Allergy Scratch Test Results...

I have been having crazy eye and skin problems for quite some time now.  The poor skin around my eyes has been everything from inflamed, to swollen, to chapped and raw.  I have exhausted the possibilities that a dermatologist could help with the exception of a steroid cream that helped a little, but was bad for the delicate skin around the eye.  I decided to try an allergist and had a scratch test performed.  Turns out I'm allergic to the outdoors!  Most notably, weeds and grasses!  Luckily I'm NOT allergic to my dogs, because staying away from them would NOT be an option!  I am however, moderately allergic to cats, confirming the day I ended up in the CSUF urgent care after a first date with a guy who had a brand new kitten...my face swelled up, throat closed up, eyes were more bloodshot than anything I'd ever seen!  (Needless to say, we didn't continue dating!).  My allergist suggested that I move to Hawaii to get away from the weeds and grasses of the valley (if only that was an option!?).  Either that, or hire a gardener or student to come take care of my lawns...sadly, this is not a financial burden I'd like to take on at the moment (I'd MUCH rather have a maid anyway!).  Ultimately, we started a regime of allergy meds. and I hoped for the best!  

A day trip to San Luis Obispo

There was a lot of things I wanted to do and get done this summer but this was one of those things that landed more in the "need" category. Ever since buying my house I have felt unorganized and never sure where to put stuff that should be kept in case I need to reference it at a later date. My cheap 2 drawer (broken since my last move) filing cabinet I got at Target back in 2002 is just not cutting it anymore! Many of the documents I've wanted to keep are larger than the standard letter size and most file cabinets made for the general consumer aren't made to accommodate that. So, Mom and I were talking one day and she had been searching the Internet in hopes of finding a used lateral file cabinet in good condition. I asked why she wouldn't just get a new one, ignorant of how much those files cost and was astonished when she enlightened me! She was looking for a HON 4-drawer lateral file which start at around 600 dollars and venture into the thousands!!! Anyway, I decided this was a perfect opportunity to fix my issue and help her search the Internet. Ultimately it was Mom who actually found the Craig's Listing for Tri-County Office Liquidators. When we called the San Luis Obispo location we were told they had quite a few 4-drawer lateral files and a couple 3-drawer ones (which I was originally thinking about getting) that were in great condition and mechanically perfect, although some did not have keys. We decided to hitch up the trailer in hopes of finding 2 big cabinets and make a day of it by packing up the girls and stopping at the dog beach in Avila before driving home! When we got to the store we were impressed that the cabinets really were in great condition, although the two good 3 drawer files had sold the day before leaving only one that had quite a lot of scrapes and scratches. In the end, Mom and I both picked nearly perfect 4-drawer lateral HON manufactured filing cabinets for a little over $100 bucks! They were a great find and after a quick trip to a locksmith we now have beautiful working, locking filing cabinets! I realize that it is a silly thing to be excited about but it is surprising how much less stress I feel now that I have things organized!

A stop at the dog beach in Avila

So after we picked up the two filing cabinets and got them all strapped into the trailer we made a stop at the Avila Dog Beach for a fun play-date! The goal was to stay long enough to let the girls get their fill of the water, sand, and freedom without staying so long that Baylie gets sick from drinking soooo much salt water (she's notorious for that)! It's funny because as soon as we turn off the main highway towards Avila beach Baylie starts to get so excited that she can barely contain herself! Ginger fed off of Baylie's excitement but I'm not so sure she knew why because this was only her second trip to a beach. Once the water was in view BOTH of the girls went CRAZY! It was a beautiful day for the beach, all sun, no clouds and even though it was windy it wasn't too chilly! We stayed just under 2 hours and the girls had a great time. Then we were planing to get some fish and chips but it was getting late and we weren't sure we could maneuver the trailer through the tight streets and parking lots at the beach restaurants. So we gave up that idea and settled on burgers for all...the girls were VERY happy with that decision!

Backyard Playtime...

It's the middle of summer in Bakersfield and as usual the mid-day heat is nearly unbearable! The girls and I have made it a habit to go out and walk or play first thing in the morning to avoid the heat without sacrificing outdoor fun and exercise. Here are some of the shots I got while playing in the backyard.

Greetings!

So I've been looking for a welcome sign for my front door for some time now and most of what I find is very "country home" which is notably cute but respectfully not my taste. When I ran across this sign in an issue of the Uncommon Goods magazine I just couldn't help myself! I realize it has the potential to be slightly off color but every time I go in my front door it makes me giggle and it is always a conversation starter when people come to my door! :)

Home Improvement Project...More Concrete!!!

Ever since I hired a company to pour sidewalk on the gated side of my house I've wanted to do the same on the other side of my house. My brother and I started planning out how to go about getting the side yard ready to pour and I decided I wanted to tie in the new concrete in with the existing patio...which meant taking out some grass and sprinklers. With Wayne working and living up north I with the help of my mom did most of the digging and initial prep work then I'd send pictures up to Wayne for "approval". On a couple occasions he was able to come into town to help fix issues I ran across, the first of which was a sprinkler highway and the next was getting my drainage trench to have enough fall. Finally we were down to the final touches and we got things all framed up on Friday the 25th, wrapped the house in protective plastic and did a bit of a dry run to be sure we were all on the same page so to speak. Then Golden Empire Concrete truck and Chucks pumping service were at my house by about 5:45am Saturday morning ready to pour! My brother and Rodney did most of the standing in cement initial work while the pumper guy handled the hose...mom and I were "on the ready" to hand off tools to the boys and then later we started floating it to knock down the rocks. My biggest job was edging...which was easy on the patio portion but it was quite a challenge as I moved down the side of the house because you only had space for you foot and I wasn't tall enough to reach the wall with my hands like the boys could so I got creative and used by leg! The weather was on our side that morning and the trucks were gone before 7am...we were done working it by around 9:30 or 10! I think it turned out really well, it was a fun project that I had a hand in creating and with a lot of sweat equity and some borrowed hands and equipment it was much cheaper this way! Thanks to all those who helped make it happen...I REALLY appreciate it!!!

Babysitting the Friesen's

So...Leah and Matt have been looking to get outta California for some time now and just recently Matt landed a Management job with Fed Ex in Evansville Indiana! Fed Ex apparently handles just about everything in the way of moving and the movers were at their house on Friday June 25th at 8:00am. I babysat the Isabelle, Madison, Andrew and Dakota (their black lab) for the day so the kids were out of the way of the movers and so that Leah & Matt could focus on cleaning the rooms after the movers were out. I made the kids chocolate chip pancakes and scrambled eggs for breakfast and Andrew said they were "better than Denny's" (probably one of the best compliments you can get from an 8 year old!) :) Anyhow we spent the day playing games, doing puzzles, coloring, watching movies. As a midday activity the kids and I mixed up some chocolate pudding, placed it between some graham crackers and froze them for some homemade "ice-cream sandwiches". Check out Isabelle's face--clearly they were good!!! It was a fun day and I will truly miss all of you guys but I sure hope you are loving your new home in Evansville!!!

I sold my Lemon and bought a new car!!!

My car, although it got me most the places I needed to go...it tended to be a bit of a money pit in the process! It was a 2005 Chevy Equinox and besides the regular upkeep items like oil, tires, and brakes I also replaced the battery 3 times, the AC unit twice, and parts of the radiator! By May it was making such a terrible clanking noise that I took it into the shop yet again only to be told it had a combustion leak, cylinders were misfiring thousands of times a minute, and something about the lifters too!?! Long story short, I was told it would cost a minimum of $2,400 and 10 days to fix it and I owed less than half of that on it! I took my brother's advice and took it down to Chevy for their "we buy cars" program and they actually bought it for $4,000 on June 18th, 2010!!! I took that check and ran strait to the bank! In the meantime I'd been searching for a good replacement that would still fit all my needs but this time I consulted with Consumer Reports before making ANY decisions! (Incidentally, Consumer Reports had the '05 Equinox listed as the worst year for that make of car...reveling engine and cooling issues!) I've always liked the Toyota Sequoias but they get MPG that is closer to a truck than a car and then I thought about the Toyota 4-runner but it was a bit claustrophobic for me and then I drove a Honda Pilot and fell in love! It reminds me of my old civic and even though it is a big car it still drives smooth more like a crossover or a car! I searched for a used one first but they seem to hold their value because it turned out that I could buy a new one for about the same price! Honda in Bako wanted an extra grand to find and bring the model and color I wanted to Barber Honda! I said forget that and started calling dealerships within 200 miles of here to check inventory and found that Galpin Honda Mission Hills in Fountain Valley had it! Mom and I drove down and I bought it that on the evening of June 19th, 2010! I just hope it lives up to Honda standards of working forever!!!