Well, after my long thought-out internal discussion with myself about how I was not going to get cable, and surely we don't need it, we've decided to sign up.
I know, I can practically hear AT&T screaming for joy.
Truthfully, we decided that after being absent from New England for nearly a decade, it would be a travesty to not get NESN. So that's really the reason we're getting cable. But honestly? I'm sure we will watch just as much crap as we did before! (And, to be even more honest, I really wanted to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Super Bowl... and Miss America.... and the new Ab Fab episodes. Is anyone else as friggin excited as I am to have Eddy and Patsy back in our lives????)
I did manage to get $40 off the package, which is valid for the first six months. But guess what- we will be moving again in six months anyway, so I guess AT&T won't be getting too much of our money!
8/29/11
Hurricane Irene Weekend
Hubby and I decided to flee to NH from the storm and came back this morning. Overall, our house was spared any major damage.
Our weekend was fantastic, really. Brownies were made....
....although, the power went out five minutes into baking them. Did you know that you can grill brownies??
The boys read books with Grandma...
...while Hubby and I had some intense games of Boggle. I am still the master and kicked his butt. *Hubby just pointed out that I took a picture of the game where he found the word "tit". Oops. But he is a sailor, after all.
And, we celebrated my dad's bday while my brother and his gf were there with a delicious blueberry pie. Power outages won't stop parties for us!
I hope you all survived the hurricane with just as much fun as we did!
Our weekend was fantastic, really. Brownies were made....
....although, the power went out five minutes into baking them. Did you know that you can grill brownies??
...while Hubby and I had some intense games of Boggle. I am still the master and kicked his butt. *Hubby just pointed out that I took a picture of the game where he found the word "tit". Oops. But he is a sailor, after all.
8/26/11
Adios, CT
After some deliberation, Hubby and I decided to abandon CT and go on up to NH for the weekend. We are one block from the river, and only a few blocks from the Sound, so the likelihood that we will have flooding is very real. We also have tall trees surrounding the house, and our neighbor's tree in their backyard (only feet from our cars) dropped a massive branch during a small storm.
We're bringing essentials- clothes, wallets, cell phones, diapers & wipes, and possibly the lockbox. I am fully prepared to lose all of our household goods, and although it will suck, I'd rather lose them instead of losing one of us.
So off to NH! It will not be a social visit. I will not be traveling to see other people. It is merely to get out of that biatch Irene's way (she's a pushy old hag, isn't she??).
We're bringing essentials- clothes, wallets, cell phones, diapers & wipes, and possibly the lockbox. I am fully prepared to lose all of our household goods, and although it will suck, I'd rather lose them instead of losing one of us.
So off to NH! It will not be a social visit. I will not be traveling to see other people. It is merely to get out of that biatch Irene's way (she's a pushy old hag, isn't she??).
Milspouse Friday Fill-in #55
- The first thing I think of when I get up in the morning is shit, I didn't preset the coffee maker.
- Lately, I’ve been craving coffee because my thyroid must be more jacked up than I thought.
- Whenever anyone says the word coffee, it reminds me of my childhood because my mom used to sip coffee while we watched Sesame Street.
- The happiest word I know is coffee, but chocolate is a close second.
- My spouse may hate it, but I absolutely love coffee.
So, the theme of the week is coffee, haha! I probably had some better answers, but I'm doing this in the morning, therefore my mind and my hands are wrapped around my cup of joe. Go see Wife of a Sailor to join the fun.
Happy Friday, everyone!
8/23/11
I live in Connecticut, right??
We had another weekend which was longer than the actual week, but let me tell you, I loved it. We went up to NH to visit my parents and had so much fun! Hubby camped out in the backyard with LB, then he and my dad went dirtbiking while my mom and I took the boys to Toys R Us and picked up a cheap-o sprinkler for the kids to run in. On Saturday, we spent a day at the lake on the boat. JC is way more willing to swim on his belly than LB is, but they both had such a great time. My dad worked a hare scramble Sunday (more dirtbiking stuff) while Hubby took the boys to see his dad and my mom and I had brunch with some friends of hers. We also stopped at the mall and I finally bought some clothes for myself (it so helps having someone talk me into actually buying something... I'm the queen of window shopping). We decided that since Hubby had Monday off, we'd stay through then so he could help my dad clear out the cabin they just bought so it could be demolished. My mom and I took the boys to the local playground for about three hours, then I bought a birthday present for my dad (his big day is tomorrow, so I'll post about it!).
Hubby and I were talking on the way home about how comfortable and easy it is to be around my parents. We spent a lot of time up there, but it was very enjoyable. I'm so thankful that he gets along with my parents so well- I can't imagine what it would be like if there was any animosity between them.
We're back in CT now... for the time being. Our house here is just kind of like an oversized storage unit and a place to rest between weekends, but that's fine with me. I LOVE being able to visit people, and I know that things will wind down a little after classes start. So I'm milking this for all it's worth! :)
Hubby and I were talking on the way home about how comfortable and easy it is to be around my parents. We spent a lot of time up there, but it was very enjoyable. I'm so thankful that he gets along with my parents so well- I can't imagine what it would be like if there was any animosity between them.
We're back in CT now... for the time being. Our house here is just kind of like an oversized storage unit and a place to rest between weekends, but that's fine with me. I LOVE being able to visit people, and I know that things will wind down a little after classes start. So I'm milking this for all it's worth! :)
8/18/11
Milspouse Friday Fill-in #54
- My spouse and I rarely agree on who hogs the bed the most, but always agree on just about everything else.
- If I could use one word to sum up the way I feel right now, it would be anxious (need to brave the clinic with the kids for my meds, need to pack the car for the weekend, and apparently verbal orders are coming soon).
- One of the things my spouse does that grosses me out is rip his toenails- there's this cool invention called the toenail clipper and for some reason, he will NOT use it.
- My readers may think I’m crazy for doing this, but I really love to do physical activities in which I could die or get seriously hurt. Up next is my desire to fly on a trapeze.
- Frankly, my dear, I don’t care where you get your appetite, so long as you eat at home. :)
I'm doing this a day early since we'll be away again this Friday. If you couldn't guess already, the questions are in black and my answers in red. Go on over to Wife of a Sailor to link up!
8/17/11
Dear Navy medical clinic in Groton,
I'm still scratching my head, trying to figure out why it took three hours to get immunizations and labs done for myself and the boys. I didn't expect the 10:20am appointment to last until 2pm, therefore didn't have adequate entertainment, food, and drink for them, which resulted in VERY cranky children. In fact, at the beginning of our day, the nurse practitioner told me that when I come back for my next appt, I should "find child care, since your children are difficult". Seriously. And that was only 20 minutes into this visit.
The combination of tired, hungry children who needed naps, three shots for JC, one for LB, one for me (damn you, tetnus booster), blood work for me and finger sticks for the boys made for a ridiculously exhausting day. Plus, I was measured at 5'7"... so I shrunk an inch? WTF?? And, I completely skipped picking up my referral for an eye doc (Mom, if you're reading, it's nothing, please don't worry!), but I have to go back for the pharmacy today anyway... I'm sure that will be a quick trip, ha.
I did have a very pleasant experience with my PCM, thank goodness. She spoke to me like an uneducated moron, but that's expected- I suppose the sad reality is that most people know nothing about how to raise children. I don't consider myself an expert, but she didn't tell me anything I didn't know, and I really liked her approach and philosophy on kids. She also called me at home to tell me the results of my TSH test and made the perfect call. It was .23 too high, but not high enough to really change the dosage, so she wants me to come back for a retest in 6 weeks. Awesome answer. LOVE it. It really makes me feel at ease when a doctor/NP uses a little common sense.
So overall impression, not good. The waits were far too long for each department, and thanks to these new military IDs, I have to tell everyone Hubby's SSN... which sucks if I have to shout to an old lady who's hard of hearing. Don't get me wrong- I love not having our SSNs printed on a card that I could lose! I just also would love not having to loudly recite one for all to hear (I'm petrified of identity theft).
NBHC Groton, please get your act together, or you will end up on my Shit List!
-Me
The combination of tired, hungry children who needed naps, three shots for JC, one for LB, one for me (damn you, tetnus booster), blood work for me and finger sticks for the boys made for a ridiculously exhausting day. Plus, I was measured at 5'7"... so I shrunk an inch? WTF?? And, I completely skipped picking up my referral for an eye doc (Mom, if you're reading, it's nothing, please don't worry!), but I have to go back for the pharmacy today anyway... I'm sure that will be a quick trip, ha.
I did have a very pleasant experience with my PCM, thank goodness. She spoke to me like an uneducated moron, but that's expected- I suppose the sad reality is that most people know nothing about how to raise children. I don't consider myself an expert, but she didn't tell me anything I didn't know, and I really liked her approach and philosophy on kids. She also called me at home to tell me the results of my TSH test and made the perfect call. It was .23 too high, but not high enough to really change the dosage, so she wants me to come back for a retest in 6 weeks. Awesome answer. LOVE it. It really makes me feel at ease when a doctor/NP uses a little common sense.
So overall impression, not good. The waits were far too long for each department, and thanks to these new military IDs, I have to tell everyone Hubby's SSN... which sucks if I have to shout to an old lady who's hard of hearing. Don't get me wrong- I love not having our SSNs printed on a card that I could lose! I just also would love not having to loudly recite one for all to hear (I'm petrified of identity theft).
NBHC Groton, please get your act together, or you will end up on my Shit List!
-Me
8/15/11
Deals of the day
I just got back from Shop Rite and just have to share my trip!
Annie's Mac & Cheese: FREE
Edge Shaving Gel: $.99
Toy Story Bandaids: $.99
Stubb's BBQ sauce: $.99
Kozy Shack flan: $.99
Honey Nut Cheerios: $.79
Including the coffee and shrimp and veggies that we needed for dinner, I spent $37, but saved $18. If I just bought the items on sale, that would have been a total of $4.75. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Edge usually go for $4??
Hooray for coupons!!
Annie's Mac & Cheese: FREE
Edge Shaving Gel: $.99
Toy Story Bandaids: $.99
Stubb's BBQ sauce: $.99
Kozy Shack flan: $.99
Honey Nut Cheerios: $.79
Including the coffee and shrimp and veggies that we needed for dinner, I spent $37, but saved $18. If I just bought the items on sale, that would have been a total of $4.75. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Edge usually go for $4??
Hooray for coupons!!
Smelly
I figured after a long weekend of no use, our microwave would de-stink. I was very wrong.
On Thursday, Hubby was helping me with the household chores while I went to the gym. I asked him to please clean the kitchen and do the laundry, because nothing is more stressful than coming back from a weekend away to a dirty house. He decided he wanted to take it one step further and sanitize the kitchen sponge. Apparently, he heard that you can pop it in the microwave for a bit, which is true. One minute would usually suffice.
He put it in there for five minutes.
Of course, you can probably guess what happened. The smell of burning sponge was atrocious when I walked in the door. I thought the house was on fire. Before we left, I opened the door of the microwave to air it out, but it still stinks. We may have to buy a new one...
Any tips on how to get the smell out? I put a small plate with baking soda on it and put it in there. I'm hoping that works, but open to any suggestions!
On Thursday, Hubby was helping me with the household chores while I went to the gym. I asked him to please clean the kitchen and do the laundry, because nothing is more stressful than coming back from a weekend away to a dirty house. He decided he wanted to take it one step further and sanitize the kitchen sponge. Apparently, he heard that you can pop it in the microwave for a bit, which is true. One minute would usually suffice.
He put it in there for five minutes.
Of course, you can probably guess what happened. The smell of burning sponge was atrocious when I walked in the door. I thought the house was on fire. Before we left, I opened the door of the microwave to air it out, but it still stinks. We may have to buy a new one...
Any tips on how to get the smell out? I put a small plate with baking soda on it and put it in there. I'm hoping that works, but open to any suggestions!
Four states in two days, that's just how we roll
This weekend, we visited Hubby's friend GB (I'm sure he would kill me if he knew I nicknamed him that for this blog) and his wife, K, and their two little boys G-man and Baby G. The boys were nearly the same ages as our little boys, so it was a very interesting few days!
The boys got along tremendously, although the noise level with four boys under the age of four was out of control. We took them to a huge playground for a picnic, went swimming at a lake, and brought them to the county fair. I didn't realize this, but their town is on the border of two other states, so we were in three states just in that one day!
I hadn't seen GB in several years, and never even met his wife and kids, so it was great to finally put some faces to names! I'm sure they felt the same, since they'd never met our boys, either.
Hubby and I stopped at an antique store and purchased two 1920s art deco chairs... and somehow managed to bring them back to CT with our Jetta. We put one on the passenger seat, until it kept hitting the "recline" button, smushing poor LB's legs! We stopped at a Home Depot and my amazing hubby purchased plastic, a moving blanket, and rope to tie it to the roof rack. MUCH better.
I love being able to see people, finally. It was very difficult to feel connected, having only email and phone calls and facebook on the west coast. There's nothing like personal interaction to feel like you belong in your own social life!
The boys got along tremendously, although the noise level with four boys under the age of four was out of control. We took them to a huge playground for a picnic, went swimming at a lake, and brought them to the county fair. I didn't realize this, but their town is on the border of two other states, so we were in three states just in that one day!
I hadn't seen GB in several years, and never even met his wife and kids, so it was great to finally put some faces to names! I'm sure they felt the same, since they'd never met our boys, either.
Hubby and I stopped at an antique store and purchased two 1920s art deco chairs... and somehow managed to bring them back to CT with our Jetta. We put one on the passenger seat, until it kept hitting the "recline" button, smushing poor LB's legs! We stopped at a Home Depot and my amazing hubby purchased plastic, a moving blanket, and rope to tie it to the roof rack. MUCH better.
I love being able to see people, finally. It was very difficult to feel connected, having only email and phone calls and facebook on the west coast. There's nothing like personal interaction to feel like you belong in your own social life!
8/10/11
Boiling
Shit, meet fan. Fan, meet shit. This volcano of crap is about to explode, and things are about to get really friggin messy...
8/8/11
A weekend of bruises, boozes, and dudesez
This weekend was fantastic (no sarcasm, really). Hubby and I accidentally double-booked our plans, so we went camping with my brother and sister (who will now be referred to as Crazy Guy and Spider Monkey, respectively, for various reasons), then headed up to Hubby's family's lake house for his cousin's 16th birthday party.
The camping was AWESOME. After arriving at the site, we went mountain biking. I've done some mountain biking on the west coast... with an emphasis on "coast", meaning totally flat. This stuff was rocky and very steep and full of stupid trees which loved to jump out and get right in my way. I ended up having a small asthma attack, bending my derailer (I don't even know what that is... my brother and a friend fixed it for me), and hitting about a bajillion trees and rocks, hence falling on my ass. And my back. And going over the handlebars, which resulted in a very not-friendly impact. But you know what? I had a pretty kick-ass time (uh, literally- it was really fun but kicked my ass)!
We went swimming to wash off the sweat, then had a big campfire at one of the sites, which included some guitar singalong stuff. It's pretty amazing how a few beers will trigger my memory of mid- to late-90s alternative rock lyrics. It rained that night, but I think it helped Hubby and I sleep a little better. I woke up once when I heard something rather large rummage through the woods near the site, but fortunately nothing came close to us.
The next day, we packed up and went back to my MIL's house to get ready for the next part of our weekend, the party. We took the kiddos off my MIL's hands, and headed on over. Hubby's uncle took us on a crazy boat ride, where I'm pretty sure he was trying his best to fling everyone out of the boat, then took several people tubing. I stayed ashore for most of it, mainly because I just wanted to sit on my ass and not move my bruised body at all. The boys played in the sand, and LB had plenty of time-outs, and when it was time to go, we put the boys in pjs and drove back home.
Next weekend, we are visiting friends, and hopefully the weekend after that, we'll be up in NH again. It's looking like we are going to be traveling just about every weekend, which is something I didn't want to do, but considering Hubby has a limited amount of down time, we're taking full advantage of being able to see people.
**Special thanks to Pyro and Spider Monkey for helping me along the trails, and Crazy Guy and Mr. Triathlon for fixing my bike!
The camping was AWESOME. After arriving at the site, we went mountain biking. I've done some mountain biking on the west coast... with an emphasis on "coast", meaning totally flat. This stuff was rocky and very steep and full of stupid trees which loved to jump out and get right in my way. I ended up having a small asthma attack, bending my derailer (I don't even know what that is... my brother and a friend fixed it for me), and hitting about a bajillion trees and rocks, hence falling on my ass. And my back. And going over the handlebars, which resulted in a very not-friendly impact. But you know what? I had a pretty kick-ass time (uh, literally- it was really fun but kicked my ass)!
We went swimming to wash off the sweat, then had a big campfire at one of the sites, which included some guitar singalong stuff. It's pretty amazing how a few beers will trigger my memory of mid- to late-90s alternative rock lyrics. It rained that night, but I think it helped Hubby and I sleep a little better. I woke up once when I heard something rather large rummage through the woods near the site, but fortunately nothing came close to us.
The next day, we packed up and went back to my MIL's house to get ready for the next part of our weekend, the party. We took the kiddos off my MIL's hands, and headed on over. Hubby's uncle took us on a crazy boat ride, where I'm pretty sure he was trying his best to fling everyone out of the boat, then took several people tubing. I stayed ashore for most of it, mainly because I just wanted to sit on my ass and not move my bruised body at all. The boys played in the sand, and LB had plenty of time-outs, and when it was time to go, we put the boys in pjs and drove back home.
Next weekend, we are visiting friends, and hopefully the weekend after that, we'll be up in NH again. It's looking like we are going to be traveling just about every weekend, which is something I didn't want to do, but considering Hubby has a limited amount of down time, we're taking full advantage of being able to see people.
**Special thanks to Pyro and Spider Monkey for helping me along the trails, and Crazy Guy and Mr. Triathlon for fixing my bike!
8/5/11
Milspouse Friday Fill-in #52
1. Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, teach a man to fish and ___________________.
… he'll spend all your money on fishing supplies.
2. It is amazing what you can accomplish if ___________________.
… you have no children around.
3. If you can’t stand the heat ___________________.
… then move and quit yer bitchin'.
4. What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to ___________________.
… the coffee that lies in front of me this morning.
5. Well behaved women seldom ___________________. (thanks This American Wif and Every Branch for this last quote!).
… go to jail. (I know, most people expect "... make a splash" or "... get what they want", etc, but I'd prefer to be well behaved so I stay out of jail!)
Head on over to Wife of a Sailor to link up and/or see what she has to say!
… he'll spend all your money on fishing supplies.
2. It is amazing what you can accomplish if ___________________.
… you have no children around.
3. If you can’t stand the heat ___________________.
… then move and quit yer bitchin'.
4. What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to ___________________.
… the coffee that lies in front of me this morning.
5. Well behaved women seldom ___________________. (thanks This American Wif and Every Branch for this last quote!).
… go to jail. (I know, most people expect "... make a splash" or "... get what they want", etc, but I'd prefer to be well behaved so I stay out of jail!)
Head on over to Wife of a Sailor to link up and/or see what she has to say!
8/2/11
Good food
Just wanted to let you guys know that I made some really yummy chicken tonight, Pineapple Chicken. It's wicked easy- just brown some sliced chicken breasts in a big skillet with a teensy bit of olive oil, then add a can of crushed pineapple (drained), 2 cups of water, and a packet of onion soup mix. Cover it and let it simmer for 30 minutes. I know, it sounds odd, but it works. Hubby said he liked it, and even the kiddos ate some.
Skinny Cow chocolate bites.... where have you been my whole life?? Bonus- I had a buy one, get one free coupon, so I bought both kinds (there are crispies and caramel in chocolate, and wafer bars in chocolate, yummm), and they are both delish.
I had a big bowl of Farina this morning. I missed it so much on the west coast that I had my mom mail some to me several times when I really craved it. I don't care if it looks gross, I friggin love it... especially with a little butter and sugar and cinnamon, yum.
I have a jar of coconut butter that I want to use, but don't know any recipes in which to use it. I'm thinking of making some shortbread cookies with it, then dipping the ends in white chocolate, then rolling it in crushed macadamia nuts. Don't know if I can use coconut butter in place of dairy butter, but I guess I'll find out!
I've been wanting to bake a lot lately, specifically brownie caramel cheesecake (omg, it sounds so devilishly good), but I don't want to waste food by baking stuff and not eating it... I need a group of people that are willing to eat my creations! Any takers? Seriously, being near a Navy base, I probably just need to set up a table with a sign that reads "free food" and watch the 20 year old sailors chow down.
On that note, I am going to indulge in a free Luigi's Italian Ice (yay, double coupons!). Have a good summer night!
Skinny Cow chocolate bites.... where have you been my whole life?? Bonus- I had a buy one, get one free coupon, so I bought both kinds (there are crispies and caramel in chocolate, and wafer bars in chocolate, yummm), and they are both delish.
I had a big bowl of Farina this morning. I missed it so much on the west coast that I had my mom mail some to me several times when I really craved it. I don't care if it looks gross, I friggin love it... especially with a little butter and sugar and cinnamon, yum.
I have a jar of coconut butter that I want to use, but don't know any recipes in which to use it. I'm thinking of making some shortbread cookies with it, then dipping the ends in white chocolate, then rolling it in crushed macadamia nuts. Don't know if I can use coconut butter in place of dairy butter, but I guess I'll find out!
I've been wanting to bake a lot lately, specifically brownie caramel cheesecake (omg, it sounds so devilishly good), but I don't want to waste food by baking stuff and not eating it... I need a group of people that are willing to eat my creations! Any takers? Seriously, being near a Navy base, I probably just need to set up a table with a sign that reads "free food" and watch the 20 year old sailors chow down.
On that note, I am going to indulge in a free Luigi's Italian Ice (yay, double coupons!). Have a good summer night!
8/1/11
It's only a phase, it's only a phase....
I think if I just keep repeating that, it will prevent me from dropping the kiddos off at the local Goodwill. It's only 8:15am, and already the kids are screaming and hitting each other and crying, and I'm thisclose to opening a bottle of vodka....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
