Wednesday January 24th 2007, 4:52 pm
Filed under: daily digs
I found this t-shirt on another website and absolutely love it. I’ve always been a fan of Snape and don’t think he’s evil at all. Book 7 will be his chance to redeem himself and show that he’s not such a bad guy after all!
*For you non-Potter fans, Snape is a teacher at Hogwarts (School of Magic) who always gives Harry and his buddies a hard time. He’s also the head of the Slytherin house, which is like the archenemy of the Gryffindor house (to which Harry and Co. belong, and also can do no wrong in Hogwarts).
Tuesday January 23rd 2007, 11:39 am
Filed under: daily digs
One of our most pressing house projects is to have the windows replaced. Our current windows are aluminum, which circulates a lot of cold air back into the house and seeps a lot of the warm heater air out. No wonder our house is an ice box at times, even when the heater is on! At first, we considered replacing the windows ourselves. They cost about $200 apiece at Home Depot and look fairly easy to install. But after talking to a guy at Home Depot, Matt thought it over and figured it would be better to pay more to get someone else to do it–and do it right. Having a big hole in your house during the winter while trying to replace your own windows does NOT sound fun.
Enter window replacement salesmen #1. He came to our house on our day off last Monday. He came around 10, so I figured he’d be there for about an hour and half, two hours TOPS, and leave us with the rest of the day off. He was there for three and a half hours!! Granted, it was our first exposure to the world of windows, so he gave us a history of window materials, his background in window construction and sales, the history of his company, why fiberglass windows (what his company sells) are superior to all other materials (not to mention a lot more $$!). He didn’t try to make us sign the papers that day, nor did he offer any gimmicky discounts. He just gave us the hard and fast information. It took a long time, but I actually appreciated his straight-forward, informative presentation. Plus, he gave us some practical tips on caring for and staying warm with the windows we have now. Before he left, he warned us about the salesmen who will pull discounts out left and right for you and pressure you to sign that day. “Just stand up, cross your arms, and thank them for their time,” he advised.
Enter salesman #2. Last night, he arrived around 6:30, leaving us plenty of time to meet with him before “Heroes” came on TV. I was wrong again. He gave a long, long presentation, starting out with a lot of comparisons between competitors and his own company. That was actually pretty good, since he had quotes and warranty terms from other people. I was impressed that he had so much information about other companies, but then I realized he was talking more about other companies than his own. He also had to try to schmooze with us and get us to like him as a person. I thought he was pretty nice and candid, but there was one point when he asked me what I did for a living. I told him, “I’m a writer for World Vision, and I write donor reports and proposals.” Right after I said that, he dropped his head and pretended to snore. I laughed and just said, “Most people find writing boring, but I really like words.” I didn’t even bother explaining that I also get to read about World Vision’s projects on the field and the people who are impacted by these projects. At the time, I thought he was just trying to be funny, but now that I think about it, that was really rude and offensive.
It wasn’t until about two hours in when he pulled out a sample of his window and showed us the pros of going with his company. If he hadn’t known we were “Heroes” fans (and if he weren’t one himself), he probably would have stayed until 9:30 or even later. He left around 9:05, but even said that if we were considering signing, he would stay and we could go over paperwork during commercials. So yes, he did pull out discounts (”sign today and get $150 off!”), but we resisted.
We are meeting with another guy tomorrow night. I told Matt that we should tell him right away to just jump into his presentation and try to keep it short, but I think Matt’s more willing to listen to the whole spiel, even the unnecessary parts of it. Just give me the facts, mister, and cut out all the bashing of other companies or pretenses that you care about us as people! I guess if I just knit while the guy is talking, then maybe I won’t feel like the presentation is a complete waste of my time…
After reading through some of the columns, I found a couple of helpful tips:
TRANSPORT A CAKE. I couldn’t afford one of those “fancy” $8 cake savers for transporting cakes, so I just went to the dollar store and bought the biggest plastic bowl I could find with a lid. I set the cake on the lid with a little frosting under the cake to hold it in place and then frosted it, and now I have an airtight cover by using the bowl over it!”
SCRUBBING KERNELS. To clean those small flower/bud vases just use uncooked rice, a drop or two of dishwashing liquid, add water, and shake.
And here’s a sample of one of her Q & A columns:
Dear Mary, I’m currently evaluating whether to renew my membership at Costco Discount Warehouse. It seemed like a good idea last year, when we were trying to save money, but now I’m not sure. Is it worth the membership to buy some items in bulk (detergent, for example), or can you shop just as smartly at your local grocery store by watching sales and using coupons? Beth, email
Dear Beth,
I am a member and do enjoy shopping at Costco for the convenience. However, you do bring up such a good point, which reminds me why I call it The $200 Store. It’s hard to get out of there without spending at least $200. I believe that if you are a savvy shopper (I’ll just bet you are), track loss-leaders at the grocery stores in your neighborhood (you can do that for free at MyGroceryDeals.com) and use coupons to reduce even further the sale price of grocery items, you can do much better over all than if you shop at a warehouse club. Surprisingly not all items actually cost less at the warehouse club. Those that are consistently cheaper include milk, eggs, cheese, laundry detergent and frozen chicken. But you have to buy a lot of chicken and wash a lot of clothes just to recoup the membership price each year. I suggest you do your own experiment without the membership for a few months. You can always rejoin if you find you’re spending far more on the “outside.”
Dear Beth,I am a member and do enjoy shopping at Costco for the convenience. However, you do bring up such a good point, which reminds me why I call it The $200 Store. It’s hard to get out of there without spending at least $200. I believe that if you are a savvy shopper (I’ll just bet you are), track loss-leaders at the grocery stores in your neighborhood (you can do that for free at MyGroceryDeals.com) and use coupons to reduce even further the sale price of grocery items, you can do much better over all than if you shop at a warehouse club. Surprisingly not all items actually cost less at the warehouse club. Those that are consistently cheaper include milk, eggs, cheese, laundry detergent and frozen chicken. But you have to buy a lot of chicken and wash a lot of clothes just to recoup the membership price each year. I suggest you do your own experiment without the membership for a few months. You can always rejoin if you find you’re spending far more on the “outside.”
Mel’s note: The last time we were at Costco and Safeway, I compared the cost of the meat I had been buying from Costco (ground beef, chicken, etc.), and the price at Costco was at least $1 cheaper per pound than Safeway’s costs! I usually buy a huge serving of meat, divide it up into smaller portions, and then freeze them until I need them. We end up buying meat a lot less frequently–and save moola! Yippee!
Dear Mary, I am eager to be a stay-at-home mom to my two-year-old. We are paying down the bills. Are there other things we need to be aware of in order to achieve this goal? What are some of the common mistakes working moms make when changing their lifestyles and wallets to be at home with the kids? N.R., emailDear N.,
Your number one priority is to create an emergency fund. At Debt-Proof Living we call that a “Contingency Fund” and it is a pool of money you have stashed away that will bail you out in the event of a financial crisis—like unemployment, a medical situation or even a busted refrigerator. When living on a single income, it is even more important to not put yourselves into a position where you are forced to run to a credit card when something goes wrong. Things will go wrong, so you have to plan on it. I suggest you need at least $10,000 in that fund that you keep in a liquid savings account.
Dear N.,Your number one priority is to create an emergency fund. At Debt-Proof Living we call that a “Contingency Fund” and it is a pool of money you have stashed away that will bail you out in the event of a financial crisis—like unemployment, a medical situation or even a busted refrigerator. When living on a single income, it is even more important to not put yourselves into a position where you are forced to run to a credit card when something goes wrong. Things will go wrong, so you have to plan on it. I suggest you need at least $10,000 in that fund that you keep in a liquid savings account.The biggest mistake women in your situation make when leaving the workplace to be at home is forgetting that they need to change their lifestyle to match their new single-paycheck status. You can’t leave the expenses status quo while you lose a good portion of the household income. I suggest you start practicing now and do many of the chores you are paying others to do like mowing the lawn, cleaning the pool and the house and any others services that you will be able to do. Get passionate about cooking at home. Learn the tricks of slashing your grocery bill. If your income will be cut by half, you’ll need to have that be your goal for your expenses as well. Good luck! And welcome home.
Thursday January 18th 2007, 4:25 pm
Filed under: daily digs
I had this long, long post written up, but after reading through it a couple of times, I realized that I wasn’t explaining myself succinctly and was kind of going around in circles. It had to do with the labels of being conservatives or liberals, in relation to the church and different ministries in the church. Basically, my deleted post can be summed up with this question:
Why is it hard to find a church that has the solid theology that we seek AND compassionate, mercy ministries (such as outreaches to the homeless and poor)? Why are there not more churches where those two entities exist? A lot of churches that have great mercy ministries have really liberal teachings, and a lot of churches that do not have those ministries are more in line with what I agree with biblically.
Also, do you guys feel like there’s a general perception that people who are concerned about environmental issues, caring for the homeless, and social justice are liberals? This could explain why more liberal churches are more involved with these types of ministries, but it puzzles me why these issues would be considered “liberal” issues…are they?
I posed the first question to Matt, and he said that churches just have different concerns. Some are more focused on expanding their own ministries for the church body, while others have a heart for the poor. My stance is that no matter what the church is focusing on, it should have some sort of ministry that meets the physical needs of the less fortunate. I don’t think that having a heart for the poor is a gift like the ability to teach. Everywhere Jesus went, He helped the poor and did not separate that from His spiritual teachings. He didn’t say, “Today is our homeless outreach day, so I will go around and feed the hungry or heal the crippled.” His emphasis on physical healing was intertwined with every other part of His ministry.
Anyway, I’d love to hear any of your thoughts on this, although since I deleted my original, lengthy post, I’m not sure if I’m making myself clear on what I’m asking for feedback on. hehe…and I call myself a writer!
Sunday January 14th 2007, 4:46 pm
Filed under: daily digs
I’ve been inspired to do some more baking, starting with more easy recipes. A couple of months ago, I [finally] got a hand mixer, which I have been wanting for a long time. I figured it would come in handy for many baking experiments I have been wanting to try.
Two nights ago, I tried this recipe that I found in the Raley’s shopper magazine that is available in the grocery stores. It’s an almond pear square, but I modified it a little bit. The recipe calls for a sheet of puff pastry (found in the freezer section), almond paste, diced pears, and chocolate chips. I deleted the almond paste and just threw on pears, chocolate chips and shredded coconut. Here’s how it looked:
The recipe said to fold up the corners of the square, but when I put the dessert into the oven, the sides of the square fell back down. So I just pushed the ingredients away from the edges of the square, and it was fine. The final result turned out pretty good, but I was disappointed that the chocolate chips weren’t entirely melted. In fact, they had barely melted, even after being in the oven for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees. I didn’t want to leave the dessert in the oven any longer because the puff pastry looked like it was getting too brown. I had hoped the pears would be a little softer, too. Oh well…it still wasn’t bad…you can’t really go wrong when you have puff pastry, fruit and chocolate. :)
Thursday January 11th 2007, 11:04 am
Filed under: daily digs
Here are views from our home!
And here are videos of us having fun last night–right in front of our house!
We’re staying at home today since the roads are too crazy to venture to work. We took a walk out to the main road to see what conditions were like. We stayed on one street for about 15 minutes, watching cars attempt to go up a slope. Some people did it easily…others never made it during the time we were there. I’m going to try to do some work now, but it’s so tempting to get back outside. The sun is finally out, the sky is blue, and the snow is just so much fun!
Check out pics in the Our World folder in our gallery for snow pics!
Wednesday January 10th 2007, 7:17 pm
Filed under: daily digs
I knew we were getting snow tonight, but I did not expect so much snow in our area! As we approached Seattle, the snow suddenly came down really hard. Fortunately, our exit was just up ahead. But as we turned off the freeway to get onto a long upward-sloping street, we saw that cars were attempting to go up the street and then turning around to go back down. But not the Stynkbg. We plowed ahead, following in the tracks of four-wheel-drives who had gone before us…and we made it! We saw cars that had jumped curbs and were sitting in fields. It was really strange. We had a lot of those “How did that happen??” looks on our faces.
When we got to our street, which slopes downward, we noticed the snow ahead was fresh…no tracks at all, which showed that all our neighbors had parked their cars at the top of the hill. So we left Stynkbg there and carefully treaded down the hill. Below is a short video (OK, it’s not that eventful, but it’s still cool to see the snow falling!) of our trek to our house. Right after I turned off the camera, I totally slipped trying to step up a little mound to our house. haha…
Below is a picture taken from our garage. The blocks at the end of the property were placed there to prevent the previous tenants from driving over the mound to the house. :P
Wednesday January 10th 2007, 5:46 pm
Filed under: daily digs
For you ladies out there who use Always Maxi Pads, have you noticed the design on the paper that covers the sticky portion of the pad? There’s a cute little design that says “Have a happy period” all over it. A man must have come up with that, because anyone who has a period knows that there is nothing happy about it.
If I had to describe it, I would say having a period is uncomfortable, irritating and a hassle. I repeat, there is NOTHING happy about having blood stream out of you…and on a monthly basis, for that matter.
On a happier note (and I mean “yippee” happy, not “menstrual period” happy), it snowed again last night!!
Tuesday January 09th 2007, 10:26 am
Filed under: daily digs
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.”
