Finally...

It's about time, eh? I had a challenging week once again and I cannot wait for the weekend to be here already. We've got some plans for the weekend...nothing exciting...just running errands here and there and probably a little time-out from our weekday grind.

UTI

Doncha just hate it when that happens to you? It started yesterday, late in the day I must add so I had to call my doctor for some antibiotics to treat this very painful infection. I hate hate hate UTI. I'm almost non-functional whenever I get it because all I want to do is stay in the little girl's room. I don't get it often but when I do, I just hate it. Did I say I hate UTI?

Since it was after office hours, I had to go through the answering service to get a hold of my doctor. After 30 minutes of waiting for his call back, my doctor finally called and wanted to see me in person the next day...which is today so we had to drop everything so I could come in today. I was due for a visit anyway so we made it into an all-in-one visit. For my UTI, I was prescribed 7-day antibiotics regimen to kill the bacteria that decided to take refuge in my urinary tract. After diagnosing me with this hateful infection, we talked about my thyroid situation. For the last 2 [maybe 3] blood tests, it's showing that my hormone level is normal. I'm still taking the medication though. I asked the doctor when I can be taken off them and he said that he doesn't know yet. Maybe in a year or so since normally it takes about 3 years to stabilize the hormones. I was diagnosed in April 2009 I think so it'll be 3 years next year. Hopefully, everything stays normal from now on. I still have the uneven eyes but as of now [and according to my ophthalmologist] there is really no cure for it. He just has to monitor it to make sure it doesn't get so big I won't be able to close my eye. Now that's scary. Hopefully, my eye will correct all by itself...fingers crossed.

That's how my day began today. Hopefully the rest of the day will be 'less stressfull' & 'less painful'.

Switching it Up!

With the economy the way it is right now and with the prices of everything going up, we've been trying to find ways to save and cut the spending any way we can around here. We've started by avoiding unnecessary spending like eating out just because we don't feel like eating whatever we have around the house. We also try to buy more generic products now which cost just a fraction of their 'branded' counterparts. Another change we're slowly making around here is changing all our light bulbs into Halogen Light Bulbs which according to what we've been told consume less electricity and last a lot longer than the ones we have right now around the house.

We haven't changed all the light bulbs around the house yet. What we're doing is we replace the ones that go bad. That way we won't be wasting the ones we already have. I noticed that the new lights are a lot brighter than the old ones and I'm kinda' thinking of just replacing all the other ones already even if they're not bad yet. I have not really checked how much we've saved in electric bills but I'm sure that we will be saving more if all the lights around here are halogens.

These are only a few of the things we're doing to cut corners. We're still not done yet. We're actually thinking of also discontinuing some of our services and either going to other companies or find some better alternatives. One change won't really save us big bucks but if we put all of these changes together, the savings we'll make is significant enough that the husband is joking that he may just get another car. Yeah right!

Three Years After

It's been three years since we moved in here. If you visited our house say a few months ago, you would think we've only moved. That's because until recently our house was almost bare. Nothing on the walls at all and we didn't have a coffee table. We're still getting stuff for the house until now and we're not anywhere near done yet. We're getting there. Hubby and I both think we don't have to hurry in getting it all at the same time since they're not necessities. The outside of our house is also 'bare'. We just started to plant this year. The garden gifts that friends and family gave us a long time ago are still not used since we haven't really started a 'garden' per se. The little one even got this cute garden stone on her last birthday and she's been bugging us to put it on the non-existent garden. LOL. She said it will look great on the flower bed...with no flowers. Ummm...not really. She stopped bugging me after a hundred times. She probably realized it's a futile attempt...for now anyway. Hopefully, we will be able to start with some kind of a garden one of these...days, weeks, months? Who knows! Like I said we're taking it all slow.

Inefficient Customer Service!

So what else is new, right?

I just spent an hour...yes, 60 minutes, 360 seconds on the phone talking to some inefficient customer service representatives! Two of them mind you. All I wanted to do was to verify an account. How is it that it took an hour to do just that??? Simple. They didn't know what they're doing. I didn't know what I was doing or what to do...that's why I called them. Well, it turned out neither do they. It's funny how the first person I spoke with said and I quote: "Let me transfer you to our online SPECIALIST." Huh? They're called 'specialists'??? When the so-called specialist couldn't answer my very simple question after 15 minutes, I asked for the supervisor.

Hmm...I wonder what the supervisor is called then....a specialists' specialist, maybe? Head specialist? Whatever....because I spent another 40+ minutes with the 'stupid-visor'....yes, I'm calling him that. He put me on hold so many times that when he said 'thank you for your patience' the nth time, I actually said: I'm not PATIENT anymore!!!! He of course apologized. That's all they know...Thank you for your patience and I'm sorry.

How did I know they didn't know what they're doing? Well, apart from spending an hour just to answer a very simple question, he kept saying: "Let me verify that information first." That meant he was asking SOMEONE ELSE! When he finally figured out the answer to my question, probably with the help of an army...it only took a couple of minutes to finish everything. Yes! TWO FROLICKIN' MINUTES!!!!! If they only know what they're doing...that so-called specialist would have been able to direct me on what to do a few minutes after I called them. No need to ask for the supervisor since everything was there already. Geeezzzzz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But....they don't know what they're doing....and they're called what again???? Oh yeah....SPECIALISTS! Duh!

Smoky Mountain Boots...Check?

Winter Vacation in the Offing? Possibly. That is something very tentative right now. But I’m quite excited about it. Who can blame me when we haven’t really had any decent…scrap that…ANY vacation at all in…in…forever? This one may just happen because there is a valid reason to do it. My passport is expiring soon. We always try to keep everything up to date just in case so I need to have it renewed. Unfortunately [or in this case fortunately, maybe?], passport renewal has to be done in person now. The embassy our state is under is in Washington. So…Washington, here we come in the winter. Woot! Actually, hubby really wants to go in that ‘direction’ because of the snow. He wants the little one to experience snow while she’s still very excited about it…so, that may just happen this coming winter.

Like I said I’m kinda’ excited about this ‘plan’. So what’s going to do when she’s excited…start shopping for ‘things we MAY need’ for the trip. First on my list…shoes that will fit occasion…err weather. I already swa some Smoky Mountain Boots I’m drooling over. They’re not for me though but the who else but the little one. She has been bugging us to get her a pair of boots for the longest time. But where we are, it’s not really practical to buy her boots because they will just stay in the box since it’s almost always too hot to wear them. But for this trip, boots will definitely be very useful. I already saw a couple of pink ones in the Kids section and I cannot wait to see if they have them in her size. As for me, I’m also looking. I’m not sure if I want to get me a pair of boots as well but I’ll keep my options open. I still have time to decide but looking at these gorgeous shoes online, I’m leaning towards …yeah!

Gloomy but Hot!

We have an overcast at the moment but it's almost 90 degrees outside. It's been [and will be] like this for most of our summer season around here. The frequent rain somehow brings a much needed 'coolness' in the air but it only lasts for a few minutes. Still, relief is relief.

It's Thursday already and I can't believe I have time to actually blog. I've been trying to take short breaks from the demands of work since it's starting to burn me out. It seems all I hear [well, read since it's emails] is 'deadline' or 'we have to finish this ASAP'. I'm still trying to work hard alongside my co-workers but I just think I have to take a break every now and then or I'll just umm...explode, maybe? Haha...exaggerating here a bit of course.

Anyway, this weekend will be another busy one for us doing some small home improvements ~ if the man of the house is home because he's the 'leader' when it comes to these things. If he has to work then the little one and I will probably just hang out in the house or maybe do some light yard work. Or maybe...we can sleep in until noon! How about that? Nah...that won't happen. For the life of me, I don't know why the little one wakes up a lot earlier on weekends. On the weekdays I have to wake her up most of the time...not on the weekend though. As for me, I can't stay in bed past 10 AM no matter how late I turn in the night before. Most especially now that I'm used to getting up really early to squeeze in that much needed 'elliptical' cum pilates [kuno] time. Hay....

Well, I have to get going and go back to the daily grind....ciao!

Wishful Thinking....

One of the usual things I send to my family back home, especially to my sisters & nieces, is clothing. It's like a staple already. For one, it's easier since you can buy it everywhere. It's also a good way to get rid of clothes I no longer want or use or don't fit me or don't have anymore use for me like my maternity clothing. The latter I sent years ago but I was surprised to find out over the weekend that I still had some maternity pants & jumpers mixed with my other clothes. I really thought it's all gone but I guess I kept some. Hmmm...maybe at the back of my mind I was thinking I would still get pregnant? Maybe? LOL....Anyway, I'll be sending them in the box I have even if I don't know have any relative [that I know of anyway] who is pregnant at the moment. I have 5 nieces who are of age already and a couple of them are married so maybe in the near future, they'll be able to use the clothing. How I wish I can still use those preggy clothes ~ for the right reasons of course ~ but I know I won't be...at least not in this life. Sigh....just a wishful thinking...

Still BUSY...

So many things to do...so little time. Isn't that what they say? I guess that applies to me nowadays. Can you say...b-u-s-y? But it's good to be busy, right? Even if work is really busy right now, I still find time to do other things. I'm still doing my elliptical routine regularly and of course the usual chores. We're also doing some little home improvement projects around the house during the weekend. We're currently working on the closet in our bedroom. I have a lot of stuff to take out of there and send out to my family & friends back home. I already have a box ready to filled. So far I already dumped some clothes, toys, pc speakers that we no longer use as well as some lotions & colognes. The last 2 need to be in the box or my nieces & sisters will be bugging me forever about it. I don't know what's wrong with the lotion & colognes back home but it seems they always ask for the ones here. Don't they all smell the same? Oh well...it's their request so I grant it even just once in a blue moon. Anyway, I've got some other things I've been busy with but I better stop narrating them here and get back to...yes, work!

Countdown Begins!

Next month, we will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. Who would have thought that we'd last this long? Us, of course...LOL. I'm sure a few of my friends had some doubts we'd make it this far when they learned how we met and how quickly things were moving for us. How fast? From the day we exchanged messages to the day of the wedding...a few days short of 4 months in all. I had a few friends who actually came forward and told me how they felt about everything...and I appreciated their concern but we were bent in being together so we just went ahead and did what now is considered 'history'. Ten years. That's how long it's been and when I think about...one of the very few 'impulsive' decisions I have made in my life, this one probably tthe best yet.

Since it's our 10th anniversary, I've started looking for Anniversary Gift Ideas for Him since last months I think. I always have a hard time looking for gifts for the husband so I really have to start early if I want to find something special for someone special on a special occasion, eh? I'm really hoping I'll be able to find it before the day comes. Goodluck to me...

Another Victim????

When we decided to put the netting around our blackberry bushes it wasn't our intention to 'trap' birds in it. It's actually the opposite...we wanted to keep them out of it to stop them from feasting with our berries. But they're birds and they have bird brain...toink! So a few days after we put the nets, we had this...

A cardinal 'trapped' in the netting'...

The cardinal was able to fly in and out of the netting so it was all good.

Then this happened...

Yes, that's a HUMMINGBIRD caught inside the netting a few days ago. The little one saw it so I ran out to take a photo of it...then another photo...then another. I think I took about 10 photos plus a video of this poor little bird. Yes, I said POOR little bird because unlike the cardinal, this one couldn't find its way out of the net. It kept flying up therefore trapping itself more.....so I had to take matters into my own hands....literally!

That's the little birdie on my hands. I had to take it out of the net ~ somehow forcefully because its tiny little claws/feet? were holding on so tightly to the net ~ so it could fly away. Of course I had to take pictures first as a proof that I once had a 'hummingbird' on the palm of my hands. Tee hee...The little fellow zoomed out of my hand as soon as I opened my palm.

Disclaimer: No BIRDIE was hurt during this picture taking!

Hi-Tech

One of the first first things I noticed when we went to the dentist about a month ago was how hi-tech the place is. Everything is computerized as expected. But unlike before where you have to spend half an hour [or even longer] filling out paper works as first time patients, this time we only had to tell them who we are and that's about it. When it was time for my 'session' with the hygienist, everything was also hi-tech...except for the poking which was of course still done by a real person. But just like last time I was at the dentist, the x-ray of each tooth was done right there and then. The big difference was everything was being shown on a computer [sitting on a what looks like a Howard point of care cart] right in front of me. When the dentist came in to do the check-up, each of the tooth she was talking about was on the screen so I didn't have to guess which tooth she was talking about. It was pretty neat. You know what's not neat though??? The waiting time still hasn't changed and the cost was sky high. Oh well...I guess that's what we have to pay for hi-tech, eh?

Strawberry shortcake for Valentine's breakfast

Guest post written by Clara Knight

Just because I was single for Valentine's Day this year, I didn't want to totally ignore the holiday. Sure, it's about romance, but it's also about all the other people that you love in your life too! For me, that includes my roommates. The three of us have been best friends since high school and we all ended up together after college even though we were apart from each other for college. So I wanted to do something special for them on Valentine's Day.

But I wasn't sure about what to do in regards to that without spending a lot of money, so I went online to get some ideas. After looking online with our www.satellitestarinternet.com/ for a while, I got the idea to make them some kind of good food for the holiday. I thought that it would be nice to fix them something for breakfast because it would be nice to have some great breakfast before heading off to work.

I whipped up a strawberry shortcake the night before and managed to hide it from both of them in my room. I served the cake to them that morning and they were so surprised! I could tell that they also really appreciated my extra work for them.