Normal Development: 5 Years Old

Again, courtesy of McKesson.
Ava did great for her exam. She showed her ability to state her full name (excluding the Special Little One- now that she's a big girl, that is just for us) and phone number. There was some hopping on one foot (one then the other) and counting to 20. There was walking a straight line (balance) and touching toes (checking straightness of the spine). There was some foot examining, and some comments on how the kids have the hook toe (I assured her, as my girl crush, that this was not from my side of the family:-)). There was a vision test (not a full one like at the optometrist which I have to schedule for her) and a hearing test (what?) and lots of questions, most of which she answered correctly by herself. Miss Ava P. weighs 41 lbs and is 43 inches tall. This places her in the 50th percentile for both. She was really good (there was a rough patch during James' exam when she wanted to be the center of attention again, since she was such a good patient and all!) and I think everyone who met her fell in love with her. How could you not? She did not get vaccinated due to the cost, but we found a place near the house that will do it for a substantially lower cost. So one of these days (probably after school is out in a month or so) we will head down there for her 4 and James' 1 shots. She is in great health, and is doing what she should be. Her weight was not a worry so maybe I should stop being so obsessive about what she eats and realize she's normal and will get through this and get used to her taking 35 minutes to eat a small bowl of cereal. Hhmmff. Here are some of the milestones:
-Bathes, eats, dresses, toilets independently (if you count hounding her to wash herself and policing the flushing and washing of hands to ensure it gets done, then Yes!)
-Enjoys active games and movement
-Enjoys playing noisy rhythm instruments
-Is curious about reproduction and birth (another strike against having another baby so as to put off 'splaining?)
-Begins to express more feelings in words (*Funny story- will share at the end)
-Embarrasses easily, cannot yet laugh at self
-Shows guilt over misbehavior (apologizes without being asked to more often!)
-likes independence (eh)
-Is serious and dependable
-Submits to more rules and regulations (Please? Please???)
-Takes turns playing and speaking (has gotten really a lot better at this)
-Gets along comfortably with other children (I think she could get along with a South American dictator she's so dagum charming!)
-Craves facts (ate up the mini earthquake tutorial I gave her!)
-Understands right and left on self (somehow recently she started mixing these up even though she's known them for some time- I tried to teach her a trick but not sure it will work)
-Can help with chores (she is eager to help too!)
-Can learn address and phone number (and has!)
-Engages in elaborate dramatic play (Princesses!)

I am exhausted thinking about it all. Both kids. Plus I am plain exhausted because I am a nimrod and stayed up till 1 a.m. (you heard me) watching this. That's my kind of reality tv. I couldn't turn it off when they started throwing and catching the planes. I looooove that kind of drama. Can't wait till next week!
*Funny story: Last week when we were on our own, I did take the kids out to dinner. We left just before meltdown, which should have told me something, but I wanted to take the kids to the bookstore and let them choose new books with the gift card they received for Christmas (sorry Debbie!). So in we went, and it was difficult to say the least as two kids running amok pulling books off shelves and making insane choices as is likely to happen. So we make it through, each child finally choosing an acceptable book, and head out to the car. James decides right as we get to the parking lot that he wants to play "Mom chase James through the Parking Lot" which is not my favorite game at all. Mom wants to play " Do you want to walk and hold hands or do you want Mom to carry you screaming to the car?". So we get to the car, I get the boy loaded in, and Ava asks if we can go to Dairy Queen. Needless to say, with the park and everything we had fit into the day, I was ready to be done. Also it was almost bedtime. I was done, and not thinking, so I responded "Are you kidding me? You guys were terrible at the bookstore!". I closed James' door and came around to put on Ava's seat belt and when I opened her door she said to me, "Mom, you really hurt my feelings when you said that." I stopped breathing almost. I started thinking, she was right. She didn't deserve what I had said. I swiftly apologized and explained about time and melting down and told her she could have a little treat at home when I put James down and we could revisit DQ another night. Maybe on our bikes. And she was fine with that. Funny how the books say to acknowledge their feelings, and soon enough, when you do, things do start to change for the better. She is such a big girl!

Normal Development: 2 Years Old

We went to see my favorite pediatrician today (sorry, Dr. Bala, you are a super close second!) and the kids got excellent reports. I opted to not have them do the vaccinations there (Hello, over $300 just for 3 out of the 4 Ava needs alone?!!!!) so it went quicker than it usually would have. The nurses were great, and I will do two separate posts, one for each child.
James weighs 26 lbs (25th percentile) and is 34 1/2 inches tall (50th percentile). He is great. Eyes, ears, mouth and nose all looked great. He is hitting most of his milestones (a little behind on the talking, but not anywhere near enough to be concerned) and was a charming handsome fellow. The last time we were there I put him in the stroller- this time I didn't bother with that at all. He walked in and was really well behaved. We had an early appointment so we didn't have to wait long in the lobby, which was helpful. We got in and as I got James undressed the nurse went over some questions about both kids. We took them in the hallway to get weighed and measured. Then James and I went back into the exam room to wait for Ava who went down the hallway to get her vision and hearing tested. Dr. Jones came in with a Nurse Practitioner, who we actually walked in the building with, and she was really nice. I admitted to Dr. Jones I have a big girl crush on her which was exasperated by the fact that she drives the Audi wagon we saw in the parking lot, and when I asked her if she doesn't always want to drive it FAST she admitted to a big 90+ mph speeding incident. I told her I always want to drive the VW wagon fast and had a similar incident. We are soul mates. She is so unbelievable with the kids- even James wasn't as wary as he usually is with new people/experiences. (I know that he's been to see Dr. J before, but I am not sure how much he really remembers from 7 months ago.) So he is in great health. She told me to stop making the kids separate meals ("You are not a short order cook!" again, love) and gave suggestions to get more calcium in him when he doesn't do so great with the milk. On the way out she handed me a sheet of paper with milestones for each child (hence the title above) published my McKesson Provider Technologies. (Brings back memories of delivering for the pharmacy and how I memorized my AZDL for when I had to pick up narcotics from them!) Here are a few highlights for Young Master James:
-Is constantly in motion
-Walks up and down stairs alone (will rarely hold my hand)
-May have difficulty settling down for bedtime (can you say 8 stories? Can it get worse (wait- don't answer that!)
-Gets upset and impatient easily
-Shows anger by crying or striking out
-WANTS OWN WAY
-Gets upset when daily routine changes (this is why I stick to the schedule, people, even if you are still making fun of me!)
-Becomes more interested in brothers and sisters (can I just tell you how precious that is?)
-imitates with considerable realism ( hopefully only Ava- I'll have to watch myself!)
-Enjoys playing among, not with, other children (he did this at the park last week!)
-Dramatically increases interest in language (new words seemingly every day)
-Shows frustration when not understood (I still don't get the india word?)
-Understands more words than can speak (that's been going on for quite a while!)
-IS IN THE "DO IT MYSELF" STAGE
-CANNOT BE REASONED WITH MUCH OF THE TIME

Wow. This form must have met James in the lobby. It's pretty spot on. I look forward to the things he isn't completing yet (toilet training, which we have started, and using 3-5 phrase sentences instead of his popular 2 word phrase, "all done!")
We are all very pleased at what a healthy and happy little one we have!

Miss Ava Thuringer Goes to Kindergarten

So Thursday last week the preschool planned an activity at "The Big School" so the kids could see what they would be getting themselves into in the fall. L offered to watch James for me for the hour and a halfish it would take for me to go, bless her, so I met Ava at "The Big School" for information, socialization, snacks, and hijinks.
By the time I got there, the kids were in the gymnasium meeting the principal, Mr. B. He was telling them a little about the school, and they were lining up to go into the adjoining cafeteria for a snack. We were a little familiar with the gym and cafeteria from the school carnivals we have attended. Ava seemed happy that I was there. I wanted her to share the experience with her friends, and also I seemed to REALLY distract her, so for a bit of it I stayed on the sidelines, just letting her know I was there if she needed anything. Also so I could take a couple of pictures. After the snacks, we went outside to play on the playground and I got to push Ava on the swings. We did this while we waited for the current kindergarten class to be excused. When this happened, we went inside and visited the classroom. It was a good sized room with its own bathroom. When the kids filed through, Ava stopped at a desk in the front row and told me, "This is my desk!" Mrs. L, the preschool directress, nudged me and we laughed. I told her, "Just like her Daddy-NOT like her Mom!" Lastly, Mr. B treated the kids to a story in the library (which was a lot smaller than I was expecting!) about kids' first day at kindergarten and their parents inability to let go. (I must confess, if there's a window, I would probably be caught peeking through it to make sure everything is ok- you know, just for the first few weeks or so :-)) Then the kids were presented with a new #2 pencil and a new water bottle, and we marched back across the street for dismissal. When we got to L's house, she said James was uncertain and barely had played at all. Which is exactly what he did as soon as we set foot in their house. He just wanted to be sure I was coming back for him, I suppose. When we left (which was soon, it was lunchtime) he was none too happy about it. I bet he will be okay if we send him over for playtime without Ava again. He was hesitant the first time at the Y without her, and now walks in like he owns the place. He just needs to be sure.
So there you have it. Ava is all ready for Kindergarten. How did she get to be 5? Wasn't she just teeny? Like yesterday? Ugh!

My Secret Past Life

In a Past Life...

You Were: An Obese Viking. Where You Lived: Alaska. How You Died: Natural causes.

Who Were You In a Past Life?

Evidence of Spring in our Back Yard

The ornamental pear is blooming, (strangely, the bag of poo is missing!) as well as the beauty bush and the euonymous. The daffodils have grown and we have a few flowers, but many yet to bloom. It's lovely! Here's to more great weather so we can get that swingset up and enjoy it!

Visit to Renaissance Pointe

So this morning the kids and I headed down to Renaissance Pointe to check out the progress being made since the weather has permitted. I knew that they were putting in some sewer pipes, and maybe clearing lots, and that there was a new house down there waiting to be closed on. So even though PJ said there wasn't anything scheduled to be demolished today, we figured there would still be plenty of activity. And there was! We parked by the Welcome Center, and walked down the street. Across the street from the Welcome Center there was a machine clearing space for the road that will go through. Right now the road ends a block or two behind John Street on either side, and now it will be going through. Here is a picture of the Welcome Center on the left, and them digging out for the new road to the right of it. Also walked down the street across Creighton and saw a big scoop that was actually a claw and it was picking up a tree that they had taken down, along with all its branches. Quite a sight! James was afraid at first, and I held on to him. We were closer than we had ever been before, and these machines were big, so it took him a few minutes to get his bearings. In time he really loved it! The yellow house is a new one, ready to be closed on. I am not sure why they want to close as there is NO landscaping whatsoever, but when did that become my business? It's lovely! It reminds me in a way of our house in Mesa. I know that sounds weird, since it is a two story and ours was a one story, but the layout of the first floor is similar if you took the bedrooms off the second story and put them on either side of the house. This one is narrower, but really nice. It's fun to see new houses going up! There's another one going up right next door, where we had watched the old one being demolished, which was strange. Hopefully things will continue to move in a positive way down there. With spring, and if we keep going down there, I might get New Home Fever again. Which is not something I want to get since I completely loooove it in our 'hood.
Off to eat something- just realized it's almost 3 and I haven't had lunch. Plus have some laundry in the works (surprise?!). Talk to you later!

Story Time

I caught baby hop having a quiet moment reading a book yesterday afternoon.*
Big church sale yesterday, then Goodwill, then a new thrift store with some good finds (mostly grownup stuff, got myself a Talbot's skirt for $5) then lunch which gave me food poisoning. Watched Michael Clayton (George Clooney starred-Tilda Swinton won a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her performance) which was really good. Is he (George) golden? I haven't seen The Good German yet, but it seems everything I have seen him in lately has been really good.
So I will expound on the finds and details of Successful Big Saturday Secondhand Shopping later, am off to work on my latest book, Eat,Pray,Love. After reading the intro I wasn't sure I was going to like the author, so then not sure I would like the book. But the book is pretty good so far. I am about a 10th of the way through it. Will keep you up to date on that as well.
*This was not staged. Seriously. Ava had me go up to turn the page of the book for Baby Hop, and, well, I couldn't resist a picture.

Earthquake!

PJ said he woke up right around this time. Not necessarily because he felt the tremor. I said it was because he is geologically in tune with the earth.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24195650/

Big Hooge Day

Wednesday night our friend Katie called and asked if we wanted to bring the kids and meet the husbands at the park across the street from the City/County building and have a picnic lunch on Thursday. We said why not? So Thursday morning James and I took Ava to school, stopped by the Health Food Shoppe on the way home, then settled in and made chocolate chip cookies to bring with us. I made the kids nj sandwiches (nutella and jelly) and packed the food and a couple of hats for the kids and off we went. We picked up Ava first, then headed downtown. We got there a few minutes before Katie, long enough to go check out the fountain. They had been working on it Wednesday (we went to pick up PJ who took the afternoon off to golf) and got it fixed and it was beautee-ful. Right after we got a spot picked out to eat, the boys came over and we set up. I brought the picnic blanket, and I had to concur when PJ pointed out that he never thought we would have used it as much as we have. Marybeth wanted to sit up with James and Ava, and as soon as they were done eating it was run around mania! We decided to take the kids to the park afterwards, and run them ragged. It was a success. The only trip up was Marybeth fell, but she soon recovered. Katie even took James down the big slide! After about an hour, we took the kids (James kicking and screaming) back to the cars and headed home. I put those kids to bed immediately and they slept like rocks! We had the csa, so we picked up PJ and then went and got the food, came home and grilled. PJ got out the whiffle ball and bat and Ava showed him her skillz. Seriously that girl can hit the ball- really good for a 5 year old! Maybe we will do some tball next year? So the kids and I were exhausted yesterday. Then today, we went to the bank to get some cash for the kids clothing sale Laurie and I are going to tomorrow (same church as last time I think) and drove down Clinton to come back up Columbia- Laurie had called me the other day to tell me she stopped for a chair at a yard sale and saw 2 orientalish prints that would look great in our living room. On the way to the park we had driven by and I saw them and thought they were great but had no cash and so I thought we'd see if they were out this morning. No luck. So we came home and walked the dogs. There were so many new smells out there that those dogs took forever to get around the block! Fred REALLY needs to go to obedience class as he is very strong and I need him to cooperate. We finally got him home and got Belly, and when we were halfway around East we saw that other little white dog not on the leash. Belly was pulling, and the dog went back across the street toward where it lives, but came back and was a little bit behind us. The kids were not moving forward, and Belly was becoming aware of the dog, and I was getting agita. The gentleman who lives in the nice four square on the secret sidewalk was getting something out of his car and asked if I needed help. Bless his heart! He is the only person who has done that when dogs are out willy nilly and I am with the kids trying to keep the situation under control. We introduced ourselves and I complimented him on his house (it's really lovely-P and J looked at it when it was on the market for about two minutes) and went on our merry way. After we got Belly home, I packed a bag with some water, snacks and sunscreen (BAD mama forgot that yesterday and Ava and I are sunburned!) and loaded James into the buggy and we headed back down to Lakeside Park. Whew! The walk took a long time- it's much easier on the bike! But it was good exercise. James fell once at the park, kind of a doozy, but we took a time out and had a snack and all was well. He even climbed up the ladder on the fire truck so he could go down that slide- he wouldn't do it yesterday! So again I am exhausted. And here on the blog, not sleeping like our children are. Poo! We are flying solo again tonight, and I think I might take the kids out to eat (I know, Friday night!?!?!?) but we have 2 free kids meals to Bob Evans and they have been great and I do not want to cook. We'll see. We got James a bike at the consignment shop Wednesday, and I have gotten him to sit on it once or twice. He scoots and does not want me to show him how to use the pedals. He likes to do things in his own time and his own way. Hopefully he will figure it out before he outgrows the darned thing. Glad I got him that one instead of the new one for $45 at Toys 'R' Us- we would have never gotten our money out of that one! Maybe some bike riding this afternoon too. So that's it. The park TWO days in a row. Maybe Bob Evans tonight. New bike for James. Sleepy mommy. Church clothing sale early tomorrow morning. No sweet oriental print at garage sale. That's enough for now anyway, right?

Indiana Corn Fed Children

We found corn (!!!) at Meijer last weekend, and as the weather is kicking tail this week we got some chops to go with them. (Got those at the local butcher tho.) Anyhoo, very busy week around these parts with PJ playing 2 soccer games Wednesday (lost both- seriously, this series is tough as they are playing more talented opponents) and he's out for drinks with his peeps tonight, so I decided we would grill Thursday. It was a hoooooge day anyhoo, which I will save with pictures for the next post, but we celebrated Spring with some grilling. I boiled the corn, tho, as the ATK book says that produces the best taste. I did sprinkle some sugar in the water before boiling, which was a great idea. The corn was awesome. And our super big girl asked for hers on the cob. Who was I to say no? I had found the corn holder thingies and the little trays that hold the corn as well, so she did as Mom and Dad did. And she rocked that corn on the cob! There was no hesitation, just a request for more. We told her we would keep an eye out at Meijer this weekend, and hopefully I will be able to fulfill her wish. Maybe we should plant some in the garden?

Fort Ava

This morning I noticed some dog hair on our bedroom floor (huh?) so decided to get out the broom. Even though I had a big ole' pile, it was clear that I had only dented the problem, and went to get my favorite orangish red appliance. The kids played nicely and quietly by themselves as I attacked the dirt, dust and doghair. When I was finished, I actually worked my way up the stairs (that is a chore, and one I put off sometimes; shhhhh!) and found the kids playing nicely in Ava's closet. She recently (Sunday) got closet light privileges back after we caught her going in the closet to read books WAY past her bedtime. (It's not the reading, seriously, the girl needs her sleep!) So James had brought his new favorite book in for her to "read" to him, and they played GREAT together. So now I need to reward them. Too cold for the park today, but tomorrow after school, maybe snacks to hold off lunch hunger and some playtime at Lakeside?

The Colors of the Kitchen

So there are only 2 photos of the bazillion that I took that fairly represent the actual color of paint that is on the wall. The other two places I put a swatch up didn't turn out. So here are two spots by the stove. In the one you can see how it goes with the tile. It is a greenish grayish green gray. Really quite inbetween. I think I am sold. What do you guys think? (Be honest- perhaps I am not seeing it clearly and if you don't tell me the truth well, then I am stuck looking at this color in my kitchen till we move!!!). Also, found cork for as little as 3.09/sq ft on ifloor.com . Here's hoping that we can still get a sweet deal like that when we are ready to floor!

Sunday Funneez Courtesy of lolcats!

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It's supercalafragilisticexpealidishwasherous!

Last night there was much celebrating as PJ had successfully installed the beautimus new dishwasher. I would be lying if I said there was no trepidation when we fired it up. Would the dishes come out clean? Would there be leaking under the sink? I insisted we place the bucket back under there with nothing in it just in case (not that I don't have faith in PJ, but I do not like tempting Fate. She doesn't like when I do that.) So we loaded up the few dishes we had from dinner, and fired it up. At first it wasn't as quiet as I was expecting, but had a "duh" moment and realized that the kickplate wasn't on yet. Once that was on it was super quiet! The cycle was set to regular, and the rinse aid and detergent spaces were filled with the proper amounts, and off we went. The initial time on the countdown clock is 124 minutes, but I was in the kitchen washing pans and the stove and when I left it showed 84 minutes, and there was no way I was in there for that long. This morning I opened the door to the dishwasher (PJ had already checked it out) and saw beautifully clean mostly (no less than the other dishwasher!) dry dishes. I sighed a sigh of relief and happiness, then despair because I realized I had to go to the gym. But that's another story. Nothing but happiness regarding the dishwasher!!!
James and I went to Maumee Paint the other day and they had those little Benjamin Moore samples and even tho they didn't have a color even close to the color card I brought in, I found 2 that were a nice grayish greenish green gray. One seemed more gray and the other more green. I started with the more gray one as I think the green one might be too green. It's the color of putty, kinda, or mud, but still pretty! I cannot describe it, and I also cannot photograph it because the color doesn't come out true in the pictures. I think the color on the card that I liked would have been much too dark, even though the room is pretty light. I think I am ready to "pull the trigger" on the paint- now I need to return the green sample and decide if I want to do the ceramic paint in this color. It's much darker than the one I had on before, yet much lighter than the latest one I had chosen. Looks really good with the cabinets and the backsplash. I'll keep trying for pictures- maybe in the evening without the flash. Don't give up hope. I'll keep trying!
PJ is taking Ava on a bike ride this afternoon down to Headwaters Park, right by his office. Oprah's Big Give is giving money to Fort Wayne for the trail system (which is really awesome) so they're going to throw the tagalong on the back of his bike and take the 2 mile ride down there. It's chilly out today, but not too bad. I think they'll have fun. I will try to get him (or her!) to take a camera.
Pizza for dinner tonight, and Lawrence Welk. Last week I successfully guessed the year at 1971. That was HARD! Whenever they are straddling a decade I get really confused, but emerged victorious last week. Wish me luck tonight!
p.s. It hit me last night when PJ was installing the dishwasher and I was really looking at it that it's the same dishwasher as there was in a house we looked at in South Bend. It was a beautiful colonial with a big lot. Really nice house, very well cared for. We really liked it, and I think we even made an offer, but the guest room would have been in the basement and there wasn't an exit to the back yard except through the garage. Which, for how much we grill was preposterous! I think they got a better offer, and we decided that for the no exit to back reason we would let it go. That and the house number was 1313 and the zip code had 3 number 6's in it. Again, me with the Fate thing decided that was best. We ended up across Portage almost exactly the same distance, just on the other side of Portage, in the house on Adams. Best. Neighborhood. Ever. The Big Guy was certainly looking out for us, for although the peeps on Marquette may have been nice, nobody could have beat the Jensens!

Scenes from a Friday

This morning we had pancakes for breakfast and as it was warm early, decided to walk the dogs right after breakfast. They were terrible. Pulling, and more pulling. It was wet, so the kids had their snowboots (closest thing I have to Wellies, poor things!) and off we went puddlejumping. We had upstairs playtime after that which included reading books, having "birthday cake", stacking blocks, and other miscellaneous funnery. Ava's in her room for quiet time now, playing Barbies (could she be any cuter? Her Ken doll is the dad, and he is taking his daughter Barbie to the museum!) and James is currently waking up ENTIRELY too early from his afternoon nap. Took out too much garbage and recycling, and washed dishes. Stood in front of the new dishwasher and drooled a little. Hopefully it will be working tomorrow at the latest. PJ decided to hard wire it after he got the stuff from the Depot to do a plug, so since he took the car today will be stopping on the way home for the required tooliness. Oh please please please can I have a dishwasher? No pressure, though, PJ! I can't wait to review it once we get it rolling.
James is requesting "Bips" from his room, so I am going to get him up for a snack. That boy loves his tortilla chips and salsa! Plus with the 71 degree weather I have all the windows open and the thunderstorms they promised are HERE so I must go take care of that as well. Please continue to comment, I love you all!

I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

Seriously, thank you all so much for commenting. I am such a blockhead for not figuring out how to get it open before. The only comments I had were spam, so I think I was a little scared, but really am now so incredibly happy! Seriously, great mood going on here in Angieville!

Alert! Alert!

Everyone on the planet needs to be aware that a new season of the Deadliest Catch is in less than a week! April 15 at 9 p.m. I used to see the commercials for it and think "seriously who would watch something like that?" then I found out it was me who would become obsessed. It's really fun and I highly recommend it. 9 o'clock next Tuesday. Got it?

Dishwasher, Dishwasher, or Boscheriffic!

So as I posted before the dishwasher took a big dig. And we were unwilling to replace a fuse after each wash. So out it goes. Now the sticky thing is, do we purchase a new one, or do I suck it up and wash dishes by hand for the next however long? In theory, the handwashing seems the right decision, as it will save us money in the short term. However, in reality, a new dishwasher is really the right decision as I am grouchy from having to wash all those dishes (there are sooo many even when I try not to make new ones it is amazing how many glasses a grown man can use in a 24 hour period! not to mention sippy cups!!). So onto my bff the interwebs to find the best match. Too bad there's not an appliancematch.com site so you can type in all the things you want and find real reviews by consumers that have been using the appliance for more than a week. The reviews part you actually can find relatively easily, but the finding the right appliance thing is harder. So initially, I knew right off the bat that Kitchen Aid was out, since that's what is giving us trouble now. And 2 appliance salesmen told me that Frigidaire was their most returned item due to not getting dishes clean. Maytag is another one that is iffy, and Deb told me she would not reccomend, which I kinda figured. So I am thinking Whirlpool. Or G.E. Or Kenmore even. So off to Sears the kids and I went to look at these items. Seems the same people are making Whirlpool, Kemore, Frigidaire, and Kenmore. So if I want a separate company I have to choose GE or KitchenAid. Which is no bueno. And I don't like only having ONE choice. Then I see that Sears is having 20% off Energy Star appliances, and suddenly, even tho this is not in the budget*, Bosch is on the perimeter as a player.
(*Our budget was pretty fluid. Really, we didn't want to spend $200-$300 on a disposable appliance, but really didn't want to go much over $500.)
So we find a nice G.E. with a stainless steel interior over at Best Buy, and we are ready to "pull the trigger" as PJ would put it, but that particular model showed negative 2 in their warehouse inventory, which means it would be Goodness Knows How Long before we would be purring about it running so wonderfully in our yet to be finished kitchen.(**!) So I called Wismans Appliance who did the service to find the faulty fuse in the KitchenAid in the first place, and they had a lovely GE model on Super Sale for $659. He gave me the model number, and it turned out that Best Buy had it for $899 and HH Gregg (another local store) had it for $949. I thought we had it made! A $900 dishwasher for $659? Too good to be true? Hmmmmm... I had them put our name on it and told them we would be in to pick it up the following day, but something told me to check and when I asked to double check that it had the stainless interior, he responded it did not. That 'splains the price. The current broken mess we have has a stainless interior which is one of the reasons we kept it and replaced the panels instead of the whole thing when we moved in to this house. So back to the internet I went, and found the Bosch on sale at Sears. So I began to think about it. And how it cleans. And how much electricity and water it uses. And how the reviewers didn't like the way it dried (not a blast heater but condensation heating). But there were people who loved it. And I read the manual on their website. And I read reviews on other sites that showed that when people were more energy savings minded, they loved it. And and and and and. So I put together some info and presented it to PJ, and he said GO! It is the lowest tier of pricing and bells and whistles, but it does have more than the current broken one has. It also has a stainless steel interior, but it has a sanitize wash which is good for the kids' cups that go everywhere. So PJ again was on board and ready to "pull the trigger", and instructed me to buy online. Seriously? I couldn't do it. I called Sears to see if they had the model on the floor, and I went last night to look at it. It also has the nylon racks that last longer. The only strange thing (that I was prepared for as one of the reviews I read mentioned it) was it is not as deep as a regular dishwasher. But this may work to our advantage as the KitchenAid was hard wired and PJ wants to put in a plug, and this will give us room to do it. It will still fit quite a few dishes, and it felt pretty sturdy. Plus its German, can you go wrong with that? It's super efficient, and I think it's green beyond just being Energy Star. Plus the lady at Sears told me that she thinks I can take a deduction for purchasing an Energy Star appliance on our 2008 taxes-in fact, she said this is the last year. So that will make up for the little bit over the $500 that we went. Needless to say I am pretty excited (I am wierd like that but new appliances put me over the moon-imagine how intolerable I must have been when we moved in and I got a new Stove with Five Burners and Convection option on the Oven! And Refrigerator that had a freezer on the Bottom! And a Super Sweet Washer and Dryer that I cannot figure out how to use the rack in even after reading the manual hello Google?!) and it's not just because my countertop is covered in dirty dishes right now, but a superbly engineered German dishwasher made in America where the company is socially aware and gives back to the community and the water is heated where it enters the dishwasher and it doesn't have a traditional heating element making it uber efficient (sorry, couldn't resist the uber) is just plain exciting. And I am back over the moon.
**Am super close on a color for the kitchen, which besides the floors (which we decide need to be cork since it floats) is the last major thing! I found the color on a swatch at the Depot but cannot come close on the color book I have still from Sherwin Williams. Kathy found this ceramic paint I just remembered at the paint store by our old apartment so maybe James and I will go tomorrow and see if they can match my swatch and get a quart to see how it goes on. It's greenish gray. I can't see any of the blues I've been trying working- too close to the slate. It needs to be gray but not just gray and the one I have has just the right amount of green.

Comments

I changed it so anyone can comment- You don't have to have a Google account to do so. So if you are out there reading, PLEASE comment. I sometimes think I am doing this for me, which is SAD. So so sad.

Birdwatching, and the Travelling Thuringers

We saw a few lovelies today. Goldfinches and cardinals in the backyard, and a scarlet tanager flying over us while I was driving (off the road looking at its beautifulness?!). James and I kinda got lost on the way to the gym this morning. This was initially unfortunate, but I kept my wits about me. The last time I got pretty lost (not counting last week also trying to get to the gym) was a St. Joe Road / St. Joe Center Road mixup kind of thing. Today St. Joe Road was AGAIN involved. I knew that I couldn't rely on PJ for help in my lostness because 1) the last time I was lost that St. Joe Road was involved in, I called him and told him I was terribly lost and although he was at his desk and had ACCESS TO MAPQUEST FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! he was nonplussed by the whole thing. No reaction. Oh, and 2) he is in a meeting out of the office all day for the next couple of days. So James and I drove around till we saw the scarlet tanager, and later before I saw a road that I knew we also saw some kind of hawk also flying right over us. I took some shots of birds in the neighbors yard, but although I zooomed it they are still pretty far away. I got the male goldfinch and the male and female cardinal, but not the female goldfinch in the birdbath (mosquito farm). Here are the pretties.
I was going to do a separate post regarding getting lost and going to beautiful downtown Cedarville/Leo, but cannot get a map to put up as a picture. Besides, not much more to say than I already said in this post. Two more things about our spontaneous adventure that we saw: 1) We crossed the St. Joe river, and the river seemed to come right up to the bridge- not a lot of space under the road. Makes me worry a bit for when we get this rain we are supposed to have for the next several days (April showers...) and 2) we saw a really cool Amish farm that had SOLAR PANELS on the side of the barn. Now those Amish already are pretty green, but that is incredible!
Speaking of green, stay tuned for Dishwasher News!

The 67* before the Rain

The last few days have been beeeeaauuuuuutiful. Today it's going to get up to 67*. I opened some windows upstairs. Heaven! But apparently James is not ready for Spring, because when I announced we were going to get ready to go, he grabbed Daddy's Cubs knit cap, a scarf, and Ava's gloves. Good thing he didn't insist, as we soon took off the fleece jackets too! There was a long walk (James walked, would not ride in the wagon, even when he was so tired he just plopped down onto the sidewalk would not go for a ride!) and Ava got a ride in the wagon. We went down West Drive to Dodge, where we saw the mail truck, so we had to go over to where it was parked on Florida to check it out. Then we came back, headed south on Forest Park Blvd, and came back up the other side to go home. Half way back West at the secret sidewalk James decided he was pooped. His options were for me to carry him or for him to stay put. My options were for him to ride or walk. I put him in the wagon thinking he would get used to it, but I was WRONG. He decided to walk. And protest while he was walking. Till he saw his lawn mower, which he had left in the front yard, then he was okay. This afternoon (shortly, really) there will be more outside time with Ava riding her bike with the new training wheels and whale horn that she loooooves to honk and James chasing her and me being pulled by a dog and hopefully not having to do any first aid on anyone. Wish us luck!

Baby's First Bandaid

Saturday while chasing Ava down the sidewalk, James took a spill and came back toward me to report the damage: "Booboo!" (A word I have not heard him say yet- we call the perpetual scab on his knee "boom".) Sure enough, after surveying the situation, it was clear that a cleanup and band aid was in order. Ava immediately volunteered the use of her Barbie band aids, but since James says Dora ("Dor-uh") we thought we'd go in that direction. We came inside, used some Band Aid brand clean up stuff (no ouch) and some Neosporin and put the band aid on. He was a great patient! Even stood still long enough for me to get a picture. But just long enough- that boy was ready to get back outside and start chasing his sister again!

R.I.P.

After a succession of blown fuses in the dishwasher, the last one lasting for one load, we have decided that the dishwasher should be put out of its misery. It has died a slow and painful death, with us refusing to take her off life support. This morning we went to Sears and Best Buy looking at new dishwashers. Yesterday I did some research online. Today I called the appliance store up the street where we usually buy the fuses and spoke to a gentleman there. Also more online research. It's daunting. Hopefully will have something in the next couple of weeks. We'll have to find the right model, then there's delivery, then there's installation (average price $120!!!!) and then there's praying all goes smoothly. In the meantime, I am going to try to keep it to twice daily, and make sure there's new gloves under the sink. No dishpan hands for this momma!

More Bips Please

Or, James' Arm gets swallowed by a Bag of Bips!

Pijay's Photo Skillz

As I said earlier, the camera was left on the table. Miss Ava Smartypants figured out how to turn it on and snapped a couple of shots of herself and her brother. She also took one at Best Buy today when we were shopping for dishwashers, which I will have to post later!

Edited to add: Turns out I know nothing of which I speak! PJ admitted JUST NOW that He took these photos. Coupla cute kids, no?

First Yummy Grilled Meal of the Season

With the loveliness in the weather, we decided to treat ourselves to an outside meal Sunday rather than our usual pizza. We picked up a steak and some potatoes at Meijer, and with the craved corn on the cob missing from the produce aisle, we opted for asparagus instead. (Mmmmm! And on sale!!!) The photo was not planned but the camera was right there from the night before, so I couldn't resist. Incredible meal! PJ is the grill master for sure. The kids played outside with toys, (lawnmower, truck, chalk, golf, soccer!!!) and I threw the ball for the doggies. PJ quickly made another batch of salsa as we had run out at lunchtime, and then came out to enjoy the weather and prepare a lovely meal. The only thing missing was a bottle of chilled not too dry not too sweet white wine. Will have to make a mental note that a Trader Joes run for the Charles Shaw Sauvignon Blanc is in order SOON!