The Rest of the Story

As Paul Harvey would say, "And now, the rest of the story."

First, the good news. We have heat, and we didn't pay full price for it. Mike was able to negotiate the company down a little - not much mind you, but at least it was something. The very friendly man came out and within 15 minutes we were warm again. I feel so spoiled. Yes, it was cold downstairs, but we had a VERY comfortable shelter, more than enough coats and blankets, and a warm place to sleep. We are so blessed.

Now, the bad news. Hermie is no longer with us. Mike buried him this morning before he left for his trip. I did not want to deal with it while he was gone, and even though he didn't "smell" yet, he hadn't moved in four days and again, had no shell. When we got home from school I told Claire. I had a pit in my stomach when school got out knowing I would have to tell her when we got home, but I didn't want to have it hanging over my head. She cried for a minute and is a little sad, but didn't carry on and on. I did not see the drama I was expecting. Maybe when her emotions are real they are displayed on an appropriate level, versus when it is drama for drama's sake.

So - a big shout out to Mike for fixing everything before he left - heat, Hermie, alarm system. You rock! We miss you.

Consumer Alert (kinda)

Our heat is broken downstairs. Upstairs is fine, but downstairs is FREEZING. In the morning I have been feeding my kids breakfast in my room because it is too cold for them to be downstairs. The thermostat begins registering temperature at 50 degrees and the dial is well below that.

So - I called Monday morning for someone to come out and take a look. A very nice man came out and for $89 (& 10 minutes) told us we had a broken draft inducer motor. Fairly common and routine, but unfortunately his company doesn't stock parts for our brand of system. The last place in Charlotte had just sold out that day, so they were going to have to order it. I could choose between an overnight shipping fee of at least $100 or I could choose the two-day fee of about $30. Since we are sleeping very comfortably and the kids are gone most of the day, I was content to wait it out.

He had me go ahead and pay the $89, which of course does not get applied to the labor fee (why not since I am choosing for them to be the ones to fix it?), and told me it would cost $442 for the part and labor to fix it. I asked him how he knew how much labor would cost when he hadn't even done the work yet, and he told me that they had a book that set the labor prices according to the job. He said flat fees like that were standard around town.

I called Mike after he left and told him the problem. Within seconds he had googled the problem and found out that they were WAYYYY overcharging us. Based on his research he was able to determine that the part could be had for approximately $125 and labor for another $100 or so. He was determined to call this company back to tell them that he would not pay that price. He said if they wanted our business they would have to agree to do it for a more reasonable price, or he would go somewhere else since we now know the problem. They had already received almost $100 for a 10-minute diagnosis.

The ending of the story is not complete, as Mike has been unable to get back in touch with the company. Based on his busy schedule, I don't think he has tried too hard and since I am freezing and he is about to leave town, I imagine they will probably be the ones that come back to fix it since the part should be in tomorrow. I don't feel like this company is unethical, I just believe industries like this feel like they have us right where they want us and can charge whatever they want since most of us are clueless about these kinds of things. I write this to remind you that the internet is a powerful tool for research. I do not want to be unfair to a business trying to make it, but I also feel like consumers have rights to be treated fairly, too.

So - I'll keep you posted on what happens with the heating saga. In the meantime, I'll get off my soapbox and go upstairs where it is warm.

P.S. We think Hermie is dead. We should know tomorrow when it starts to smell.

Hermie is Naked

Our hermit crab, Hermie, is naked. He took his shell off. Claire is very frightened & thinks he is going to die. I thought about asking for prayer for Hermie this morning at Zumba, but decided that might be a little much. Now - let me back up and say that Hermie is our only pet. Claire wants a dog more than anything in the world, but unfortunately I am highly allergic to dogs. Everyone has a different idea of what breed of dog I could have that would be okay for me, but I promise, I have tried them all.

So - last summer I agreed to let her have a hermit crab. I felt this was my best option. I think any of the "rodent" types of animals are freaky. I would die if I pulled back the pillow to sit down on the sofa and a runaway hamster was chillin there. And, I think cats are yucky, too. And lastly, there will never be a reptile or amphibian brought voluntarily in the house. I am not sure why God blessed me with an animal lover for a child, but He did and so here we are. When we bought Hermie, we bought an extra shell. The lady told us that they liked to frequently change them. We had an extra shell in his cage forever, and he never used it, so we finally took it out.

So this morning, I googled this exact sentence "What do I do if my hermit crab has taken off its shell and doesn't have anything on?" I was taken to a website that told me that this was normal. They will dig and dig and dig for a while, then shed its shell. Hermie has been unusually active lately, so that part added up. The website said that he would grow a new shell. I felt way better about the situation after reading that this was normal. However, with the vision of an extremely sad child in my head, I decided I would still head to the pet store to ask some more questions AND buy a new shell just in case.

When I got to the store, I asked the guy who was standing by the hermit crabs about what I had read and he said he had never heard of such a thing. Well - that sent me into a tizzy, so I decided to buy two new larger shells for Hermie - a bright green one and a natural looking one. However, I have to wait until Mike gets home to put them in the cage because Hermie without his shell on is really creepy.

On top of it all, our heat is out downstairs (that is a whole other story that will receive its own post later). It is working upstairs where Hermie is, but it is still definitely colder than normal. I am worried about him being naked and cold. I'll update later with the color of shell HOPEFULLY preferred by Hermie.

Modern Technology, Part 2

My mom has been hooking us up lately. For Mike's birthday she bought him some wireless headphones. He had been asking for some, because of his late night jam sessions on Guitar Hero/Rock Band - take your pick - we have both. He doesn't have a chance to play until after the kids go to bed, and then it is too loud because of our wonderful, loud, heat-capturing, two-story family room. SO - he wanted the head phones which allows him to mute the volume on the TV but still allows him to hear the sound.

As is with most gifts we adults get, somehow they have gotten into the hands of my kids. I must say, however, in this case, I do not mind one bit. They can watch TV and it is soooo quiet. We all know the Disney Channel gets old after a while. This dramatically cuts down on the noise. SO far, there have been no fights over them, but since we only have one pair I imagine that will be an issue.

Here is a picture of Taylor wearing them. I must issue a disclaimer - he is only watching TV on a school afternoon because he came home early from school today b/c he was sick.



The ones we have are expensive - $100, however my mom says you can also get them for $25 at Walmart. She splurged on nice ones for him, but you definitely do not have to spend that much. I know they will also be nice for me to hang out downstairs and be a groupie for Mike but not actually have to listen to Eye of the Tiger for the 100th time.

Modern Technology

My mom ordered me something she had seen on TV, and I used it tonight. She said she had never done that before, but I am not sure if I believe her. Feast your eyes on this - The GT Express 101 Deluxe.





Have you seen it? It comes with boat loads of recipes and ideas on how to use it. Apparently it is great for omelets that will turn out, "evenly browned, puffy and beautiful." Also - "there is no need to run to the fast food chain on the corner for a Grilled Stuffed Burrito because I can now make one myself with fresh ingredients in less than 10 minutes." And lastly, " when I am craving something sweet in the evening and the cookie jar is empty, I can have chocolate cake with luscious candy bar filling in just 7 minutes."

I took my Trader Joe's pizza crust, rolled it out and made calzones. They were really good. I like it because you can open one side w/out opening the other. I wish I had taken a picture of the finished product, but my kids really liked it - so that is all you need to know.

In another exciting use of modern technology, my friends Macall & Sarah turned me on to a really cool program on my mac laptop. It is called PhotoBooth, and I can't believe that I am going to do this, but here are some funny things my kids and I did with it today.

This is Taylor:



Here is Claire:



Claire again:



And last but not least - me:



We have laughed all day. I love how technology brings us all closer together.

Seasons of Life

Today I went to a birthday lunch for my sweet friend, Laura who turned 40 this week. Laura and I became friends in the 7th grade and remained close through our days at UNC. After I graduated, married and moved away, we stopped keeping in touch beyond the very occasional phone calls and visits when I came home. When I moved back to Charlotte almost nine years ago, we picked back up for a while, but then because we didn't go to church together, school together, live in the same neighborhood, etc., all those things that help us stay connected more easily with our friends, we sort of lost touch again. We send each other Christmas cards but that is about it. She homeschools her four kids and is a very busy mom and wife.

I was thrilled to be included in her lunch that was actually hosted by another friend that I have known since 7th grade. Most of the women that were there were her "current" friends, and I felt bad that I have not made more of an effort to stay connected to Laura. We had a beautiful lunch and then moved to the family room to share a sweet time of reflection and prayer for Laura.

As I took a turn praying for Laura, I realized that because we were sisters in Christ, we were still connected. She was a very special friend to me as a teenager. I did not go to a Christian school but was very blessed to have a small group of close friends that knew the Lord. We had a larger group of friends that we hung with, but the girls in my core group were all believers. What a blessing. As I prayed for her, I thanked God that he had provided Laura for me (and me for her) in those very crucial years. She (and Julie and Amy) made standing up for the right things easier. They helped take the pressure away to do things we shouldn't do. She was a very special part of my life.

I have always known that we have different seasons of life and that God gives us what (and who) we need in each of them. I am thankful for my high school friends (Amy, Julie, Laura, Melissa, Jennifer, Stacy), my college friends (Cassi, Adele, Dana, Gayla, Bonnie, Shelley, Laura), my Orlando friends (Traci, Lisa), my Houston friends (Kathy, Kara, Tanya, Roxanne, Mindy, Lisa) and the friends I have now (my posse - Nancy, Shannon & Kristi - Cassi (still), Julie D., Dana, Sandi, Amy (still), Erica, Paige and more.) In a perfect world, I would still see and talk to them all - on a regular basis. We all know this isn't possible. As wives and moms we are so busy. It is all I can do sometimes to talk to my husband - much less my best friends from high school.

As I am getting older (almost 40!) and more reflective, I am so thankful for the girls in my life and how they have all impacted me in so many ways in so many different seasons. Thank you, Lord for your good and perfect gift of friendship.

Soccer is for Communists

I remember when Mike and I first got married. We would sit around and imagine our children and what they would be like. He grew up playing baseball and basketball just like my brothers played, so that is what we thought our son would play. We mentioned soccer as a possibility, and I will never forget when he said "My son won't play soccer. Soccer is for communists." I know he was kidding (kinda), but little did we know that 17 years later not only would our son (& daughter!) play soccer, but that it would take up half our lives.

We had four soccer games and two basketball games this weekend. Taylor played in a soccer tournament - two games on Sat. and two games on Sun. Every team in their bracket was better than them - some significantly so. The first team we played had beaten us in the fall 2-0. We tied them yesterday 0-0. The second team we had never played before and they beat us 7-0. It was VERY ugly. They were way better than us. Today we played a team that we tied in a pre-season scrimmage. They are supposed to be better than us, but we beat them today 2-0. AFter those three games ( a win, a loss and a tie) we had enough points to move into the tournament final against the team that smoked us yesterday 7-0.

To make it into the tournament final was in itself an accomplishment for our team as we really struggled in the fall. We have only had a few practices since Christmas so expectations were not high going into the championship game against a much better team. Well - to make a long story short, we did really well and only lost 1-0. The other team definitely controlled the game, but our boys fought hard and held the game scoreless until late in the second half. It was a great effort! The boys received medals for finishing in second place. They were thrilled.

Here is a picture of the team with their medals:



I feel like I got nothing done this weekend. I am so thankful, however, for the incredible weather that God blessed us with. It was so nice being outside. I do prefer cold weather in the winter - but this little bit of spring while I was parked outside was AWESOME.

Lastly - a follow-up to our family dinner at Sullivan's. YUM! I am so mad I forgot my camera, but we had a lot of fun. My daughter is a trip. She is 7 and ordered lobster bisque, an 8 oz filet (that came with the wedge salad) and creme brulee. She ate twice as much as me. My kids now say Sullivan's is their favorite restaurant. Who wouldn't say that?? The good news is that we still have some of our gift card left over so now Mike and I can go back for a date night!!

Oh Happy Day Part 2

OH. MY. WORD. I can't believe we have another snow day. This is an unexpected BLESSING! Even though it is my day off of work, and my kids are home all day - I am so excited. I had so many things to do today and God has decided that it is better for me to be at home doing laundry, getting organized for Claire's birthday party and staying in my pajamas as long as possible. I love it! The kids were so excited, yet at the same time a little concerned how to make up ERBs. No worries - I told them - just enjoy! So they have been outside for the last 2 hours. I am washing all the things that never get washed - couch blankets, bathroom rugs, etc.

Today is Mike's birthday and so we made him french toast this morning and served it on the special birthday plate. Claire got out her Paula Deen for Kids cookbook and called it the Birthday Diner. He just left to go to work for a few hours. I was supposed to meet him for lunch, but we have changed our plans and decided to have a cheap family dinner (Five Guys??) out tonight since our Sullivan's meal on Friday is the real celebration.

Here is the birthday boy with the snow behind him:



Here is his traditional birthday cake - Triple chocolate and vanilla cheesecake. It is the best ever.

A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That

I am so excited because I completed a whole month of reading my chronological Bible. This is definitely a testimony to God, because I cannot do that on my own power. I have tried before to read the Bible through in a year, but I haven't been successful. Thank you, Nancy for the suggestion!

I am watching the Super Bowl right now. The game has become interesting in the 4th quarter. I'd say the commercials have been average. The Doritos commercials have been funny. I might win the bad mom of the year award b/c the kids have ERBs this week and I am letting Taylor stay up late to watch the game. They don't start until Tuesday, so hopefully he'll be okay.

February always stresses me out - way more than Christmas. I have MIke, Claire and mom's birthdays and Valentine's Day. Inevitably I am always in charge of one or both of the kids' school Valentine's parties (Taylor this year) in addition to trying to make the holiday special for my family.

Claire is having a party this year so I am getting ready for that in about 2 weeks. She wants a small party which really does suit her personality - she doesn't particularly like large groups or crowds. She does have a lot of friends, however, so we have had a tough time coming up with a small group. She did not invite all the girls in her class, and I am terrified feelings are going to be hurt. I really struggled with this, because her party should be the way she wants it, but I don't like leaving people out. She has been left out before and it does happen, but I don't want to be the cause of it. In addition, the party is at our house, so space is an issue, too.

She is having a WInter Wonderland party. We are making snow globes, snowmen pins and another craft. All the food is themed - hot cocoa, snowflake shaped sandwiches... and we are giving away striped, fleece gloves as party favors. I got them on sale at Old Navy for $2 a pair. I love deals! We have all sorts of snowflakes to decorate with and we might play pin the nose (carrot) on the snow man. It should be fun.

Mike's birthday is this Wed. We are having lunch together. We are taking the kids to Sullivan's on Friday night to celebrate both birthdays and the end of ERBs. We have 2 gift certificates so we are getting dressed up and celebrating. My kids LOVE steak so it should be a treat.