This moratorium thing is mostly okay, but it sucks when everyone else in the office goes out to lunch.
Moratorium: Week 1
Posted onThe snow finally melted, and we finally made it out of the house. We did have to spend some unplanned money this first week in addition to the normal groceries and gas type stuff:
– $10.00 the insurance company didn’t cover for the tow truck.
– $0.50 for the pay phone to call daycare lady so she’d know when to meet us at the end of her street because their driveway was so bad only 4WD could get through.
– $2.00 for a parking permit at work because we forgot to take my permit out of the car when we took the truck to work on Thursday (actually, I still owe my coworker for that).
– $10.00 for lunch on Friday because I packed Andy a spoiled lunch, and I really had to get out of the office.
Not so bad. Definitely could have been worse. We almost had to buy a dryer because ours conked out on Wednesday (what a week), but daycare lady just got a new washer and dryer Friday, and she gave us their old one. We picked it up today, and yeah it’s old, but it works!
We also picked up an armoire to serve as our (mostly Andy’s) closet since our bedroom doesn’t have a closet. It’s really an entertainment-type armoire, but we got it for fairly cheap from my boss. Andy put a pole in, and it works just fine. Now he doesn’t have to keep his clothes in Anya’s room anymore, and I get his dresser drawers for my stuff. Yay! (I’d paid for it two weeks ago so no moratorium violation.)
And finally, we picked up Anya’s new bed frame Friday. It’s an early birthday gift from Andy’s mom (so no moratorium violation), and Anya really likes it. It’s not put together yet, but when it is we’ll put up a picture. It has drawers!
Again, what a week!
One of the neat things about this adventure is that we’ve been trying to use what we have in the freezer and pantry. I made an apple pie today from some apples I canned when we first moved here. Or maybe even before? Hm. Andy made some chili with a bunch of the beans, and I made cornbread to go with it. Yum!
So that ends week 1. It wasn’t too hard not to buy stuff, and it’s definitely fun to say, “Moratorium!”
Oh, so you’ve been here before
Posted onThis evening on the way down the driveway I got the truck stuck partially in the ditch leading to the creek by the pond when I hit a slick spot on our still-mostly-impassable driveway. Cabol wisely suggested I call our insurance, since we have roadside assistance on our policy. They said they would send someone out. Shortly later the phone rang to inform us of an estimated ETA of 1½ hours.
That’s right. We live a half hour or so away from the largest city in this part of Virginia (Roanoke). A half hour from Christiansburg. Fifteen minutes from Floyd. But they sent someone from Fort Chiswell, 68.3 miles away. Gosh, you think the bill will be more than the $50 the insurance covers?
I called back, told them to cancel it. The woman on the phone increduously said ’70 miles?!?’ twice. I asked her if we could use Bell’s in Floyd, and she said that was fine and set it up. He was here in a half hour or so. He got stuck in the driveway on the way up. Eventually he made it. I waited for him by the hay shack. He pulled up. He said, ‘Oh, I didn’t know it was THIS place.’ Perhaps there is a reason the insurance company could only find someone 70 miles away.
But he was able to winch the truck back onto the driveway. Now it’s stuck on the driveway, but the snow should mostly melt tomorrow. And it’s better than in a ditch.
And I was apparently in such a foul mood after getting stuck that when I approached Sydney (who had escaped from his fence), he meekly turned to the side and let me guide him back to his pen with little fighting
Captain’s Log: Snow Day 2, Moratorium Day 3
Posted onWe are still trapped by the snow. Andy made a valiant attempt to escape this morning, but he had to abandon the truck down by the pond. The electricity is going strong so far, and we have water, but I am concerned about the level of the propane tank. Will the cookies finish baking before the propane runs out? My biggest worry, though, is what we will do when Anya starts asking for her beloved “nana” tomorrow morning since she ate the last one today. Perhaps I can distract her with an icicle.
We Moved Back to Michigan!
Posted onSee, it’s true!
Yeah, um, we haven’t had time yet to get new plates for the car. Um. Yeah. Or it could be that for the first time in the three years we’ve been living in VA, we got more than an inch of snow. More like ten inches.
Too bad we don’t have a tractor, or 15 kids with big arm muscles, or a flamethrower. (Oooo, wait I do have a flamethrower!! I wonder where it is.) We are trapped in the house right now, and we may be trapped tomorrow. Temperatures aren’t expected to be over freezing until Wednesday. Andy tried to get the truck out of the parking spot and into the driveway this morning. Two hours later, and it was not happening. He said he may try again tomorrow.
I’d like to say that being trapped at home was helpful for Day 2 of the Moratorium, but it gave Andy the chance to finally load about 200 photos to the printing website. Now I want to order about 200 prints. Blergle!
Also? Anya does not like snow.
Moratorium: Day 1
Posted onToday is the first day of our Spending Moratorium. So far, we are doing very well. Of course, it’s not yet 10am, and we are all still in our pajamies. Yesterday we went out and visited our favorite stores to say good-bye: Target, Home Depot, and Lowes. We also made a stop at the chinese buffet for our last meal out. Andy was very sad because he did not find anything to buy. I did. I got a few more plants for work and some stuff to rebuild the bunny cage. Oh wait! Andy got some fabric bins/cubes to go into the armoire we bought from a coworker last week. Happy day!
Moratorium! Moratorium! Moratorium!
Spending Moratorium on the Horizon
Posted onLast November, after I realized how often we were eating out, we went on an Eating Out Moratorium. We didn’t eat out (except one or two meals when my parents were visiting) the whole month. Every time one of us would get weak, the other would shout, “MORATORIUM!” It’s a fun word. So, lately I’ve been pondering a full-out Spending Moratorium. Somehow today I managed to convince Andy we should do it. So, we are. MORATORIUM!
Guidelines:
1. Begins at midnight on March 1, 2009, and ends when our credit card is paid off.
2. No unnecessary purchases.
3. Must log all purchases.
4. Must post weekly about status.
What is allowed:
1. Medical care for the people and the animals.
2. Food for the animals.
3. Kitty litter.
4. Basic toiletries.
5. Food basics.
6. Automobile maintenance / repair / registration / inspection.
7. Gas for the automobiles.
8. Propane for the stove.
9. Febreeze refills.
10. Shoes and clothes for Anya if she outgrows what we have.
11. Birthday present for Anya.
12. Supplies needed to finish kitty room / plant room.
13. Plants for vegetable garden.
14. Baby ducks.
What is not allowed (not all inclusive):
1. Junk food (chips, cookie dough, soda, ice cream, frozen pizza, etc.)
2. Eating out.
3. Shoes and clothes for Andy or Carol.
4. Furniture.
5. Electronics.
6. Toys.
7. House plants.
8. Tools.
Exceptions:
1. Eat out once a month.
2. One 12-pack of soda a month.
3. Other things possibly excepted if both Andy and Carol are in total, non-coerced agreement that said things are necessary.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Posted onHappy Valentine’s Day!
This morning I asked Andy to take some pictures of Anya in the V-Day outfit her Grandma Diane sent. He obliged by getting a bunch of great shots in the kitchen with wonderful backgrounds like….the stove covered with dirty dishes; the cluttered microwave area; and the spot on the floor where one vinyl tile has been pulled up to reveal the subfloor.
I suggested we go outside to get some nicer shots. We parked Anya on a little bench, and Andy took some really nice shots with wonderful backgrounds like…our car and truck; the cluttered porch; and the water spigot.
I guess Anya is just so cute, Andy doesn’t see anything but her when he’s taking her picture. Awwww.
How Andy Spent His Weekend
Posted onOne day, when the moon is in proper alignment and Anya is bringing in the cash on her paper route, we’re going to renovate our kitchen and living room. One major part of the renovation will be putting down hardwood floors. To this end, Andy has been collecting a huge stack of old, nasty-looking barn wood. When he’d bring this wood home, he’d get all excited and make me go look at it, and I’d stare at him and then wave my hands around frantically and exclaim, “YOU PAID MONEY FOR THIS????”
Last weekend he pulled out his planer (plainer? playner? pleignar?) and went to work on the stack. About halfway through, he called me outside to take a look at the new, happy-looking wood, so I would calm down and stop eating so many cookies. I did calm down a bit, which was good because I had no cookies.
Here is the story of the future hardwood floors in pictures:
The boards are still a bit rough and will require some trimming and ripping and more plaeigyning before they become a floor, but that’s okay because Anya won’t be able to ride a bicycle for a few more years.
Posted on
Anya has finally outgrown the fabulous car seat her Auntie Kc and her Uncie Ken got her for her 0th birthday. Andy and I pondered buying Anya a new car seat, but we decided that we’d do as the natives do. I mean, why waste a perfectly good pickup truck bed?
