Gardening for the Impatient
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Our newest experiment in gardening is As-Seen-On-TV's AeroGarden... will update with picture later once my phone gets some power.
This is supposed to bring fresh herbs into your home in just a matter of weeks. We've tried planting herbs in our garden to add to an already existing rosemary bush, but the little critters got to them as soon as they started to break ground. The same happened to my daisies.
The little AeroGarden machine has a UV light that has to be on for 16 hours a day for the first few weeks with little led lights up front that give you warnings when the water level is low and when the plants need their nutrients tablet.
Yes, it's gardening for the black-thumbed. But the jury's still out...
Author: Cat » Comments:
My Craigslist Addiction Continues
Friday, February 22, 2008
I'm nesting... I'm cheap... but I like nice looking stuff. Naturally, I'm drawn to the odd, yet always fruitful world of Craigslist to fill our home.
My most recent purchase from this delightful world is a kitchen cart / island for a mere hundred dollars (normally $500-900 depending on where you're purchasing from). The kitchen was in dire need of extra counter space - as D's coffee contraptions have been taking up way too much of it near the sink.
The point of this blog entry, really, is to share how I've gotten my CL success - The best stuff (not gaudy and greatly priced) seems to be listed in the very late evening - after 9pm. The only reason I have been able to come up with for this logic is that these listers are looking to catch the morning audience.
Also, it seems to get their attention that you're truly serious about purchasing if you at least offer to paypal the money to hold the item. Most people don't like their time wasted by someone who'll come by then have to "think about it".
If you have any success with the above tips, please do let me know!
T
Author: Cat » Comments:
Sweet Dreams Do Come True
Saturday, February 16, 2008
I've walked out of the bedroom with an unshakeable smile. A cherry wood sleigh bed with a mattress that sits so high that I need a step stool to get up to it has just been assembled by D. He
let me decorate the bedroom how
I wanted it. All he asked was that I keep the floral decoration to a minimum, which isn't a problem at all.
After a decade of setting aside my desire for this bed (and a year of keeping a memory mattress on the floor), we splurged on it. The thing about it is - it wasn't a monetary splurge like I had been told it would be. The entire bed - including the new linens - cost us less than a new iPhone.
The bed frame is new - and purchased online on a great sale. Delivery was free, not to mention fast. It was here within a week and a half. The box springs are secondhand and purchased from Craigslist. The linens - king sheets, skirt, comforter, matching curtains - were purchased at Ross after a couple hours of hunting through the shelves.
There were a couple snags to the whole process of putting together this bed. The bed arrived in 3 major packages, none of which contained any instructions of how to put it together. After a few trial and error screws, D & I figured it out... all without taking each other's heads off! I expected to get chewed out when I put the feet of the slats on the wrong side. But once again, it was just bad memories skewing my perspective.
The second obstacle to the dream bed was finding an equally great deal on the box springs needed. I spent a week glued to Craigslist's RSS feed. I called every single listing for it. Most were already gone by the time I called or was waiting on the buyer to pick up the item. And after calling all the bedroom/furniture/mattress stores in the area, I figured out why. A king box spring requires 2 twin box springs. Each twin box spring ranges in price of $120 each to $400.
Yesterday, when all hope was lost and I was going to fork out the $250 for pieces of wood wrapped in cloth, I received a call from one of the listings that it was available. With paypal's help, D & I picked up the practically new items this morning..
Well, D did all the lifting. I just sat in the big white hick truck I borrowed from my brother. $40 and the hardest part was over.
Shopping for the linens at places like Ross tends to be like the experience I just had with Craigslist. You sometimes just can't find what you need when you need it, unless you are persistent. Some people like the challenge, and if you can handle the challenge, you can save a bundle. A king bed skirt at Linens N Things runs about $45 a pop - at Ross, $8.99. That is just unbeatable.
So tonight, I will finally sleep in the bed I've dreamt about for nearly a decade. The only thing is, I have to make sure I don't roll off it!
Author: Cat » Comments:
The Peeps at Work are Weird
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
I enter our little kitchenette, grab the bright orange cup and make a bee-line for the water dispenser.
But, alas, someone with a much larger and very empty water bottle beats me there. He fills up his water bottle minutes later then once it's filled, stands there drinking his very full container in front of the water dispenser. Not only was he standing in my way as he guzzled, but he was guzzling with the rim an inch from his mouth, causing spillage. Picture geeky, gangly man with geeky shirt on, no shoes, just socks, with water dribbling down chin onto geeky shirt.
This very sight caused stunned silence. I was too disgusted to tell him to move. But because I was too stunned to say anything, he proceeded to repeat the process of filling up his bottle and drinking from it...
Finally, as if he could have possibly missed me in my size standing only a few feet away in his line of sight, he realizes that I am patiently waiting for the water dispenser.
Only here...
Author: Cat » Comments:
Freedom!
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
That's what the kitten is saying this afternoon... He is currently on parole. His knee is healing, but not fully healed yet. He's allowed out of his prison (kennel), but no horsing around with his sister or climbing up counters.
Though at the moment, he's stalking his sister around the corners. I wish he'd just lay with me on the couch, but I can't blame him. He's been cooped up for weeks.
Author: Cat » Comments:
It's never just browsing around...
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Walking into a Costco or Sam's Club is like a trap. You can't just browse or pick up ONE thing... as the picture of our fridge shows. We went to get a new Sam's Club card as the other had expired and thought we'd pick up some juice while we were there.
We picked up juice... and soda... and Monster's new concoction...frappucinos... a laundry sorter... and many other things that filled up our cart. After an exorbitant amount of money, we filled up the car and went home.
Damnit. I hate these places... at least I didn't come out with 48 rolls of toilet paper this time.
Author: Cat » Comments:
