Just to show off... here are my boys.
Left to right... LittleJ (7), Buddyboy (16), Tiny (4) and Legoboy (13).

Isn't that an awesome picture?

Freezer's Fine

You know, since Sears got bought by Kmart, it's service and quality have diminished greatly. It was very disappointing for us, as we had always bought Sears items due to their great service and policies. Well, the deep freeze is a Kenmore (bought five years ago, before Sears changed hands) and since we didn't want to deal with Sears (my service nightmare story has to do with another Sears product... I'll tell it another day!), we called an independent service guy. He told us that our model had had lots of problems in the past, and made suggestions as to what the problem might be, but said on top of all that, he couldn't come until Monday. Great. I might lose all my stuff!

So, we caved and called Sears. They said Saturday. Great. We'll take it.

That was Tuesday. I thought I was going to have to go through five or six more nights of listening to that stinkin' alarm go off at 3 a.m. out in the garage telling me it was "off temp-er-ture" (said in my best Marvin Zindler accent).

But, God is so good! Wednesday, they called and said a technician would be in the area that day, could he come by and check today! Yes, Ma'am! The tech was a 37 year Sears repair veteran, and knew EVERYTHING! He checked the freezer, said it was fine, but gave us some advice (it was off temp because of the nine gallon bottles of water I put in it in prep for the "hurricane", and because of the boxes I had stored on top... which kept the condenser working harder). He also came in and told bugman how to fix the door to the fridge inside (also a Kenmore, 10 years old). AND.... when bugman said "I want your card so I can request you next time" we found out he is a MASTER PLUMBER! How cool is that??

Now, why is that cool, you may ask. It's cool because we need a plumber who can run a gas line to our kitchen for our new stove! I really feel like God sent this wonderful man our way to bless us. We are very excited. Bugman will call him next week to set up a time to get the line installed. Meanwhile, I need to find a scratch-and-dent store to see if I can find my stove at a discount price. LOL.

Mow, Mow, Mow your lawn...

We got a new mower. One of those old-fashioned mowers. No engine, no gas, no noise. No, we didn't buy it because how environmentally friendly it is (although it's a plus, huh) but because it was cheap, I never have to go buy gas for it, never have to have someone else come start it, etc. AND, my almost-8 year old (LittleJ) can use it! He loves it. I like to sing when he mows... "On the mow again, J can't wait to get on the mow again..." He laughs, and wants to know where I learned that song. It actually does a good job, as long as you don't let the grass get too long. Did I mention that you can mow at 7 a.m., and not worry about waking the neighbors? How cool is that?

"Dodged the Bullet" and Broken Freezers

It's been a so-so day.
We "dodged the bullet" (as Bugman likes to say, making fun of the media coverage), in that Edouardo went northeast of us and we are just having a bad thunderstorm. It is hilarious... all these businesses are closed, all for naught. At least the dentist was smart... he didn't officially say he was closing. Buddy (16yos) had an appt. this morning and it still happened.

On the other hand, I have strep throat. I started with a slight sore throat Friday night, turning into a horrible, throat-closing experience by Sunday. I kept waiting for it to improve, but no. It has steadily gotten worse. I can barely swallow. Called the Dr.'s office today, and it's closed due to the storm. Same with the local Rediclinic. Egads! Luckily, I have a lovely doctor, whose email and cell phone number I happen to have. She called me in a prescription for Antibiotics... yes, I am that desperate! I feel fine, except for not being able to talk and swallow!

And on top of all that, my deep-freeze is acting up. Yesterday, I rearranged it, making room for a whole bunch of frozen gallon-size water bottles. Last night about 11pm, the alarm went off... the door was locked, and the temp was about 10 degrees. It went off again about 2:15pm, and the temp was about 15 degrees. Bugman says it should be about zero. Great. So today we called a repairman... of course, it is *just* out of it's warranty period! Find out that this model has had repeated problems, that may cost more than a new Freezer! Yikes! But, upon reading online here, I found that sometimes it can be a clogged defrost drain. So, Bugman took apart the freezer bottom, and lo and behold it was blocked by ice. We cleaned it out, loaded the food back in, and we are now in the "wait and see" period. Praying that the alarm does not go off again. Meanwhile, I have an appt for a repair guy to come Saturday between 1pm and 5pm. That means, that he'll be here at 5pm if I stay home, but if I leave, he'll show up at 1pm. Saturday is my "sabbatical" day. Bugman is taking boys off to "the farm"... a farm owned by some friends out in Flatonia. I get two days ALONE!!

Battening Down the Hatches...

We are here at home, readying ourselves for tropical storm (hurricane?) Eduoardo (or however you spell it's name!). I'm stocked up with water, batteries and canned goods. I figure whatever I don't use, I can send with the kids camping this weekend! Seriously, I don't think that there will be much to worry about. Some of my friends have left, or are leaving town, but not us. After the Rita fiasco, Bugman has declared that we'll just ride it out. Hope you all stay dry!