A true friend

Our AC died twice in the last 2 weeks.

Two times in two weeks.

The first time for 2 and 1/2 days, and the second time for 5 and 1/2 days.

I repeat, 5 and 1/2 days.

The median temperature outside has been 111.

We literally would have died but for a true friend that came to the rescue.



Our trusty little AC wall unit. This little guy pumped and pumped cool air into our room so we could sleep at night and not all suffer heat exhaustion.

We were also saved my many great and trusty friends who fed us, invited us into their cool homes, and offered to let us sleep over.

Next time we buy a house: make sure the AC unit is less than 30 years old!

Birthing

Well it has been a good six months since I gave birth, and I seem to have mostly forgotten everything, but this clip definitely made me think twice about doing it again. Yikes!

A little advice

Do you remember the camera that was giving us so much trouble? Well I ended up sending it back in to Canon and they totally fixed it (very good customer service, by the way) without charging me a dime. Why? Because I still had the receipt to prove that it was covered under their one year warranty.

Now usually I love to throw things away- I am not a saver by any means. But in the last year we've started saving the receipts for purchases over $100 or so. And it has paid off. We've been able to return a malfunctioning computer screen, get the camera fixed, and trade in a comforter that wasn't what it appeared to be in the store. Our storage system is an envelope in the desk drawer, but I'm not complaining.

Heels

No, not the kind you wear on your feet, but the kind that come at the end of a loaf of bread. Is it just me, or is the heel of a loaf of bread just not appealing? I know it is wasteful to throw it away, and after whining about gas prices (and prices and the recession in general) I should not be so picky, but I just can't do it. Even when my great friend offered me a sandwich on a heel of bread the other day. I just couldn't eat it. I guess being around a toddler is rubbing off on me.

Gasoline, anyone?

What is going on with gas prices? I know I'm not the most up on the news, but I definitely am aware of paying $4.15 at the pump, and others who are paying even more. What is the deal? I cannot believe that demand has increased that much above supply in just one year and I am sure that someone is making good money off of this. I know that we are dependent on oil and our foreign relations stink, but $4.00, seriously? How long can this go on? When will prices stop going up? How are people affording this? I have assigned myself a research project on the whole gas issue, soif you have any insight/know of good sources explaining the crisis please share. I just want to know why!

Terror, Part II

Today I went outside to unlock the fence for the pool guy who was coming to fix our pump pressure gage. As I opened the door to go out, I noticed something slide into the house from the outside. I looked down to see this:



A baby sparrow. Now I just made fun of my daughter for being afraid of costumed characters, and I will now make fun of myself for being TERRIFIED of the baby bird that somehow crept into my house. It found it's way over to an alcove by our fireplace and was just sitting there chirping and trying to get out the window. I instantly ran through the house and closed every door just in case it tried to fly into one of the rooms. Then I barricaded my girls in the laundry room and went back with the broom to try and help it out. LUCKILY it was a baby bird and could not yet fly, or I would have had a heart attack, but it was dodging all of my attempts to scoot it out with the broom. It was totally squawking as I tried to scoot it out, and every time it got close to the broom my whole body was covered with goosebumps. It was all of a few ounces big and freaking me out!!!

I called my friend, whose last name, coincidentally, is Bird and asked her what to do. She said I could try and pick it up with work gloves (NEVER), put a bucket on it and slide cardboard underneath and carry it outside (ONLY AS A LAST CASE SCENARIO), or wait for her to finish lunch and come over and get it out. Which option did I choose?

So after locking myself in L's room with my girls we waited 20 minutes for my wonderful, helpful, kind, generous, and brave friend to come over and save us. She got the pool net and a little wooden spoon and helped the bird exit the premises. The little thing seemed to be fine and hopped along its way, but as I write this hours later, I think I'm still recovering.

Poetic justice. I guess that's what I get for making fun of my daughter's fear- the chance to face one of my own.

Terror

What do



and most recently

have in common?

They are all characters who scare Lauren to death. Upon seeing any one of these individuals, she will burst into tears, cling to the parent nearest to her, and ask over and over again to leave. Such are the joys of toddlerhood! :)