Win Win Mentality

I thought this was a bit of garbage, but it turns out it was a beautiful mushroom in the middle of my yard!  Bloom where you're planted and it sure did!

I took down the homemade awning yesterday.  Only found one dead spider in it. No live ones!! :)

And the major win I did yesterday...

The ice maker in the kitchen fridge had died.  It worked SOMETIMES if the door got left open a crack all night or if I put some ice trays full of water underneath it.  It's kind of like it would suddenly gain a conscience.  "OH MY!  Where's my head!  I need to be making ice cubes!"

Well that worked just a few times.

In my online research, I found that there is a little thermostat thingy inside of the ice maker and it may have gotten too much moisture on it and it broke.  I could believe that.  It cost $30ish on one site and $9 on another.  But then it occurred to me that I had a whirlpool fridge in the garage that we use for overflow for big meals.  The ice maker water line isn't even hooked up!

So I researched further and found that the garage fridge ice maker was the exact same model!

So I unplugged it and removed the ice maker, plugged it back in.

Unplugged the kitchen fridge and replaced it, plugged it back in.

Oh and I found one of the container lids that we were missing behind the microwave that I had to move!

So win win!

An hour or so later, I heard the first clattering of our first batch of ice cubes!

I threw them out.  Kind of like making pancakes.  But this ice maker hadn't been used for years.

But it's working it's little heart out now!!

Food, Appliances and a Movie Review

I canned a bunch more yesterday.  Have to make up for the time I didn't and replenish my stocks of stuff. So yesterday, I canned...

5 pints of coleslaw

10 pint size jars of broth

2 jars of lard (not officially canned yet but jarred)

1 pint of coleslaw syrup (I could just drink that...)

4 quarts of corned beef

 

1 jar of the corned beef didn't seal so I had some in my omelet this morning and will for a few days I think unless someone decides to finish it off.

Last night for supper, Ryan and I had fried beef liver and onions.  Wow it made a lot!  I'll probably have some of that for lunch.

We also enjoyed some broiled, dry canned potatoes.  I poured some veggie oil in the jar, shook it up and spread it out on a parchment lined pan.  Salted and broiled.  I probably should have let it cook longer to brown up, but I was hungry and the liver was already done.  Still good!

Meri wants to do another whole day of food prep like we did a couple years ago, only this time with Maddy too.  I think that would be great!  Especially if we work the canning in too.  Maybe get a water boiling thing going in my turkey fryer too.  I'm thinking burritos in a jar, making something with the turkey in the freezer, etc. mmm

ALSO a little back story on my dryer.  Years ago, our dryer had died.  A friend of ours from Robb's work, had a spare older one in his garage, having upgraded to one of those fancy schmancy ones.  I certainly did NOT mind!  It's going to be covered with goopy soap and a bunch of things that no one knows what to do with anyway!  So we got it installed.  It's a gas dryer.  perfect...

Well, it died on Monday.  I had had it running and forgot a washcloth from the washer, opened the door, tossed it in, closed the door and bam.  It wouldn't start.  Had I slammed the door too hard and broke something??  

I did some research and found an itty bitty part that triggers something inside to let it know the door is shut.  or so I thought.  I purchased it ($7 + 13 shipping) and it was here the very next day!  It wasn't even from Amazon!!!  It was as if they had the item in their hands and were asking themselves, now WHERE can we ship this?!!!  and here comes an address...

It got here and I watched a video on how to take the front panel off my dryer.  I worked on the wrong screw for too long before noticing the other ones.  Got it.

Couldn't figure out how to pull that tiny piece off and then realized that it's not even attached to ANY wires or anything!  How on earth did this machine know that the dryer door was shut?  and then I saw the little lever and there were two wires leading to it.  One was off completely.  

AHA!!!  But it wouldn't reattach without some help from tape.  So I taped it together, slid it onto the little doohickey, replaced the panel and plugged the dryer in.

It works now people!!!!

Because I was NOT in the mood to shell out money for another...

So that was my day.  Feeling productive one little jar or screw or tape bit at a time.

Oh and I watched the Adam Project on Netflix last night after supper!!!  TOTALLY recommend!

and I did recommend it to Ryan to watch with Leon this weekend.

And just a heads up, you will cry.

Appliance Man's Apprentice

On Sunday afternoon, I asked Leon if he'd like to take apart a toaster.  He and I had discussed it before and he'd shown an interest.  Ok!!  I have two leftover toasters from Meri's graduation party.  If you remember, we served Panera bagels and some just don't taste right unless they're warm or toasted.

 He got to work.  The biggest challenge was to remove the lever, but it came off finally with a flat screwdriver.  

It may never go back on, but I don't think that's the point here.  He worked for over 45 minutes unscrewing, prying, playing with the inside gadgetry and contemplating how someone could have invented this thing.

He said that he will put it back together as a new brand of toaster.

I guess I'll have cereal. ;)

Since this Friday is our big Thanksgiving reunion with family (80+ maybe this year), I won't be back until Monday.  

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Keeping It Classy

I spent a break raking outside yesterday.  We're those people who's yard is all prime for Halloween and Thanksgiving with leaves everywhere and Sedum looking beautifully brown.  Then we're too busy to do anything about it and wait until Spring to do the raking.  

The yards all around look pristine, but ours looks like hell.

So I took a load of yard waste out to the landfill yesterday.  Probably the first load they've seen this spring.  I've got many more to go, but we're taking baby steps.  There is lots to do.

But look what I found in the Clematis plant!  I KNEW there was still a missing egg!

The dye had faded.

I don't dare even ASK if I should eat it.  What with the weather being 5 degrees one day and 60 the next, then back to 32, then up to 57.  Yikes.  It's been crazy, but not uncommon.

I live in Iowa.  If you don't like the weather, wait a day.

The guy for the leaky dishwasher is coming today.  WOOHOO!!!  However I AM getting the swing of washing everything by hand now.  Got it down to a science.

1) fill one sink with soapy water and the other with clear.

2) empty the dishwasher.

3) wash dishes in the right sink and drop them into the clear on the left.

4) load them up into the dishwasher to dry.

5) wash off counters.

done.

JUST like when I was a kid.  Except then, we had about 5 handy maids and someone was drying with a towel and putting away while you did step 3.

We've gotten spoiled.

AND we have a leaky toilet...  It's not around the base, but under the tank.  YUCK.  And here I thought the mat kept getting wet from carelessness of some people...  I apologize.

Our plumber will be by tomorrow and will even install the bidet that I had given Robb for Christmas one year.  It's been sitting there for over a year now and we've been afraid to install it ourselves.

We don't have the best of luck when it comes to using pliers on pipes and such...

The parts for the broken dryer came yesterday and I popped them in.  NOT sure if it's working yet.  It could be that the batch I put in was too sodden to be certain.  I'm doing laundry today so we'll see.

Also, yesterday over my lunch and part of the evening.  I dug out the yards of black satin that I'd gotten from the free table and made 8 table runners for Meri's graduation party.  SO quick and easy to make with a serger!!!!  bingity-bangity-boom.  They're done and I get to mark off one thing on my massive "Do before graduation party list".  

PLUS, I was getting sick of always thinking about prom sewing and needed a break.  Back to that today.  

But won't cloth tablecloths and satin table runners make the grad party classy?  sweet...

A Veritable Hub of Activity...

The spring "get organized" bug has finally struck around here. Just a little... We had the dishwasher guy here last week to fix the dishwasher. He's coming again today to install a new side handle thingy on the top rack and a new soap dish door flap latchy thing.

I have such a handle on their lingo!

And you knew exactly what I was saying! Didn't you?

On top of that! As if having one appliance guy here today wasn't exciting enough... I've got a water softener guy coming here today too! I think I mentioned that our water softener has been acting up for about 6 months but I haven't gotten around to calling anyone about it... Yeah... I replaced the smaller filter on the contraption around Christmastime but either didn't do it right, or there is something more messed up with it than I think...

Handy Mandy I am NOT ...

Other than those two extra visitors today, I've got the usual work stuff, kid stuff and prom stuff to sweat over the rest of the day.

I got about 1/2 of the lining on the prom dress bodice sewn in yesterday over lunch. After that, just a couple more hems and a bunch of beads to sew on. I think I'll take it to my sewing meeting this weekend and get some tips on the bead thing.

Prom in T minus 9 days. We still have to plan a boutonniere for her date.

And now a quick look at a week old picture of Leon. I haven't seen him do this belly laugh yet. According to Tiffany, I don't talk high & goofy enough to entertain him. I'm apparently unwilling to look like a goofball.. like that's ever stopped me! My amusing alto voice does get a rare smile from him tho. Tiffany took a pic with her cell and sent it to me. Check out his Alfred Hitchcock chins!!!
I show this picture from my phone to everyone that asks about him and those who don't. The waiter at our fave Chinese restaurant thought he was really cute! But really... he's an old friend of my son... I'm not showing this picture to just strangers!!! Well, maybe a couple times...

And then of course now.

Laundry Room Blues...

Our dryer broke on Friday.

* sigh *

On Saturday and Sunday afternoon, we spent significant time at the laundromat up town drying clothes and washing what we could there to get caught up before we ran out of quarters.

Since then, I refuse to dispense with any more quarters unless it's a baby emergency. So... I've developed a system, providing you don't need these particular articles of clothing for 2 days.

After the clothes are done in the washer, I put them in the dryer for one cycle. It turns but it's all on air fluff... No heat cycle whatsoever! This dryer stint is basically so the clothes won't drip whilst hanging over our computer desk...

When that's done, I hang them up on the various clothes lines I now have strung up around our house, including the one that reaches from the landing to a post upstairs, directly over the computer desk. I won't take a picture of that at all. It's not document worthy....

The living room ceiling fan is on constantly for whatever natural breeze I can muster from it. It takes approximately 10-15 hours per load. But if I can hang up four batches at once, it's a snap!

But you do need to duck slightly under some of the wet clothes angle hanging across the steps.

Then when they're dry, you pop them back in the dryer for about 10 minutes or so to soften them up just a little on air fluff... which of course is all it does...

As this dryer is 19+ years old by now and the last time we had the repair man out, he warned us that it was on it's last legs... (I think he was refusing to come out anymore for it...) we're ordering the new dryer tonight.
Check out my little helper this morning! He helped me move clothes from the washer to the non-working dryer while sucking his thumb! I know it's not a brilliant habit to get into, but it kept him happy for a little while while his mommy was indisposed.