New Hyperness

Our old coffee maker gave out. Not completely…but it started heating up without being turned on…not good. Still useable as long as you unplug it every time you use it…we’ll keep it around for when my parents come…’cause we go through a TON of coffee then…but we needed a new coffee maker and have for a little while now. We’d been shopping for one for a few months (though it really took no time at all to choose the one we wanted…we gave it some time to make sure it was the one we wanted…NO IMPULSE BUYS! That’s our new motto and…we’ve actually stuck to it completely this year 🙂 ).

On Wednesday, we went out to Sam’s and purchased the Keurig Signature B60 Bundle. It came with everything including 60 k-cups. Within a few minutes of getting it home…we were addicted. Besides the fact that we can keep it plugged in so we can actually use the program feature and have things ready when we wake up in the morning…the coffee is awesome. Until a few months ago…I never drank coffee…but now I have at least 2 cups a day (I try to keep it to 2 but…sometimes I fail). Our old coffee maker was awesome when we got it. Hamilton Beach BrewStation…loved it! We got it as a wedding gift 6.5 years ago…so that’s a pretty good run considering how much coffee Jim used to drink!

Anyway…I’m definitely no coffee expert…I’ve only been drinking it for a few months and in that time have only had Maxwell House dark roast…on a consistent basis…my parents brought out a different kind and once in a great while I’d have something else but…anyway…having choices was overwhelming. Now…it’s just awesome. Still don’t know much about the coffee…and don’t plan on learning anything more than what I need to know…the coffee people describe coffee weird…like wine people…it never tastes anything like what I picture from the description. I like dark roast…french roast…extra bold coffees…and that’s all I need to know. Keurig’s website is helpful ’cause of the fifty million reviews of the way too many coffees! I don’t completely go by reviews…but if no one likes it…I’m not going to try it…and if everyone likes it…I might. Just made our first purchase (after days of trying to decide on coffee and watching our supply dwindle and getting tense about running out…that would be a tragedy). After way too much thought/consideration…we got…

Tully’s® Kona Blend Extra Bold Coffee (Jim’s pick…because he actually knows what coffee he likes)

Timothy’s® German Chocolate Cake Coffee (guess whose pick?…it has good reviews 🙂 )

And we picked the last two together…

Timothy’s® Coffee and Tea Variety Box

Bigelow Chai Green Tea (’cause we wanted a chai tea and I love green tea)

We also got a carousel (a necessity in my opinion). Yes…they sell it in stores but…if you pay $45+ you get free shipping…and since 2 of the 4 boxes of k-cups were free…we needed something else and the carousel is the same price online as it is in stores. Good deal. Can’t wait for all this to get here! in 3-7 business days. In the meantime…I’m enjoying my Green Mountain Dark Magic Coffee with some International Delight Almond Joy Creamer (highly recommended) 🙂

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And the search continues…

We are still trying to decide on exactly what camera/model we want. We have narrowed the search down to NOT an dSLR. After looking into them a LOT…I want something smaller. It’s odd…because I’ve wanted a dSLR for a long time…but I never really thought about them practically…and when I do…they are so not practical for me. I bring my camera EVERYWHERE! That’s one thing I really like about my p&s…it fits in my purse…no problem…so I always have it (and if I don’t…I cry).

We are currently looking at “compact cameras” from Leica (the best! – they are the size of p&s but take dSLR quality pictures (well…some are bigger than p&s but…not as big as dSLRs))…that’s what I’m hoping to get…but that could change. Whenever I carve anything like this in stone…we “end up” with something completely different that we absolutely LOVE. But…as of right now…we are looking at Leica d-lux and v-lux cameras. I don’t want to say which one I’d really want (v-lux 1 OR 2, d-lux 4 OR 5) because then it’ll seem like I’m settling if I don’t get the one I put here. I will LOVE whatever camera I get 🙂 And…I don’t really know what I’m basing my final decision on right now! (That’s why there’s no final decision yet! haha.)

What REALLY draws me to Leica…they are really good in low light…which is absolutely essential (in my opinion). I don’t want to get an expensive camera…and have to use a flash all the time…or not be able to take pictures where I want to…because there’s not enough light. That’s one of the big reasons I’m looking at new cameras…I don’t want the “spotlight” in every picture. Don’t get me wrong…I still LOVE my Sony…just want an upgrade.

Also…the pictures are crisper than pictures I’ve seen with other brands (see…not downing any one brand…just a generalization). That’s really just a preference…some like softer looking pictures…I like details!

Anyway…don’t know what the point of this post is…’cause we obviously haven’t made a decision yet…but…’tis an update 🙂

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Way too much babbling…

I finished a baby afghan for Warm Up America last night (see picture…which totally doesn’t do it justice but…you get the idea). I hadn’t been planning on making one but as I was making the 7 x 9 sections…I noticed they’d work for a baby afghan and that I had plenty of sections so…I put them together and TA-DA! I will need to ship it instead of donating it at Pat’s but that’s ok…I’m terrible at getting to the post office but…it’s for a good cause 🙂 I have tons more 7 x 9 sections that I will be donating at Pat’s that just didn’t “go” in this afghan. And I have TONS of baby hats that I’ll be shipping to Caps for Good (and I’m still working on more with the scraps I have left from the scrap afghan). Having lots of fun making all the stuff…and making it for a good cause 🙂

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Jim bought a lift for the garage. That’s definitely something he’s more excited about than I am…but I am excited for him. He found a nice one that’s perfect for what he does on eBay for a great price (considering what they go for new…and this one is like new). He’s been wanting one for years and is finally making enough with his side business to justify spending the money. Awesome. He’s going to pick it up in PA on Saturday…excitingness.

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I have decided to save up for a new camera. I still love my little Sony Cyber-shot but it’s almost 6 years old…I’ve wanted a digital SLR for a LONG time (since they came out!! but were EXTREMELY expensive) and there’s only so much you can do with the little digital cameras and I do sooooo much photography and would do WAY more/better with a DSLR so…I talked it over with Jim and…yay!!! I have a Canon Rebel SLR…and LOVE it…I’ve had it a long time. But…since it takes real film instead of a memory card…it’s “outdated”…haha. I would love to get a Canon DSLR…but honestly I’d be ECSTATIC with any make…as long as it’s good. Anyone know anything about any DSLRs? I’m just starting to do some research… I’m not looking to get the best of the best (I don’t want to pay for that!) but good/great would be…well…great 🙂 I’m putting some of our tax refund towards it but since I haven’t decided on a camera yet…I don’t know how much it is…and therefore don’t know how much money I need. Duh. But…I will keep you updated on what I get…because it’s seriously too exciting! I think people who have DSLRs kind of take them for granted…but I think I’m going to cry (or at least tear up) when I eventually get this camera! I’ve been waiting not-so-patiently for years!

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Speaking of our refund…I love doing our taxes…they are extremely easy (thanks to many things including TurboTax) so I do them early and get them done. When we lived in NY we always owed money…and waited till the “last second” to file but…now…the second Jim gets his W-2…I do the taxes and TA-DA…no more stressing about them. I know we make sure that we don’t owe anything…but I still have this fear that we will owe until I actually do the taxes and see that we don’t.

Anyway…like most people…we’ve pre-planned what our refund is going towards. Most is going into savings where it belongs but…we are putting some of it towards the house (some towards Jim’s lift until he pays it back after like…one job!…and some towards my camera). We need a new rear “door” (it’s only a door right now in the sense that it opens, closes, has a doorknob…and was once made of wood)…seriously…NEED a new back door. It’s been planned since we moved here 2.5 years ago…and we’re finally just DOING IT!!! We are also buying a “fancy” dead-bolt for the front door so that we can actually use it. We didn’t get a key for the front door when we got the house and it’s easier to get a dead-bolt than it is to find a new doorknob that fits this old door…and dead-bolts are safer, anyway. We found the one we want at Lowes…we just have to go and get it! And then Jim gets to figure out how to put it on our door. The front door doesn’t need replacing…it’s a GREAT and HEAVY door…but it does need a dead-bolt. Honestly…neither of those things need to be paid for out of the refund…’cause we can afford them without that (a door is about $200…depending on which one/where we get it and the dead-bolt is only $70…haha) but…it’s my way of getting us to FINALLY get things done that we’ve been putting off!

We also need to replace the basement windows (more expensive) and the side door on the garage (not expensive). All these annoying but necessary things that come with a house.

We are planning on getting a freezer for the basement for more freezer space. We have a 3/4 fridge (if you can call it that)…and our kitchen is such that we can’t get a bigger one without totally re-doing the kitchen (there’s a nook in the wall for the fridge that’s made for the fridge that’s here). We don’t have a problem with the fridge space…but the freezer is WAY too small so…logically…we are getting a separate freezer. You know what’s annoying? All these things have been on our “list” for years and have just never gotten done…even though we have the money to do them. Please refund…motivate us!

I don’t know how much of this is actually going to come out of our refund…haha…but like I said…at least it’s an excuse.

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Other plans for the future that have nothing to do with our refund…

We are planning on putting our NICE futon, which is currently in our living room (I feel the need to put NICE in front ’cause it’s not one of those dorm-y futons!) upstairs in our guest room/office. That way we have a bed up there when company comes and a comfy “couch” in the office when we don’t. And we are planning on getting a new couch for the living room. One that goes in the room more…but we haven’t honestly looked into it more than that. So…really…it’s not so much a plan right now as a thought. It would also give us another sleeping space when company comes…’cause we’d have the couch in the living room…futon upstairs…and the blow-up bed, too. (Promise to turn the heat on in our guest room when company comes in the future!! Haha.)

Buying shelves for the basement for the BULK we get from Sam’s.

Finishing all the partially done stuff around the house!!! We seriously need to get our butts in gear. It’s been tough. We’ve been busy. And how motivated are you to do housework in the winter? I know I am so NOT motivated! Cold outside = slow Gillian inside…

Ok…I’ve babbled enough for today…off to be productive!

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Couldn’t do it…

I couldn’t separate my blogs. I mean…I could…as in…it was possible…I did it for a couple days…but it’s just sad…so I looked back through them and since there isn’t really anything more “telling” than most of the other blogs I read…I’ve decided they can come here…especially now that they aren’t attached to my full name and all…I think it’s ok…haha. So…yay for welcoming back the past 4+ years of posts 🙂

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Joining the Land of the Paranoid

I’ve had it in mind to do this for a while but…honestly never wanted to. My other site was quite extensive (909 posts since May 2006)…but I need to get away from the site with my name and so…here I am. I don’t know how this paranoia works…am I supposed to use no names at all? That’ll get complicated. I’m thinking if I use just first names that’ll be ok. My previous site had last names and I’m pretty sure locations, too. That site is still in existence…because that was a BIG part of my life…to lose it’s a bit much but…now I have a new site…a new beginning…where you will know just as much and yet less about me 🙂 I know that pretty much everyone who reads my blog knows who I am…and where I live…haha…but sometimes strangers stumble upon it…and I don’t like that. It’s creepy…and I’m surprised I didn’t do this earlier.

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New Lives

Today is Jim’s first day at his new job. We just found out last week (a week after his interview) that he got the promotion he interviewed for. So very proud of him! He is now the “number two” at the store across the street…rather than his old position (which didn’t have a number…haha) 20 minutes away. Just too wonderful.

We just found out his official new schedule…and it feels like we’ve gotten our lives back. It’s been over 2 years since he’s had a semi-normal work schedule and even then he was working at the library till all hours at night so…a normal work schedule is pretty unheard of in our lives…haha. Now…he works from 7:30-6 every work day (no more closing!!!)…he gets 2 days off every week (Sunday and either Wednesday or Saturday…which means every other week he has an ACTUAL weekend…with 2 days off together!!! WOW!!! and he can come to church with us every week!!!)…he walks to work in less than 3 minutes…I get the car every day. It’s just unbelievable to me and will take me a little while to get used to.

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Two Posts in One Day?

Yeah…it’s been a while since I’ve written one post in a day…let alone 2 but…I’m currently waiting for Jim to get home so we can start organizing the basement (again!) and I don’t want to start anything else right now…nor can I start the basement by myself…the organizing we need to do it moving HUGE cabinets and bookcases and such. I am actually really excited to reorganize the basement because…I am getting a sewing area down there!!! Note: Our basement is so NOT a scary basement. It’s not a full basement…but it’s a 3/4 basement…so…unless you’re like…my dad…you can walk perfectly easily down there…haha. And it’s clean (or will be when we are done cleaning/organizing it!) and…if I’m not scared to be down there…even at night…that’s saying something! Anyway…so I’m getting a sewing area…where I can sew (duh) and keep my stuff out without it being in the way. Right now I use the dining room because the office (where I used to sew)…is now our bedroom…haha. And I can’t very well sew in our old bedroom because it’s right next to Iain’s room. Sewing while he’s sleeping = he’s not sleeping! I always wanted a space in the basement just didn’t think I’d get one…but our new goal is to organize it well enough so I can have a nice, clean space to “work” in 🙂

AND…which I think is pretty cool…when I get my iPod touch on Wednesday…I will be able to watch Netflix instant play on it while I “work” downstairs (Netflix instant play is our TV equivalent…so…basically…I will have TV in our basement – by the way…for those who don’t know…Netflix instant play is completely awesome and (in my opinion) better than TV (though probably similar to DVR/Tivo…never had one of those, though)…because there is literally always something on…haha)…yeah…I’m a little too excited about that one!

Jim’s home!

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Decisions decisions…

The debate continues…

I’ve thought a lot about the different devices out there that I could get…Nook, Kindle, iPod Touch, iPad (I am currently using an iPad that I borrowed from the library – pretty cool that they have a couple to loan!). Obviously the iPad is amazing…but it’s also expensive considering I don’t need one. If I did something that required something like this…it would be awesome but…I don’t…I’m basically getting a “for fun” thing…so…although this is seriously awesome…I can’t see spending $500 on something that’s just “for fun”…maybe someday…when apple comes out with something else and you can get these really cheap used (it’s bound to happen eventually…haha)…but not now.

I am seriously considering the iPod touch…it’s the same price as the eReaders only it does more…however…the screen is significantly smaller than the eReaders and since I am really just looking for an eReader…I don’t know. It does seem like the most logical…since it’ll read all kinds of ebook file types (unlike the kindle and the nook) but…will the screen be big enough to “replace” books?…that is the big question. Solution…I am going to check out my mom’s iPod touch next time I see her and see what I think about reading books on it. It’s not like it effects the amount of money I need to save. So…that’s the end of that decision for now (I will also be borrowing a nook from the library…so I can compare things).

On a completely different note…
Jim’s parents are caring for five 3-week-old kittens that were abandoned…they are absolutely adorable! We helped with them last night because Jim’s parents went out and the kitties need to be fed every three hours. They are sooooooo tiny and cute and a LOT of work!!! Jim says that I can have one…so…yet another decision…which one? They are all so cute…and so very very different.

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First Contact Has Been Made…

After exactly a month of playing phone tag and forgetting to call and such…I finally got a hold of the coordinator for Help Me Grow (the most difficult person in the world to get a hold of!). She was very nice. Her job (as it concerns us) is to take the information and place us with someone who does the screenings and such (seriously can’t remember what that person’s called…the one that comes and does the screening…and it’s driving me nuts…it’s on the tip of my tongue!…I hate that.)

Anyway…I felt pretty stupid on the phone, I have to admit. She caught me off guard with the kind of questions she asked. I thought she’d ask questions about the present…but she went back 2 years ago…if I’d known she was going to do that…I would have asked for the questions ahead of time…written the answers out and gotten back to her…haha.

She asked me lots of questions…”was Iain premature”…yes…4 weeks…”did he have any complications”…yes…but no major ones (because to me…looking back…they weren’t major…at the time…they seemed like the end of the world!!)…”how long was he in the hospital”…about a week…”why”…apnea (took me a bit to remember that one!…I couldn’t remember why he had to stay there…that’s pretty bad!!)…”did he have any breathing problems”…yeah…he had apnea…meaning he’d stop breathing…”oh yeah”…”what hospital was he born in”…ummmmm…hmmmmm…oh yeah…Vassar Brothers Medical…”what??!!”…Vassar Brothers…it’s in NY…”oh…I was wondering why I didn’t recognize it”…blah blah blah. She asked if I was just concerned about Iain’s “speech”…and I gave a resounding “YES!”…haha…there’s no way I’m concerned about his motor skills OR his social skills…haha…that’s just silly to even think about. And she asked why we’re “concerned” with his speech…”what’s going on with it”. It was actually a tough question…because he does talk…and he knows what he’s saying (that was another question…does he just say “what’s this?” or does he know what it means…he only says things he knows the meaning of…he never talks without purpose)…he just doesn’t speak CONSISTENTLY. Yay…through talking to the coordinator…I figured out how to say what we’re “concerned” about…he doesn’t speak consistently. Awesome. Because I’m not concerned that he doesn’t speak at all…some days he’ll speak in sentences…and other days he doesn’t speak any English at all…and sometimes he comes out with sentences and phrases and you have no idea where he learned them (odd for me since I’m with him 24-7!) and I never know what to expect day to day…even hour to hour. To me…it’s odd but…she knew exactly what I was talking about so…can’t be too odd. And he won’t mimic anything except weird noises (animal sounds…”wow”…”ouch”…”oooooo”. Silly things…no words.) I didn’t tell her that…couldn’t remember everything and…she’s not the one we’ll be “working” with anyway…I’ll be sure to be more specific when necessary.

Anyway…first contact has been made and I should hear from the other person tomorrow or Wednesday to set up an appt. A few more great things about HMG…they come to your house and it’s free 🙂 I hope that…even if there’s nothing “wrong”…they have some suggestions about how we can help him speak more consistently.

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More Bats…

Since Monday afternoon, we have have had 2 more bats (now totaling 5). One Monday night, which flew around our living room at 10:30. Unfortunately, Iain had just woken up screaming so he was downstairs in the living room, too. Standing in the middle of the room…shaking and screaming as the bat swooped around him. AHHHH! Jim grabbed him up…and comforted him till the bat flew out the front door…which thankfully didn’t take too long. I, on the other hand…had been sitting on the futon…and the second I saw the bat…I screamed and threw myself on the floor…and there I stayed…plastered to the floor…till the coast was clear. Once again…I’m really thankful that Jim is good in these situtations ’cause I suck. People can say bats are nice and kind all they want…that they are just looking for a way out…but I still don’t want them flying into me…thanks! I was able to comfort Iain AFTER the bat left, though 🙂

The fifth one came yesterday morning around 10:30am…thankfully Iain and I were out so…Jim was able to get that one out without us around 🙂 It was in the kitchen…much further from the front door…so it took a little longer than the others to get out. Fun stuff. I guess it was swooping to the floor and everything…our evil cat was right there…just watching it. He’s so useless…he couldn’t even have stunned it so it was easier to get out…what’s the point of him?! Haha.

We had no visitors last night so…right now…I’m waiting for another to come. Jim’s at work…I don’t honestly know what I’ll do if one comes…the only thing I can think of is to open the door and hide under the blanket with my eyes peeking out so I know where it is…and wait. Eekk…please don’t come while Jim’s not here!!! I can’t believe I have to worry about them coming during the day, too!

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