Murphy's law hits again

Just when you think you've got a handle on things, something happens that makes you realize that you are NOT in control.

The Edge is acting up.  I need to plug in the battery charger and see if that battery can hold a charge.  A frost should not make it act up like this.  

Yeah - it's cold.  It was 19 degrees when Meri and I went to Robb's office to work out this morning instead of a walk.  We're both getting off the worst of colds and the cold air just slays me.

When I woke up today, I found that while the thermostat said that I'd set the house temp to 69 degrees, it was only at 66.  really?!!!  The only appliance that hasn't been changed since Robb passed.  Not sure if I can swing replacing it right now.  Actually I know I can't.  I replaced the battery in the thermostat and the house is 1 degree warmer but it's probably because the sun has come out.

Ever since I turned it on this winter, the furnace has sounded like a dump truck driving through our entry way.  Not as bad as the last time we called someone to fix it, but it's well on it's way.  I thought I'd be ok until spring.  Maybe not.  shoot.

So I googled easy answers to problems like this.  Filter change (check).  Something about checking if you need to clean the flame sensor.  Ummm ok.  I pulled the door off the furnace and it looks nothing like the video.  And I noticed the floor was wet.  g.re.at...  It's leaking from where it probably shouldn't and isn't going toward the drain in the floor.  sigh.  I hope it's an easy fix, like a piece of lint in the wrong place or hey! Here's the problem, just a fuse!  But I'm guessing it's more complicated than that.  The side of the furnace is warm.  It's overheating someplace inside.

me too.

I made the call to the heating/cooling guy.  He'll be here soon.

On the plus side, I had been planning on cleaning out the furnace room anyway!  Just wish I didn't HAVE to. and in a rush.

The property taxes went up by a ton due to a vote on a new pool.   The proponents said, it'll only cost THIS much more a year for a house worth $100k.  So for MY house, that translates to $130 more per month starting in December.  yay me.

The only things certain in life: death and taxes.

My health insurance is raising too in January.  This is NOT a good time to be alive.  

I'm glad I have a lot of canned goods stocked up with my canning habit but I really wish the world would straighten itself out for a while.

I wish Nancy Drew would come along, find a secret passageway that we never knew existed in our house and say HEY LOOK!  Here's a chest full of gold bricks! 

McVal's Law

 McVal Law: Anything that hasn't gone wrong for a while most certainly WILL as soon as McVal is in charge of all decisions... 

1) water heater blew.   

    Thankfully it didn't really BLOW UP, but it happened when Maddy was here for Spring Break.  So she helped me clean out the furnace room where the water heater was bubbling at the top nicely...  And even though I was always the one that made the phone calls, I was suddenly flummoxed.  dang.  With my MIL moving out, we just hauled all her things out to the living room that she'd been storing in there and mopped it up with old towels.  

   

   The last time this happened, the water had seeped through the wall and soaked/ruined the carpet in a bedroom.  So at that time, we caulked the floor boards in the furnace room and that saved the day this time! :)  Smart thinking back then folks!

   I made some calls, spent some bucks and we had a new water heater in place within 3 hours of finding out about it. 

   Whew.

2) Car problems

   I had just been visiting Ada, my bestie, at the nursing home.  I went to leave and the van wouldn't start.  REALLY?...  This happened several months ago too.  Robb had set up an appointment for us to take the van in and when we went back to church to jump start it, it started right up without the cables.  So leaving it sit for a few hours fixed it...  We thought, at the time, that because I'd used the power button so that the backseat plug in would work and I'd left it on with it draining things.  So we cancelled the appointment.  But why would the battery charge back up just sitting there?  I'm no mechanic but I don't think that's how it works...  But with my explanation of the power button, I just made sure that it was always turned off.

   That wasn't the case here.  After sitting the car crying for a while, realizing that Robb wasn't there to call, Meri came over and tried to jump start it with me, but that didn't work so she took me home.  Shub went back over with the intent of jump starting it for us and before he did that, he tried to start it.  It fired right up like there were no problems.  hmmm.  Then we took it to our car guy.  It needed an oil change anyway.

   He was able to pull the codes on what the issues were and he recommended I take it to a dealer.  sigh.  shoot.  So I did some research online.  A lot of people were hunting down this mysterious issue and someone's comment suddenly struck a cord.  It only happened on rainy days...  yeah...  It had been a very rainy day here.

   Apparently this car is designed with something that could get wet hanging down near the back tires.  and when you've driven it a bit and it warms up, it can suddenly make the car think that something is wrong with the system and it doesn't start.  My car guy eliminated the starter as a problem and several other things, so I'm guessing that this is the issue.  dang.  So I don't drive the van on a rainy day...  

   Seems to me that it was a rainy fall day when this last happened too.  Finding a pattern might help the situation.  PLUS my BIL is a great car guy and maybe he can research it a bit too and tell my car guy what to fix... ?   Thinking on it.

3) Money issues

I found out that I need to pay off a loan on Robb's 401K before rolling it over to my IRA...

   yay...  Just one more big expense that I hadn't planned on.  It'll all shake out...  It's just frustrating.  My little nest egg is dwindling.  BUT at least my IRA will be intact and ready for when I retire.  

  dang.  I'm getting old aren't I?

4) More Car problems

Jen's car broke a belt so between her, me and a neighbor guy, we replaced it, but then found out that the idler pulley was shot.  Who knew??!!!  I guess the neighbor guy...  She and I picked one up and will tackle it again as soon as the wind dies down and it's not so chilly here...  Maybe get him involved again if we need to.  So I'm learning new things...

I visited Robb's grave on a walk this weekend and told him all about everything.

He gets me...

Sorry - there are a lot of pauses...  But that's what I need right now anyway...

Same as the title of my blog...

Check out my progress!!! 

Two steps forward, 24 steps back.

Remember when I mentioned randomly that I'd bought a new kitty litter box and wondered if our cats had figured it out yet?  Well... there was a door on it...

So they didn't.

I have since taken the door off of it and shoved them in there a few times so they'll know where they're supposed to go.

Last night when I gathered my dress off the dining room table, ready to add the last sleeve and permanently stitch in the first one... I noticed it smelled funny and was a little damp...

Remember that scene in National Lampoon's Vacation movie?


Yeah... except it was cats...

Ok, no big deal...  I put it in the washing machine, cleaned the table up REALLY well.  I can deal!!!

The dress came out of the washing machine...

Remember when I mentioned that the dress was well fitted, and I was dieting so it wouldn't pop a seam when I sat down?

Well, check this out!

 

Yep... the seam allowances were shredded down to the stitches in most places.  If I even breathe wrong in this dress, it'll pop a seam and I'll be at this fabulous wedding wearing nothing but the lining...

Reason #12 for why you should finish seams with SOMETHING.

also

Reason #162 for why I should not have cats.

If you're a cat lover, then I'm sorry!!!  Nothing personal against you!  But I'm going to be angry with ours for a good long time...

Oh and last week, I had the pattern for this dress in a box and they wet on it too...  I chalked it up to "that's what happens when you have pets" and threw it away, thinking it'll be a cold day in hell when I make this dress again anyway...

Well... Today is that cold day...

I will be purchasing new fabric and the pattern (again) to remake the dress.  and NOTHING is going to keep me from getting it mostly done tomorrow night.

Knock on desk...  *it's made of wood...*

Another rule of thirds

You know how bad things come in threes? Yep. Three is in as of this morning... I won't tell you what they were, but I'm just waiting now for the next set to kick in.

I'm looking forward to this evening with nothing planned. I think I might spend it cleaning up the garage or my sewing area. Some fun now huh?!

Here's something that I've been requested to make sometime SOON! So that might be my project for Saturday night. Any suggestions on how to make this thing? I don't want to spend $50 on it or we'd just go to the store and buy it... Planning on ripping up some old pillows for the stuffing. Just wondering what shape to make it. Maybe have the woman I'm making it for lay down on the floor and I'll do a chalk outline of her? hmm.. That will be interesting.

The Willow Manor virtual ball was a lot of fun yesterday! I know most of you regulars read it and thought "HUH? Yep, Val's lost it!" And actually I really have... but it was fun virtual hobnobbing with the past and present celebrities.

Here's another set of three bad things that have recently cropped up too.

1) my eyesight. I need to wear reading glasses just to thread a needle.
2) my nighttime sleep is shot. Unless I use some form of sleep aid, I can't get a good nights sleep.
3) my sanity is going. But of course you already knew that...

The Rule of Thirds

And if you were ever in 4H, this doesn't have anything to do with photography... It's mainly Murphy's Law kind of stuff.

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A week ago our fridge decided that it's main priority in life was not to keep things cool anymore. Not sure what it's main goal was now, but I kind of think it had something to do with wanting to get kicked to the curb.

As luck would have it, we got the Memorial Day refrigerator special and Free delivery at Lowes!! After measuring things and then picking out a fridge we got the width and depth mixed up. We discovered that the fridge would only fit in the space for it if we turned it sideways and slid it in. But that would create it's own set of problems as we wouldn't be able to get the doors open...

We were living off the garage fridge but it was painfully awkward. We headed back to Lowes with a tape measure in hand and a written out diagram of what the space.

Actual diagram... drawn in haste...

We found a stainless steel, slightly rounded, very mod looking fridge. It's installed now as of yesterday afternoon and looks beautiful (altho already covered in magnets and fingerprints). It may not match anything else in our kitchen... yet... but it's cold.

And has it's priorities straight.

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Late last week, our bread machine broke! I had put a loaf in and it was doing it's job just fine for about 30-45 minutes, when suddenly it started making the most raucous noise and then bit the dust. What am I going to do with this dough?? I was in a rush to get to work, but Meri had just woken up and come downstairs. I quickly wrote her out instructions on how to bake it and I threw the doughy mess in a loaf pan to raise.

I came in 1.5 hours later to fold clothes on a quick break. The girls had already left for piano lessons. The house had a home bake, smoky smell to it... The oven was still on and the bread was still inside. sigh... Another loaf for the dogs. It was basically a black brick.

Anyway, I jumped on Freecycle right away to see if anyone wanted to get rid of a bread machine and scored!! Meri and I picked it up on Friday night absolutely free and sure it's noisy, but it makes a rectangular loaf! Awesome...

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On Friday, Robb, Maddy and my SIL and her family left here in my car heading to Chicago-land to attend the graduation party of our twin nieces. Since boarding a dozen dogs would cost more than our mortgage payment, Meri & I stayed home to puppy-sit.

The trouble started when Maddy went to fill up the car before they left. The thing wouldn't start. Robb went to rescue her and took some jumper cables. That did the trick and they brought it home. They left it running for a bit to charge up the battery. Who knows? We'd had the doors open for a couple hours cleaning and loading, so it might have been that. They shut it off then just before my SIL showed up. When they went to leave, it didn't start...

My BIL is a car genius and he and Robb went off to buy a new battery for it. Sometimes heat can make a weak battery die. After that, the car roared to attention and the group was ON the road again! They stopped a couple times on the way there (6-7 hour drive). They unloaded the luggage at the hotel and when they went to move the car again it wouldn't start...

Yep... 7 hours from home and you've got a broken car. sigh... Robb called me and asked what kind of car he should test drive. Um nope!!! Just fix it and come on home Sunday!!

Well, it was going to cost $800 at the Ford dealership that was conveniently located next to the hotel, but like I said, my brother-in-laws (all of them) are car genius, wizards, what have you... One bil went to purchase a $200 alternator and wouldn't let us pay him back. What a nice guy! His girls are going to go to college about 15 miles away from us next year, so we'll take extra special care of them for him!

All the brother-in-laws worked together and installed it on Saturday night after the party.

***********************

So anyway, my sister always said that bad things happen in threes.

Well, bad things did happen in threes this time, but in some ways they were all remedied fairly easily. I just hope that any new set of threes wait for a good long time before they hit us up again!

Murphys Law Revisited...

It's been a wild and crazy weekend around my house. And all of the sudden it was Monday...

On Saturday I spent the morning at the high school helping out with the district solo contests. That was pretty fun! LOTS of talented kids in Iowa.... Here are just a few actors who came from Iowa... So you see? We got talent here!

Lara Flynn Boyle * Ashton Kutcher * Cloris Leachman
Donna Reed * Elijah Wood

Anyway, then between Maddy's performances, I went home and attached her skirt to the bodice for the prom dress. I couldn't wait for her to get home so I could try it on her! When she finally did, we put it on and I used stick pins to close up the back and get a feel for where the zipper should go. I had to run downstairs for something while she admired herself in my mirror and she yelled out, "I broke the dress!"

I should have took this as an omen...

All she had done was bend over a little and all the pins went "poke" and came apart. Nothing was actually broken... just the inpromptu pin zipper. So she let me have the dress back and I basted in the supposedly invisible zipper. She tried it on again. It took everything in my power and the many "under my breath" words to get that zipper up. I think I sewed a wee bit too close to the teeth... Anyway, finally got the zipper closed...

and then she inhaled.... Pop pop pop! The zipper didn't come apart at the basting, but at the zipper teeth themselves. The zipper was toast and apparently way too weak for this dress. I went to Walmart since JoAnns was already closed last night and we got a more substantial zipper. Will get it in tonight and also give her a little more breathing room...

So that was my first "Anything that can go wrong will"...

Yesterday was breezy. That's an understatement. It was gale force winds. Meri and Tiffany went and flew kites in our back yard and had a blast! Only one of the kites were working right, so they shared.Notice the trampoline in front of them. I either need to replace the bouncy part or stitch it up. Too many big boys have jumped on it at the same time last summer and tore some tabs off just a bit...

Yep - That's a unicorn flying above us!

Take another look at the trampoline this morning! The wind during the night shredded it and I'm going to have to stitch up the whole netting...

That will have to wait until after Easter and Prom, don't you think?

That was my second "Anything that can go wrong will"...

The last one... Because of the wind last night, the girls couldn't bring all the dogs in. Ellie (the hopefully pregnant) Golden Retriever would NOT come in for anything. In the dark, Meri could see she was playing with something out in the dark. She got Tiffany and together they managed to bring in Ellie. Then got a flashlight to find out what she was playing with.

Yep - the wind had blown one of my deck cushions off our deck furniture and she had been ripping it apart in the yard...

GREAT... (Dripping with sarcasm if you didn't notice already...) (Where's the "sarcasm" font??)

Murphy is a big jerk.

You know how stressed out I've gotten lately, right?! Company coming starting tonight... Tons more for Friday's shindig... Hair falling out in clumps... (Ok, the last is an exaggeration, but I've been yanking more white hairs out lately.)

So this morning, I got up a bit earlier to do some possible mopping in the laundry room or whatever needs to get done before tonight and before I have to go to work.

I don't want a certain member of the family to burst into tears again... so suffice it to say... It all drained into the front hall closet soaking all the jackets, coats and shoes... and they'll all have to be cleaned with bleach. And wouldn't you know it, I was ambitious last night and hung up everything...

Not exactly how I wanted to start my day.