Angry Birds

For my birthday this week, my husband gave me a new mobile phone.  My old phone was a pink flip phone that dialed and took fuzzy pictures.  That's about it.

My new phone is an HTC EVO Shift.  This means we now have a text and data plan added to our phones (I say our because everyone in the family had to get new phones, apparently).  I am now discovering how to text (including this blog post!), load apps, check my email and Facebook, and play games.

One that the lady at the store loaded to show us how was the free version of Angry Birds.  My kids can't get enough.  Igor even turns off the Xbox 360 to come watch.  It's addictive.  But I have to put it away now so I can study -- my SPHR exam is Tuesday morning!

Plant Sale

Despite my gastroenteritis (virus caught from older child who had it earlier this week), I insisted on heading down to Ohio State University's Chadwick Arboretum Plant Sale.  Husband was not looking forward to it, but I really wanted to go.  If, for no other reason, to help identify the plants that we already have at home.

We looked around briefly, Husband ran into someone from work, we scoped out the plant auction for future reference, and ended up buying nothing.  However, the end result was what I truly wanted:  Husband will help me measure the beds, draw up a diagram, and we can start planning our garden areas.  After all, he's an engineer and doesn't like my haphazard style of gardening where I just buy pretty things I like and then try to figure out where to plant it.

As an added bonus, measuring the beds will help us know how much mulch we have to buy.  Unbeknown to us,  our Homeowner's Association requires us to finish replacing our mulch in the beds by May 31st.  So, we'll order it and place it in the beds on Friday when we're taking a vacation day to go look at a preschool for Hannibal.

I'm so excited Husband will be helping me design our beds!  I've already decided I want one of the front beds to be more of an herb garden. . . maybe.  Depends how Herb Experiment #3 goes.

Iago and the Stove

For those of you waiting for your next installment of foibles of my brother-in-law who lives with us, I will now regale you with the most recent one.

On Thursday, my Husband was heading home early to meet the Orkin man.  We have a service contract for them where they come out every other month and do perimeter defense to keep the flying-stinging-things away.  I'm allergic, after all.  We have wasps on the second story deck again, so we made a call and scheduled an appointment.  The Orkin man was due between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.  Since Iago won't answer the door for anyone, Husband had to be home to meet him.

As a reminder to Iago, Husband called home to notify him that he was on his way.  Turns out, Iago was panicking.  Apparently, he had melted metal to my stove.  Yes, I said melted metal.  He was looking up ways to get it off the stove, but wasn't able and was freaking out that he had ruined our stove.  Husband tells him not to fret and that Husband will look at it when he gets home.

The story I get on the phone immediately after is that Iago had been cooking popcorn in the aluminum "Whirly-pop" popcorn pan and had melted it to the stove.  When he picked it up, some of it stayed behind.  I am now thinking that my credit-card points I've saved for a new stainless fridge will be spent instead on a new stove.  And my sister-in-law, who wants our old stove, will be sorely disappointed by the loss.

Later, we are to hear the REAL story.  Apparently, Iago was making popcorn.  He wanted a warm spoon for the oil he was going to put on the popcorn.  So he decided to put FOIL on the electric burner, set the spoon on the foil, and turn on the burner.  When he was done, he went to pull up the foil and it stuck to the burner.  Surprise.  What was he thinking?  Ugh.

When Husband got home, he was able to work to remove most of it using a straight razor.  We're still able to use the burner.  But it looks bad.  Husband and I are now discussing fridge vs. stove.  Then, if stove, will we do an induction stove, an electric stove, or a gas stove?  We'd need to make modifications for a gas stove, but I would much prefer it.  Husband does not want gas because of how dirty our old one got because nobody ever wiped down the stove or the burners.  My second choice would be the most expensive option:  the induction, which would require all new cookware.  I hate electric stoves and so does Husband, but they are our cheapest option.  The debate continues. . . Good thing my gift card I've earned doesn't have an expiration date!