"How To Get Your Water From Cold to Hot" and "How To Lose a Challenge to Your Husband"

Okay I feel a little silly writing this post because maybe I'm the only one who didn't know how to do this. About three years ago my water went cold while Aric was out of town. He told me that the "pilot" light had probably gone out and that I just needed to get it going again...

Yeah right! I had no idea what that meant. He told me to read the instructions on the water heater. I did, but I still was intimidated by it. I thought for sure I was going to blow up my house with me and my children in it. I tried to get it going and it didn't work, so I called the water heater guy and $70 later I had my pilot light on. He also gave me a little lesson on how to get my pilot light back on by myself. (Why did that sound so inappropriate!?)

Well this morning I turned on the faucet and there was no hot water. Aric was at work and I needed a shower. I had just read Christie's "How-To" post and thought I would throw this out there as my offering...

"How To Get Your Water From Cold To Hot"

Do not settle for a cold shower while you wait for your man to get home.

Go to your utility room and find your water heater. (The round gray thing.) Then get on your belly to make sure the light is out.

You have to look closely at an angle, you should see a blueish purple flame...

Nada.

You read the instructions all the way through just like the sticker says...

Don't be intimidated by how scary this looks.

Turn this knob to the left, to "vacation"...

Then turn this knob from on...

...to off, by turning it to the left. Then wait ten minutes. The ten minute wait is really a good idea. This is so you won't blow yourself up.

After ten minutes, turn it to "pilot".

Now get back on your belly and look through the hole. Push the red button down and push the black button until it clicks. If the flame doesn't come on and stay on, push the black button again up to three times. If the flame doesn't come, turn blue dial to off and wait ten minutes before you try again.

I had to do it twice before the flame came on. You have to get on your belly and look at an angle to see the flame. Once it's lit you have to keep holding the red button down for one minute. Then let it go and put the blue dial back to "on". When you turn off the light in your utility room you will see this sweet little blueish/purple flame.

Now wait about 20 minutes and then enjoy your hot water...

Now take the $70 you saved and buy yourself something fabulous!

Now the fun one...

"How To Lose a Challenge to Your Husband"

Have some left over pineapple glaze that has turned into thick, nasty goo...

Accept your husband's challenge "If you eat that I'll give you fifty bucks." 

You underestimate how awful the texture is...

You spit it out and feel defeated while your husband laughs at you. You decide to challenge him, knowing he could NEVER do it, if you couldn't...

He takes it like a champ and proves that when dangled something he really wants, he can put his mind over his body.

Waaah Waaah I lose. Aric wins.

Random-ness

So this is a post dedicated to all things random that has happened in my life recently...

Last week as we were getting ready to leave for Round-Up and I noticed one of these.....

"hanging" out in the corner of my garage.  Aric and Mike threw tennis balls at it until it came down.  I'm hoping it got separated from it's bat family, who is living comfortably in some cave in Utah. I'm sure it just started flying around with some seagulls and found himself out in our neck of the woods. Right....

*

Remember a few posts back I mentioned how we got our first pets, two fish, Lil Aric and Lil Jess, well....Little Jess couldn't take it anymore and committed fishy suicide this week.  She jumped right out of the bowl when I was trying to clean it and went straight into the garbage disposal.  So now Lil Aric is all alone. Clearly we are not cut out to be pet owners.

*

I recently discovered the yummiest treats ever...second only to The Hansen's Mississippi Mud... They are Three Muskateers Dark Chocolate Mint candy bars.  You can get regular size or these mini ones.

Three of these little guys are only 7 grams of fat.  I just got an eight pack for 88 cents.  I was so excited to share these little nuggets of heaven with Aric.  His casual reaction of "yeah they're alright" did not sit well with me.  I would not share them with him again.  Then last week he decided to try them again with a better attitude, giving them the respect that they deserved, and realized how delicious they really were so now I will share with him again.

*

The best invention ever!  Okay maybe not ever....but it is still very cool.  Let me introduce you to the "Bug Zapper".

It electricutes flies, bees and wasps and anything else that Aric can find.  We have a serious wasp issue around here and I had seen one of these before but didn't buy one until the end of the summer.  It was the best 10 bucks I spent this summer.  I will be carting it around with me next summer to every outing we go on.  Just doing my part to keep my kids sting free one wasp at a time.

**No honey bees have been injured or hurt while we have owned the Bug Zapper**

*

When I was in college I got my first cavities...four of them to be exact.  My dentist at the time took out my wisdom teeth at the same time he filled my cavities.  He gave me sleeping gas so I don't remember anything really except for waking up and the horrible recovery.  Well two of those fillings needed to be  refilled.  So I went in on Tuesday to have that done.  It was only supposed to take maybe an hour and Aric and I were going to go out for lunch afterwards.  Well....come to find out most people have four nerves coming out of their molars.  I have like six. 

My dentist, who also happens to be a very good friend, felt so bad.  When he would start drilling, I would flinch and he would have to give me another shot, this happened like four times AFTER the initial four shots. My appointment went way over and there was NO way I was eating anything for the rest of the day.  So no fun lunch with Aric.  My jaw is still hurting and I totally hate having extra nerves in my teeth.  Maybe that's why I get so easily annoyed.  More nerves...more things get on them...

I think that covers the random-ness that has happened the past few weeks.  If I think of anything else I will for sure post it.

**I picked this song because I love it and it is so random**

The thing about bugs is...

...I understand that they are part of God's creation but I have no desire to be around them or have them within a mile of me.  So needless to say I freaked out when I saw this nasty hive at the highest point of our house.

And yes that is my brave husband who is afraid of heights on the top of my house.

With a broom and a can of wasp killer as weapons, he went in for the attack.

And just like that it was all over.

My hero!

I was feeling pretty good about the bug situation after that.  Earlier I had knocked down three other not so big wasp nests so I thought we had things under control. 

And then....

I was driving home the other night and saw a very creepy, very large looking shadow on my driveway.  I got out of the car and found a giant beetle taking a stroll on my driveway!

Clearly he is dead in this picture and missing a couple of legs.  But look how huge he is!   Aric captured him in a jar and he died a day later.  I keep telling myself that he escaped from a South American mango shipment and that he was all alone.   The rest of his clan is still in the rain forest of Ecuador wondering what happened to him...right?...because there is no way that a mutant beetle colony lives out here in my neck of the woods...right?...

Good Deals and Haircuts

If finding the "best deals ever" were an Olympic sport I would totally win gold every time.  The only people who could come close to my shopping skills are my mom and my mother-in-law. There is nothing like the rush of a great deal.  Here is what would have won me some gold this week.

On Saturday we were on a mission.  Soccer practice starts this week and we needed some new gear.  So I grabbed the adds and found out that you could get name brand cleats, shin guards and a ball for $40.  Not bad, so we go to the store get all the right sizes and bought the gear.  As we were driving away I found another add that advertised the exact same stuff for only $30 ! So we drove half a mile  and got the better deal, then went back and returned the other stuff. 

 

Then I had to go to Kohls to return a way cute purse that I bought a month ago at a weak moment.  I had noticed in the adds, that they had a very cool toaster on sale for forty bucks (reg. $60). I hadn't mentioned it to Aric because I know he thinks our nine year old, 2o dollar wedding gift toaster was just fine.

I hope these pictures adequately represent the nastiness that was our old toaster.  I think I remember cleaning it once... maybe twice...okay just once.

 

So  Aric stayed in the car with the girls hoping that my "return" would go quicker if I knew they were all in the hot car.  Well I couldn't help myself and I ran over to the housewares department.  And there she was, the display toaster, all alone.  I asked the guy in the department if I could buy it and he said that it was no problem AND that he would even give me a 10% discount because it didn't have a box!  So now I was feeling really good about my purchase.  I go to the check out, make my return and due to some additional sale they had going on and some "Kohl bucks" I had earned, I ended up getting my toaster for....drum roll please...SEVENTEEN DOLLARS!

Pretty sweet huh. Now we just have to figure out how to work the darn thing without and owners manual!

Aric too was caught up in the spirit of good deals and found these socks for two bucks and this toiletry bag for five dollars. 

 

I know that these purchases would even make our friend Ryan Romney, self proclaimed "cheapest guy ever",  proud.

On Saturday we also let the girls get their haircut.  They have been begging me for months to do this.  I wanted to wait until right before school started but I couldn't take the begging anymore and gave in.  So here are my little girlies before....

...During...

...And After...

Don't they look so grown up! I can't even stand it!

More Busy-ness

I love summer! I would love to have a lazy summer but it is impossible for me sit that still.  So here are some of the things that have been keeping me busy.

 

Family Home  Swim-time

So I sorta missed the registration for swim lessons. The competition to get into swim programs around here is fierce!  So the poor girls are stuck with me and Aric this summer.

 

 

 

Aric is by far the better instructor, I  just teach them not to breathe in or swallow water and then dog paddle like crazy.

 

John Adams Marathon

Our good friends the Nebeker's let us borrow their John Adams DVD's.  There was a series on HBO and they released all seven  episodes onto DVD.  They were awesome! I love history and I especially love the history of our country.  It is really amazing how our country gained it's freedom and we owe so much to our founding fathers. It has only deepened my gratitude for the constitution and for those who were a part of bringing it to pass.  So worth the 10 hours of watching.

 

 Cris Crowder's Wedding

 

I drove five hours round trip so I could be there for two hours. I had to be there, mostly for Karen but for Cris too.  It was totally worth it. He is "My Karen's" oldest son and I used to baby sit him. His cute little wife, Natalie gets to baby sit him now.

 

Midnight Release of "Breaking Dawn"

Amy and I were totally there at 11:53pm, we decided to forgo the "party". Good thing because when we got there it was clear there were some serious die hard fans dressed in prom dresses or as vampires. And we were definitely not part of that crowd. I am happy to report that it was about 50/50 when it came to the general fan base that showed up. (50% teenagers, 50% twenty/thirty somethings.) I am 479 pages into it. I am thoroughly enjoying it, although I must say I don't think it is appropriate for teenagers...but that's just me.

 

Ward Service Project

See that guy on the ladder....that was me just moments before I started taking pictures.

Aric Got a New Car

It's time to say good-bye to "Whitey" as the girls so loving called her...

...and hello to "Blackie"

At first Eden was not okay with Aric's new car.  She was at the dealership with Aric trying to talk him out of getting the new car.  But once she had her first ride in Blackie , it was all good.  She was happy to find out she could still roll down the window in the back seat.

 

Can't say "No"

...exceptions: Aric and my kids.

Here I am making alterations to Stephanie's (my friends daughter) wedding dress.   I have to include both of these pictures because Eden took one and Maya took one. It would not be fair if I only used one.  Maya reads my blog so I have to be on top of stuff like that.  Oh and here is Stephanie in her dress that now fits her properly.

 

 I've also been helping my dear friend Ashley (the one who wears her shirt inside out when she goes shopping for vinyl) do some serious remodeling of her bathroom/laundry room.  No pictures of us ripping out sinks and destroying the hideous purplish/pinky tiles and no pictures of us tile shopping with four kids at Home Depot or Lowes. I'll let your imagination run wild on that one. But here's a taste of what it will look like finished. I had to throw that old tile in there just so you can see the difference.

And...I swap paint services with my hair dresser for hair services, so I was painting my heart out. My hair is in some desperate need of service so I painted a giant vaulted living room. Luckily it was only one side and some touch ups on another. Still it was quite a bit of work on a very high ladder.

Olive Garden and a Movie

No pictures of this but I used my $4 off OG coupon and we had free Batman  tickets from all the General Mills cereal we bought so we took advantage of the cheap date. The Sampson's drove so we didn't even have to pay for gas, we just had to put up with Mike. (Just kidding Mr. Sensitive) We snuck in a ridiculous amount of goodies and enjoyed the show...it really was a great show.

Maya Graduated to Blue Books!

Maya has worked very hard to pass off  her orange piano books.  Today she graduated to the BLUE books.  She is so excited and I am very proud of her.

I think I covered it all.  In case you hadn't noticed there is no mention of cleaning my house. We have been in a "laundry as desperately needed" basis and "keep the sink empty so the house doesn't stink" mode.

I love summer!