Flaky Fridge Frustration, HELP!

Ladies that live together seem to get in sync.  I know this because my Flaky Fridge and I have synced up and are both aging and going through a change.  Flaky Fridge is showing her age and she is slowing down.  For a year or so I haven't been using the bottom crisper drawer for anything except water since it would freeze anything else. So, she has cold feet like I do...but recently she has really been freezing....water in the drawer that is. I gave up using that drawer totally and started poking water bottles willy nilly where I could find a spot. 

 

 

There are days the bottom drawer chills perfectly, but those, like days that I feel like the old me, are few and far between.  From time to time she takes iceberg lettuce from just a name  to the real deal....i.e. complete lettuce loss.  We have been struggling to keep the top of the fridge cool enough not to lose milk but yet warm enough not to freeze the rest of our food.  A couple of days ago, Flaky Fridge decided that we would like our milk and juice from the top shelf slushy.  I am not totally against this but I do believe she is not so subtly trying to tell me she is ready to move on.

 

 I don't blame her.  She has kept her cool for years as the Big Dumb Jock stood guzzling gallons of milk and juice with her doors wide open.  She has tolerated the sticky fingers and cramming drawers full inflicted by a young Mini.  Her tolerance for having her doors hung on and slammed has been unfailing.   She has only recently begun showing her age with age spots on her door and yellowed handles obviously from thinning skin and too harsh cleanings with Clorox over the years.  Guess that is akin to tanning with iodine and baby oil for me.

 

With this in mind I have been looking at and researching new refrigerators for several weeks now.  It has been many years since I purchased a refrigerator so I first had to overcome sticker shock.  I have driven cars that didn't cost any more than some of these new cool girls!  Having said that, you will understand why I want to be absolutely sure to invite the right lady into my kitchen for what hopefully will be a long, long time. 

 

I have had a side by side for years but I am really liking the french door option for my new girl.  I love the idea of seeing everything without bending and moving things all around to get to the back.  Right now I am so overwhelmed!  I think part of it is there are so many options and models but the other part is I have been reading reviews.  Based on the reviews there just isn't a good fridge out there! 

 

Outside of the the whole concept of buying a reliable refrigerator, I have some space restrictions that keep me from purchasing the dreamily big 32 cu ft. models (I am so lusting for them).  Since all my other appliances are white, I will also be skipping the stainless options so that narrows the field of contenders some.

I got so discouraged I just gave up until a couple of days ago, but with the new slush option on our Flaky Fridge I feel the need to get on with the decision.  I have read SO many reviews about condensation issues with the ice makers in french door w/ice and water in the door refrigerators that I am considering forgoing my beloved crushed ice in favor of just an ice maker in the freezer.

 

So, I need your help.  If you are the proud owner of a loving, chilling french door refrigerator that you could recommend, I would really love to hear about her.  If you own a drippy drama queen of an icebox, please let me know about her too  There is only room for one drama queen here and I have that all locked up. 

Fingers crossed that she doesn't sneeze before I can send her off somewhere to warm up and suffer from puddles!  Thanks for any feedback you can provide.

Photo Upload Problem Rant

Okay so I am more than a bit frustrated with Blogger today! Grrrrrrrrr  

 

 First last month was the whole "you are out of photo space" announcement that could only be solved by biting the bullet and paying monthly.  After two weeks of ignoring my blog I gave up the credit card number and committed.

 

Now for the last few days I have been unable to simply upload photos in my compose screen.  I have only been able to upload through HTML which takes longer and is annoying!

 

So, am I the only blogger dealing with this?  If not, please share your ideas on other options for uploading. 

 

Thank you for taking time to read my rant!

Are you a Shopper or Conqueror?

I don't think there is anyone left on the planet that doesn't know how I hate The Place That Shall Not Be Named.  Goodness knows I will tell anyone that stands still long enough how much I hate, hate, hate, loathe The Place.  Despite my feelings my budget doesn't always allow me to shop Publix, where shopping really is a pleasure.

Due to said budget and the need to feed us, I have to shop at The Place.  Last Sunday after church I conned Mini and her boyfriend into meeting me at said place to help me get groceries.  Which means I finish faster, thereby improving my mood for days.  They finished their lunch date and headed over to The Place while I was still 10 miles from the store.  I relayed 1/3 or so of my list to Mini via phone and expected they would be tapping their feet waiting for me when I arrived. 

I was practically skipping when I leapt from the car and headed in.  I was surprised to find they have only managed to get a few items.  Oh well with three of us how long could it possibly take, right?  Wrong.   First of all love birds seem completely unaware of the frustration of just being in this place not to mention having to pay the bill at the conclusion of this exercise.  So they were strolling leisurely when I caught up to them and gave Mini the look. 

The look isn't something I do, it is something I project when I am at The Place.  It is completely subconscious.  My conscious mind is only plotting the best strategy for getting out.  Mini knew it was time to get serious with the shopping and did her best to make boyfriend get the picture.  Boyfriend, bless his heart, just did not seem to understand the seriousness of the situation.  He was amazed that I had a grocery list with menu included that was mapped out by zone.  Doesn't everyone I asked?  "No, we just come in and look around and buy stuff," he responded.  What?

Do people really just wander into the grocery, or worse yet, The Place, and toss things willy nilly into the cart?  This is a concept I cannot comprehend.  I am a lister.  I have been since I was first married.  At first it was because we had to watch every penny and without a plan it was easy to overspend.  Now, I make a list because I am having more and more hormone haze moments and hardly remember where I am much less why I am there.  I can't go into a store for two items and come out with both of them without a list.

For me, grocery shopping now at The Place is about two things.  The first thing is just surviving, the second is beating last week's total (if I didn't pretend this was all a game I would lose my mind on some of the people that shop there).  If I do those two things I have shopped successfully conquered The Place for another week.

Now back to our adventure.   Mini and I poked and prodded and mostly worked around Boyfriend or who Mini termed, "he is such a man in a store."  We had him push the buggy but he was much too slow (go figure the guy is over 6 feet tall, he should be able to cover the place in 6 minutes flat) not to mention he had no clue about buggy driving etiquette!  We tried having him follow but he was easily distracted.   Finally, we managed to drag him through and make it out of of the place.  Lesson learned, never bring an amateur grocery gaming.  Thankfully we conquered.

Now to the list I mentioned above.   I plan our menu based on sale items and ability to perform multiple meal miracles with the ingredients.  So my list/menu is a must have.  A while back I lost my list before I transferred our menu to my kitchen chalkboard.  I stared blankly into the cabinets and fridge like a teen in search of the perfect snack. I was hoping seeing the goods would jog my memory as to what the heck I had planned for the week.  Thankfully after rummaging through the garbage and then a coat pocket I found it and all was right with the menu world again. 

This week multi-meal miracle centered on a roast.  I haven't purchased a roast in forever thanks to periodic meat deliveries from my dad.  He has a beef killed in the fall (the man doesn't really cook so I am not sure why) and I am the fortunate receipent of some of the meat.  I gasped with sticker shock but bit the bullet and purchased it. Night one we enjoyed a wonderful pot roast. Actually, it was a iron skillet roast with potatoes and carrots just like my grandmother used to make.  The day after we enjoyed French Dip sandwiches.

The timing for the sandwiches was perfect. My dear friend, Tammy and I finally managed to get together to exchange our Christmas last Tuesday. Sad huh?  We have been trying since the 2nd week of December but illness and freak acts of nature didn't allow.  One of the gifts I received were these adorable little condiment bowls. Tammy purchased them with my Fiesta collection in mind.  She did well, they are perfect and we used them that very night with our French Dip sandwiches for Au Jus.

Yesterday was another day of work on the closet makeover so I needed something for dinner that was quick and easy.  Roast to the rescue!  I put what was left from the previous two meals in the crock pot with my burrito/chimi filling recipe spices and let it cook all day.  Last night we enjoyed burritos, rice and beans with fresh salsa and guacamole. 

So you see I believe that my plan and conquer strategy really works for us.  I guess it gives me the distration I need to ignore the sweaty palms, racing heart and need to flee feeling I get at The Place.

Do you leisurely shop or do you conquer?  Are you a by the list/menu cook or do you wing it?  If you are a leisure shopper that has that incredible ability to wing it cooking, please share your secrets :) 

Oh the Places You Should Go - Etheridge/Lawrenceburg

Wonder Hubby's job requires him to travel several states and he is forever telling me about one town or another that he thinks we should visit and junk or antique. 

For quite a while he had been telling me that we needed to visit the Etheridge and Lawrenceburg, TN area.  Back in June we were hard at it shopping for Mini a car and Wonder Hubby happened to be traveling through Lawrenceburg and mentioned all the car dealers in the area.  So early on a Friday morning, Wonder Hubby, Mini and I loaded up and set out.  Our plan was to car shop and antique.

You will see lots of Amish in Etheridge. We have some Amish in our area but in the Etheridge area you will see them in their buggies everywhere.  I started to snap this picture and then realized they don't like to be photographed....good thing I had blown the shot (the buggy is almost out of the frame on the left)!

We stopped at a completely set up for tourist area to shop a bit.

Of course, Wonder Hubby zoned in on Fiesta right away.

There was a huge selection of birdhouses......I am always drawn to birdhouses :)

I loved the Tom's Gym house....the Guarantee is too funny!

Mini toyed with the idea of a geniune Etheridge, TN Amish t-shirt but ruled it out.  She has really come to enjoy antiquing with us....she is always looking for Blue Willow.

I had to drag Wonder Hubby out before he bought this cool churn.

Then we did a bit of car looking.....cause Mini was kinda beginning to not believe we were there to car shop....sigh.

After a break to car shop we headed to downtown Lawrenceburg.  Lots of neat shops on a very pretty square.  I love the peeling paint on this building.

We managed to shop in one store......that's right....one store, New Moon Antiques!  We did spend 3 hours there, but still I had hoped to cover more territory than that!  I didn't get a single photo....now remember I had to just glance about since I was under a tight time frame and had to save time to car shop.

 Three hours let me catch the highlights, I could have stayed all day in this store :) We did have Mini onboard so we finished car shopping.  Mini fell in love with this car.

The dealership had just gotten it in and didn't even have all the paperwork on it yet so we couldn't purchase that day.  So we walked away to think about it and drove on to Muscle Shoals and comforted ourselves with Popeyes chicken.  I would love to review our food....but I will just get hungry thinking about it and we don't have one close.

Bless Mini's heart, she is being very good natured for a 15 yr old that just found her dream car and can't buy it.

Guess what happened next?  The dealership called and told us we could purchase Mini's car on Saturday morning.....yeppers....another 2 hour road trip back the next day. Ugg.....after being gone from 7 am to 9 pm on this trip we were all dragging.

So early on Saturday morning we headed out again...and purchased Mini's car.  We purchased from Williams Auto Sales in Lawrenceburg.  They were incredibly accomodating and easy to work with, I would certainly recommend them if you are in the market for a vehicle.

Hard to believe but Wonder Hubby looks happy parting with cold hard cash!



Mini and Bri patiently waiting.....Mini is driving the 2 hours back home....this was a big day!

Now, you didn't think we went all the way back just for the car did you?  After closing the deal we headed back to New Moon and snapped up the goodies I had seen but couldn't committ to on Friday!

We picked up a couple of tablecloths and some napkins.  I have already used some of them in the tablescape here.  They were so cheap!  Wonder Hubby found some Fiesta we needed to complete a set....I cant wait to do a 50's inspired turquoise and pink table.  Lastly, I landed some awesome bedside tables.  I have been looking for just the right ones for years to replace the highly fashionable 3 legged cloth covered tables we had!  I will be posting pics soon.

We were all worn out by this time so we packed up the vehicles and headed toward home, but not before we saw this little place and had to stop in.

This place was just the coolest!  It was an old general store/bus station with lots of vintage goodies to look at.  You could relax at a soda fountain and catch a bit of tv.

I can't tell you what we are watching, it is a bit before my time :)

Bus service ticket office.

The porch areas were filled with antique tools.  We never got to the side porch or the outbuildings.....but we will go back!

I loved the manequin in the truck! 

It was a very rushed but fun trip, I can't wait until we can go back and take our time. There are SO many more places I need to check out.

 If you get the chance, spend a day or two in Lawrenceburg and enjoy not only the scenery but the great shops.  Thanks for riding along. 

Super mutant Bloggers, I'm Calling You Out!

Nothing is more fun than having a rainy day and a ton of new posts from your favorite blogs to read.  I have days that I get caught up skipping through blogland and don't accomplish much else! Yeah, I probably shouldn't have admitted to that one.

I like to blog even though I have a wee following :)  It is a great outlet, I like making new friends through my blog and it is fun to share things I make, life issues/changes etc.  I can't tell you the amount of useful tips, great crafts ideas, recipes and beautiful homes and diy projects I have scrolled through and implemented variations of in my home.  That's fun right?

Well, MAYBE NOT so much.  Most days it is inspiring and I end up jotting down ideas or pinning to Pinterest (that is a whole other foreign object I will talk about at some point) for later use.  But, SOME DAYS it is just plain intimidating and a bit unbelievable and turns me into a HATER.

Okay people lets be real.  How many of us are as productive as some of these blogging super mutants?  I like to be productive, in fact sitting still doing just one thing, i.e. watching TV is something I just can't do, I need to be busy.  Sometimes seeing the level of activity of some of these mutants makes me crazy.  As crazy as I feel opening a Martha Stewart magazine to see her calendar and feeling like a loser because I didn't drain my washer hoses or sharpen my cuticle scissors in a timely fashion.

I mean I am living a real life here.....complete with a hubby and his crazy schedule, cars that need maintenance, never ending cleaning and upkeep of the house and a dog that requires WAY more attention than my kids ever did.   Most of the time I am a whirling dervish of activity and projects, but despite my best efforts I still walk through a room and see a dust ball, or a cobweb. 

I thought I had a good sized kitchen but when I look around I see "stuff" on the table and counters.  Not piles of stuff, just little stuff, a piece of mail, forms to be signed for Mini, a pie covered on the counter.  Then there is the stuff that I just can't cram into a cabinet....Mini's giant waffle iron, a cake plate etc.  What I am trying to say is this......how in the world do these mutants really cook/live in their kitchens and then have them looking like a magazine spread on their blogs?

I wish I could believe they were just kitchen people but unfortunately they are the same folks that show their living rooms, laundry rooms, bedrooms, perfectly organized garages and beautiful gardens.  Their homes seem to be filled with only the most perfect decor and diy projects.  When the heck do they find time to make these projects or shop for these perfect items?  When do they bathe for goodness sake?

They all seem to travel, care for kids who are darn near perfect, have great hair, cook gourmet meals and still have time to blog.  I am just in awe or disbelief, sometimes both.

Sheesh, I have items on my to do list that are older than some of you mutant bloggers!  People are always coming into my home and commenting on how creative I am and I know I am a thrifter but there are times when I read these blogs that I feel like such an underachiever. 

So, I'm calling you out.  Show us what a real day in your life looks like. 

 Do you people ever have dirt or dust?  Don't you ever have projects that are just epic fails (and I don't mean the ones you make work out in the end)?  How many unfinished tasks are you hiding in those 3 closets that aren't perfectly organized?

  Show me your burned dinners and desserts, your kids F in physics and the dead plants in your garden!  I know you have them.....so come on and show us you too are human!  I will get the ball rolling with an epic fail and a project that has been going on so long that I have to dust it.

I'm sure many of you have made the coffee filters wreaths.  I love them but they don't love me.  This looked simple enough and cheap, two of my faves, but in the end....I got a sagging mess, EPIC FAIL.

This is actually two elderly projects.  Number one is the kid's wall of fame....all their sports pictures, newspaper articles and memorabilia from middle school through college and now with BDJ, beyond college.  I started this (I can't believe I am telling this) a year ago.  I have commitment phobia so if Wonder Hubby isn't here goading me on, the pics just sit and wait.    I think the big problem is the sorting through 100's of digital photos to decide which ones make the wall, cause you can't use them all!  I end up overwhelmed with indecision and do nothing....except dust the ones sitting on the stairs occasionally! Number two is ripping up the carpet and painting the stairs....I just can't seem to take the plunge on this one yet.

Now that I have had my little breakdown.....I am actually headed to Michael's to pick up supplies for a couple of projects I saw on someones blog!  So, share em if you got em (and I know you do).  Hope everyone has a great (and/or productive) week!

More Big Dumb Jock Mayhem

For those of you that have bumped along the road of life with me for the past couple of years, you know I own a Big Dumb Jock (aka BDJ).  You also know that the term is one of endearment and is readily embraced by the BDJ.

 What you may not know is that he is a murderer.  That's right.....he hasn't managed to complete the job but he is definitely trying to kill me.  I would have never guessed years ago that he had a maniacal plan to worry me to death little by little, but I now know that I severally underestimated his ability to pursue this goal.

It all started out well, I managed to convince him to not get his clothes dirty (which by the way stuck because he always looks perfect, even leaving the gym), to be neat and organized and we stressed education first sports after that.  Somewhere along with way the wheels came off that bus and he became a big risk taking jock.

As a mother you worry about your child getting hurt all the time but that ratchets up with sports and can worsen with career choices.  We managed to get through baseball and basketball injury free and  11 seasons of football with only 2 surgeries.  BDJ would have me to believe that none of that was part of a larger plan to do me in.

When he graduated college, he moved across the country and went to work for one of the ABC agencies.  None of that should bother me either right?  The profession he has chosen will take him into some sketchy situations (if all goes the way he wants it too) and he never lets me forget he will choose to do the most risky of things.  He is an adrenaline junkie after all. 

The latest (and I wonder if final part of his maniacal plan) is yet another high risk adventure.  For months if he wasn't at work he has been training.  Training to go to Park City, Utah to the Olympic training facility for a combine to take a shot at making the US Bobsled and Skeleton Team.  These are the guys that ultimately are working to make the US Olympic Team.   My first question was "can you do that?" 

Our second question was "what is Skeleton?"  We have been quite relieved that we were not the only people that were not sure what it was.  Apparently it has been around in the winter Olympics but we were only familiar with Luge and Bobsled.  For those of you that do not know, Skeleton is the sport of hurling ones self face first down an ice track at speeds of 85 mph on a sled.  Yep, that's right only you on a little bitty sled with your face an inch off the ice at high speed!  Sounds fun huh? 

I suppose if you are inclined to risk life and limb for fun it is.....but let me assure you for a mother, Skeleton does NOT spell fun.

 What it means for me is that the few hairs that I had left that were only beginning to turn grey have now turned white along with the rest of my hair. 

It means being in the strange position of wanting your child to realize their goals and cheering them on while fighting the guilt you feel in wanting this insanity to not work out.  I know I am probably way to honest. None of this is news to BDJ, I tell him daily (or when he finally relents and answers his phone).

Two weeks ago today was day one of the combine.  After months of training he was more than ready to get started.

  Day one included sprints and shot put.  BDJ ended up being the only person to complete the combine for both skeleton and bobsled.

Getting ready for sprints.

Day two was in the weight room/ BDJ's favorite spot.  Who looks this happy about working out or lifting?

I hate to watch him lift....I can just see his knees blowing out!

Not to mention he makes really strange noises.

The second half of day two was instruction on pushing the sled and/or bobsled.  Day three it was off to actually push on the practice track.

I was most impressed with pushing the nearly 500 lb bobsled back up the hill :)

On the skeleton practice track.

He ended up with the best numbers at the combine and that was overall including being the only one that did both bobsled and skeleton and is classified as an Elite Athlete.

So now do you see why I say he is out to kill me?  If not, check out a You Tube video of doing this on the actual ice, it will make a believer out of you! lol

In all seriousness, I joke about him being a BDJ (and he is) but he is a very smart and very determined and very competitive.   I know the months of hard work it took to reach this day and I am very proud of him. 

 To be an athlete of that caliber is quite an accomplishment.  So now we wait and see.  His numbers will be sent to Lake Placid, NY and then we wait to see if he gets the invitation to compete in the push championships there in the fall.  After that, who knows?  Thanks for stopping by tolerating my bragging and sharing his accomplishment. Stay tuned for updates.

Might as Well by Walking on the Sun

Oh lawd y'all it is HOTTTT!  Today it was 106,  I didn't even know it could get that hot here!

9:00 am - 95 and climbing and not a cloud in sight

I was chatting with the BDJ earlier lamenting the hot weather.  He had no sympathy for me since he deals with these temps for months out there in Hot Vegas.  I guess I know how he feels now.

 Last summer (his first summer in Vegas) he would tell us about the temperatures and we would toss out "well at least its a dry heat" and he set us straight more than once saying "105+ is hot......dry or not it is like walking around in your dryer."  I felt kind of bad today because he was soooo right and I hadn't been very sympathic to him (and I did feel just like I was walking around in my dryer).   Everybody knows Southern girls don't sweat....but I have to admit this Southern girl glistens during a normal Southern summer....sometimes I glisten a lot...but the last couple of weeks since we have had practically no humidity I have to say I do like the lack of glistening even with the high temps!

BDJ also pointed out that he had told us how weird it was to go days and days without seeing clouds.  At the time it sounded wonderful to me, but as I am watering two times a day and hearing my plants screaming for a break I can see where it would get old.

Now I don't want anyone to think I am whining about the heat because I'm not.  I like it hot.  In fact, I don't really enjoy yard work until it is about 85 and full sun. A cloudy 79 degree day sends me inside to read till it warms up!  I can take the heat, I can always seem to cool off but I can't take much winter since I apparently have no blood and can't warm up.  I am only whining about the lack of rain. 

I have the August yard crunch going on in June and the flowers I would normally cut back in two weeks because they were just too big, have yet to really grow at all.   I am struggling to keep my impatients alive and they are in the shade and watered twice a day!  I have to say BDJ was also right about everything being brown as it is there in Vegas getting old.....everywhere I look I see brown and I am tired of it.

The heat is even affecting my grocery shopping.  Nobody here in our little corner of the South seems to have any appetite at all.  The only thing that remotely appeals to me right now is tomato sandwiches and ya'l have heard me whining about my lack of tomato supply already so I won't put you through it again.  I think tomorrow I will trek to town and see if there is anyone crazy enough to be set up at the farmers market, maybe I will score some tomatoes there.

Life has slowed to almost a halt here this week and with the extended forecast looking the same and no rain in site, I can't really imagine the pace picking up anytime soon.   I have so many projects to do outside (mowing isn't one of them right now) but it is just too darned hot.  Low humidity would be great for all that painting I need to complete but I just don't care :)

So I was thinking about some of my favorite memories of things I can remember doing to cool down or things I did years ago that just make me cooler thinking of them.

For those of you fortunate enough to be from Tennessee I'm sure you are familiar with Fall Creek Falls.  The photo below is of the big fall. 

 Courtesy of TripAdvisor

  As a kid my parents took us here for many a picnic in the summer.  For whatever reason we never got to get in the swimming pool there but we did wade the creeks and hike to the base of the falls.  You could stand and be covered with that wonderfully cool mist.  If you haven't been there for a visit you need to add it to your to do list....just being around the falls makes you feel cooler. 

Why am I not in the car headed there now?

This photo of Fall Creek Falls State Park is courtesy of TripAdvisor

We didn't grow up with a swimming pool handy and spent many Sunday afternoons swimming at one swimming hole or another in the Piney river (really a creek).  Now let me say this, the temperature could soar to 120 and you won't catch me in a creek or a lake after my encounter with the Sneaky Snake earlier this summer.  I can remember not being super excited to wade through a field (even though someone had usually weed wacked a path) to get to said swimming hole.  I also remember the adults seem to always stand around watching the banks and talking about cottonmouths!  Really?  What were they thinking?  We were kids and we were hot so we would jump right in the icy water and tell ourselves it was too cold for snakes.

Before we trekked off for an afternoon at the creek we would sometimes stop in at the local ice plant to get a watermelon.  They kept a nice selection in the walk in cooler.  We would really drag out choosing one just to be able to hang out in the cooler just a bit longer.  We would take our melon and drop it in the creek to stay cool while we swam.  When we were finally turning blue, the parents would drag us out to warm up and have watermelon.  Naturally we managed to get juice all over us therefore requiring another dip in the creek before packing up for the day! lol

Lastly, I have always loved making homemade ice cream in the summer heat.  More times than not we end up making it for my birthday.  Lucky for me I just happen to have one of those coming up in the next few days!   I like it with bits of strawberries (but I will eat any flavor).  I always think of my grandfather when we do make strawberry ice cream, he loved it and his strawberries were the best.

So there you have it.....some of my favorite cool down memories.   My current fave cool down and what I fully plan to be doing in a few hours.....sitting in the hut, listening to my waterfall (pretending I am bobbing in the Caribbean just off Saphire Beach) and sipping a pina colada while reading a good book.

 Now I just have to wait until dark.....until then I'll be thinking chilly thoughts.  Have a great weekend everyone.