The Internet Lies…

I have this gorgeous piece of copper chain that I bought for a steal because it was so bright and shiny that no one really wanted it.  I figured if I waited long enough it would oxidize on its own and get to that beautiful rich dark coppery goodness that neglected copper develops.  A year later and that stubborn petulant piece of copper is still bright and shiny fresh.  About 6 months ago I did a search on the ‘Net to see how to wipe that smug sense of satisfaction from that gleaming link of chain. 

It told me that I could use egg whites (sorry, no can do… that’s way too close to wearing salmonella.  Plus, it said it took a really long time and I have zero patience), some weird crazy recipe that I was in no mood to try, or I could use liver of sulphur.  I looked up places to buy liver of sulphur and it was fairly inexpensive.  The downsize is that to ship it required hazmat insurance or something crazy.  So the chemical itself was $16, but the shipping on it was over $33!  I found a local place to buy it but they only sold it by the gallon.  Liver of sulphur isn’t exactly something I’d use on an everyday basis and DEFINITELY not in that quantity.  So, I figured that shimmering self-righteous piece of copper had won that battle, but I was determined not to let it win the war.

Imagine my surprise and absolute delight this morning when I opened my email and found that my favorite online bead store (in Seattle, no less!) was now carrying Liver of sulphur and it seemed they weren’t restricted to any wacky shipping restrictions.  FusionBeads is carrying it in two sizes and it’s on SALE!   Just for kicks, I Googled how to use it and found that the page I used had a listing of what stores in the US carried it.  Believe it or not, but Blicks Art Supply, of which there is one RIGHT DOWN THE MOTHER EFFING STREET stocks the liquid form for only $3.95!  Guess where I’m going this weekend?  That piece of copper is goin’ down.

Other plans include…. childproofing the house since the Squish is now crawling.  Well, I hesitate to call it ‘crawling,’ but she’s definitely in motion.  She lays on her belly, rocks from the left to the right while pushing off the floor with her toes.  It’s more of a modified scoot, but she’s fast enough that she can get places very quickly.  In a few short weeks she will most likely be pulling herself up on furniture (or the dogs – yikes!) and actually crawling to  get where she wants to go.  Where did our itty bitty baby go?  *sniffle*

As for the rest of the weekend…

• We’re getting rid of Ben’s car – the salvage yard is coming to retrieve it after it blew a head gasket / cracked the engine block.
• Visiting Ben’s mom – our weekend trip.
• Cleaning the house top to bottom, including mopping the kitchen floor.  Now that Squish is mobile I need to be more vigilant against dust bunnies and common household grunge, including dog hair.
• Whoop that piece of copper chain’s ASS with a Liver of Sulphur smackdown!
• The usual grocery store, other  stuff, blah blah blah.

What’s on your plate for the weekend?

On My Bookshelf

I completed another run to the library last night and I realized that my haul was pretty eclectic, even for me. 

First, let me tell you about the world class library system I have in my backyard.  It’s a joint project between the Worthington Library System and the Columbus Metropolitan Library System, which encompasses many of the suburban libraries in Central Ohio.  Worthington Libraries won Library System of the year in 2007  and Columbus Library won Library of the year in 2009.  For a bibliophile like me, this is like being in heaven.

The best part about our library is that I can reserve items from multiple locations across the CML system and have them delivered to my ‘home’ library.  It will tell me what number I am on the list and gives me emailed alerts when a title comes in.  Another added perk is that they have a full service drive up window that I use when I have Squish with me; it’s a convenient stop between picking her up at the babysitter and our house.  I don’t have to get her out of her car seat, lug her into the library, and juggle her while trying to check out books, much less deal with the stroller.  While I have pangs of regret occasionally that I’m lazy, I still continue to use the service.

So what was I talking about?  Oh yeah, the books that I checked out.

• A Knife of Dreams – Robert Jordan
• The Little Stranger – Sarah Waters
•  The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane – Katherine Howe
•  Shop Smart, Save More: Learn the Grocery Store Game – Teri Gault
• The Elegance of the Hedgehog – Muriel Barbery
• 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget – Editors of Wise Bread
• The Gorgeously Green Diet – How to Live Lean and Green
• Simply Modern Jewelry – Danielle Fox
• Use What You Have Decorating

If you think that’s strange, look at what’s on my reserve list…

• Speed Decorating: A Pro Stager’s Tips & Tricks
• The Crow (CD): Steve Martin (yes, it’s a bluegrass CD)
• Wizard’s First Rule – Terry Goodkind
• Bead on a Wire: Making Handcrafted Wire and Bead Jewelry
• The Impatient Beader – Margot Potter
• Getting Started Making Wire Jewelry and More
• Quick & Clever Handmade Cards – Julie Hickey
• Quick & Clever Beading – Dorothy Wood
• It’s all about Cards and Tags – Nancy Hill

Why I get all those beading and scrapbooking books I don’t know… it seems I never have the time to do it.  I need to make time! 

What are YOU reading?

**BTW Sherri, I think you would enjoy the Elegance of the Hedgehog.

Weekend Wrap Up… ‘There’s No ‘C’ In Dork’ Edition

We did it!  We actually left the Squish with my sister and headed out on the town for a date night… somehow, we ended up in Cincinnati.  At Jungle Jim’s International Market, to be exact.  Let me back up and start from the beginning.  As you may recall, we were going to see The Book of Eli at the theater and go out to eat.  Nice, local, safe.  Instead, Ben brought up the crazy idea to go to this awesome supermarket in Cincinnati on the spur of the moment.  We dropped off the Squish at my sister’s house and told her we might be a little late since we were going on a road trip.

We hit a local Wendy’s to fuel up on chicken nuggets and a vanilla frosty because I hadn’t had lunch.  Then, we were on the road due south to Cincinnati, about an hour and a half’s drive.  For some reason, I was telling Ben I knew sign language (ok, just the alphabet) and he challenged me to spell something.  I proceeded to spell out, “Y-o-u-a-r-e-a-d-o-r-k” but somehow slipped a ‘C’ into dork.  He kept a straight face until he couldn’t take it anymore and busted out laughing.  I swear, I laughed so hard I almost had to hit a roadside rest.  It was like the good ‘ole days before the baby. 

We hit Jungle Jim’s around dark and wandered around for about two hours (no, I’m not kidding).  I got a roast for $1.19/lb – that’s going in the crockpot this week!  We also picked up some imported hard cider we can’t get in Columbus as well as some imported British tea.  I snuck a $1.99 container of Oolong tea into our cart as well.  After our meandering through the aisles, we decided to get something to eat before we headed home.  Our first choice was some seafood place called Pappadeaux, but there was a two hour and 10 minute wait for two people.  I’m serious.  We ended up at Lonestar Steakhouse instead.  I tell you, it’s been quite a while since I had a big juicy steak so it all worked out.  We picked up the Squish (who was fast asleep), headed home, and tried to go to bed, but Squish had other plans *sigh*.  She hit her second wind and we were up until after midnight.

While we were up late the night before, we slept in until 8AM.  That’s almost a Squish morning record!  My parents claim she slept in until 8:15 at their house.  I call bullshit.  Aaaaaaanyways, we had breakfast and headed out to the grocery store.  Squish got tuckered out from all the excitement and fell asleep long enough to let us run into a furniture store.  Ben and I are on a mission… we’re looking for a used or antique or Amish (or all the above!) hutch to go into our kitchen to replace the makeshift island / cabinet we have going on.  I’m all for ripping out the wall between the kitchen and dining room completely and putting the hutch on that wall to unify the space.  Ben thinks I’m nuts 🙂  He may be right…

Watched the games, hung out, and oh yeah, Squish got her first black eye.  It was the teapot’s fault, honest!  Sure, she looks all sweet and innocent but when you’re not looking POW!  she socks you in the eye.  Ok, so Squish dropped it on her head, but same result.  Ben took the teapot away from her but I packed it in her toys for the babysitter’s today.  She needs to learn how to play with it (ie – don’t put it over her head) and not to be afraid of it.  She about broke my heart crying though.

I read a really good book over the course of the weekend as well: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe.  It interposes a story of a harried Harvard grad student trying to find her thesis material and do a favor for her mother in New England with the Salem Witch Trials.  It’s good stuff.

So yeah, Colts and Saints.  I was glad to see the Peyton-bot get knocked to the ground.  I was hoping it would cross a few of his wires, but no such luck.  However, I’m still irked about the no call when Mark Sanchez got completely blindsided and knocked on his dupa long after he released the ball.  I thought Rex Ryan was going to keel over dead of a heart attack after he ripped off his headset and tore into the closest available ref. 

So that was my weekend… how was yours?

Two steps forward… one step back

I decided to take a bath last night.  It had been a rough crappy day at work and I figured I deserved the nice quiet downtime that reading in the tub brings me.  After all, I had already taken care of all Mallory’s needs (she was sound asleep in her crib) and even got the dishes and bottles done.  A success, right?  Wellllllll, not so much.  I was so comfortable ensconced in the tub with my book that I soon lost track of time and it was 9:45.  Did I head downstairs to unload the dishwasher, get bottle stuff ready for the morning, and pick out my clothes for the next day?  Of course not!  I climbed into my jammies and crawled underneath the covers.  My inner procrastinator assured me that I had plenty of time and that I deserved a night off doing whatever I wanted.  As a result, this morning was more off-kilter than usual and I ran out the door frazzled and running behind.

I’m still trying to learn why my inner procrastinator keeps sabotaging me like that.  Even more importantly, why do I let her??  I feel like I’m Charlie Brown and she’s Lucy.  Every time I go to kick the damn ball she yanks it out and I fall flat on my face.  I know what the result will be, but I’m so lured in by the promise of not having to do it now.

My overall goal is to be able to get into enough of a routine (through manageable babysteps – no pun intended) so that I can get everything done that I need to and have enough time in my evening to devote 1/2 hour to working out with the Wii and quite possibly working on a piece of jewelry or two.  Yeah yeah yeah, I know, I’ve been saying that forever.

Anyways, here’s what we have planned for our exciting *rolls eyes* weekend.

• Tonight: Home Depot to get a new garbage disposal.
• Saturday: Dog food, hair cuts for me & Ben, date night!  We’re going to go see The Book of Eli and go out to dinner.  My sister has graciously offered to babysit.  She can’t wait; she even called me today to make sure we weren’t cancelling on her. 
• Sunday:  Duh.  Divisional Championship games.  I might even let Ben make me breakfast. 

I’ll also squeeze in some laundry, bill paying, and basic cleaning / organizing in there.  Not to mention grocery planning, grocery shopping, and cooking.  Ugh.  I think I’m going to start relying on my slow cooker / crock pot more.  I’m gonna put that baby to work!

Have a great weekend!

What I’m Working On…

I have this vision… a fantasy, if you will.  It entails me being perfectly prepared in the morning to the point where I just sail through my getting ready, bundling up the baby, and heading out the door to a glorious day of work.  Ok, so I got a little carried away there but there HAS to be a way to maximize my snooze / snuggle with Ben time and still manage to get out the door on time and with everything I need, right?

The solution is so simple I feel like a neanderthal for not figuring it out earlier during my 32 years on this earth.  Sure, my mom harped away about it but I thought that I knew everything.   Turns out, I was wrong.   What is this miracle solution, you ask?  Planning ahead. 

Previously I did everything by the seat of my pants (and sometimes the skin of my teeth).  Having people over?  I’d start picking up in the morning and woefully understimate how much time it would take me to get the house company ready.  Need to leave the house by 7AM?  I’d hit snooze, figure out what I was wearing, and walk out the door not looking my best at 7:10.  Having the Squish enter our lives means that I now have to think about someone’s needs other than mine.  I can go for a day without eating if I forget or am engrossed in something.  The Squish can go about 2.5 hours max before she converts into Crankapotamus.  I know that if we’re going to be out of the house that I need to plan for X amount of bottles in X hours.  Then I add an additional bottle just to be on the safe side. 

Our morning routine is coalescing slowly but surely.  I’m tweaking little bits here and there (do I shower before she gets up or after her breakfast?) but all in all, it’s working out well.  My goal is to be able to sleep in as long as possible, spend good quality time with the Squish, and get out the door by 7:10.  I’ve started by preparing the night before.  Is the babysitter out of wipes?  Best to pack it in her bag along with her toys before I go to bed so that I don’t remember it at 7:12 when I’m pulling out of the driveway.  I make up her formula right before I go to bed so I just have to pour it in the morning.  I get out the baby food, spoon, and bib and have it near her high chair.  All I have to do is stumble downstairs, turn on the news, and spoon the Cinnamon Raisin Granola goodness for her.  I actually picked out what I’m wearing to work tomorrow and what she’s wearing to the babysitter TONIGHT.  I know, I’m in shock.

I’m still going round-and-round with my inner procrastinator who tells me that I’ll have PLENTY of time in the morning *eye roll* to get all that done, sleep in to my heart’s content, and still walk out the door with perfect make-up at 7:10.  I know she’s a liar.  All those ‘it will only take me a minute’ things add up and make me run hella-late.  So yeah, everything is packed and ready to roll.  Time for me to hop into bed, grab a good book, and drift off knowing that I’m ready to face tomorrow.

#5secfic Number One. Yes, one.

Gary the Cannibal relished the flesh of circus freaks as a special occasion treat.  His favorite dish?  Carnie Asada.

Comments – How do you prefer ’em?

So I switched themes last night and am digging this one.  It’s serene, easier to read than Green Girl, and I like the crisp layout.  One of the things I constantly struggle with is how to respond to comments.  I know how other people do theirs as a matter of personal preference, but wanted to see what your reponses are.

Mama Said There’d Be Days Like This…

Today hasn’t been a good day… not even close to being mediocre.  Ben’s car blew up (not literally, thank goodness!) but the engine block cracked or something technical.  On one hand it’s going to be $3,000 – $4,000 out of pocket to fix or we could get a used car.  Luckily. my parents are able to loan us their spare car so we’re not stuck with my just my little car. 

We drove up there tonight to see them and to pick up the 4 Runner – Mom and Dad get such a kick out of seeing Mallory.  We skipped her bath when we got home because it was so late and went straight to jammies and then she hit the hay.  Such a sleepy girl.  Oh, did I mention she’s currently working on getting one of her top front teeth?  Oh happy day.

So I took a few minutes to get the dishes done when she was down for the count.  Tomorrow is trash day, which makes today “Clean out the fridge night.”  In the midst of putting some leftover chili down the disposal I felt cold water drip-drip-dripping on my toes.  Opened the cabinet under the sink and saw water spraying out of the disposal.  Looks like we’ll be getting one of those this weekend. 

We were supposed to go on our first date night without the Squish Saturday.  My sister is all lined up to babysit and we have the movie and restaurant all picked out.  Looks like we’ll have to put it on hold til next payday *sigh*.

Well, tomorrow should be better… right?

My New Toy

For Christmas I got an Acer Aspire One Netbook.  It’s pretty cool because it’s super thin, only 10.1″ and my only concerns (small keyboard and postage stamp mouse section) have been alleviated.  Sure, the keyboard is a bit smaller than I’m used to, but I just need to be more vigilant for typos.  It’s going to lower my 92 wpm to what, 80 at the lowest?  Perfectly acceptable.  Also, my mom made sure that she got the kit that came with it so I have a wireless mouse that is blazing fast.  No need to worry about keeping my index finder on the itty bitty mouse thingie.

Why did I need this mini miracle of technological prowess, you ask?  Simple.   I need to be mobile so that I can keep an eye on the Squish.  I can look up recipes in the kitchen (as I did at 5;30 this morning to make my Sweet & Sour crock pot ribs) or pay bills in the living room while Squish plays on the floor, or read & comment on blogs while we’re in front of the fire watching Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations.  I’m multitasking, bay-bee!  I need to get caught up on my blogs, rekindle some old friendships that I’ve let slide since the arrival of the Squish (yes Darc family, that means you), and keep a closer eye on my bills.  I have resolved to stop incurring stupid fees (yes, again – I didn’t learn my lesson last year) and I think that being able to access this info whenever I want will definitely help. 

A big part of it is that I don’t have to ‘bother’ Ben to use our laptop all the time now.   Had he ever said no when I asked him before?  Of course not.  It’s just a lot harder to ask all the time when someone is obviously using it.  I actually contemplated seeing if they had this model in pink so he wouldn’t use it.  This one is MINE, all mine.  I’m gonna use it for good, not evil.

So add me to your Google readers, people.  I’m back.