Well, I haven't posted in a while because we have been packing and preparing for our move.  We are moving from the craftsman house of horrors to a 2 bedroom apartment at the end of the month.  Right now we are trying to sell off furniture and other appliances to keep our moving costs down and save on space in the adjoining garage.

I didn't want to move into an apartment but with few options we had to settle.  There are soooo many real estate scams out there!  Tenants subletting at the end of their own leases for 1/2 the true rent to make some quick cash... placement agencies that ask for large deposits before they let you even see the rentals!

Well, the exterminator came yesterday and set glue traps in the kitchen.  I decided to check them before I went to bed and found a mouse stuck to one.  He had his poor little head stuck to the glue and was trying to get out.  I woke Johnny up and forced him to dispose of it.  The last thing I wanted to do was go to bed KNOWING there was a trapped mouse in the kitchen.

Last night Johnny decided to BBQ some chicken.  The was sweet of him as I didn't have to cook as much.  He found his silicone basting brush had been trimmed down to nothing.  He asked if I gave it a shave to which I replied no.  Turns out a mouse wandered into our kitchen drawer and chewed the bristles off!  I was sooooo furious about that that I called the property management company.  I called again this morning and they are sending out the exterminators next week. 

I didn't even have to fight with them to get this repair done!

For those that care about the issues Johnny and I are having with this house here is an update...

Feb 28, 2009, our landlord got a notice from the county health services that there were health violations with the house that needed to be fixed in 21 days.

March 17, 2009, none of the violations were fixed so I called the county to let them know.

March 21, 2009, the county inspector came out to the house to review the violations. He found a total of 26 major violations inside and out that the landlord had to fix in 21 days or be fined $300 each violation.

April 1, 2009, our landlord started scrambling to fix everything as the inspector was returning April 15. He moved off the property finally and took all his crap with him!

April 20, 2009, the inspector came and signed off on all the repairs. He then reported our landlord for having an illegal backhouse with tenant to the city safety inspectors office.

Now, our landlord needs to bring the backhouse up to code or tear it down to the ground!

Lou, our backhouse neighbor, is going to make our landlord pay through the nose!

I love it when the system works for the little guy and not the slumlord.

A quick update white I have a minute...

Johnny and I are not going to be parents. I have several cysts in my uterus. A larger one had burst and caused the pregnancy symptoms. Turns out I am in the early stages of a genetic condition that effects my fertility. My mother had her uterus yanked at 40 because of the heavy periods and the debilitating cramps caused by the overgrowth of cysts. Her mother had many miscarriages caused by the cysts as well.

Because of the now ever closing window of my fertility we have planned to talk about trying for a baby after we move out of the 100 year old Craftsman hell hole. (Rather than get into the mess that is this house I'll give you the skinny of it... rats, mice, roaches and disrepair)

Now I have to go pick Johnny up from work. I'll make some time later this week to update again.

Look what i found while harvesting artichokes! A wild bee hive in the pomegranet tree! Sorry about my spelling... Posting by phone.

Wed 05/13/2009 14:09 05132009029

Last night i finally got my long middy cut. It is past my shoulders but will look better when it is 6 inches longer. Pictures to come.

Sat 11/10/2007 01:24 11102007006

Pregnancy test came back negative. Guess i'm just a bit under the weather. Having some allergy tests done. I'm hoping that explains my headaches and "morning sickness"

Sun 04/12/2009 20:44 04122009019

A lot of things going on. Like i might be pregnant...

Mon 04/20/2009 15:48 04202009027

I wanted to wish everyone a happy holidays as I know not everyone on my friends list is christian. Hopefully I'll have some time soon to update you all on our living situation.

A lot has been going on on this end of things.  Not sure if you all want to read any of it so I have broken it down by topic behind cuts...

( Landlord from HELL! )
( Weighing the facts )

I have found my set of Francsican El Patio and even have a few serving pieces(a steal of a lot on Ebay for under $20 shipped!).  But I have a bug about another Francsican pattern I found at a thrift shop.  It is called Swing Time.  I found 2 berry bowls and a butter dish for $2 and had to have them.  They have a neat boomerang type pattern and a very un-Francsican look!  The colors are much more alive than the picture shows.  This would make a nice formal set for dinner parties.  But I am stuck on the mix-n-match idea my Mom mentioned when she saw my collection of patterns.  This pattern will look great on my kitchen wall with all the others!

We lost our internet connection.  To be honest we have been using our neighbors wireless signal.  If you don't password protect your service you deserve to have everyone using it!  Well, they sold their house and moved.  I have been using the wifi at the library this past week.  Its free and I don't have to go during business hours!  The signal reaches the parking lot.

The internet snafu has been causing me to miss offers on my ebay listings.  But the offers I have been getting are crappy.  I have a BIN of $74 on a nice hatbox suitcase and the offer was $10!  i banned that bidder asap.  It upsets me that people are not being fair with their offers.  I try to be fair when I make an offer and even add a note to the seller I am not trying to jerk them around.  I'm just looking for a great deal.

At least the internet issues will keep me from buying toooo much off ebay for the next few weeks.

I have been losing a little weight too!  I am down to 233 lbs this morning.  My waist is 37 inches!  It hasn't been that small in a year!  I will give the credit to biking to the library to use the computer and not eating after 7:30pm.  I have been trying to eat better but sometimes I feel like some sugary cookies or candy.  As long as I don't over do it I should be fine.

Hopefully I'll have internet at the house by the end of Feb.

We have been having really high electric bills so we have been discussing getting a new fridge since ours is from the 50s.  I want a refurbed vintage fridge but Johnny wants a NEW one.  I told him I'll settle for a Big Chill fridge.  20.9 cubic feet, ice maker and frost free!  But its $3200 delivered!  That is a bit more than we can afford.  I guess I'll have to save every penny without being too tight and get it behind Johnny's "back".

Our bathroom restoration is coming along.  I ordered the tiles and Johnny is almost done texturing the walls so I can paint them.  Once the tile is in we can set the toilet and put up the trim.  And we will be done!  I have been thinking of painting our kitchen cart white and using it as a storage cart in the bathroom.  Of course I'll use steel wool to de-rust the chrome and reset the wheels.  Hopefully I can find a stool for the vanity...

Well, time to go back home.  My butt is frozen from sitting here on the library steps!

I hate resolutions.  You make them and work at keeping them only to fail a week, 2 weeks a month later.  I've tried resolutions in the past to have them broken within 24hrs.  The big one that fails... DIETS!

I have a major issue with diets and eating disorders.  When I met Johnny I was 165lbs.  I was a size 10 in jrs jeans as I could finally fit into my tiny Abercrombie Fitch jeans.  BUT I was also starving myself all day so I could have nice romantic dinners with Johnny.  I started gaining weight after we got married when he started watching my eating habits.  The weight gain caused me to hit a depression and I gained even more.  By the end of our first year married I was 200lbs.

I am currently 233lbs as of this morning.  A week ago I was about 250lbs.  No, I am not starving myself or dieting.  I simply am following one rule.  I will not eat after 7:30pm.  I can eat all I want of what ever I want before 7:30pm.  As a night owl listing stuff to sell on ebay I snack all the time.  But I have started drinking green tea after 7:30 to curb the snack attacks.  So far I have dropped a ton of weight and have started being more active around the house.

I bought some shark the other day and found this recipe to use them...

Tipsy Shark Steaks

2 lbs. skinless Shark Steaks or Fillets, fresh or frozen
2/3 cup beer
1/3 cup cooking oil
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
4 cups sliced onions
1 cup dairy sour cream, heated
1/2 tsp. horseradish

Thaw meat in shallow dish. Combine beer, oil, mustard, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Add fish; cover and marinate 30 minutes in refrigerator. Remove fish from marinade and broil 4 inches from heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork. In a saucepan, melt margarine and blend in paprika. Add onions and saute until tender but not brown. Combine warm sour cream and horseradish. To serve, top each fish steak with onions and a spoonful of sour cream mixture.

Makes 6 servings

So, things are going well with the bathroom remodel.  Johnny and I got our landlord to fire his "contractor" and allow us to finish it.  The 1920s built in tub is in place and the plumbing and tile is done.  What got the guy fired is his half ass workmanship and not doing a full 8 hours of work a day.  He took a month to put in the tub and tile.  That is maybe-MAYBE- a weeks worth of work.



Johnny was able to get 90% of the final demo done in one afternoon while watching football.  Just so it is understood what still had to be done the corner of the bathroom where the 1970s shower was had major water damage and black mold floor to ceiling.  All the demo left is the ceiling in that corner- also moldy and water damaged.



Johnny was able to replace the joists and the floor boards in that corner after letting it dry out for a week.  Not bad for 2 hours of work!  This coming week he is pulling off the rest of the drywall boards and the air fan.



Saturday and Sunday we will be putting up new green board on the walls and 1/4" plywood on the floor. 

I've picked out a paint color- Behr Rockwood Jade.  Think 1930s jadeite green. 



I've also picked out a floor pattern.  We are going to use commercial grade poly tiles in 3 different colors to recreate a deco tile pattern.


You can't see it but there are 3 colors used and it gives the squares a 3D look.

Remember THIS post?  Update on my dish collection...

I found a small set of El Patio dishes on ebay for dirt cheap!  They are the glossy turquoise color and not the matte blue.  Four place settings to keep things on the small side.  The lot includes cups, saucers, b&b plates, salad plates, dinner plates and 2 sizes of bowls!  It also have a serving plate and a 3 compartment relish dish.  I'm excited to finally have a set of dishes just like my Grans.

Now I have my eyes on Taylorstone Rhapsody and Franciscan Oasis.  Not much to be found of either but what little there is is dirt cheap!

If anyone wants some Blue Heaven... I want to get rid of it so if you pay shipping its yours!

Dollhouse

http://store.dollhousecollectables.com/cacodolls.html

Home

http://www.rejuvenation.com/fixshow6125/templates/selection.phtml

I don't like giving my cats little tiny toys.  I have played around with the sizes of the toys to find a size I like.

Ball
I crocheted an extra round to make a total of 36 stitches.  It makes a plumper ball that my cats and ferrets find easier to grab and play with.

Pill
Again I added more rounds to make a total of 24 stitches.  Also, instead of 9 rows I found 12 makes a nicer pill shape.

The Monks Cord finish comes undone after a few minutes of cat play.  I tried braiding the finish and it seems to hold up a bit more.  Personally, I don't like putting catnip inside of toys as it gets moldy and smelly if washed.  I used bells and tiny rattles tucked in the stuffing.  The cats and ferrets are much more attracted to the noise and the texture than the smell.

Materials List

Finished Size

Gauge

Notes

The Pattern

Ball
Rnd 1. In MC tie a split knot around your crochet hook leaving a 10-inch tail. Wrap the tail end of the yarn around 2 fingers directly below the hook to form two large loops. SC 6 times through both loops placing a marker in the last ST. Pull both loops tight. These 6 stitches are your first round. (Need a picture tutorial?)
Rnd 2. Join with cc, sc twice in each st replace maker in last stitch throughout the pattern (12 sts).
Rnd 3. Pick up mc again and *sc, sc twice in same st rep from * to end (18 sts).
Rnd 4. Pick up cc again and *sc in next 2 sts, sc twice in same st rep from * to end (24 sts).
Rnd 5. Pick up mc again and *sc in next 3 sts, sc twice in same st repeat from * to end (30 sts).
Rnd 6. Pick up cc, sc around (30 sts).
Rnd 7. Pick up mc, sc around (30 sts).
Rnd 8. Pick up cc, sc around (30 sts).
Rnd 9. Pick up mc, *sc in next 3 sts, dec 1 rep from * to end (24 sts).
Rnd 10. Pick up cc, *sc in next 2 sts, dec 1 rep from * to end (18 sts).
Rnd 11. Pick up mc, *sc in next st, dec 1 rep from * to end (12 sts). At this point stuff the toy with a 50/50 mix of cotton balls and catnip.
Rnd 12. Pick up cc, *dec 1 rep from * to end (6 sts). Break yarn leaving a 6 inch tail. With yarn needle weave in tail trough tops of the sts twice, pull tight to close ball.

Pill
Rnd 1. In MC tie a split knot around your crochet hook leaving a 10-inch tail. Wrap the tail end of the yarn around 2 fingers directly below the hook to form two large loops. SC 6 times through both loops placing a marker in the last ST. Pull both loops tight. These 6 stitches are your first round. (Need a picture tutorial?)
Rnd 2. Join with cc, sc twice in each st replace maker in last stitch throughout the pattern (12 sts).
Rnd 3. Pick up mc again and *sc, sc twice in same st rep from * to end (18 sts).
Rnd 4-13. Alternating cc and mc, sc around (18 sts).
Rnd 14. Pick up mc, *sc in next st, dec 1 rep from * to end (12 sts). At this point stuff the toy with a 50/50 mix of cotton balls and catnip.
Rnd 15. Pick up cc, *dec 1 rep from * to end (6 sts). Break yarn leaving a 6 inch tail. With yarn needle weave in tail trough tops of the sts twice, pull tight to close ball.

Monk's Cord Ends
Cut off 2 8” pieces of yarn in mc and cc for each toy. Take 1 piece of each color, hold them together and fold in half to form loop. With crochet hook pull loop trough a stitch on ending row of toy. Hold one end of the yarn loop and twist the other end until it begins to fold in on itself. Not letting go of the twist, fold yarn so the ends touch. You yarn should wrap around itself and make a pretty cord, if not try again this time twist more. Tie the ends together so the twist stays then cut so the ends are even. If necessary move the body of the toy around on the cord so it is at the end. Repeat the process for the other side of the cat toy.

Found HERE