Brrrrrr....and other things.....

Blast...it is cold in here! The furnace ignitor is out and Grainger doesn't open until 07:30! I should have gone and got a couple of them yesterday. I suspected that was the cause of the furnace kicking out on Sunday once. But you all know about hindsight. I have the old one out already and just have to call Grainger and go get them when they open. Hopefully the closest branch will have them in stock.

Well, the brick corbels are gone and I have power to the fireplace and under both windows on either side. I cleaned up last nite after they left and put the family room back together. I have one small spot on a wall to sand, prime, and paint. Lots of brick/mortar dust...but not as bad as I expected. The outlets under the windows are not symmetrical either, but it was the only way they could be with the framing and such. They had a hard time finding a cavity to run the wire in. I have one short piece of wiremold to paint that runs from the ceiling down the side of the fireplace...no other way to get power to the fireplace face for the television. But paint will hide it nicely. And as unfinished as the fireplace is...a trim of some kind down the sides and at the ceiling would hide it too. Will have to look into that some.

Damn...only 3:45...I am getting colder than I should be. More blankets. Or I guess I could go back to bed....

I took the giant tv back and ordered my first choice...46" LCD flat screen. It will fit perfect, not too big, big enough I can see it just fine. I ordered it from Amazon of all things. Best price and free shipping. I even got the choice of scheduling a delivery time and date. Now I can be home when it gets here. They will unpack it and plug it in to see that there is no transit damage! How about that! The bracket should be here in a day or two also. Then it is all hands on deck to get this thing hung on the fireplace. And another mess to clean up. Jeez.

Well, I suppose I should go do something. Keep me warm and busy until I have to blast outta here to get the furnace part. Later......

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Home from Christmas gluttany at my sister's in Mich. We had a wonderful Christmas...all 3 girls home for the holidays, lots of goodies to munch on, an absolutely beautiful tree (real), a little bit of snow just to make things feel right, and lots of laughter. The presents weren't bad either.

A&T got the biggest haul. They are setting up house in Indiana with new apartment and jobs. So they got all the practical stuff...dishes, iron, toaster oven...that sort of thing. I got practical stuff too....beautiful new knife set for my new kitchen, a kitchen scale, awesome hand blown glasses from KT and T, a knife sharpener for my new knives, new brown dish cloths/towels for my new brown kitchen from R, and lots of little goodies in my sock. If I forgot anyone...I am old...will remember later. It is all put away so I cannot go thru the bucket and look over my loot.

We had a real good time at the Sondeen home for Christmas dinner and frivolity. We did just a smidgeon of day after Christmas shopping....6am in Walmart in Saline...R wanted one of the $17 lighted trees for her new abode where ever that ends up to be. So we just brushed our teeth and hair and flew out the door and went to Wally World and straight home afterwords. I was amazed that there were very few...and I mean very few...people out shopping. Times really have slowed things down.

Unfortunately....I haven't. Lord, if I don't stop spending money soon......I will never get to retire. I had to leave this for a day...so it is a little disjointed. Today (12/30) I picked up my new giant flat screen tv. And the Bose sound system to go with it. Love the sound system....not so sure about the tv. I think I may return it and get something else. This one is a Plasma and I am not liking what I am reading about it. I just missed it that it was plasma....I was looking under LCD's and this one was listed and I didn't read it quite well enough. I am seriously thinking of taking it back. It is awfully big. I don't think I need one quite this big. And I think I really do want LCD instead of Plasma. It is out of the gigantic box and warming up....when I can, I will plug it in and see what I think. The bracket to hang it on the brick over the fireplace will be here next week. We'll see........

I went into work for a short time today. It was cold in there....steam is down and the building has no heat (on the floor anyway). The office was a little warmer, but not much. I have to go in for just a little bit tomorrow and will take a sweater/sweatshirt or something to stem off the cold a little. Doing computer work when your fingers are numb is challenging. But it has to be done...end of month budget stuff and end of year wrap up. I can't believe I have been Planner for almost 9 months now. It feels like yesterday.

I found some really pretty dishes for CHEAP yesterday....new every day dishes for my new kitchen. I have always wanted real plates....been using plastic for centuries it seems. But now I have new, rich chocolate colored plates, bowls, and cups to use. $44 for a serivce for 12!!!!! They are stoneware...but that's what I wanted. I am sooooo tickled with the color!!! They look gorgeous on the countertops!! Good ol' IKEA.

Now I need a table to eat on. hee hee

Well...gotta go find my bed...must work tomorrow. YUK. I am NOT gonna be there at the crack of dawn tho. I am gonna work partial banker's hours tomorrow.

Later........................

Why am I up!?!?!?!?!?

I have had one good nite's sleep this week.....damn. Here I am up in the middle of the nite again and I was sooooo tired when I went to bed at freaking 6:30PM!!! Maybe I should just give up and go in to work. I would get home about noon!!!

I need to get cracking this weekend. I have to wrap everything for Christmas....but first I have to dig into the back room and get to the wrapping paper way back in the corner behind a ton of furniture. Jeez.... I don't like wrapping for some reason. I love giving presents, I hate wrapping them. Hence the many gift bags I use. I don't know where they are either...damn. I should have made a list of where all this stuff was when I jammed that room full of the rest of the house. Hindsight you know.

I really, really, really want out of my room! I know this is becoming a frequent topic, but after almost 8 weeks living in my room, aaaaaaggggghhhhh. Maybe this weekend. I need to get the new fireplace surround/screen thing on and then I can CLEAN the family room/kitchen and put it together. THEN I can move OUT OF MY ROOM. Ok, I know, you get the picture.

Well, I have ranted enough....am going to try to go back to bed. If I am not snoring in 30 minutes....I am going to work. Later.............