Even though you may not be very familiar with them, most of you have probably at least heard of the Bobbsey twins.
Did you know that one of them was named Flossie? Flossie Bobbsey.
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Thursday, January 21, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Taking a bite out of business crime
So, we recently had a heating problem. The first company we called, John Moore (owned by Satan), came out and gave us a repair estimate that was SEVEN TIMES the cost of what we actually went with (Big Tex A/C - woot!) John Moore's diagnostic was also 3x the cost of Big Tex's.
So, after a call with John Moore's customer service department to verify that it was the actual company that was trying to rip me off, and not just the service tech, I submitted complaints with both the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and the BBB. And I now submit another complaint to you, internet.
DO NOT call John Moore for plumbing, AC/Heating, Electrical, Pest Control, Insulation, Energy Audit, or Window and Door repair. The "Moore" stands for cost. The "John" stands for poopy customer service. Call Big Tex instead!
Tell all your friends! (If they're not in Texas, I'm sure they don't care.)
So, after a call with John Moore's customer service department to verify that it was the actual company that was trying to rip me off, and not just the service tech, I submitted complaints with both the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and the BBB. And I now submit another complaint to you, internet.
DO NOT call John Moore for plumbing, AC/Heating, Electrical, Pest Control, Insulation, Energy Audit, or Window and Door repair. The "Moore" stands for cost. The "John" stands for poopy customer service. Call Big Tex instead!
Tell all your friends! (If they're not in Texas, I'm sure they don't care.)
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Decorative toys
I've been meaning to post about some of my newest projects for a while.
Just before Halloween we went to a pumpkin patch where I saw some cloth pumpkins much like these:
I don't often get cuted out by crafts, but for some reason I just really loved these pumpkins, so I had to go make some the next day.
Even as much as I loved them, it wasn't until after I'd made them that I realized how perfect they were: not only were they a fun project, but they are washable, indestructible decorations! Perfect for a house with a toddler and a mobile baby.
With this in mind, I used some of the same principles and came up with my favorite holiday craft this year: stackable snowmen.
Fun to mix and match:
Fun to stack and un-stack (this picture looks kind of morbid):
Lots of character.
Olivia loves them. She snuggles them, carries them around and dances with them. She also likes to have me sing "Once there was a Snowman" while stacking and unstacking them. Carmen loves to rip them apart and chew on the arms and noses.
I'm still working on some details (they're kind of wobbly), but even now they're a favorite around here.
Just before Halloween we went to a pumpkin patch where I saw some cloth pumpkins much like these:
I don't often get cuted out by crafts, but for some reason I just really loved these pumpkins, so I had to go make some the next day.
Even as much as I loved them, it wasn't until after I'd made them that I realized how perfect they were: not only were they a fun project, but they are washable, indestructible decorations! Perfect for a house with a toddler and a mobile baby.
With this in mind, I used some of the same principles and came up with my favorite holiday craft this year: stackable snowmen.
Fun to mix and match:
Fun to stack and un-stack (this picture looks kind of morbid):
Lots of character.
Olivia loves them. She snuggles them, carries them around and dances with them. She also likes to have me sing "Once there was a Snowman" while stacking and unstacking them. Carmen loves to rip them apart and chew on the arms and noses.
I'm still working on some details (they're kind of wobbly), but even now they're a favorite around here.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Reyes Magos and a Mystical Visitation
Every year we celebrate January 6th (Reyes Magos, or 3 Kings Day) with a traditional Spanish meal. This year we had paella, grapes, manchego cheese (salivates), pseudo-baguettes, and of course, the lovely Roscon de Reyes.
Traditionally, the Roscon is supposed to have candied fruit on top and some fruity flavor inside that comes from brandy. I hate candied fruit and the fruity brandy flavor. But I like pecans (and we live in the South anyway). Also please note (I say with a self-satisfied jiggle of my head and a rakish expression) that the Roscon is made entirely of flour I ground myself with a hand-operated wheat grinder. Que rustico! We have yet to see who gets the coin, and therefore luck for a year, and who gets the rock, and is therefore the bozo who has to buy the Roscon next year.
Also, yesterday when preheated my pizza stone in preparation for making naan (which was also quite yummy and also made with hand-ground flour), the head of an Easter Island statue mystically appeared on the stone.
Please take a moment to vote on the new poll at the top of my blog on what this remarkable image means for me in the coming year!
Traditionally, the Roscon is supposed to have candied fruit on top and some fruity flavor inside that comes from brandy. I hate candied fruit and the fruity brandy flavor. But I like pecans (and we live in the South anyway). Also please note (I say with a self-satisfied jiggle of my head and a rakish expression) that the Roscon is made entirely of flour I ground myself with a hand-operated wheat grinder. Que rustico! We have yet to see who gets the coin, and therefore luck for a year, and who gets the rock, and is therefore the bozo who has to buy the Roscon next year.
Also, yesterday when preheated my pizza stone in preparation for making naan (which was also quite yummy and also made with hand-ground flour), the head of an Easter Island statue mystically appeared on the stone.
Please take a moment to vote on the new poll at the top of my blog on what this remarkable image means for me in the coming year!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Old news
Apparently, Steven turned down the honor again this past year. I guess he thought it would be inappropriate for all those other women to be ogling him. Congrats to Johnny Depp for being first runner up...again.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Philately will get you nowhere
A couple of months ago we decided to officially turn our first child into a nerd: we helped her start a stamp collection. She LOVES it.
I bought a little purple photo album from the dollar store, made a cover (shown above), and loaded the album with a bunch of blank white cards. Every time we get a letter with a new stamp on it, Olivia and I cut the stamp off and glue it onto one of the cards. December has been a great time to do it, since people send so many different Christmas stamps. We also recently had a friend move overseas, and they obligingly sent Olivia a postcard with a nice English stamp.
So, if any of you are getting an urge to make a 2-year-old girl very happy for a few cents, please feel free to send us your stamps!
* Olivia also sounds very cute saying "stamp collegshun."
My Dad-in-law
Those who read my husband's blog already know this, but my wonderful father-in-law passed away unexpectedly a few weeks ago.
I don't know what to say about this. He was a great friend to me. He was so much more than that to Steven. He was a wonderful grandpa to my girls. It doesn't feel right to say this in the past tense, so I'll say that we all love him very much, and we will miss him tremendously.
We're so grateful and he and Steven's mom were able to come visit us in October (when this picture was taken). We had no idea of it being the last time we would talk during his life. In the last few weeks, I've been recollecting conversations we had during that visit - where we were and what we talked about. He had such a nice voice. He was so loving and charitable. We are both people watchers and I enjoyed sharing our observations on life. I always felt comfortable and accepted by him, and I really appreciated that, since he gave me his baby boy.
Back when we were dating, I remember Steven describing his relationship with his dad, saying, "He's just always been such a great guy." I second that.
I don't know what to say about this. He was a great friend to me. He was so much more than that to Steven. He was a wonderful grandpa to my girls. It doesn't feel right to say this in the past tense, so I'll say that we all love him very much, and we will miss him tremendously.
We're so grateful and he and Steven's mom were able to come visit us in October (when this picture was taken). We had no idea of it being the last time we would talk during his life. In the last few weeks, I've been recollecting conversations we had during that visit - where we were and what we talked about. He had such a nice voice. He was so loving and charitable. We are both people watchers and I enjoyed sharing our observations on life. I always felt comfortable and accepted by him, and I really appreciated that, since he gave me his baby boy.
Back when we were dating, I remember Steven describing his relationship with his dad, saying, "He's just always been such a great guy." I second that.
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