The Estimate or Selling Our Firstborn

We finally got the estimate for the work on the house last Saturday.

The handyman guy called here about Thursday wondering why we hadn't gotten in touch with him.
HUH?

Come to find out..... at least he says this is the issue....he had a problem with his email.....he's send out emails with estimates to prospective clients but the emails never got sent.  He's had this issue with a number of clients.

Don't know if it was an issue with his mail program, his employee or "him".  But that was the story why we hadn't heard from him for 3 weeks or so after coming here to look over the jobs.

So I open up the attachment/estimate and the floor about fell outta my ass.

Seriously?
The total was over $9,600 for the work we need/want done.

In my mind I had a figure of around $6K for all this.  That is what we were willing to spend to get this stuff done.
Not anything near almost $10K!

Here are a list of the jobs, broken down into 5 projects, we wanted priced out.

1.
 Repair and patch ceilings and walls-One spot in kitchen, 3 spots in dining room, a few seams in living room.
Skim coat of spackle 1 ft. wide section of walls around living/dining rooms.
Redo 4 corner beads over exposed metal edging.
Labor and materials.
Estimate-$1,140.00

2.
Paint downstairs walls and ceilings, approx. 1000 sq. ft. plus stairwell and upstairs hallway walls plus 2 interior doors.
Customer supplies the paint, handyman supplies the primer.
Estimate-$3,185.00

3.
Cut and install bifold door on front closet.  Customer will supply door and hardware.

Install crown molding in living room and dining room matching existing.
Labor and cost of crown molding.
Estimate-$675.00

4.
Remove carpeting in dining/living room.
Install approx. 400 sq. ft. of bamboo flooring(to be nailed down).
Customer supplies flooring and underlayment(if needed).
Estimate-$3,010.00

5.
Wrap garage trim in aluminum, 6" on jamb and brick molding.
Replace 3 sets of shutters on front of house.
Replace 2-23" hexagon gable vents on front of house.

Estimate-$1,330.00
 

An additional fee of $300.00 to cover material disposal.

 

Total Estimate-$9,640.00

 

The ones I thought  that came in high were Jobs 2 & 4.

Job 2 we are supplying all the paint(except the primer)so I really thought this one was high as it's basically just labor.  Painting isn't necessarily difficult work but it is time consuming.

 

So we decided to modify the painting job and make it smaller.  We will only have them paint the living/dining rooms and the stairwell and upstairs hallway and ceilings instead of the whole downstairs and upstairs hallway.

We can live with the kitchen/den as it is and when/if it needs painting, we can do that because we did it the last time.  We would also do the living/dining room ourselves but with the timing element of spackle repair, painting before the flooring gets done, it's easier to just let them paint those rooms.

The one place I can't paint is the stairway/hallway upstairs as I can't reach some of the stairwell walls and the ceiling.

Would like to get this down to $2K.

 

But I am also thinking I can paint the living/dining rooms so just have them do the stairwell and upstairs hallway.  I will go back and see what they would charge just for this paint job.  I think if I have a day or two between the time he spackles/repairs the living/dining room and throws up the moldings, I can do the painting in there, especially since we have the a/c now. ;-)

 

and Job 4.....Laying the bamboo flooring.  I really though this one was high!

We had our old handyman/contractor guy replace our master bedroom with bamboo in 2007.  He charged $550 and we furnished/bought the flooring, plus we removed the old carpeting.

Now I know the living/dining room is a tad larger than the master bedroom was(by only 10' x8') and prices have risen since 2007 but to go from $550 to $3,010??

 

So we went up to Lowe's, since that is where we bought/buy our flooring, and got a cost estimate for having the crew from Lowe's install that floor.

The Lowe's guy gave us a quote of $2,800 including the cost of the flooring and the cost of carpet removal, or $2,500 if we take up the carpet ourselves.

And the price of the flooring would be $850 of that cost.....so labor of $1950 or $1,650 to install.

So we have a difference of $1,060 for a complete labor only install(w/carpet removal)between Lowe's and the Handyman guy estimate.

Wow.....

 

Me thinks the handyman guy will NOT be laying our bamboo flooring......

 

I'd love to call up the old handyman and get put on his schedule for him to put in that floor because I know he'd be even less than the Lowe's quote but I don't really want to wait until JANUARY 2014 to be able to buy furniture and use the living/dining rooms.

Sigh.

 

So if we decrease the painting job and remove the flooring job, the handyman will cost us $5,630.00 plus another $2,500 to Lowe's for the floor job, for a grand total spent of $8,130.

We already have 3 boxes of bamboo flooring leftover from our bedroom floor we can use but we need to buy paint, so that basically evens out, so we need to spend $8,130 for these projects....or  if he'll accept $1K to just down the stairwell and upstairs hallway we can get all this done for $4,445.00(handyman) + $2,500(Lowe's)=$6,945.00

 

Still more than I planned on spending but it looks like the least we can get away with paying and still have a good outcome.

 

 

Sluggy

 

 

 

 

Sluggy's Boring Blog Box Giveaway.....Week 3 Enter Now!

It's time for another of Sluggy's BORING BLOG BOX GIVEAWAY!

 

Here's how it works if you are new here.......

 

I put things in the box(mostly what I have gotten for free or almost free)each week and when the box is filled we draw a winner from all the entries received.

 

This time the Box of Goodies is ALL ABOUT THE LADIES with things for your Girly side.

No shaving cream or manly stuff in this box folks!

Here is what went into the Box today......

 

 

 

1. Cover Girl Mascara

2. Jesse's Girl Eye shadow Palette

3. Jesse's Girl Keychain Nail File(shaped like a surfboard!)

4. Jesse's Girl Blush Brush

5. Jesse's Girl Eye Liner Pencil(grape something)

6. Jesse's Girl  Lip Gloss(peach)

7. NYC liquid Face Makeup

8. Cover Girl Nail Polish(purple something)

 

 

If this is your first time, please go read all the rules for these Giveaways HERE.  *As always, if you are located outside the US, you CAN enter and win but weight restrictions/shipping costs may mean your prize box will contain less items.*

***Time to enter.....You can enter on this Giveaway post until I close this post to entries.

1 entry per person per day on THIS POST.
Leave your name/email address and a COMMENT on this post.  

This week I want to hear about whether you have ever met in person someone who have known online? 

Was that person(s) anything like you thought they'd be?

Did it change your relationship and for the worse or for the better?

If you haven't met an online friend yet, would you want to?

 

You can come directly to this blog post or find it through the link on the right side bar to leave 1 comment per day.  The current Giveaway Post will be linked right at the top of the side bar.

Please NOTE--You MUST be a follower to enter the Giveaway.  If you aren't one, just click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog to become a follower.

There are 2 ways to get 2 EXTRA entries on this and each new Giveaway Post.......

1. Put my blog on your blog's Blogroll.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST with the URL of your blog so I can go check it out. **If I'm already on your Blogroll, say so in an extra entry comment once each week of this giveaway.

2.  Blog about this Giveaway on your blog with a link to this post.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST with a link to your blog post so I can go view it.  You can do this extra entry once each week of this giveaway.

 

These giveaways run about 4 weeks, depending on how often I get a blog post done.  The winner will be drawn from all valid entries received before the closing date of the giveaway.


 Any questions?  Just email me.

Happy Entering!! 

Sluggy

Goddag På Dig!

So to continue on with my DNA test.
I had what is called the "Family Finder" or Autosomal test.
Both males and females can take this one.
It tests your SNPs or Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms.
Try saying that 10 times really fast!

This Family Finder kit tests along the 22 autosomal pairs of  your chromosomes.
It is helpful for finding recent relatives and your geographic origins.

With this genetic information they put your results next to the results for everybody else who has been tested, and see where and how much of your DNA matches to the same positions on your chain to everyone else's DNA combinations in their database.

This test can be useful in finding your genetic cousins going back 5-6 generations.....meaning you could match other's DNA going back to a shared common ancestor of your 4x Great Grandparents generation.

The drawback to this test though is that while it tells you who shares enough DNA combinations with you to be related to you, it doesn't tell you if that match is from your paternal or maternal side.
So basically it gives you a clue but brings along even more questions.

Or as I like to put it, someone hands you a jigsaw puzzle piece from the center of a puzzle and then dumps the other 9,999 pieces on the table and walks away. 8-)

My Match Results turned up 6 pages of "Distant Cousins"(who could be anywhere from 2nd to 5th cousins) and 35 pages of "Speculative Cousins"(who could be anywhere from 4th to Remote cousins), and 40 pages of possible matches over the entire database.

I wasn't counting on any close matches since my mother was an only child and my father had/has 1 sister and none of that generation was ever tested nor has my 1 remaining sibling been tested.
The closest match possible would be a second cousin if any of my grandparents siblings' grandchildren have/had been tested.
More on this later......

I have already shared my Population Finder conclusion.  Most, if not all, of my genetic material tested came back as originating in Western Europe.

Besides my nice totally blue pie chart, I also got a map graphic of the world, indicating where my ancestors originated from.
Wanna see it?

Look closely and try to find the dark blue specs of color.  The variation is so small you might need a microscope.  Not only am a very very white, I may be inbred.....lol

My DNA indicates that my ancestors mostly(if not all), came from Western Europe.
There are 7 Continental Groups you can be placed into.......Africa, Americans, Europe, East Asia, Middle Eastern, Oceania and South Asia.
Within these groups you can belong to a subgroup genetic population.

And within these subgroups are smaller subgroups of nationalities.
Here's Europe's group, subgroup and nationality breakdowns.....

Europe
	Northeast European
		Finnish
		Russian
	Southeast European
		Romanian
	Southern European
		Italian
		Sardinian
		Tuscan
	Western European
		Basque
		French
		Orcadian (Orkney Islands)
		Spanish

Using this organizational chart, since my findings came back as Europe/Western European, I could have shown Basque, French, Orcadian, Spanish or any combination of these in my results.
Like 43% French and 10% Basque and 47% Basque, etc.

Mine came back with a 100% makeup of Orcadian population.  This refers to the Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland(which are part of modern day Scotland).

If you look at a map and do a little digging into the history of who and how different populations of peoples moved around in Europe the last 4,000 years, you'll see that Orkney is a group of 70 islands where the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea meet.
Neighboring countries/populations are Scotland(of course), the other British Isles of England, Wales, Ireland and the Isle of Mann, the Faroe Islands, Denmark, Norway and Sweden to the northwest, the seabound shores of France, Belgium and the Netherlands(plus part of northern Germany), plus Iceland out there northwest of the Faroes.

This Orcadian designations doesn't mean my ancestors were necessarily from the Orkney Islands but it means that the dna tested indicates that my ancestors were among the groups/tribes that mixed it up together in this area of the world......Scots, Picts, Vikings and Normans mostly.  This area of the world changed hands many times and countries were ruled by these groups.
People who test to be among the Orcadian population can also be found to have French ancestry I have read.  And there is definite direct French/Norman ancestry in my paper trail.

Orkney's first residents were Mesolithic hunters.  Then the savage warriors known as the Picts ruled over the area(throw in some Roman invasions)and then the even more savage Norse, along with the Danes, the Celts and the Norman invaders from the south.
You can go read a history book for more details but this gives you an idea of the groups swirling around this area of the world, swapping DNA long, long ago.

This idea that I could have Scandinavian/Norse ancestors if you go back far enough took me by surprise at first.  Not that you could prove via paper trail if I had a Scandinavian ancestor since there wouldn't have been any paper trail to follow that far back......

So while I was shaking my head at the thought of an ancestor named Ingrid or Bjorn, I saw this person listed as a possible 5th cousin-distant relative on my matches....
Rune NXXXXD
When you test your DNA you have the option of listing any known surnames in your family tree, so that you can see if you have any surnames in common with people you genetically match up with.  It gives you a place to start looking for the specific person who you are linked through.
Here is a partial list of Rune's family surnames.......       

• ¢demyr,
• ¢vregard,
• Andersbakken,
• Andersdatter Bredevangen,
• Andersdatter Fauchalskogen,
• Andersdatter Gjefseneie,
• Andersdatter Nigard Røsêasen,
• Anstensen N²rstelia,
• Bentsen Nigarden R²sêasen,
• Bentsen R²sêasen,
• Berdonsen Lille-Goplum,
• Bönick,
• Christiansen Skartseterbakken,
• Eiriksson Valbj²r,
• Endresdatter Fr²ysland,
• Engebretsdatter Odde,
• Engeskog,
• Eriksen Fr²ysland,
• Evensdatter Skartseterbakken,
• Fodstadkvennumen,
• Fr²ysland,
• Fremstad,
• Gr²te,
• Gr²thaug,
• Grimsrud,
• Gudbrandsdatter Krok,
• Gudbrandsen Gjefseneie,
• Gudmundsdatter ¢verbyeie,
• Gudmundsdatter Skinnerlia,
• Gulbrandsdatter,
• Guttormsdatter Gaarden,
• Haagensdatter Odde,

I can't even begin to spell these let alone find them in my family tree! lolz
And Rune lives in Sweden by the way.

The guide to this Autosomal testing does say it can pick up genetic dna matches going back further than 5-6 generations(or make mistakes evidently).
If there is a link here with old Rune, I know it has to be much deeper than 4x Great Grands ago.....



But on the other hand, when I gave that report on Wagner operas in a college music class and wore that Brunhilde Viking horned helmet for the presentation it felt oddly familiar and right to me.

                                   (photo from mudcat.org)

And dare I show you all this painting I did back in college?

It's entitled "Self-Portrait"........excuse the glare of the flash and  that it makes the painting look like I don't have a nose.....

 

Of course this Autosomal DNA test is also in it's BETA testing phase plus it only extracts/looks at about 40% of your chromosomal material so if they compared other places on your chains/strands you might come out with a slightly different continental grouping or subgrouping AND the same test might match you with people in their database that you weren't matched with for the markers/material they did test.
Which means, I may or may not actually have a genetic match with any one of these people they matched me with AND I may have ancestry in my DNA from other parts of the world, but it just wasn't found/tested for or it's too small of a dilution to be conclusive.
Yep.....that just makes this whole thing much clearer.....clear as mud...... ;-)

Who knows?
I might just have an "inner Viking".....



Sluggy

My Tests Came Back

Not my medical tests, though I have been having to take those recently(and everything came out good), but my DNA test I had done about 6 weeks ago.

Not to get too deeply into things in this post(yes, I am teasing and taunting all of you!), I can safely say that genetically.........

I am one of the whitest people you will ever meet!

When you get your DNA tested they give you a pie chart break down of your ethnicity so you can see graphically how much of what race/group is present in your genetic makeup.

Here is my pie chart.......

That's a solid blue Western European DNA result.

98.86% Whitey.

It can't be 100% because there is a 1.44+/- margin of error.
Or maybe there is a teeny tweeny tiny sliver of some other ethnicity in there.
Can't tell really yet.

My maternal lines(so far on paper)have all sprung from the Island countries off of the coast of mainland Europe.
My paternal lines(so far on paper)have all sprung from one particular island off of the coast of mainland Europe....you may have heard of it?.....Ireland.

It's no wonder I had red hair until I was 4 yrs. old and I can't even think about the sun without slathering on sun block.
I should learn to play the bagpipes, train to become the Lord of the Dance(since we can't do any other kind of dancing well), spend time walking on the Moors and eat nothing but Haggis and Po-TA-toes....

So there will be no ancestral trips to Africa, South America or China for me...... 8-((

More on my results in the course of time.

Sluggy-the whitest woman alive
 

This Week On The Dining Table

This is the "Not Doing Much Cooking" Week.

 

Here's what was planned last week--

Sunday--Potato Crusted Flounder, Roasted Potatoes and Onions, Brussel Sprouts
Monday--Tacos, Corn
Tuesday--Lasagna, Garlic Bread, Salad
Wednesday--Chicken medallions, Spinach, Squash or Zucchini
Thursday--Pork Chops, Green Beans(from last Summer's garden), Mashed taters, Applesauce
Friday--homemade Pizza-maybe barbeque chicken pizza(using more of that mozzarella cheese & cooked chicken), Green Salad
Saturday--Leftovers

 

We were good with this plan until Wednesday.

Thursday and Saturday we had Sausage Sandwiches(one night w/Coleslaw, the other night w/Corn on the Cob).  The local market had a new brand from NJ on special for $1.99 lb. so I picked up a few packages.  Making those was quick and easy and didn't involve the oven and I jammed 2 pkgs. in the freezer for later.  Friday I took the rest of the chicken breast meat from that 8.5lbs. I got for less than .99¢ lb.(After using some for fresh chicken sandwiches for lunches....), and made chicken and dumplings.  I threw in baby carrots that were getting old that needed using up.

 So Pork Chops and Pizza are moving to this week's menu....again. lolz

 

 I spent more anticipated last week because of the sausage patties on sale, the son wanted a frozen pizza and I hit the produce stand in town on Saturday morning and spend an additional $10 on fresh produce.  So last week,  I spent  $56.36 on  $83.78 worth of groceries at 1 store & 1 produce stand.

If I don't buy any more groceries until Thursday, August 1st, I will have spent $357.86 for food in July.

 

**We did have some food waste this week.......Sluggy hangs her head in shame.......

We hardly ever have food waster anymore here so I'm not too broken up over this happening.  I just don't want it to become a regular thing, ya know?

A small portion of Coleslaw and a bigger portion(2 maybe?)of Fajita filling mix went to Food Waste Heaven last week.
  

Leftovers, that are still aok, going into this week's plan......1 portion of Lasagna, 2 sausage patties, 3 helping of Chicken & Dumplings.

 

This week is Band Camp so #2 Son won't be here for dinner all week.

I can't eat Thursday, due to Colonoscopy prep(yuck!)so I am not cooking and Hubs is on his own.

(I told him to get fast food because I don't even want to smell food cooking that day. lol)

 

(I've made bold the leftover items I've used in the menu below.)

 Here's this week's meal plan--
 

Sunday--Leftovers or Whatever you can Find in the Fridge
Monday--Leftover Lasagna for me, Sausage Sammies for Hubs
Tuesday--Chicken & Dumplings
Wednesday--Pork Chops, Green Beans, Roasted Taters
Thursday--Fend for Yourself night, I can't eat. eek!
Friday--Probably Chinese Take-Out as I won't feel like cooking but will be ravenous lol
Saturday--No Clue yet....maybe that grilled Pizza I never made ?

On the shopping list for these meals--turkey deli meat(for my lunches), bread and possibly more fruit.

There are a few Catalina deals at Weis PMITA Markets this week I might be tempted to do(Unilever and Purina)but I'm not sure yet if I will.  I might hit up the bread outlet this week as we are low on all bread products.

 

I'm figuring about $20 for the list above.....more if I do the Catalina deals.

That's what's appearing on the kitchen table this week here at Chez Sluggy.  Not much cooking or shopping going into August.

 What's getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Sluggy

July's Decluttering Porn

More stuff left the house this past weekend.....

Just one of a few things I got accomplished lately.
Go me! 8-)

Back later with the Menu Plan for the week and Grocery spending.....

Sluggy

She's Baaaaaaaaack......

My bloggin' Buddy JUDY is back!!!

Go check her new blog out HERE.

Sluggy
 

Teen Brain

You would think that after 2 older kids I'd be use to dealing with the dreaded teen brain syndrome.

You know what I mean, right?
Teens have so many hormones and things swirling around in their noggins that it makes listening, thinking and following directions very difficult, if not impossible.

I have told #2 Son at least 4 times now this week about a small chore I want him to do.
I left it up to him when to attempt this job and here it is Saturday morning and it's still undone.

On this point, we had a "go 'round" about the chore in question on Wednesday.
He came downstairs and I once again reminded him(reminder #2 or 3, I don't recall)about doing said chore and doing it on that day, since he seemed not to have any mojo to get it done asap on his own.

He looked at me like I was an alien(shut up....I see you thinking something about me out there!lol)and said that I hadn't EVER in my life said anything before today about doing this chore.
Really??!

Do I need to start filming video of me telling him so I can play it back when he denies I ever told him something or other?

He continued to deny I ever told him to do this chore.
I know the child is suffering from an advanced case of teen brain and I explained to him what I meant.

Again, he looked at me like I had hot lava oozing out of a vent in my neck.
He shook his head in a way that says, "Poor mom, she's lost her mind." and left the room.

A bit later, as if to punctuate the point I was making, #2 Son returned downstairs to the kitchen to fix himself something to eat.
He took the second little French bread pizza out of the freezer(from the box of Stouffer's I got him the other day)and got busy in there heating it up.

I didn't pay attention to him really and got absorbed into whatever I was doing online.
About half an hour later I looked up from the computer as my nose was smelling something burning.
I yelled up to him and he flew down the stairs to the kitchen and started banged around all disgusted.
I looked up and he had a pizza pan in his hand with this on it.....

That slightly incinerated item was a pizza at one time.
It actually looks better in the photo than it did in real life.....
Ever the optimist(ha!)and trying to save the situation, I told him that charcoal is good for your teeth.

I could have sworn I saw daggers protruding from his eyeballs toward me at that moment.
;-)

Teen stood there clueless about how this had happened.....the pizza burning.
He said he had followed the directions on the box.

So I dug the box outta the trash and started reading them.
And it became apparent that what he did was combine 2 sets of directions-one for cooking it with a microwave and one for cooking it in a traditional oven.

One instruction said to bake at 350 for 30 minutes in a regular oven.

The other instruction said to bake for 2 minutes in a microwave and then place in a preheated 475 degree regular oven for 5 mintues.

So what does the teen brain afflicted youth do?
He preheated the regular oven to 475 degrees and baked it for 30 minutes.

*Thud*

And there you have it folks.
The argument that I HAVE told him about that chore I wanted done multiple times and he just hasn't processed the information correctly in his teen brain.

The old mom doesn't have Alzheimer's yet......
It's him and NOT me.
And hopefully I get this kid grown and out of the house before I do sink into the Alzheimer soup.

Sluggy



 

Perfecting My Wave

When I get silly I like to refer to myself in the third person when conversing.
You know......like when I disapprove of something and am talking to someone, I'll say, "We are not amused".

That sort of thing.
I'm just that silly.

Well come to find out, wanting to talk in the third person might be imbedded somewhere deep in my dna.

A few months ago I traced, via paper trail,(sources range from excellent to dubious though), my maternal genealogy back to European royalty.
Most of the connections are NOT sourced by me but taken from other trees of people I appear to be related to.

That gentleman in Erie, PA who I found I am related to via a maternal Great Grandfather's line(my mother's mother's father's line)and corresponded with about 5 years ago, is part of the Vassar/Vasser family of VA.  This line stretches back to the first immigrant to the New World, John Vasser who arrived at Jamestown in 1635.  Old John V. happens to be one of my 9th Great Grandfathers.
That's all well documented and many ancestors are right proud of that lineage.

But I turned my attention to John Vasser's wife awhile ago, Elizabeth Dowe(other spelling variations are Dow and Dew).
She also came to VA in 1635.
Her parents were Christopher Dowe and Elizabeth Franklin from England.
I traced Elizabeth's maternal line back 3 generations to an Ann Hare.
She was the daughter of Thomas Popy Hare.
I traced Thomas' paternal line back 4 more generations to a John Hare.
He married Jane or Joan de Neville, who was the daughter of Ralph de Neville and Joan de Beaufort, the Countess of Westmorland.
Joan de Beaufort was the daughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duck of Lancaster, of the Plantagenet house of England.
Yes, my ancestor was one of the bastard children of John of Gaunt and his mistress Kathryn Swynford(who he eventually married).
This line leads me back through the Plantagenet rulers of England all the way back to William the Conqueror(born 1024), who appears to be one of my 29th Great Grandfathers.
So even that line of my ancestry leads back to France.
I tell you I am finding all kinds of ancestors going back to France once I started rooting around deep enough in my tree branches.

My direct ancestor rulers are William(the Man), Henry I, Henry II, John I, Henry III, Edward I II and III,  and then I drop off into the minor nobility after John of Gaunt and upper classes of English society, before hopping a boat to America.
But being descended from the Plantagenet line means I am remotely related to all the rulers of England down through Liz II.
Do you think I can use my "connection" to the House of Windsor to get a peek "up close and personal" of the new royal baby? 8-)

Whoop dee doo I hear you say about all those stuffy royalty folks......
Yah, that's sort of my reaction as well.

But it still doesn't keep me from enjoying this cute little song from a BBC series called "Horrible Histories" that I found episodes for on You Tube.

Can't we all use a silly little tune to remember the Rulers of England by? lolz
Enjoy!





 Sluggy
H.N.S.R.M (Her Not So Royal Majesty)

Blathering On A Blah Day

Just lots of dull going on today here at Chez Sluggy.
My.....since I AM the Queen of Boring anyway, how boring is a dull day for me?

Pretty darn boring I'd say.

Just the usual suspects today......washing dishes, cooking, a little vacuuming, waiting on dogs hand and foot.....or would that be paw and hoof?.....some blog reading/writing, email answering and bubble land playing.
Oh yes, and writing a big check to the Daughter for her rent, health insurance and books the upcoming semester of college.
Writing big checks are no fun.
Receiving big checks on the other hand, are lots of fun. 8-)  But there is none of that going on here today, though the Hubs paycheck hits the bank account later today....just in time for me to pay the last of the July bills.
Oh joy.....yes, the excitement never ends around here.

Tonight is Project Runway viewing.  I hope Timothy(Mr. "I Don't Use Sewing Machines Because They Use Electricity" Faux Environmentalist)gets the axe tonight.  Such a phony.....
But then again it would be fun to have him around making trouble and giving the other Designers reasons to roll their eyes.

The "big" project I am currently working on is going through my fabric stash.  I am separating out what I am keeping to use and the rest is getting photographed, measured and put into my Etsy store later this Summer.

I'll post about this project later next month.

As for bringing in some extra cash, I put about 10 books up on Amazon last week and actually sold 2 already.
Go me!

The weather the past 2 days has been WONDERFUL!  It's been cooler & less humid and I haven't had to run the a/c at all.
And last night it was downright chilly.  Somewhere in the 50's and I needed a blanket on the bed.

And my post last week about Germany's fascination with me and David Hasselhoff?  Well it looks like I jinxed my stats with it, because shortly afterwards that 1 person in Germany who kept visiting my blog daily about 20,000 times seems to have stopped visiting here.
Yes, my audience numbers have fallen dramatically and audience geographical locations percentages are now normal-ish.
It was fun while it lasted......

I hope you feel better soon Linda.
And I was just thinking about missing "Udy with a J" and Jane's blogs.  Jane is probably off in the wilds of P.E.I. right about now, enjoying her summer with Michael.  I know she doesn't have internet service out there at her cottage so if you are in P.E.I. tell Jane I said "hi".


Ok, off to do other things now.

Sluggy
 

The View Outside & A Frugal Cool Treat

We had a busy weekend here at Chez Sluggy.

On Sunday we tackled "the jungle".
That's how we refer to the west side of the house.
There is a tree over there next to the house, along with 4 overgrown shrubs.
I don't think we did any yard work over on that side of the house the last couple of years, except for mowing the grass that's over there.

It's a nice shady spot, due to the assorted trees shielding that area from the road, which runs along it(we live on a corner lot).  I had plans to put a nice garden bench over there and have a shady cool spot to sit out in the yard.
But before I get the bench, we needed to tackle "the jungle" that had grown up over there next to the house.

And here is how the side of the house looked after 5 hours of hacking and chopping and sawing.....

There is still work to be done on the left side of the photo.  There are "suckers" from the tree that need digging up and those 2 shrubs need trimming back.

We decided to chop down one of the shrubs....the one closest to the front of the house.  It had just grown so tall and pruning it back just made it look nastier and smaller. lol  I have never liked that bush.
So we chopped it up and all that needs to be done is to dig the roots up.....

When Hubs was starting to take the chainsaw to all the branches of it, I said it was too bad we didn't have a redneck with a pick-up truck and a big chain handy to make quick work of that shrub.
We just don't have the right friends sometimes......

And after we got most of the branches and all the debris taken out of there, I looked up and noticed that there are decorative shutters on that bedroom window......

I hadn't seen that window, let alone those shutters in 6 or more years!
That little purple red tree was about 7 feet tall when we moved into this house.  It hadn't even reached the bottom of that 2nd floor window yet.
In the Fall, when we take that window a/c out of the window, we'll trim more from that tree so it isn't brushing against the house.
Who the heck plants a tree that grows this tall or taller right next to a house and a window too boot?! lol

Now I like shrubs and things near the base of your house(but not too near).  But I like shrubs that are A-full and nice looking when they grow and B-don't traditionally grow too large/tall for the space.
Whomever planted the stuff on this side of the house hadn't a CLUE about how big these things get when full grown.

I told Hubs I would like to make a flower bed over here bordering the house.  Put up a nice little border and fill the thing with mulch or stones.  I'll probably angle it out into a semicircular affair so I can include the base of that tree in it.  I'll probably finish digging up the 3 shrubberies left and replace them with miniature type shrubs and some partial shade perennials.
Maybe some Lily of the Valley and Hostas?

Hostas to replace the ones Hubs dug up in the side flower bed.
My stonewalled side flower bed with the humungous Rhododendron in it.....

Behind that bush were 3 lovely Hostas in that bed.  I had #2 Son weed that bed back there(and to the right of the Rhodo) and then lay down landscaping fabric with red bark mulch over it.
Hubs wanting to "help" went over and dug up my Hostas in tiny pieces and threw them out.....thinking that #2 Son hadn't finished weeding the bed and that those were weeds.
Ugh.
I am still giving him grief over that. 8-((

But I digress.....

Anyway, we had a HUGE brush pile of branches after all the cutting and hacking was finished for the day.  A pile much too big to add to the already large brush pile heaped over behind the shed in the backyard.
I told Hubs not to put this new pile of brush on the old pile, as the old stuff was dry and about ready to burn in the fire pit Daughter made in the backyard.
So what to do with all that fresh brush.......

Genius solution was found!

Fill up the dog run which we don't use anymore! lol

As we burn the old pile of brush, we can move the new stuff over behind the shed to finish drying out.

While I was out helping with the shrub/tree hacking and brush removal and gathering up dead sticks for kindling in the fire pit, I also did some weeding in the garden out back and took some pictures of the plants.

The bean vines are starting to cover the deck fencing and if the Japanese beetles leave enough leaves for the vines to live, we may see some actual green beans.

The broccoli plants are of epic proportions.....

The cucumber plants in the barrel have tiny cukes ....

And we have baby eggplants now.....

I tired growing white variety eggplant this year.  By next week we'll be able to harvest smallish eggplants and prepare some sort of eggplant dish. 8-)
They are suppose to be less bitter than the purple eggplant but they can have more seeds and need to be peeled as the skin is tough.

In other news, I've been trying to kickstart the weight loss here as I've plateaued after my initial 49 lbs. loss.  So I've been trying to eat 2 main meals a day instead of 3.  I also eat a few small snacks along the way each day.  I tend to stay up late and rise late morning due to the heat.  So I'll have my main meal-my turkey sandwich lunch-when I get up in the morning or about an hour afterwards.
Then I eat a small snack(yogurt or fruit or both)in the late afternoon and a small dinner portion around 6-7pm.
The other day it was coming up on 4 pm and I got hungry so instead of fruit/yogurt I took some blueberries Hubs couldn't finish that were going to go bad soon, a couple hand fulls of frozen peach slices, a handful of ice and about a 1/2 cup of 100% Peach/Mango juice blend #2 Son had just opened(and hadn't guzzled the whole thing down yet!lol).
Take all that and whirr it up in the blender which gave me this......

A sorbet/slurpee frozen treat.
All natural, no added sugars or flavorings.
A cool fun thing to eat on a hot day and frugal too.

So what have you been up to at your house?

Sluggy

Sluggy's Boring Blog Box Giveaway......Week 2 Enter Now!

Time to enter Week 2 of the giveaway.
Win this box of awesomeness.

 

Well the answer to that is.....Yes, yes she is!

It's another of Sluggy's BORING BLOG BOX GIVEAWAY!

 

Here's how it works if you are new here.......

 

I put things in the box(mostly what I have gotten for free or almost free)each week and when the box is filled we draw a winner from all the entries received.

 

This time the Box of Goodies is ALL ABOUT THE LADIES with things for your Girly side.

No shaving cream or manly stuff in this box folks!

Here is what went into the Box today......

 

 

 

 

1.  a Dove Deodorant Stick

2.  a box of Crest Toothpaste

3.  a box of Aquafresh Toothpaste

4.  a small bottle of hair Conditioner

5.  a box of Eye Drops

6.  an Oral-B Pulsar Toothbrush

7.  a set of Plastic Nails(black with peace signs)

If this is your first time, please go read all the rules for these Giveaways HERE.  *As always, if you are located outside the US, you CAN enter and win but weight restrictions/shipping costs may mean your prize box will contain less items.*

***Time to enter.....You can enter on this Giveaway post until I close this post to entries.

1 entry per person per day on THIS POST.
Leave your name/email address and a COMMENT on this post.  

This week I want to hear about the home projects you have going on.  Do you enjoy doing DIY home projects or do you let the pros handle it all?

Are they massive and costly or small and cheapy projects? 

Or do you wish you had the funds/time/ability to do some home projects? 

If you are in the midst of project(s), are you ready for them to be over yet?....I sure wish that was me. lol

 

You can come directly to this blog post or find it through the link on the right side bar to leave 1 comment per day.  The current Giveaway Post will be linked right at the top of the side bar.

Please NOTE--You MUST be a follower to enter the Giveaway.  If you aren't one, just click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog to become a follower.

There are 2 ways to get 2 EXTRA entries on this and each new Giveaway Post.......

1. Put my blog on your blog's Blogroll.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST with the URL of your blog so I can go check it out. **If I'm already on your Blogroll, say so in an extra entry comment once each week of this giveaway.

2.  Blog about this Giveaway on your blog with a link to this post.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST with a link to your blog post so I can go view it.  You can do this extra entry once each week of this giveaway.

 

These giveaways run about 4 weeks, depending on how often I get a blog post done.  The winner will be drawn from all valid entries received before the closing date of the giveaway.


 Any questions?  Just email me.

Happy Entering!! 

Sluggy

I'm So Excited!...In My Boring Sort of Way

But then again, it doesn't take much to make me excited...lol

I just wanted to jump on here quickly while I had a spare minute to let y'all know that the series, "Who Do You Think You Are?" is premiering tonight on TLC cable channel.  The series ended a couple of years ago on NBC but has been picked up by TLC(or as I like to call it, "The weirdoes and train wrecks of humanity channel").

I can't wait for the start time of 9pm Eastern time.
The episode synopsis says, "Kelly Clarkson explores her lineage and uncovers an ancestor deeply rooted in American history in the season premiere."

Oooooo!
Sounds like an ancestor who came to America way back, doesn't it?

If it's far enough ago, I wonder if her ancestor knew my ancestors?   We should so totally get together for tea and a chat about it, don't ya think? lol

I am so glad it's mid July because finally there is something to watch on tv in the evenings besides old movies on the old movie channels that I've seen a bazillion times already.

Last Thursday PROJECT RUNWAY debuts it's Season 12.

And my guilty TLC pleasure of HONEY BOO-BOO(Hey! Don't judge me!) Season 2 premiered last Wednesday.
I think Mama June is awesome sauce......

And then when my heart couldn't take much more excitement SISTER WIVES premiered on Sunday night.
Lord help me!

Though I am getting a bit bored with those sister wives.  Doing a trade show for My Sister Wives Closet in that part of UTAH?  What kind of reception did you expect there?  I bet the tv producers suggested they do that show just so they could get some folks on camera to comment on how much they hate "pligs" and how they are going to burn in hell.
Go do a real trade show in Vegas or LA sister wives if you want to make some $$$.

So today another hour of scrumptious tv viewing is added to my schedule with WDYTYA.


And come August 14, be still my heart!, we get the Season Premier of DUCK DYNASTY!
I cans hardly stand it folks!!

We'll be on the road on the 14th but I'll be sure to get to a tv set in time for that show too if I have to bribe or kill someone.
Hey!
I need my weekly dose of Uncle SI, Phil, Jase, Willie, Godwin and Miss Kay.

And as Miss Kay would say......

"She Gone!"

Sluggy outta here


 

This Week On The Dining Table

 Nothing new or exciting this week in the food category so feel free to just "move along".......

 

Here's what was planned last week--

Sunday--Chicken Fajitas(using some tortillas and pepper strips)
Monday--BLTs, cole slaw
Tuesday--Chicken Sandwiches(using some hamburger rolls), corn, pickles
Wednesday--Lasagna(using some of the mozzarella cheese), Green Salad (Very small piece for me but a really big salad.)
Thursday--Pork Chops, Green Beans(from last Summer's garden), Roasted Potatoes or Mashed
Friday--homemade Pizza(using more of that mozzarella cheese), Green Salad (I'll have leftover something instead and a salad.)
Saturday--Leftovers 

 

Everything served as planned until you get to Thursday-Saturday.  We did an assortment of leftovers instead on Thurs. and Fri. and Sat. Hubs and I used a gift certificate we had for a local restaurant that was expiring in Sept.  Dinner that night cost us $3.01 + tip....woohoo!lol

So Pork Chops and Pizza are moving to this week's menu.

As I posted yesterday,  I spent $42.19 on $81.86 worth of groceries at 2 stores last week.
 

This means I have $98.50 left in my food budget for the next 10 days of meals.

 

Going into this week the leftovers that remain are-some fajitas filling, garlic bread, some shredded mozzarella and a large hunk of that Lasagna I made.  We'll have 1 more meal out of that this week and once I make some room in one of the 2 little freezer compartments, I'll throw whatever is left in there for later.
I also cooked up all that chicken I got the deal on last week so I need to use it this week or freeze it.
 

(I've made bold the leftover items I've used in the menu below.)

 Here's this week's meal plan--
 

Sunday--Potato Crusted Flounder, Roasted Potatoes and Onions, Brussel Sprouts
Monday--Tacos, Corn
Tuesday--Lasagna, Garlic Bread, Salad
Wednesday--Chicken medallions, Spinach, Squash or Zucchini
Thursday--Pork Chops, Green Beans(from last Summer's garden), Mashed taters, Applesauce
Friday--homemade Pizza-maybe barbeque chicken pizza(using more of that mozzarella cheese & cooked chicken), Green Salad
Saturday--Leftovers

On the shopping list for these meals--chicken deli meat, lettuce, tomatoes, fresh squash or zuke and fresh fruit.

 

I'm figuring about $20 for the list above.   If I happen upon a "stockopportunity" I'll have about $78 left in my July budget to take advantage of it.  If not, the leftover budget money will roll over into August's fund.

That's what's appearing on the kitchen table this week here at Chez Sluggy.

 What's getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Sluggy

I Wonder If They Will Relist It?

Well I missed my chance to own a major American city, dagnabbit!

And it was going cheap.......real cheap!

Sluggy
 

Oh I Forgot Something.....

When I was showing y'all the detritus Firstborn had bagged up to throw out from his old room last week or so, I forgot to include a picture of this "gem" I dug outta the trash.



And come January, I'll be wearing this lovely item......

 Sluggy

Talking Sexy Grocery Talk

Well I didn't get by on groceries this week with spending $25 but I did only spend $42.19 total.

I got the few things I needed for this week's menu(milk, ricotta, deli meat, lettuces), but Weis(PMITA)Markets had a $5 off $50 Coupon in the flyer so I figured I'd pick up a few more things we can use soon(and that were on sale this week) and get to the $50 mark(before coupons)so I could get that extra $5 discount.
I ended up buying $81.86 worth of groceries for $42.19 after Qs and discounts used.
That's a 48.50% savings rate. ;-)

Here's what I got....

Weis Ice Cream for #2 Son...$1.49 wflyer /Q
Cheez-its for #2 Son....$.99 w/flyer Q
2 Bagels....$1.18
2 containers of Ricotta Cheese....$5 on sale
1 bag of Salad.....$1.95 w/50% discount sticker
1 loaf garlic bread....$.99 w/50% discount sticker
chicken deli meat.....$5.99 on sale
container of milk....$1.83
2 diet drinks.....$2.00 on sale
8.50 lbs. of chicken breast.....$6.98 * on sale w/$6 in instant Q
large bag of dog kibble......$9.99 on sale & w/$1 IPQ
6 large cans of wet dog food.....$6.00 on sale

Subtotal before all Qs was north of $60.
After all Qs the subtotal was $39.39 and the tax brought it to $40.52.
I also bought a head of green leaf lettuce this week at a different store on sale for $1.67.

* The chicken was a great deal.  Reg. $2.99 lb. split chicken breasts were BOGO free this week.  I walked into the store to find some packages were getting close to the sell by date so they had $3 instant discount stickers on them.  I found 2 packages within .63¢ of price to each other and paid the higher $12.98 price for 8.50lbs. total.  Then 2 x $3 discounts came off at the register making my chicken $6.98 for all.  That's .82¢ lb. for chicken breasts.
The packages got broken down at home and smaller portions packed into the freezer for use later next month.

Basically by buying some things ahead & a couple of treats real cheap, for #2 Son using store Qs in the flyer,  I saved an extra $5 on stuff I would have bought in the next 2 weeks anyway.

I am left with $98.50 in my July food budget for shopping the 22nd through the 31st.
10 days and we have lots of stuff here already so this should be a walk in the park to stay under budget in July.  I'll be making my menu up this weekend for those 10 days using proteins & grains/bread already on hand.  The grocery monies will cover fresh veggies and fruits I find at a good price and in season this coming week.

Sluggy

A Rare Occurance...Enjoy The View While You Can!

I can't believe I forgot to mention this before now!

Lookie at the view out my front door I've had all week.....

If you are new here and you have no clue why I am showing a picture of my neighborhood, looking down the street, here is what is usually parked across the street from my house.....

We call it the "Behemoth".
Well that is the polite thing we call it.

8-)

No clue how long I can continue to bask in not having that eyesore parked there.
But I'll enjoy it however long it lasts.

Hey!
I got nothing against having a huge ass travel trailer.
Just don't park it in your driveway all year, especially if your driveway is barely long enough for it.

Sluggy