I Made the Leap or How Keurig Came Home

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I love coffee! I drink it every day many times multiple times a day. However at home I was having an issue with coffee going to waste since it was just me. My friends all had Keurigs and I liked them but couldn't justify it. Then it dawned on me it would solve my problem of wasted coffee. My friend saw a deal on QVC for this model but I missed the deal. So I scoured the internet for the same model. Costco had the same model with 60 k-cups instead of 45 and use your own coffee basket. So I ordered it. It arrived on Monday and I'm so excited! I've heard so many good things about the coffee and the cocoa. If you have suggestions let me know! 

I Will Thrive: Buying a New Fridge

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So although our refrigerator isn't dead I believe it is slowly dying. So we decided to take advantage of some of his bonus pay and buy a new one. I went to Lowes, Home Depot, hhgregg and Best Buy to scout them out. I decided to go with Lowes with their 10 % off appliances, the military 10% discount, and the fact that it was tax free weekend I was going to get a $2399 fridge for $1919. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me. So I went in on my lunch hour, had all the item numbers ready for the fridge and the warranty, and I set up delivery and haul away of the old fridge. Good to go! That was the beginning of October and the fridge was scheduled to arrive October 22nd at the store. On October 20th I get the call that it is in and they are ready to schedule delivery. It gets scheduled for the 29th. Then Hurricane Sandy hit and it got rescheduled for November 5th. No problem good to go. 

Then the fun begins...I get a call Sunday night giving me a delivery time. Monday morning I get a call...I'm thinking the delivery time has changed. Nope when they unpacked it to load it on the truck they discovered a ding and wanted to give me the option of taking it or leaving it and ordering a new one. I decided for the price and the fact that it was brand new I wanted a perfect one. They assured me it would be an easy transaction to get the new one ordered. Ha...not even close to easy. I get a call around noon asking for my credit card so they can recharge it. I ask about the refund. She informs me they already did the refund so now they just need my card to recharge it. I explain that it is a checking account so I can't recharge until the refund hits. And I ask how come they started the transaction without talking to me and without explaining the process. Her response includes some hmms and haas and an explanation that since I refused delivery they had to refund it. So I talk to a manager who explains they can't undo what's been done and although it could have been one transaction it can't now. He is very apologetic and says he'll call me daily to see what's going on so it doesn't fall through the cracks. No call Tuesday. No call Wednesday. So Wednesday the money hits my checking account and I call them to reorder my fridge. She pulls up my order and quotes a price that is $100 more than what I paid. I inquire about the price difference. She explains that it is tax. I explain that I want it tax free because I bought it without tax. She says she'll have to get a manager. They put me on hold on and off for 30 minutes. Finally she comes back and tells me the card was declined. I look online and it has the charge from Lowes on there for the reorder so I tell her this only to find out that is not in fact a charge but it is in fact a hold on the account for a phone authorization. So in essence I need to have twice the amount of the fridge available so they can put the hold and then charge the actual amount. At this point I'm beyond ticked and ask for a manager. She comes on and says that there is nothing she can do this is the way the process works. When I ask about how come it couldn't be done as one transaction to begin with she tells me if I'd come into the store it could have been. WTH?!? Why wasn't I told this from the beginning  Well we were trying to make it easier on you so it wouldn't be inconvenient for you. Epic fail on their part. So I'm in a holding pattern again. I have to wait for the hold to come off in order to reorder the dang thing.

The hold finally came off today...a week later. I decided to go to hhgregg and see what they can do. At first they can't quite match it because of the tax and the fact that their warranty is more expensive. Then they appliance manager decides to wave the tax so it is only $30 more than Lowes. And I won't have anymore run around. I wanted to talk to J before I pull the trigger and order from hhgregg. He has agreed so we will be getting our new fridge from hhgregg assuming nothing else changes. I think the truly frustrating part with Lowes is the attitude I received even from managers that I just had to live with it and that they didn't really care that I was unhappy. The sad part is I used to be a huge fan of Lowes because they offer a military discount. And for hardware stuff I'm sure we'll still go there but I'm not sure I'll get big ticket items there anymore. 

Deployment Murphy Style

My "Guard" Dogs...

So last night was fairly typical. I went out with a girl friend of mine to see Expendables 2 and was home before 11:00 pm. My cat got out when I got home but I was able to get him back in before I went to bed. All was normal when the dogs and I went to bed. I set the alarm and we went to sleep. Around 1:00 am my alarm started going off like the system had been breached. I go downstairs to check things out because the front door hadn't made noise but the system was saying it was the front door. The sensor is off the door I clip it back on. So I call the company and tell them it is a false alarm. We go back up to bed. We get settled and about 15 minutes later it goes off again. So I go down and the sensor is off the door again. Now I'm getting paranoid that someone is messing with the door causing it to come off. So I call the non-emergency line for the police. They come out and check around the outside of the house and see nothing. So we go back to bed. The alarm goes off again. This one was my fault because I forgot to set the motion detector part right. So needless to say it was a bit of a rough night in our household. Then when I let the dogs out this morning the cat snuck out again and as off the time I had to come to work he was still out.

The second kicker...the alarm company wants to come check the system because although it's working it seems to be having issues. I need to schedule an appointment for them to come out. However, I can't because I'm not on the account so J needs to call. I explain he can't call but I have a POA. They have to have me fax it to them and it will take 7-10 business days to get me in the system and then I can schedule it. I'm going to see if there is a chance that J can call them or email them but it's looking like a long process to me.

The picture above is my dogs after we went back to bed after the third time of the alarm going off. I couldn't sleep but they had no problem. Way to guard guys, way to guard.

Monday Randomness

 Ok I'm slightly annoyed I had a nice long post about Random things typed up and when I hit publish only the last two came up so I'm retyping this with the hope that I will remember everything. Grrr...

• Whitney Houston - I'm sorry she died and I truly feel for her daughter. I hope we don't get too caught up in making her into something bigger than she should be just because she died younger than she should have. 

• Snow - I love snow and on Saturday night we got a whole inch (in this area that's a big deal to me that's nothing) and it was very pretty on Sunday morning. By Sunday afternoon it had melted.

• Knee Update -  I went to the Dr this morning and she wants me to increase my ibuprofen usage she seems to think this will take care of the worst of it for now. This made me happy since I didn't want surgery at all.

• Shamrock Marathon/Towne Point 8K -I'm still ok to do the 8K but I need to walk it NO RUNNING and I need to pace myself so back to training I go! 

• Knitting - my cowl is almost done then I plan on moving on to a hat for the hubby. I'll post pictures when it is done.

• Deployments are easy huh? - a girlfriend of mine has been dating a military guy for the past 5 months and they are unfortunately going to experience their first deployment (her first not his). On Saturday she told me "the deployment will be easy, I'm not worried about it at all, I know I can handle it because it's easy." I pray it is easy for her but in the event that it is not I will be there to support her however I can.

•  Stirring the Pot - the original post by an young Army wife that contained anti-Guard material is gone but there have been responses all over the MilSpouse community. I admit I had some negative responses of my own but I think Wife on a Roller Coaster had the best response on her blog.

• Redecorating - I need want to do something to our bedroom. I want to get new bedding, new curtains, new paint, everything. I think part of this is having him gone and part of this is spring fever. I haven't decided what exactly but here are some of my inspirations...

Amy Butler Morning Blossom Sheet Set

Home by Steve Madden, Sanibel Comforter Set

Natori Bedding, Sumatra Collection

I Don't Like It...But It Works

I have discovered am discovering that there are a number of things that I'm not 100% fond of doing that are actually quite helpful to me when I do them faithfully.

•  The Neti Pot - I will go on record that this is an uncomfortable and slightly disgusting practice. But it works wonders for sinus and allergy issues. Your sinuses feel violated at first but after they feel much better and clean.
• Exercise - I know, I know you are thinking well duh. But exercise is needed in my life for me to lose weight. It also makes me feel good when I'm done. And if I exercise more I can eat a bit more so it's a win-win in my book.
• Flossing - I hate flossing with a passion but it makes my trips to the dentist much better. And having had crazy under the gum cleaning I will floss all the time to avoid that again.
• Doing the Dishes Right After the Meal - Again some of you may think this is a no brainer but I've been known to let them set for a bit and then clean them. It is much easier to clean as you go or immediately after the meal.
• Using After Shower Spray - It makes cleaning the shower easier because it cleans as it goes. I don't always remember this if I'm in a hurry but I try.
• Putting Laundry Away - I'm notorious for washing laundry and folding laundry and then leaving it in the basket. I've done this quite successfully for years. But it really does make life much easier in the morning if I put it away so I'm not digging through a basket. 
• Menu Planning - I actually don't mind this horribly at the time it is the follow through that has issues. I enjoy planning and don't even mind shopping but on the night sometimes I want to throw in the towel and go get something.

What are some things you aren't too fond of but you do because it works or it is better?

House Hunting

So Mom is now in the house hunting part of this journey. She's been in her apartment for about two months and now she is ready to look at houses. But this is not an easy search. She wants something all on one floor. She wants something that is a decent size 1400 sq ft. She wants to stay in her immediate area. And she wants it all for about $200,000. Which is doable we just haven't found "the" house yet. We will it just takes time. I'm hoping all will go well soon so she can get out of her apartment. We'll see. Keep your fingers crossed.

I Will Thrive...Deployment Stories

So usually J is the go to guy for killing bugs, changing light bulbs, taking out the trash, picking up the yard from the puppies, etc. However, I don't think I can go for three years without doing those things as much as I would like to.

But I was not prepared for what I was greeted with when I went into our basement the other night. Our laundry room is in the basement...sometimes I grumble but really it is easy exercise. So I open the door to head down there, I turn on the lights, and I'm greeted by a creature. It was a very large, very nasty looking, flying thing that was on the wall as I went down the steps. Knowing that I couldn't leave it I sprayed it with spray and then used the bottle to smush it. It was gross but I did it. I'm not really that squeamish but I hate flying bugs because you don't know where they'll go.

The other night I also had to investigate a noise because there is no one else. I have an alarm system and two pit bulls so I felt pretty safe but I knew I wouldn't sleep until I checked. So in my p.j.s I along with the puppies went downstairs to check it out. Eva and Ares walked around saw everything was good and then we went back upstairs. I figure if you're dumb enough to attack me with my two pit bulls well...

I am working on getting things straight around the house. My dining room will remain a disaster for a bit because that is where I have my beading and sewing. I figure that way I can be with the dogs and work on stuff. But my bedroom is driving me crazy. We don't have a linen closet so we stack sheets on top of my dresser. But I'd like to figure out a better solution for that. We have a back room off of our bedroom that has J's dressers and it is where he got dressed in the morning but it is a bit of a disaster so I have it in my head to get that straight too. I think my bedroom would be more relaxing if I did these things. I'll let you see after pictures and maybe even before pictures if I'm feeling brave. 

Redecorating on a Budget

We are redecorating redecorated our living room. It is amazing how much difference a coat of paint can make. We went through all of this because our 50 inch tv died and we had to get a new big flat screen tv and I wanted to paint first. My hubby wasn't willing to live with my 34 inch tv for too long so bring on the big boy...when it is all installed I will post pictures.

Before..a lovely goldish yellow with red accents...tasteful but not my taste

During...hubby edging...my edging job...and Arwin inspecting our job

After....

 

With the white and dark blue trim and the couch rotated

  

Hubby arranging furniture...ignore the crap on the mantle it is gone now

 

Loving some Harley paraphernalia

My Weekend...in Summary

You know it was a busy weekend when you are happy to be back at work to relax....

Friday the weather started to decline while I was at work...it started snaining (a cross between snow and rain) but the roads were fine no biggie. So when I got home the hubby and I went to Lowe's...
{A brief history...when I moved in with my husband I had a 30-32 inch TV and he had a 50 inch...mine went in the basement. Well a few weeks ago the big TV died...people went blue and then the screen went black. It was going to cost $750 to fix so a replacement was coming. My husband wants a 54 inch flat screen mounted above the fireplace. I wanted to eventually change the color in the living room. So we painted this weekend in anticipation of the new TV that we will get soon.}

We bought lovely light gray paint and dark gray paint...tools...etc. We went to dinner at Panera (I could live there), to the pet store and then we went home for the night. We decided we would wait until the next day to begin painting. So we cuddled on the couch with the puppies and watched Walking Tall and Numbers.

Saturday with rain coming down we started cleaning the room and patching holes to get the walls ready. Then we started painting. We painted from 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. with a brief break for lunch (cold meat sandwiches) and dinner (amazing buffalo chicken sandwiches thanks d.a.r. for the recipe). And following painting I got a crock pot of chili going (I'm not a big fan but J loves it so...) The funny part was the puppies...they would have crazy moments...then try to lick paint...then curl up on the couch. They were distressed we knew this but we wanted them to be out while we worked. They wanted us to stop working and pay attention to them. We got looks the kind of looks that break your heart. So we would take "union breaks" J would go smoke...I would smother puppies with love. It seemed to help. But they loved the end of the day where we curled up on the couch with them.

Sunday we were going to go to church but it was a bit too icy so we decided we'd stay home and play it safe. So we started painting. Then took a break to go to Lowe's to get a few more supplies, Farm Fresh for some groceries, and then Taco Bell for some lunch. Then we came home and painted some more...until kick-off. The puppies had another rough day lacking attention but again they got to cuddle during the Super Bowl with us so that worked out well.

I woke up a bit tired and a bit sore from a long but productive weekend. Pictures to follow soon!!!