This past week, I finally got around to putting two coats of paint on the second upstairs bedroom of our home. Ever notice that, no matter how hard you try, you always manage to miss a spot? I find that really annoying. So now all the finished rooms upstairs have been painted, and we have two full bedrooms with walk in closets, and one full master bath. We are open for visitors!
All I have left to do is install the new light fixture (with ceiling fan), put all the wall receptacle covers back on, remove all the painters tape on the trim, and move all the furniture back into the room. That's not going to be as easy as it seems when you realize how much is on that list is it? So I have scheduled that for Saturday, when my dear beloved, Mr's C can assist me, by telling me exactly where she wants everything. (Oh, and we have to pick up all the drop cloths and vacuum, also!) I plan to tackle painting the 18 foot ceiling in the foyer hall while she is out of town next month for a week at a conference.
Okay, one thing I realized while painting this room, is that Dogs are not good paint helpers. In fact, if you allow a very black dog into a room with freshly painted white tinted walls, there's going to be an issue... or two...or three...
I'm sure there's an application somewhere that dipping a dog's tail in the paint and having it run around the room wagging said tail rapidly afterwards is a good idea, but not in my house!
I'm just glad I got it off the dog before Mrs. C arrived home from work and saw it, or we'd probably been going to the vet to check for adverse effects. There's going to be more fun with electricity in a few weeks, as I will be replacing the light fixtures on the house and front entrance to match the ones on the garage. That means another trip to Lowes's! Yippee! I won't need a ladder to replace these, so if I inadvertently use myself as an electrical conduit, I won't fall as far this time.
That's a good thing!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
I have returned from my journey!
Where I spent the weekend attending one great party, as someone was married! WooHoo! And do I have some great observations and stories to tell!
Question 1: What do you think if many of the bridesmaids have tattoos, and those tattoos are interesting, in many ways, to say the least?
Oh, and what if the Father of the Groom showed up with a Trophy wife, and the trophy wife is younger than his son's new wife? Awkward, not Awkward? You make the call! More later this week!
Question 1: What do you think if many of the bridesmaids have tattoos, and those tattoos are interesting, in many ways, to say the least?
Oh, and what if the Father of the Groom showed up with a Trophy wife, and the trophy wife is younger than his son's new wife? Awkward, not Awkward? You make the call! More later this week!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
New Lamps on the Garage...ZAPPPP!
In my ongoing efforts at Home Improvement, I occasionally take on tasks to improve the House Of Casey Homestead. This Friday, I endeavored to replace the outdoor lamps on the Front of our garage.
It all started at the Lowes on MacArthur road. I asked Mrs C if she wanted a Fire pit as part of her Anniversary present. We have lots of firewood, thanks to my "fun with trees" in early July, and Mrs C has wanted a fire pit to sit around off our deck on cool evenings. I like the ambiance of it myself, so I was willing. Instead, she suggested we give the garage a minor makeover, such as new lamps, replacing the ones installed 17 years ago when the house was built. All the homes in our development have pretty much the same ugly lights, and we Casey's, we like to be different, so new lamps it was!
Mrs C picked out a classy lamp, and we needed two, one for each side. I had a budget of $200, ( I budget things, I'm crazy that way) and we came in at $196.00+, so I was pleased. So we get home, and I take the old ones off. They weren't even half the size of the new ones, and they didn't light up the driveway very well, so I was glad to take them down. So I open up the first box, and start taking inventory.
You know where it was made, don't you? CHINA. And you know what that means! Yes, one of the cap mounting screws was missing! More on that in a minute. I get the first light assembly up and out and installed in 20 minutes, but of course there is a problem. NO BULBS.
Note: Yes, at this time, the power was off. That becomes very important later.
Please tell me, why in God's name can't they put bulbs in these things? If you are paying almost $200 bucks for 2 fixtures, and each fixture takes 3 bulbs, and they pack it in enough Styrofoam to choke a horse, can't they include three freaking bulbs?
In the meantime, I have opened the other light box, and it has everything it is supposed to. Wow! How did that happen? So I take one of the cap screws and finish the first lamp (Sans bulbs) and call out to the lovely Mrs C. Mrs C had been resting comfortably on her (Now Heavenly) Hammock out in the yard, but she arose, and agreed to go to nearby Bell's hardware to get 6 bulbs and a cap screw. (BTW, she was there and back in 20 minutes, successfully completing her mission, KUDOS!)
While she was gone, I started installing the second light fixture. The first one had taken 20 minutes, this one, a little longer. You see, we have stone facing on our garage, and the first fixture had gone on easily in a spot where the stone was relatively flat, but this one? Because the base was twice as large as the old ones, it conflicted with a large piece of stone jutting out above where the electrical box I had to mount it to was. I finally get it leveled and secure, install all the bulbs, and flip the switch. First fixture is beautiful, second fixture? No power. Turn power off, disassemble. Okay, in getting it secured, black wire came loose. redo wire, turn power on before remounting. Lights work! Great. Turn Power off, remount.
Turn Power on. Fixture not working. Power off. Undo fixture, Cap on white wire loose this time. In trying to get properly secure I kept pulling wires apart. Up and down the ladder I went. So how soon do you think it was until I forgot to turn the power off, just once?
As I lay on the ground, staring skywards, my head next to a 50 pound brass Pig my wife has in our yard, I hear my cross the street neighbor call out, "Are you all right?" "Yeah, I'm fine, just missed a step on the ladder, that's all" I lied.
For all I know, she was shooting me with a camera and the footage is on You tube right now. I'm glad I didn't land with my head on the pig, or I'd have spent Friday night in the ER, as it was, I haven't been there since the infamous snow shovel incident in February, that required 4 stitches in my hand.
Anyway, Mrs C, hearing the neighbor, called out her own question, and because I was now up walking around, laughing, which is what I do at near death experiences, (God knows, I have so many, I've lost count), she doesn't bother leaving the Hammock.
She accepts my assurance that I'm okay, safe in the knowledge that my life insurance is fully paid up. Besides, the dogs were watching, and I'm sure If I had been unconscious they would have at least licked my face, and Mrs C would have noticed eventually.
The Good news is immediately after that I got everything working, and properly secured, and it looks great, especially in the dark, it really brightened up our driveway and property. And I lived to tell the tale! Which is good, after I ended up spending $650 bucks for a new set of dress clothes. It sure would have sucked if the only time I wore them was to be viewed at a wake. Though I would have looked good, for a dead guy.
It all started at the Lowes on MacArthur road. I asked Mrs C if she wanted a Fire pit as part of her Anniversary present. We have lots of firewood, thanks to my "fun with trees" in early July, and Mrs C has wanted a fire pit to sit around off our deck on cool evenings. I like the ambiance of it myself, so I was willing. Instead, she suggested we give the garage a minor makeover, such as new lamps, replacing the ones installed 17 years ago when the house was built. All the homes in our development have pretty much the same ugly lights, and we Casey's, we like to be different, so new lamps it was!
Mrs C picked out a classy lamp, and we needed two, one for each side. I had a budget of $200, ( I budget things, I'm crazy that way) and we came in at $196.00+, so I was pleased. So we get home, and I take the old ones off. They weren't even half the size of the new ones, and they didn't light up the driveway very well, so I was glad to take them down. So I open up the first box, and start taking inventory.
You know where it was made, don't you? CHINA. And you know what that means! Yes, one of the cap mounting screws was missing! More on that in a minute. I get the first light assembly up and out and installed in 20 minutes, but of course there is a problem. NO BULBS.
Note: Yes, at this time, the power was off. That becomes very important later.
Please tell me, why in God's name can't they put bulbs in these things? If you are paying almost $200 bucks for 2 fixtures, and each fixture takes 3 bulbs, and they pack it in enough Styrofoam to choke a horse, can't they include three freaking bulbs?
In the meantime, I have opened the other light box, and it has everything it is supposed to. Wow! How did that happen? So I take one of the cap screws and finish the first lamp (Sans bulbs) and call out to the lovely Mrs C. Mrs C had been resting comfortably on her (Now Heavenly) Hammock out in the yard, but she arose, and agreed to go to nearby Bell's hardware to get 6 bulbs and a cap screw. (BTW, she was there and back in 20 minutes, successfully completing her mission, KUDOS!)
While she was gone, I started installing the second light fixture. The first one had taken 20 minutes, this one, a little longer. You see, we have stone facing on our garage, and the first fixture had gone on easily in a spot where the stone was relatively flat, but this one? Because the base was twice as large as the old ones, it conflicted with a large piece of stone jutting out above where the electrical box I had to mount it to was. I finally get it leveled and secure, install all the bulbs, and flip the switch. First fixture is beautiful, second fixture? No power. Turn power off, disassemble. Okay, in getting it secured, black wire came loose. redo wire, turn power on before remounting. Lights work! Great. Turn Power off, remount.
Turn Power on. Fixture not working. Power off. Undo fixture, Cap on white wire loose this time. In trying to get properly secure I kept pulling wires apart. Up and down the ladder I went. So how soon do you think it was until I forgot to turn the power off, just once?
As I lay on the ground, staring skywards, my head next to a 50 pound brass Pig my wife has in our yard, I hear my cross the street neighbor call out, "Are you all right?" "Yeah, I'm fine, just missed a step on the ladder, that's all" I lied.
For all I know, she was shooting me with a camera and the footage is on You tube right now. I'm glad I didn't land with my head on the pig, or I'd have spent Friday night in the ER, as it was, I haven't been there since the infamous snow shovel incident in February, that required 4 stitches in my hand.
Anyway, Mrs C, hearing the neighbor, called out her own question, and because I was now up walking around, laughing, which is what I do at near death experiences, (God knows, I have so many, I've lost count), she doesn't bother leaving the Hammock.
She accepts my assurance that I'm okay, safe in the knowledge that my life insurance is fully paid up. Besides, the dogs were watching, and I'm sure If I had been unconscious they would have at least licked my face, and Mrs C would have noticed eventually.
The Good news is immediately after that I got everything working, and properly secured, and it looks great, especially in the dark, it really brightened up our driveway and property. And I lived to tell the tale! Which is good, after I ended up spending $650 bucks for a new set of dress clothes. It sure would have sucked if the only time I wore them was to be viewed at a wake. Though I would have looked good, for a dead guy.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Men's Warehouse - The True Story
Chris, having dropped so much weight, is having trouble letting go of some of his coins in order to purchase clothes to fit his newly refined frame.
Reluctantly, Chris agreed to purchase a new suit (or some facsimile of a suit) so that we could attend a family wedding dressed up as a couple. Three days of begging, and some pleading later, he agreed to go to Men's Warehouse.
I thank heaven for the other Chris that night, the sales person from Men's Warehouse. He calmly and patiently had Chris try on "four" jackets in order to find the best fit for my fit husband! Pun intended. Husband Chris is broad across his back, and requires a larger jacket than pants, so a suit was a little more out of the picture.
Salesman Chris measured Husband Chris' waist (not the jean line, but the real waist) and had him try on a matching pair of dress slacks.
And, I must tell you, Husband Chris preened a bit in the mirror at his new profile so wonderfully dressed! And, to be honest, he looked 'hot'.
Husband Chris then had the tailor doing all the marking on the pants (secretly - that part he did not like all to much) with the chalk.
So, quite a bit of coin later, we walked out the door, with the ticket to come pick up the new clothes later in the week.
A day or two later Chris (or a creature appearing to be Chris) came into the TV room and said, "Do you think I could get a new pair of the dress shoes at Men's Warehouse for under $100?" I wonder what that strange man did with my husband, because, certainly this was a pod person before me, asking about new shoes, and thinking about spending more coin. Was the real Chris stuffed in the trunk of the car?
Saturday we picked up the new clothes, and salesman Chris did a great job of selling Husband Chris the most expensive shoes on the rack, telling him they would go with everything but black, and how appropriate they were for the jacket and pants. Oh, but he did manage to sell us a lesser cost belt to match the shoes.
And for all you readers of the Casey Blog - I did push the matching socks issue with Husband Chris, but seriously, after over $500 for new clothes, the white socks really would have ruined the whole picture.
My dress for the wedding, with a sale, and two coupons - cost a grand total of $17. And I already had shoes to match.
Reluctantly, Chris agreed to purchase a new suit (or some facsimile of a suit) so that we could attend a family wedding dressed up as a couple. Three days of begging, and some pleading later, he agreed to go to Men's Warehouse.
I thank heaven for the other Chris that night, the sales person from Men's Warehouse. He calmly and patiently had Chris try on "four" jackets in order to find the best fit for my fit husband! Pun intended. Husband Chris is broad across his back, and requires a larger jacket than pants, so a suit was a little more out of the picture.
Salesman Chris measured Husband Chris' waist (not the jean line, but the real waist) and had him try on a matching pair of dress slacks.
And, I must tell you, Husband Chris preened a bit in the mirror at his new profile so wonderfully dressed! And, to be honest, he looked 'hot'.
Husband Chris then had the tailor doing all the marking on the pants (secretly - that part he did not like all to much) with the chalk.
So, quite a bit of coin later, we walked out the door, with the ticket to come pick up the new clothes later in the week.
A day or two later Chris (or a creature appearing to be Chris) came into the TV room and said, "Do you think I could get a new pair of the dress shoes at Men's Warehouse for under $100?" I wonder what that strange man did with my husband, because, certainly this was a pod person before me, asking about new shoes, and thinking about spending more coin. Was the real Chris stuffed in the trunk of the car?
Saturday we picked up the new clothes, and salesman Chris did a great job of selling Husband Chris the most expensive shoes on the rack, telling him they would go with everything but black, and how appropriate they were for the jacket and pants. Oh, but he did manage to sell us a lesser cost belt to match the shoes.
And for all you readers of the Casey Blog - I did push the matching socks issue with Husband Chris, but seriously, after over $500 for new clothes, the white socks really would have ruined the whole picture.
My dress for the wedding, with a sale, and two coupons - cost a grand total of $17. And I already had shoes to match.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Buca, Buca Di Beppo!
Take the old Barry Manilow song, "Copa, Copa Cabana!" and you will get the feel for this post, a tale of two restaurant experiences, not a tiny ship that was lost... but I digress.
Monday night about 5 PM I visited the Mens Wearhouse on Grape Street and was fitted for a new suit. To celebrate this once every twelve years phenomenon, I took the lovely Mrs C to a restaurant that she loves, known on other notorious blogs as "Dead Mobster". My Brother always referred to it as "Dead Lobster" and that's a whole another story on another day.
"Dead Lobster" as it is called by my family, is a place the old love and the young dread. It was a regular nightmare for my siblings and I.
"Where do you think Mom and Dad want to go out to dinner for their (Insert any occasion here)?
"Where do you think?"
I was the peacemaker in our family. After they could no longer drive, and I became their chauffeur, I brokered a happy compromise for all at, "Olive Garden."
Any way, back on topic, I drop Mrs C at the Dead Lobster door and score a parking spot next to the overhead canopy. Sweet! This may not be so bad after all!
Mrs C was back out before I was out of the car, announcing a wait of 15 to 20 minutes. Okay, that was expected. So we take a seat on a bench in the sun.....45 minutes later..... "table for annoyed customers? table for two for annoyed customers?!"
We trudge in, only to have them attempt to seat us next to the "we don't care if we get lung cancer" section. "We're going all no smoking soon" the hostess assured us. Mrs C was having none of it. She suffers from asthma, and I was about to speak up, when she did. we held out for the next available table, in another, not so smoky room.
For our impertinence, we were duly punished, banished to the booth between assigned waitresses, where we waited more than 20 minutes, just to get acknowledged.
When we finally did get a waiter, he took our order, then proceeded to bring drinks, biscuits, and food to tables that were seated AFTER US.
Once again, I wasn't feeling any love at Dead Lobster. When I finally got my cup of clam chowder, he told us they were temporarily out of biscuits. The tables around us were getting them, but not us. When we finally did get some biscuits, after begging and pleading, they had been torn in half to make it look like we had four, when we really only had two.
I thought Mrs C had ordered Lobster, but she informs me she had a serving of crab.
I was feeling pretty crabby about our experience there, but she enjoyed her Crab very much, and a happy Mrs C is what matters most. As far as I'm concerned, whenever I visit Dead Lobster, it always seems to be ignore the bald guy night, along with "no biscuits for you" and "you really don't want a refill of your soda, do you?" day.
Now Jump in the Time machine, speed away after that restaurant nightmare, and go forward to Saturday at 1 PM. Before returning to the Mens Wearhouse to pick up my new threads, Mrs C suggest lunch at Buca Di Beppo!
Mrs C is a wise woman, I tell ya. Talk about good service! And they custom made our Gnocchi for us, no red sauce, just oil and Garlic butter. Try dipping the garlic cheeses bread in that, kiddies. Oh Yeah!
We also had a small (3 servings) order of their Chicken Lemon, and we shared a bowl of their Italian wedding Soup.
People, you have got to try the Italian Wedding Soup, the taste is spectacular!
I can't have heavy foods, and this stuff was perfect. A great meal, with great service, and we were in and out of there in 45 minutes. We were seated in the Frank Sinatra room, and they had a big family party filling up their Pope Room, so I sort of expected a delay, but that didn't happen.
Two dinners, two completely different experiences.
Okay, now here is a very important announcement: Mrs C has made it known that she would like the opportunity to offer alternative views to some of my posts, and in the interest of continued domestic tranquility, I have enabled this blog to allow her to post her own point of view. Please respect her as you should me.
In my next post, I'm going to detail my adventures with electricity and installing new outdoor light fixtures/lamps on the garage. (And yes, I was short one cap screw) You know it's bad when your cross the street neighbors yells over asking "Are you alright?" and your wife stays in her hammock while you reply, while laying on the ground, "Uh yeah, I'm fine!"
If I'd needed help, she'd have given it to me. I haven't been to the ER since February, and that was only 4 stitches. I'm sure if I'd have really been hurt the dogs would have told her.
Monday night about 5 PM I visited the Mens Wearhouse on Grape Street and was fitted for a new suit. To celebrate this once every twelve years phenomenon, I took the lovely Mrs C to a restaurant that she loves, known on other notorious blogs as "Dead Mobster". My Brother always referred to it as "Dead Lobster" and that's a whole another story on another day.
"Dead Lobster" as it is called by my family, is a place the old love and the young dread. It was a regular nightmare for my siblings and I.
"Where do you think Mom and Dad want to go out to dinner for their (Insert any occasion here)?
"Where do you think?"
I was the peacemaker in our family. After they could no longer drive, and I became their chauffeur, I brokered a happy compromise for all at, "Olive Garden."
Any way, back on topic, I drop Mrs C at the Dead Lobster door and score a parking spot next to the overhead canopy. Sweet! This may not be so bad after all!
Mrs C was back out before I was out of the car, announcing a wait of 15 to 20 minutes. Okay, that was expected. So we take a seat on a bench in the sun.....45 minutes later..... "table for annoyed customers? table for two for annoyed customers?!"
We trudge in, only to have them attempt to seat us next to the "we don't care if we get lung cancer" section. "We're going all no smoking soon" the hostess assured us. Mrs C was having none of it. She suffers from asthma, and I was about to speak up, when she did. we held out for the next available table, in another, not so smoky room.
For our impertinence, we were duly punished, banished to the booth between assigned waitresses, where we waited more than 20 minutes, just to get acknowledged.
When we finally did get a waiter, he took our order, then proceeded to bring drinks, biscuits, and food to tables that were seated AFTER US.
Once again, I wasn't feeling any love at Dead Lobster. When I finally got my cup of clam chowder, he told us they were temporarily out of biscuits. The tables around us were getting them, but not us. When we finally did get some biscuits, after begging and pleading, they had been torn in half to make it look like we had four, when we really only had two.
I thought Mrs C had ordered Lobster, but she informs me she had a serving of crab.
I was feeling pretty crabby about our experience there, but she enjoyed her Crab very much, and a happy Mrs C is what matters most. As far as I'm concerned, whenever I visit Dead Lobster, it always seems to be ignore the bald guy night, along with "no biscuits for you" and "you really don't want a refill of your soda, do you?" day.
Now Jump in the Time machine, speed away after that restaurant nightmare, and go forward to Saturday at 1 PM. Before returning to the Mens Wearhouse to pick up my new threads, Mrs C suggest lunch at Buca Di Beppo!
Mrs C is a wise woman, I tell ya. Talk about good service! And they custom made our Gnocchi for us, no red sauce, just oil and Garlic butter. Try dipping the garlic cheeses bread in that, kiddies. Oh Yeah!
We also had a small (3 servings) order of their Chicken Lemon, and we shared a bowl of their Italian wedding Soup.
People, you have got to try the Italian Wedding Soup, the taste is spectacular!
I can't have heavy foods, and this stuff was perfect. A great meal, with great service, and we were in and out of there in 45 minutes. We were seated in the Frank Sinatra room, and they had a big family party filling up their Pope Room, so I sort of expected a delay, but that didn't happen.
Two dinners, two completely different experiences.
Okay, now here is a very important announcement: Mrs C has made it known that she would like the opportunity to offer alternative views to some of my posts, and in the interest of continued domestic tranquility, I have enabled this blog to allow her to post her own point of view. Please respect her as you should me.
In my next post, I'm going to detail my adventures with electricity and installing new outdoor light fixtures/lamps on the garage. (And yes, I was short one cap screw) You know it's bad when your cross the street neighbors yells over asking "Are you alright?" and your wife stays in her hammock while you reply, while laying on the ground, "Uh yeah, I'm fine!"
If I'd needed help, she'd have given it to me. I haven't been to the ER since February, and that was only 4 stitches. I'm sure if I'd have really been hurt the dogs would have told her.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
