I hate catch up posts

But feel like I'm doing them more and more lately. But then, I can move on :)


1. Sooo.. I kinda got hung up on Valentine's Day. In particular, what to give my husband. I mean, I'm at the point where I'm tired of so many "things" and enjoy a nice practical gift too. However, having said that, a really "good fight" Gene and I had was about Valentine's dinner a few years ago so I always tread lightly in this department.

A couple days before V-day, I stopped at the gas station and saw some scratch off tickets, which he loves. So I decided that'd be a great v-day surprise. Thennnn.. on the way home, I thought well, I'll get some chocolate too. Then I thought it would be fun to add some Crown Royal and heck since I'm in the liquor department, some really over priced cigars too!

I told him it's the epitome of man gifts. Only thing it was missing was porn.

It was a HUGE HIT. He didn't seem too upset it was missing porn either. LOL.

He did a good on the practical dept too. He bought me scrapbook goodies, and let me go to Archivers a few days later.... took a nap in the car and didn't complain. That's ALWAYS A GIFT.


2. I'm a Duggar.

I am. I really am. You can't help but love them and their practical ways. Cept all those babies, I'm really not feeling that part, I could barely handle 2!

Having said that, I decided to make myself some homemade Duggar laundry detergent. It costs a *fraction* of regular detergent costs. It averages like 1 cent a load!!

From the Duggar Website:

Powdered Laundry Detergent - Top load machine
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
*½ Cup Borax

-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here. Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: We use Fels-Naptha bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing Soda and Borax can often be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2 per batch.


I purchased the washing soda at alice.com . They are competitively priced and shipping is FREE! I actually bought laundry detergent and deodorant online.

That's weird.

I feel like a jetson.
And a pioneer woman.

What a perfect juxtaposition of the past and the future. Ahh.. wax poetic.
Anyway...

Weird



3. Over the weekend we had an ADVENTURE. It was more like a pain in the butt and less like an "adventure" I'd say, but I'll try to make this the readers digest version.

First we decided to go to an antique store in Platte City where I found a beautiful antique vase - a steal at $10. Also some vintage tumblers with old cars on them. No idea why I loved them so much, but I do. Gene thought I was selling them, and wow was he wrong.

After that Gene wanted to go to Nebraska Furniture mart to look at televisions. We have been saving our pennies and watching sales for 3 months. He was tired of watching sales. I was tired of Nebraska Furniture Mart. However, there's a point where you have to stop shopping and just do it!

So we pulled the trigger on that, and it will be delivered on the 25th.

THEN... we ate dinner, and he suggested we look at mattresses. Huge mistake but since he's sleeping 1/2 his nights in the guest room because our *almost brand new* mattress is killing his back, I played along.

We found an awesome mattress, let ourselves get upsold by a craft sales person and bought it.

On the way home, we decided to just amuse ourselves and stop by the place we bought the original one. They said "BRING IT IN WE'LL EXCHANGE IT!!" Go Menards. They gained a bunch of points with us. We found one we liked even better and then headed off for home on a search for the receipt.

Did I ever mention that when I'm nervous, I have to go to the bathroom a lot? I do.
So the whole process made me nervous that we were going to end up with TWO perfectly lovely pillow tops and one bed to put them on. Like princess and the pea.

I went potty 4 times Sunday morning before 9 a.m.

We got the original mattress cancelled.

YAY!

So then the next day, we decide that we're going to take the beverage fridge that we ALSO bought at Menards back because first off, it sounds like a golf ball hitting the house every time the compressor kicks off and second, because I saw one I liked way better at Nebraska Furniture Mart. (did I mention I hate that place?)

So we load up the jeep, are on the way to return it when we get the call about mom's accident. Go ahead and return it, head to NFM, buy the new one.. OOPS! Out of stock!! *shoot me*

So now i have an empty hole in my island with a bunch of wine bottles sitting in it. LOL. We look like lushes. But the good news is, I got it put on the truck so I don't have to come back for it.

Anyway, so today Gene goes to return the mattress.
Yes.
Today.

I know, it's snowing like there's no tomorrow (and I might start to believe that!) when Gene takes off with our new mattress. He's hell bent on getting it TODAY. It snowed about 5-6 inches in about 4 hours.

He went anyway. He did miss the 3 semi pile up on Hwy 29 and an hour later calls me to tell me the "eagle has landed".

No lie. he really said that.

Then 10 minutes later he calls to tell me the chicken is in the house. He wasn't in an accident, just sitting along side the hwy because his van broke down!! His boss let him pick it up in the work van, and as I type this, he's sitting along the interstate waiting for someone to bring him some transmission fluid.

I told him to sell it to his boss like it was a good thing it didn't happen during the work day *whew* (sarcasm).

I don't know if I'm sleeping on the guest bed tonight or not. This might be FUN! It's like camping, only with pillowtops.




4. It snowed again.
Snow sucks.

It's pretty still, but it sucks.

Nuff said.



5. UPDATE: I just got a call. I'm driving my lil' 4wd to go pick up this damn mattress.. and a trailer. This will suck. Tell my family I love them!