post up by tomorrow.
Our weekend:
1. Recovering kiddo sleeps much of Friday and then is driven by mom to physical therapy for his bad shoulder (he's been taking off swimming and is trying to rebuild his strength before returning).
2. New oven arrives (that's it above -- pretty, eh?) -- can't remember whether I shared with all of you that our oven door fell off just before Christmas. Not literally, just halfway. It was dangling and not repairable, as it was original to the house and had been falling apart for some time. I was actually unable to close the oven door, for a few months.
3. Saturday, the hubster and I attend a meeting for the "Marathon Makeover" group being formed in Vicksburg and join. We are now slowly cross-training and will soon begin running in preparation for training to run a marathon by the end of the year. We are tired of being couch potatoes.
4. Later on Saturday, hubby and son attempt to put in oven and realize the oven wiring in our house has been botched and has no protective box to prevent fire. Sheesh. Hubby rewires, inserts oven, bakes up a storm and discovers -- What, ho! A good oven is remarkably better than a 30-year-old oven that burns everything. Who'd have thought?
5. Saturday night, friend calls to tell me she's been in an automobile accident and is very, very sore. Also, her car has been totaled.
Mental note: Tell everyone I know that The point of brakes is to prevent or at least reduce impact. So, when you're about to hit someone? Yes, go ahead and use them. The kid who was driving told best bud, "I was going to hit you anyway, so I figured why bother with the brakes?" He shoved her car up a steep incline, about 300 yards.
6. Sunday, we oversleep but Kiddo drives to Sunday School without us. We drive to the Big City to shop for necessities and walk around bookstores. I purchase some totally unnecessary bookish items. I shall let you know about them in an upcoming "Blame it on Chris" post. Also buy some bubble bath for poor, sore, automobileless friend. Race home and write drawing post.
7. Monday, Kiddo returns to school while mother cleans house, goes for first walk of new exercise program, walks around outside with kitty cat, takes photos of birds and avoids many things she's supposed to accomplish. Kiddo discovers that the new semester began on Friday. He was too sick to attend on Friday anyway (and, apparently, half the school didn't show up) but now he has a monstrous pile of homework and he's still not fully recovered so he manages one page of Biology and falls asleep at 6pm. Argh. Argh, argh, argh.
8. Sit around twittering and order more of those hoopty dinosaur fizzies because they are so ridiculously fun. The last two were breech hatchlings.
9. Decide to post an "I'll post later" post. Off to bed. Will try again, tomorrow.
Looks nice to me! I was so depressed that we had to get a new washing machine in December (talk about bad timing) but sooo happy when we got it! No more washing small loads because the machine couldn't take more, no more turning up the volume on the TV because the machine is too loud - we can now stuff this baby full! We can even wash blankets and coats now! Woo hoo! I feel so old now reading this back. I am officially a grown up. I still like your oven!
ReplyDeleteWrighty,
ReplyDeleteIsn't that wild? You think you're saving money, putting off buying the new machine, and then you discover that -- wow -- it has made life so much easier! I can't believe how terrific baked goods are, in this oven. Our son cooked scones on Sunday morning and brought us breakfast in bed. I was so tired I said, "I'll just breathe mine." It did smell terrific. My son laughed and put mine away, but anyway . . . I warmed it up later and it was seriously as light and perfect as bakery scones.
Yeah, excitement over appliances feels like an Old People Thing. LOL
Once upon a time we had an age old oven, you know the kind where you have to insert an oven pin to check whether the cake is done or not? Absolute nightmare. And we had to open it with a cloth becuase it used to get too hot. My mom refused to change it for years and when she finally did buy a microwave she marvelled at it for weeks. Thank god the ngihtmare is over.
ReplyDeleteYour oven looks good, very trendy. And looks liek your week was full too. Please do show off your bookish items...
Good for you aiming for a marathon! Those things scare me. ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd that oven looks gorgeous-I'm still a Young Person but I'd be very happy for a better oven and washer/drier in my house. :D
Blame it on Chris?! I sure hope you're talking about Other Chris (aka, chris book-a-rama) ;) If it is indeed me, I'll take the blame...sure, why not? I'm doling it out on everyone else! lol...
ReplyDeleteWell isn't that oven just spiffy! You must be extremely happy after all of that wiring mess to finally have it in. I was enjoying following that on Twitter, lol. Did you ever figure out the mystery behind the puddles in the living room?
Poor Kiddo! First, wisdom teeth being yanked out and now a bad shoulder? That's horrible. Hope he gets back to swimming soon! That's awesome that you and the hubby are doing a Marathon! I'd love to do one. I really need to do something to get into shape. All I do is lay in bed and read :/
And finally, That's awful about your friend! Some people are just idiots...sorry, but they are. "Why put on the brakes?" uh....because they significantly reduce the impact of a wreck and possibly stop it?! Sheesh....
I need a new oven, but it's hard to find a built in one the size of the hole we'd have to fill. It's a tiny space. :-(
ReplyDeleteI'm worn out just reading about your weekend.
I hope your friend who was in the accident is feeling better. Ouch!
Have a good rest of the week, Nancy.
Very pretty oven. I'll bet it's a snap to clean, too. I know I was thrilled to get our new stove/oven a few years ago. Definitely makes a big difference in the baking department.
ReplyDeleteMarathon training, eh? Good for you two!! I need to think about doing something like that, although I'm not sure my knees could take it. Maybe I'll just get back into walking 4 miles/day. Now that I'm not scurrying around the bookstore at top-speed (things have settled down now that the holidays are over), I should probably get some regular exercise.
Congrats on the new oven! I might have to post a recipe you might want to try. and will motivate you to run even more? Poor friend in crash! That kid's comment go on the report? irresponsible, criminal. hugs for all!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful oven! I have such an affinity for kitchen items and am proud of your for putting up with that old oven for so long.
ReplyDeleteHope your boy gets better soon.
Your oven is lovely. Your post is hilarious. It probably wasn't so funny as you were living it, but it gave me a good chuckle this morning.
ReplyDeleteVioletcrush,
ReplyDeleteWe had to stick something in the middle of our food to see if it was done (and it never was, in spite of being burnt to a crisp on the outside). I'm just now realizing there's a slight sensation of relief. :)
Eva,
I'm not so young, but we still managed to put off updating our oven for many years. Now, I'm kind of baffled as to why we didn't bother to trade it out sooner, althoug I know it's just because we're cheapskates. The oven was original to our 1970's house and was painted harvest gold (shiver).
Speaking of the marathon, I've got to look up what I'm supposed to do, today! I like the way the marathon program is nicely laid out for you -- not intimidating at all.
Chris,
Sorry, nope. I mean you. It's alllll your fault. LOL I went shopping for graphic novels. I bought American Born Chinese, but I couldn't find it at the first bookstore, so I just picked two at random. They're kind of stupid, but I like them. LOL Now, I'm trying to decide whether or not a graphic novel "counts" on my annual book count.
Yes, very happy to have the wiring mess over! Isn't she a pretty appliance? Nope, never figured out the puddles. So far, nothing has come back. Makes a chick nervous, though.
Kiddo has had a rough year. He also has one of those teachers who claim to be preparing the kids for college but who really have a stick up their a** and do everything they can to prevent decent grades. We'll be chatting with her, shortly. He's been so slow to recover from the teeth. The PT on his shoulder is going well, though.
We're ridiculously excited about the marathon thing. Both of us were pleased to find that we knew one of the people who has done the program for 2 years and another who was signing up. So, we'll have some acquaintances to hang out with, if we're feeling lonely.
Yes, exactly on the brakes. I don't understand that at all. It's actually the second time I've heard that story. The gal who hit our son, last year (and it was his fault -- he was impatient about turning and misjudged) didn't bother with her brakes, either.
Wendy,
ReplyDeleteWe have a very small house and had to go with the smallest oven available. I understand the problem.
It was quite a busy weekend. LOL Sorry to wear you out! I'm going to go drop off that bubble bath, later. My friend still has to work -- they own a photo printing store and have no hired help, so I suppose the store was closed when her husband went to fetch her from the accident scene. I hope she's feeling better, too.
Thanks, Wendy. Happy Reading!
Les,
Well, I don't know if it'll be a snap to clean, yet, but I do know we agreed in advance that we wanted the self-cleaning feature! What's really nice is the light. Our oven light gave out years ago and now we can watch things cook, again! Squee!
Marathon Makeover starts out verrrry slowly. David has knee problems, too, but by the time we were done listening to the pitch he was convinced that with good shoes and the gentle start even he could handled it. Very exciting. I like having a shared goal with my husband.
Care,
Hahaha! I don't need any fattening recipes, but go right ahead. We'll probably try it! That oven makes food fun! LOL
I don't know if the kid's comment went on the record, but it probably did -- definitely should have. I know his insurance is paying for a rental car, now, and they've made an offer but my friend turned it down because she wants to be able to replace her car with something similar. She doesn't understand depreciation, but as ridiculous as that accident was, I kind of feel like they owe her a replacement.
Nikki,
It's really lovely and doesn't actually stick out as far as the older oven, so it makes the kitchen look just a tiny bit bigger (we have a dinky kitchen). I kind of wish I'd replaced it sooner, but nahhh. We got every bit of life we could possibly squeeze out of the old oven.
Thanks for the wishes for kiddo. He's got an extra hour of school this semester and came home so thoroughly flattened, yesterday, that you couldn't help but feel for him. He didn't even want to eat!!! Weird!
Kathy,
It was rather exhausting, at the time, but I can look back and chuckle, now. The only hard part remaining is Kiddo's heavy schedule and slow recovery. He really has had a rough week and is not himself. You know when a big teenage boy stops eating, something's amiss.
Whew, get some rest! I'll look forward to your posts tomorrow! The oven looks nice by the way.
ReplyDeleteGeez, poor kiddo-first the wisdom teeth and now the shoulder. How is his mouth doing now-feeling better?
ReplyDeleteThe oven has me drooling. I would so love an oven inset in the wall. I could truthfully use two ovens but would need a whole new kitchen to do so. It really looks great!
Kristina,
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm feeling yucky, today, so I hope everyone will be patient with me.
Dar,
Actually, it was the other way around -- Kiddo hurt his shoulder last year; he's just recently started PT to help strengthen it, so he can return to swimming.
He's feeling better, but still really not himself at all. Usually, he eats us out of house and home. Yesterday, he skipped lunch and had to be coerced into eating a little supper. Thanks for asking!
We had a double oven, hence that little hole you can see a bit of below the oven. Our stove is a drop-in. I like it that way. The kitchen has very little cabinet space, though, and I hate that. I wouldn't mind redoing everything, but I'm not sure it's worth the effort. Our house was poorly designed.
I can't wait to get a new oven. My, you have had an overwhelming week!!!
ReplyDeleteThat oven is gorgeous! I never thought in my entire life that I would be domestic enough to say that! I should know better, though. A couple of years ago, I got a vacuum cleaner for Christmas and I was ecstatic. Come to think of it, this year I got a sewing machine...omg! When did this happen?!
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe that
ReplyDeletea) you replaced your slightly flawed oven
b) it works better than the 30 year old one or
c) anyone managed to get a drivers license under the impression that the speed of impact had no effect. That kid is damn lucky he didn't kill anyone. What, he was worried about wearing out his brakes? That's *the stupidest thing I've ever heard.
Well. Maybe not the stupidest. But it's up there.
Tink,
ReplyDeleteThanks. I feel better knowing my week sounds burdensome to others. I can hardly keep my eyes open, today. Poor kiddo went back to bed at 6pm, again. Sheesh. You should definitely get a new oven.
Lisa,
I got a sewing machine for college graduation (because that's what my sister wanted and she's the eldest -- the parents thought I had to get whatever she got . . . so weird) and a vacuum cleaner for a wedding present. At least I got to buy my own damn oven. I didn't say that. LOL Ovens can be very exciting. You're allowed to feel that way.
Carrie,
I know, I know. You are so going to miss my oven stories, aren't you?
There is something terribly wrong with the idea that someone actually thought it was not necessary to lessen the impact. My friend is truly lucky to be alive. She was in the process of turning and, therefore, shoved into a parking lot rather than oncoming traffic. But, really, how could anyone be so stupid? Of course there's a reason to use the brakes! He shouldn't be allowed to drive. Everyone should have to respond correctly to questions about the purpose of brakes and signals before getting handed the piece of plastic that allows them to go around hitting people indiscriminately because they're too busy looking down to bother driving.
Get the feeling I'm a little sensitive? He really could have killed my best friend. I want to pound him.
Yayyy for ovens that work! It's pretty! I want to pet it. I also want some of those dinosaur bath fizzies because they sound like too much fun.
ReplyDeleteYour oven's purty!
ReplyDeleteI think this will be the year I break down and buy a little toaster oven...I want some fruit cobbler! I want garlic toast...I want brownies....not all at once. But not too far apart.
Nice oven!! I really need a new one myself. Dare to dream, I guess!
ReplyDeleteA marathon?? How awesome is that? I just started working out again. Decided I'm in terrible shape. That point was validated when I was sucking major wind running yesterday!! Damn. Getting old sucks!
Sorry to hear about your friends. Kids are stupid, and shouldn't be driving!
Andi,
ReplyDeleteWorking ovens are great. Ovens without doors . . . not so much. Dinosaur fizzies rock. I also ordered a dozen frog/prince fizzies. It will be interesting to see whether I end up with a load of frogs or heavy on the princes. Do you need a dinosaur? :)
Bybee,
Careful with the toaster oven. My first attempt with ours, after the regular oven died, involved a smoking taco shell of doom. I am so, so talented in the kitchen.
Stephanie,
Definitely get a new oven. If I'd realized food could be so much better, I'd have saved my pennies years ago.
We haven't even begun the running part, yet, which is one of the things I love about the MM program. You start off very slowly, just walking and cross-training, then eventually start running with the group on Saturdays and build up a little each day. I'm having fun and haven't felt like croaking, yet! What could be better? :)
I think most kids need a lot more supervision before they drive alone, but I'd also say there are a lot of stupid parents driving. This guy takes the cake, though, not even bothering to put on the brakes. My friend's car was crunched like an accordian. She's very, very fortunate that her injuries were minor.