Life is a journey. I truly believe this. All little people, each going our way.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Chip Apparently has a Death Wish
When we lived in the US, Chip had a partner in crime, Cricket. I wouldn’t say that they were partners in crime.... but I would say that they did cause trouble. Enough trouble that they were kenneled when we left them home alone.
So, when he arrived here, it was with reservation that I did not kennel him. He definitely has caused trouble. He figured out how to take advantage of the chairs not being pushed into the table and will jump up at any opportunity to check things out. He has even been known to jump up and poop on the table... Ewww, just ewwwww!
We had determined that he should not have full run of the house when we are not here, but as he proved he could not behave appropriately when given the opportunity, we quickly limited his area of freedom even smaller. He now has access to the kitchen, laundry room and another small room that used to be the kitchen long ago.
He has become a menace again! He has figured out that he can get on the small table in the kitchen and will gladly eat anything that the kids might leave behind. He has also figured out that the chair to my computer desk is also handy. He has been eating anything that remotely smells like food, which includes lotions and vitamins!
He has been very insistent that my expensive lotions are food. Recently he got into a bottle of cuticle oil, took off the top and managed to spill and consume most of the bottle. He managed to take off the lid of an expensive lotion that was made of seaweed extract. His latest was to get into a jar of Vaseline.
As you can see, he is looking a ‘bit’ shamed!
In particular he had me really worried twice. He has eaten both ibuprofen and vitamin D which are both toxic to dogs. Thankfully, in both cases, he did not have enough to make him seriously ill. I had to monitor him very closely though. But it really makes me wonder, does he really hate England that much or does he just have some kind of death wish?
So, when he arrived here, it was with reservation that I did not kennel him. He definitely has caused trouble. He figured out how to take advantage of the chairs not being pushed into the table and will jump up at any opportunity to check things out. He has even been known to jump up and poop on the table... Ewww, just ewwwww!
We had determined that he should not have full run of the house when we are not here, but as he proved he could not behave appropriately when given the opportunity, we quickly limited his area of freedom even smaller. He now has access to the kitchen, laundry room and another small room that used to be the kitchen long ago.
He has become a menace again! He has figured out that he can get on the small table in the kitchen and will gladly eat anything that the kids might leave behind. He has also figured out that the chair to my computer desk is also handy. He has been eating anything that remotely smells like food, which includes lotions and vitamins!
He has been very insistent that my expensive lotions are food. Recently he got into a bottle of cuticle oil, took off the top and managed to spill and consume most of the bottle. He managed to take off the lid of an expensive lotion that was made of seaweed extract. His latest was to get into a jar of Vaseline.
 |
| Warning: When you eat Vaseline, you have to wear a Pull-Up and take numerous baths. |
In particular he had me really worried twice. He has eaten both ibuprofen and vitamin D which are both toxic to dogs. Thankfully, in both cases, he did not have enough to make him seriously ill. I had to monitor him very closely though. But it really makes me wonder, does he really hate England that much or does he just have some kind of death wish?
Friday, March 29, 2013
Hot Cross Buns
Hot cross buns! Hot cross buns!
One a penny two a penny
Hot cross buns!
If you have no daughters, give them to your sons
One a penny two a penny
Hot cross buns!
I think that every parent has heard this song over and over again. I know that I have heard it played many times on my boys recorders. I know that it is also favored by beginning bands as well.
The song is actually about this little bun in the picture below. Thank you to my favorite bakery, Mayfield for providing these most picturesque buns for my picture!
So, here is the history of these little gems!
You can find them in the grocery stores in England all year long, but traditional bakeries start carrying them in their shops Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday) until Easter and they are traditionally eaten through Lent. It’s very popular to eat them for breakfast Good Friday.
So, what are they? They are a spiced, slightly sweet bun containing fruit. Common fruits are raisins, currents, dates, cranberry, chocolate, orange, apple, cinnamon, toffee and lemon poppy seed. They are traditionally eaten toasted during Lent for breakfast.
It is not really known when and where Hot Cross Buns were first created. In 1506, during Elizabethan England, there was a decree forbidding the making, sale of or eating of them except during Christmas, Easter and when someone died.
Originally, they were eaten by the Saxons to honor the goddess Eostre. It was believed that the bun represented the moon and the cross the moon’s quarters. They are also said to be full of Christian symbolism. The bread stands for the communion, the cross on top is a symbol of the crucifixion and the spices in the bun is to symbolize the spices Jesus was wrapped in while buried in the tomb.
It is said that buns baked on Good Friday will never spoil or mold during the rest of the year. If you really want something strange, read this story about this bun that is 192 years old!
Sharing a bun is suppose to be good luck.
"Half for you and half for me, Between us two shall goodwill be”
They were also suppose to be good luck if taken on ship going to sea. If they are hung in the house, it was done to ensure that all breads turn out perfectly and the bun is suppose to protect the home against fire. There is even a superstition that if a piece is given to someone that is ill they will recover.
The buns that are shown in the picture above have lines that are piped on the top. The lines are piped pastry made out of flour and water. Originally, the cross was cut into the bun. They are then glazed with a sweet mixture that gives the bun it’s lovely glow.
We did not follow tradition and eat them on Good Friday morning, but we will have some with our Easter dinner on Sunday.
If you are interested in trying your own, I recommend this recipe.
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2066661/hot-cross-buns
We did not follow tradition and eat them on Good Friday morning, but we will have some with our Easter dinner on Sunday.
If you are interested in trying your own, I recommend this recipe.
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2066661/hot-cross-buns
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Happy Heart
I believe the ultimate source of blessings is within us. A good motivation and honesty bring self-confidence, which attracts the trust and respect of others. Therefore the real source of blessings is in our own mind.--Dalai Lama
Yesterday was a good day! Lately with my luck, I am not taking any good day for granted. My heart was very, very glad yesterday!
I talked to the Consumer’s Advice Bureau about my situation and they gave me some great advice. I took that advice and then called the Trader. I was not super excited about how the conversation went, but it could have went much worse. The conversation was very civilized and polite. I don’t want to believe that the Trader sold me a bad car on purpose. I gave the Trader the contact information to talk to the garage--TR Isuzu about the state of the car.
Then, I made two batches of brownies and took them to TR Isuzu. The guys were fantastic. I am such a lucky girl! When I was delivering the brownies and saying thank you, I also explained a bit of the situation, then I asked if the trader had called. It turns out he had and the Very Kind Guy told me that the Trader did a lot of listening. The Trader is now picking up the car from the Very Kind Guy at TR Isuzu.
What that really means? I think that the Trader may be planning to fix the car. I am going to proceed with my plans to write a letter to the Trader asking for a refund.
If you are looking for a really reliable garage, where damsels in distress are given assistance above and beyond expectations. I highly recommend TR Isuzu in Takeley. Good service is so hard to find. If they can be so kind to me, I can only imagine that they do business with a lot of integrity.
They gave me a full, happy heart!
Yesterday was a good day! Lately with my luck, I am not taking any good day for granted. My heart was very, very glad yesterday!
I talked to the Consumer’s Advice Bureau about my situation and they gave me some great advice. I took that advice and then called the Trader. I was not super excited about how the conversation went, but it could have went much worse. The conversation was very civilized and polite. I don’t want to believe that the Trader sold me a bad car on purpose. I gave the Trader the contact information to talk to the garage--TR Isuzu about the state of the car.
Then, I made two batches of brownies and took them to TR Isuzu. The guys were fantastic. I am such a lucky girl! When I was delivering the brownies and saying thank you, I also explained a bit of the situation, then I asked if the trader had called. It turns out he had and the Very Kind Guy told me that the Trader did a lot of listening. The Trader is now picking up the car from the Very Kind Guy at TR Isuzu.
What that really means? I think that the Trader may be planning to fix the car. I am going to proceed with my plans to write a letter to the Trader asking for a refund.
If you are looking for a really reliable garage, where damsels in distress are given assistance above and beyond expectations. I highly recommend TR Isuzu in Takeley. Good service is so hard to find. If they can be so kind to me, I can only imagine that they do business with a lot of integrity.
They gave me a full, happy heart!
Monday, March 25, 2013
Introducing Pepe
I got a new to me car! No kidding! I am not sure what will happen with the last one yet. It has been a crazy week, I am hoping that things settle down for awhile now. I need a break!
Super Handsome relaxed his criteria on the new car. The last ones have had to be diesels and manual transmission. They are hard to find lately. The new one is petrol and manual. We ended up back at the original dealer that we first bought our cars from. I looked there in January, but they did not have anything that met Super Handsome’s criteria. I wish that I would have gotten something from them anyway, they are good people, for sure. Not only are they interested in buying back the cars when we do go to France, but they are also giving me plenty of warranty coverage.
It is a little KIA Picanto. It is small and the boys will be packed tight like sardines. The engine is tiny, 1.1L and I am was not able to get it past 40mpg when I test did the test drive. It gets good gas mileage, has 4 wheels and will get me to where I want to go! Yes!
I am sure that Pepe and I will part friends. He seems like a good little egg already!
Super Handsome relaxed his criteria on the new car. The last ones have had to be diesels and manual transmission. They are hard to find lately. The new one is petrol and manual. We ended up back at the original dealer that we first bought our cars from. I looked there in January, but they did not have anything that met Super Handsome’s criteria. I wish that I would have gotten something from them anyway, they are good people, for sure. Not only are they interested in buying back the cars when we do go to France, but they are also giving me plenty of warranty coverage.
It is a little KIA Picanto. It is small and the boys will be packed tight like sardines. The engine is tiny, 1.1L and I am was not able to get it past 40mpg when I test did the test drive. It gets good gas mileage, has 4 wheels and will get me to where I want to go! Yes!
 |
| Introducing Pepe, he’s really not the peppy, but let’s not tell him that, I don’t want to hurt his feelings! |
I am sure that Pepe and I will part friends. He seems like a good little egg already!
Friday, March 22, 2013
Apparently I Can’t Get A Break
So, Super Handsome came home Wednesday night from working with the Frenchies. We were down to one car and I had a million things to do. Ok, nowhere near a million, but it sounds impressive!
I had Super Handsome drive, we dropped the boys (all but Boy 2 who was home ill for the second day in a row) off to school and then we headed to his work. We switched places and I headed out to get my list of things done.
First, I headed to the petrol station, the car was low on petrol. I pull in and hit the off button on the car... Here I should tell you that his Renault aka The Tank requires a card to start it, no key. It will not start unless it detects that card. As I turned off the car the car started flashing me “card not detected” messages. I instantly had a growing pit of horror in my stomach. I knew beyond a doubt that Super Handsome had not handed the card off to me a few minutes ago. In an attempt to stay calm, I got out and pumped diesel all the while sending him frantic texts and calling his cell phone. I was not getting any answer. Finally, in desperation as I was in line to pay, I called one of his other co-workers. She promptly answered and handed the phone to him, he was standing right next to her. They hopped in her car and headed down to the station.
I paid and explained the situation to the cashier. The kids seemed not to be bothered. I went and sat in the car and whenever a car pulled up behind me I got out and explained the situation to the driver. They were all very kind to me, thankfully. I had a huge pit of anxiety in my stomach. The station was pretty busy to boot. Finally they showed up and all was right with the world.
I did the few other errands that I had and then went home and spent some time doing misc tasks until school pick up time.
We had a busy evening ahead, Boy 3 and 4 had parent evenings. It is a parent/teacher conference.
Going into the school, there had been a pretty bad accident on the road. It had to have occurred awhile before I went through as the injured were gone and there was just one badly damaged vehicle left. Traffic was moving around it. When we were on our way home, they were recovering that vehicle and because of the narrow lanes, they closed down the road. Since we were on a tight schedule, I routed around. As we were routing around, I drove into a rut and ended up with a flat tire.
I had just had it. I called Super Handsome and started to loose it. The tire would not fill with air as it was actually punctured on the side wall. He could not assist since I had his car. The car did not have a spare on it, but thankfully, I had gotten the emergency break down service on our insurance. So, I put a call into them. I was given an hour wait time. I asked Mrs Innuendo of she could come to me and take the kids home for me. She was kind enough to help.
Super Handsome had a problem on his own. He could not rent a car as his copy of his Indiana license is expired. He has a paper copy that he uses to show that it is still valid, but he did not have that with him as well. So, he was forced to sit and wait the whole thing out.
So, I sat and waited. Thankfully, I had my iPhone, so I was able to keep myself occupied. I called the school to let them know that we were not going to be able to make it to parents evening. I was also able to text Super Handsome and my sister in law to keep me sane. I think that technology is awesome! How cool is it that I can iMessage my sister in law that is in the US? Very cool!
The RAC guy showed up after 6pm and did his work. Since all the tire shops were closed, he towed the car to Oak Lodge and parked it. I was lucky again because the work that had closed my lane all week had just completed. If it hadn’t then I am not sure where I would have had him take the car! After he got the car situated, he took me to the nearby airport so I could rent a car. I headed off to get Super Handsome from work.
I am glad that I thought ahead for dinner. I had put a chicken in the crock pot and their were Brussel Sprouts (that Boy 1 somehow managed to burn?). The kids had already ate so we had a quick dinner, tucked the kids into bed and called it a day.....
I am not sure that I should drive a car anymore, because apparently I can’t get a break.
I had Super Handsome drive, we dropped the boys (all but Boy 2 who was home ill for the second day in a row) off to school and then we headed to his work. We switched places and I headed out to get my list of things done.
First, I headed to the petrol station, the car was low on petrol. I pull in and hit the off button on the car... Here I should tell you that his Renault aka The Tank requires a card to start it, no key. It will not start unless it detects that card. As I turned off the car the car started flashing me “card not detected” messages. I instantly had a growing pit of horror in my stomach. I knew beyond a doubt that Super Handsome had not handed the card off to me a few minutes ago. In an attempt to stay calm, I got out and pumped diesel all the while sending him frantic texts and calling his cell phone. I was not getting any answer. Finally, in desperation as I was in line to pay, I called one of his other co-workers. She promptly answered and handed the phone to him, he was standing right next to her. They hopped in her car and headed down to the station.
I paid and explained the situation to the cashier. The kids seemed not to be bothered. I went and sat in the car and whenever a car pulled up behind me I got out and explained the situation to the driver. They were all very kind to me, thankfully. I had a huge pit of anxiety in my stomach. The station was pretty busy to boot. Finally they showed up and all was right with the world.
I did the few other errands that I had and then went home and spent some time doing misc tasks until school pick up time.
We had a busy evening ahead, Boy 3 and 4 had parent evenings. It is a parent/teacher conference.
Going into the school, there had been a pretty bad accident on the road. It had to have occurred awhile before I went through as the injured were gone and there was just one badly damaged vehicle left. Traffic was moving around it. When we were on our way home, they were recovering that vehicle and because of the narrow lanes, they closed down the road. Since we were on a tight schedule, I routed around. As we were routing around, I drove into a rut and ended up with a flat tire.
I had just had it. I called Super Handsome and started to loose it. The tire would not fill with air as it was actually punctured on the side wall. He could not assist since I had his car. The car did not have a spare on it, but thankfully, I had gotten the emergency break down service on our insurance. So, I put a call into them. I was given an hour wait time. I asked Mrs Innuendo of she could come to me and take the kids home for me. She was kind enough to help.
Super Handsome had a problem on his own. He could not rent a car as his copy of his Indiana license is expired. He has a paper copy that he uses to show that it is still valid, but he did not have that with him as well. So, he was forced to sit and wait the whole thing out.
So, I sat and waited. Thankfully, I had my iPhone, so I was able to keep myself occupied. I called the school to let them know that we were not going to be able to make it to parents evening. I was also able to text Super Handsome and my sister in law to keep me sane. I think that technology is awesome! How cool is it that I can iMessage my sister in law that is in the US? Very cool!
The RAC guy showed up after 6pm and did his work. Since all the tire shops were closed, he towed the car to Oak Lodge and parked it. I was lucky again because the work that had closed my lane all week had just completed. If it hadn’t then I am not sure where I would have had him take the car! After he got the car situated, he took me to the nearby airport so I could rent a car. I headed off to get Super Handsome from work.
I am glad that I thought ahead for dinner. I had put a chicken in the crock pot and their were Brussel Sprouts (that Boy 1 somehow managed to burn?). The kids had already ate so we had a quick dinner, tucked the kids into bed and called it a day.....
I am not sure that I should drive a car anymore, because apparently I can’t get a break.
Whiz in My Wheaties
So, let’s see... I left off with the devastating news that my car was now a useless hunk of metal.
Remember, I am a silver lining type of girl. There is a silver lining somewhere, let me find it... We only have 1 car to sell when we move to France. I still have money left over from the first car (that is in checks that I can’t cash because I STILL don’t have a British bank account), we can get a rent a long term hire (rental) car for the remaining four months we will be in the UK, hopefully!
I do feel sorry for Super Handsome. He was in France while all this was happening. Just as it was happening he was emailing to tell me how excited he was as he could go back to wearing jeans at the new workplace. I crushed his happy bubble right away with the direness of my situation. Then, later that day, we had a conversation that went like this:
SH: Maybe your car will magically start working again
Me: Love, when the garage man tells you that it is economically beyond repair, it is not going to magically work again. I wish that it would.
SH:You always Whiz in my wheaties, you know that?
Ok, maybe I don’t feel THAT sorry for him... I am the one without a car again. This time there is no free rentals being offered to me. Looking at the paperwork, I am not sure about having a warranty either. Just to put it all in perspective for you, I bought the 2 Feb and it ran until 20 March.
I had a chat with the trader that I bought it from. He was nice and I am hoping for something positive. I am also going to contact the Citizens Advice Bureau and see what they recommend. They do have consumer protection laws here in the UK, I am hoping that there is something that will help me. I don’t understand them and how they will apply in this situation.
As you know, the garage man told me I needed to just scrap the car. He is currently keeping it for me at the garage while I figure out what to do. I am going to drop off some brownies for him and the guys today or tomorrow. They really came through for this damsel in distress.
I hate buying cars, especially used ones. I tried very hard to do my homework on this one, it came with all of it’s past service history and it seemed to run fine until Tuesday. I don’t think that they purposely sold me a dodgy car. I am still puzzling about the warranty on the car when they apparently offer them (he mumbled something about the low price of the car having something to do with it). I did point out to the guy while chatting with him that I was never offered an extra warranty because if I had been I would have taken it AND paid extra. Let’s face it, I know what kind of luck I have and frankly, I am tired of eating "whiz in my Wheaties".
Remember, I am a silver lining type of girl. There is a silver lining somewhere, let me find it... We only have 1 car to sell when we move to France. I still have money left over from the first car (that is in checks that I can’t cash because I STILL don’t have a British bank account), we can get a rent a long term hire (rental) car for the remaining four months we will be in the UK, hopefully!
I do feel sorry for Super Handsome. He was in France while all this was happening. Just as it was happening he was emailing to tell me how excited he was as he could go back to wearing jeans at the new workplace. I crushed his happy bubble right away with the direness of my situation. Then, later that day, we had a conversation that went like this:
SH: Maybe your car will magically start working again
Me: Love, when the garage man tells you that it is economically beyond repair, it is not going to magically work again. I wish that it would.
SH:You always Whiz in my wheaties, you know that?
Ok, maybe I don’t feel THAT sorry for him... I am the one without a car again. This time there is no free rentals being offered to me. Looking at the paperwork, I am not sure about having a warranty either. Just to put it all in perspective for you, I bought the 2 Feb and it ran until 20 March.
I had a chat with the trader that I bought it from. He was nice and I am hoping for something positive. I am also going to contact the Citizens Advice Bureau and see what they recommend. They do have consumer protection laws here in the UK, I am hoping that there is something that will help me. I don’t understand them and how they will apply in this situation.
As you know, the garage man told me I needed to just scrap the car. He is currently keeping it for me at the garage while I figure out what to do. I am going to drop off some brownies for him and the guys today or tomorrow. They really came through for this damsel in distress.
I hate buying cars, especially used ones. I tried very hard to do my homework on this one, it came with all of it’s past service history and it seemed to run fine until Tuesday. I don’t think that they purposely sold me a dodgy car. I am still puzzling about the warranty on the car when they apparently offer them (he mumbled something about the low price of the car having something to do with it). I did point out to the guy while chatting with him that I was never offered an extra warranty because if I had been I would have taken it AND paid extra. Let’s face it, I know what kind of luck I have and frankly, I am tired of eating "whiz in my Wheaties".
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