Busy day today

This morning Sarah had her dental appointment. The results? Still no cavities, phew! She really enjoys going to the dentist, or any kind of doctor for that matter...

She loves having her teeth cleaned!

Then my mother in law came by, she will be spending the night. We haven't seen her for over 6 months, so we have a lot to catch up on! She also came with us to Sarah's doctor's appointment this afternoon.

Right now I am working like crazy while Sarah and her grandma is outside playing in the sandbox.

Have a great weekend!

Siesta

No wonder I am tired! I think this is the time of day nature intended for me to take a nap... Looking around the office I see two sleeping dogs and two sleeping guinea pigs... At least they know how to do it right! I will bring on the caffeine instead, no time to nap. But it sure looks tempting...

Huh? What? Somebody said something? I am trying to sleep here, you know!
Stan is my desk dog... Great for a quick petting session in between projects.

Bob prefers the dog bed underneath the guinea pig cage...

Crazy...

I went to bed at 2 am last night, I was up working! I have so much work I don't know where to start. But that is the life of a freelancer for you. One day you are doing nothing at all, the other you try to keep up with it all! Most of it is due by the end of today, so I better get going.

I dumped a large pile of natural peanuts in shells outside the window. I am waiting for the cute squirrels to stop the fight they are having (I think they are fighting about who gets to go up to the peanuts first!). It will get me something to watch when my eyes get all strained from looking at the computer monitor for hours.

Oh and did I mention my mother in law is coming for a visit tomorrow? We haven't seen her in over 6 months while she did her big adventurous tour of Alaska. And of course, my vacuum cleaner is broke, and we have hay all over the floors from the guinea pigs! Yay!

Growing big!

Today, for the very first time, Sarah managed to pick up and hold Stan. She has never been big or strong enough to do it previously, so this is a big thing for her. Unfortunately, the dogs are now being constantly held, which they are not too happy about... This made me think back to when she was just a few months old. Both Bob and Stan has always been very gentle with her, but especially Stan has been almost caring and definitely protective of her. Here are a few pictures from her first months together with her buddies...

Sarah holding Stan today, after picking him up, all by herself!

Sarah, 6 months, and Bob hanging out. Looks like they are singing!

The brood enjoying some sun in the window. Sarah 4 months.

Hey, leftover milk? Yum!

Bob was helpful as a prop-up tool of sorts...

Giddy up! Sarah 3 months.

Guys, aren't those my bibs? Sarah 2 months.

Sarah 2 months, mom and Stan in the office.

Hey, move your paw, I was playing with that hanging toy! Sarah 1 month.

And just one of my favorite pictures of all: 2 month old Sarah and daddy.

Christmas is coming!

Sarah and I just dressed the Christmas tree, she is mighty pleased with it! She said Santa really is going to like it when he comes to our house... I hope so too! We have been listening to the Swedish compilation Absolute Christmas, it really puts you in the spirit of the season...

We are now going to do some Christmas crafts, and then we are hopefully going to make some gingerbread dough for tomorrow. I am really in the mood to make a gingerbread house! Happy Holidays indeed!

Politics

Since I am not a US citizen I cannot vote, but I can still have an opinion. I am by no means into politics, but I have an idea of where I stand. There is a web site that via a test helps you determine which candidate you are most similar to. Mine was as follows:

John Edwards shares a 81% similarity with your beliefs

former Senator, (D-NC)

John Edwards was born June 10, 1953. He is a Democrat from North Carolina. He served the state of North Carolina as a senator in the U.S. Senate from 2000 to 2004. Prior to that he was a member of the North Carolina state Senate. Edwards was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004.

Hmmm... Interesting! Hilary Clinton was second at 79 %. Take the test yourself at: Glassbooth 2008

What the hell, Dirt Devil?

I am just having one of those days today. Everything feels kind of wrong, nothing in particular, just an overall feeling of things not being like they should. Many small little things that stress me, bugging me in the back of my head. All together they just make me feel...iffy.

I don't know, maybe I just need something really fun to perk me up, a change of pace perhaps.

One of the things that annoys me right now is our vacuum cleaner. Or the lack thereof... I have had very bad luck with vacuum cleaners in the past, so I shouldn't be surprised. Anyway, last year my vacuum cleaner stopped working. Again. So instead of buying a fancy one this time I decided to buy a basic model. The 2 year warranty was also a draw. I had previously had a Dirt Devil upright that really didn't perform that well, but I figured for the low price of $58, it would be OK if it stopped working after 2 years, and if it stopped before that I would have the 2 year warranty!

Well. It stopped working about a year later. Of course. BUT I had the warranty, so I was good! I called Dirt Devil, and told the rep the motor was burned out (which definitely was the case). She still insisted on doing a Q&A "to figure out what was wrong with it". Sigh! After being on hold for a very long time I was really not in the mood, but OK. After many, many questions she finally said: "I can't figure out what is wrong with it based on my Q&A, so you need to turn it in to one of our service centers". I already TOLD her it was the motor... but OK. Which service center? She looked it up. That place is a privately owned business, I know, because I tried to have one of my previous malfunction piece of crap vacuum cleaners fixed (to no avail) there. A red flag went up. I asked: "This is your service center? It is a private business. Will I have to pay for this service call?" Rep: "Well, yes!" I am now as fuming mad as you can be without using very bad words, and I pretty much told her to put the vacuum cleaner where the sun don't shine...

Bad, BAD vacuum cleaner!

In order for me to get a replacement machine (as per the warranty) I have to turn it in to determine if it is indeed malfunctioning. But the cost of the service call is more than the cost of buiyng a new one! I would call that fraud, but I really don't have the energy to pursue it.

So now I decided to go Swedish. Electrolux, all the way! I already have a great stick vac from them, the Pronto, thank you JaCal!

Great stick vac!

I looked at their other vacuums, and I am getting myself a nice, simple Swedish style vacuum. No more of that upright shit!

Good Swedish vacuum!

Long weekend

We are enjoying our long Thanksgiving weekend!

I cooked my first turkey from scratch, it actually came out very moist and cooked perfectly! I highly recommend brining (saltlake in Swedish), it made a big difference. Otherwise I just trusted the electronic meat thermometer to know when it was cooked...

Our Thanksgiving dinner being assembled, no fancy table this year, since it was just the tree of us, and frankly I was tired after all that cooking to dolly up the table as well! Lower left is the stuffing, lower right the sweet potato casserole, the middle green bean casserole, and upper middle the turkey.

Friday was spent doing a little shopping, having a nice lunch at the Olive Garden, and then seeing the new Disney movie, Enchanted. All in all a very nice few days enjoying ourselves as a family.

We are just about ready to bring down the Christmas tree from the attic and start decorating it. We also started a new tradition last year of making our own Christmas tree ornaments, so we will be doing that as well.

We have been hanging out with the guinea pigs as well, they are really cool! Stan still would like to eat them, but can relax in the same room, even nap next to the cage. Bob is mostly a bit scared of them and acts all tough, but really don't know what to make of them!

Sarah holding Sven.

We went over to Ken's office for a few hours today, it is a great place to go for long walks on the weekend, no people at all around. Stan enjoys walking without a leash here, he listens really good to us, but he tends to sniff everything. Unfortunately he stuck his nose where it is not suppose to be today, and got stung by a bee (not his first time...) As you can see on the pictures below he is very sleepy after his Benadryl, but it really helped and the left side of his lips is looking better...

Stan trying to stay awake, you can see where he got stung, on the (your) right side.

Another look of his swollen lip/cheek, poor thing...

Hope you are all having a nice weekend as well!

Nagging works!

I FINALLY got paid by the French guy that owed me a lot of money... They had tried to ignore me and were hopefully thinking I would get tired of trying to collect. It works on a lot of people! It can be difficult and costly trying to recover overdue payments from other countries, and unfortunately there are a few bad apples out there...

BUT instead of fading away, getting tired of unanswered e-mails I started calling his office. Every day. Several times a day. I was very polite but firm. When can I expect my payment? I think I must finally have worn them down, they probably figured it wasn't worth having me nagging on them, so they paid me! Yes! So now I can have a nice, calm Thanksgiving holiday. With all my bills paid... Have a great day!

New digs & dog p*rn

I felt bad about the pigs living in Sarah's room, and their cage seemed a tad small too, so I made a larger cage, now about 10.5 square feet, and I also moved them into the office.

Sven and Jörgen enjoying their breakfast this morning

I had a perfect sized table to put the cage on, and now they get up high enough that the dogs can't get to them. Plus, since we spend a lot of time in the office, they get more company too. And Sarah get her room back... All good!

The new, bigger cage in the office. They now got plenty of space, all home made!

Yesterday the pigs went nuts, having a bit of a sex orgy. Mind you they are BROTHERS! Stan sat watching them for an hour going at it. I guess gay p*rn for dogs? Weird!

I am off to one of my twice annual skin cancer check, then I need to straighten the house out. Moving all this stuff around created a mess, and we also spent most of the day baking yesterday, so the kitchen is still a mess! But we have yummy rum cake and lots of snickerdoodle cookies!

I also did all my Thanksgiving food shopping this weekend, the fridge is crammed full! I am going to make my very own first time Thanksgiving turkey this year! I am planning on brining it, I heard it makes it really juicy... Have a great Monday!

New additions!

Today we became the proud adoptive family of two guinea pig brothers! We picked them up from a local shelter. Sarah wanted them to have Swedish names, so they are now named Sven and Jörgen. They needed a little TLC when they first arrived, their claws were really long and they fur a little greasy. They are about a year old and very affectionate. They wheek and purr a lo, very cute!

The dogs got very excited about the guinea pigs. A little too excited, so they are banned from the guinea pig room until they get used to their presence a little more. While we were out for a few hours the dog pretty much stripped the paint from the door frame, trying to get in to teh piggies! Stan is especially over excited, he keeps whining and sniffing under the door, so we gotta watch them.

Here are a few pictures of the Sven and Jörgen and their house. I built this cage myself, and will probably build a new, bigger one soon. I didn't realize how huge they are!

Elfin cream

As you know I have been on a lot of antibiotics this fall. One problem that I have been trying to resolve has been a (even after several weeks of being off antibiotics) fungal skin infection. It is just so irritating! It is on my shoulders and upper torso and neck. Just a little dry and itchy feeling. I have tried what I can to get rid of it. It is common with people like me who has an abnormal immune system like lupus to have these kind of infections, so it is not my first time!

But yesterday I was tired of this irritating thing so I called my doctor. Luckily we have a really good relationship after almost 10 years together, so I can often resolve issues over the phone without having to come in and see him. He knows me and my medical history very well! So they called in a combination steroid/fungal cream. To be used twice daily for two weeks.

That is good and all, until I picked up the medicine and saw the package. They gotta be kidding! The container is as big as my thumb! That will last me, oh I don't know, two days maybe! It came with 5 refills, so I guess I am just suppose to refill it every other day? A joke!

I love all animals, but...

The last couple of weeks I noticed a little parade of tiny ants in the master bathroom... They usually disappear as fast as they appear, but this time they didn't seem to be in any hurry to leave.

I don't mind these little tiny creatures, but after finding them in my toothpaste it was time to fight back.

So out with the liquid ant poison... This usually is pretty effective in getting rid of them. They really like the stuff and flocked to get a drink! Poor bastards...

Delicious "last meal" buffet!

This is where they are coming in; time to re-caulk!

Stressed!

I just feel very stressed right now. Many small things just aren't going like I want them to. I have a client in France that owes me a lot of money. I did the job in the beginning of August, and it is now over 90 days... I contacted the agency, and first they blamed a new computer system, an assistance and then finally said their end client is paying them on the 10th.

It is now the 14th. They should have received their payment by now, so I want MINE! I have bills that need to be pay by the end of next week, I have a huge Thanksgiving dinner I need to shop for. Among other things... Give me my freaking money! I threatened the agency to not only passing the case on to an international collection agency based in France, but to also write very bad reviews about the agency on all known translation forums online (so no other translators get the same treatment) AND contact the end client, which in this case is CIBA (contact lenses). I am sure they would be interested in finding out who they are dealing with! It is just not very professional to treat subcontractors like this.

I am just tired of people thinking they can screw around with me. I did a very good job for you, now you PAY me!

So as you can tell I am a bit agitated.

Still no tires (but hopefully they get them today). I have been driving close to home with the spare tire on, but that is not that great.

I haven't been able to find a guinea pig for adoption yet. Every time I contact someone they had just adopted theirs. But I did manage to build a great guinea pig cage (thank you Guinea Pig Cages!) and get all the supplies. SO all we need now is a little piggie or two...

So if they could just PAY me my day would be a lot better... Well, all days can't be great, but I really hate being in this kind of mood!

Guinea Pig Info

I have mentioned this for a long time now, in fact, we have been thinking for about a year now to get Sarah a guinea pig (marsvin in Swedish).

I don't take getting a pet lightly, since I consider it a huge responsibility. I am flabbergasted by people who seem to get pets as accessories, just to get rid of them when they turn out to be a lot of work, or when the novelty wears off... Disgusting! A pet for me is part of the family. I have found a couple of local rescues that have guinea pigs in need of new homes, which makes me feel a little better knowing we can help a guinea pig in need of a home.

I think after a lot of research we are ready to commit to a guinea pig. My only concern would be how the dogs would handle it. Of course the guinea pig would never be left alone with them, but I was wondering if any of you might have some advice about this, or any good tips or information regarding guinea pigs.

Veteran's Day

Veteran's Day was really yesterday, but today is a holiday and a lot of businesses are closed. Schools are open and for us it is a regular day.

Ken, as you might now, did his military service for a few years abroad. He was in the military just before the first Gulf War and I would say he was very lucky dodging deployment to the Middle East with just weeks!

He mainly joined the armed forces to further his education, and it had a large part in helping him get his Master's Degree and becoming a CPA.

He was stationed in Germany and did not see much action there, but he did give up a few years of his life for his country. I don't think I would do that myself... so thanks! To all of you who has done the same. I do not believe in the current war at all, and I think there are other ways to solve problems (speaking as the true Swede I am ), but I do recognize the sacrifice veterans have done for their fellow citizens to endure their freedom.

Veteran's Day started on the first anniversary of the end of the First World War, and later became a nationally recognized holiday. It is a day to reflect on things we often take as a given, but in fact is not. I have never lived in a country where I cannot speak my mind or feel safe, so it is hard to imagine. But it is too common for a lot of people all over the world.

Hope you all will have a great week!

Fishing fun

This morning we went to the beach for a nice breakfast at our favorite The Rod & Reel Pier. After that we decided to try our luck fishing again. We did get some pretty good bites, and almost hooked a flounder, but not so much luck today. The weather was awesome and instead of getting any fish we went home and enjoyed the ocean/fish themed cupcakes we had made last night!

Check out the cool sprinkles we used: sharks, turtles, tropical fish and dolphins!

My favorite was the shark sprinkles, swimming in their turquoise blue "ocean"...

Flooring update

Wow! I had no idea it would be such a huge production to get new floors! After getting several quotes we are left with this:

Flooring companies are really busy this time of the year! I guess I am not the only one wanting new floors before Christmas... turns out there are really no time slots available before Christmas that fits us! So instead of hasting ourselves into using a less reputable flooring company or stressing about it, we decided to go with out original plan to wait until after tax season (which ends April 15). There is no way Ken would have time to deal with this between January 1 and April 15, that is his busiest time of the year.

We also found out that it is really only one company that has a large enough crew so they can complete the job in 4 days or less. The rest needs 2 weeks or more! And since we cannot be in the house while they are laying the floor, well, that would be a nightmare having to stay out that long! If we go with the company that can do it in a shorter period we can solve the problem by renting a RV and live in that for a few days. Since one of us has to be present while they work at all times, it solves that problem as well. This way we can park the RV next to our house, hook up the electricity to our house and have most comforts of home right there, kid, dogs and all!

The entire house is being tiled, so we have to remove ALL furniture! That is equal to moving! We decided to also rent one of those storage PODS and have it in the drive way to stash all the stuff in, that way it will be a bit easier I think.

So much stuff needed just to get some floors! But heck, I am happy just knowing it is happening! So for Sarah's birthday on May 8 everything is suppose to be back in place and ready for a party. Let hope so!

Saturday stuff

Started my day off early, reading the paper and drinking some tea. I cleaned the entire house the day before, since the floor people was coming out to measure stuff. So nice and clean!

Floor person came out just after 9:30 AM, did his thing and gave us his quote. It was a little more than the other guys would charge, but this company has one Big advantage going for them: due to a larger crew they will install the flooring on 3-4 days. The others are more like 2-2½ weeks... So it would definitely be worth spending a little extra to get our house back sooner!

Now I just have to convince Ken the CPA that it is a really, really good idea to do the floors now rather than waiting! He is always super careful with spending any money, you always have to drag it out of him. After hearing the price of just over $10,000 he is now going back and forth between "yes lets get floors now" and "no lets wait"... Agh! I just can't stand these floors any longer!! His business is doing great and is expected to have an awesome year next year. I say lets GO FOR IT DUDE!

I will let you know what happens...

Went to the Sport's Authority to pick up some more of that really good crab bait, since we are going fishing tomorrow morning, and we also picked out some new eyeglass frames for Ken, which we will order online after his eye exam next week. I used FramesDirect for my glasses last year and I was very pleased with their serviced. I also saved about $100 in total on a nice pair of complete brand name glasses!

So breakfast on the beach and fishing tomorrow, should be nice and wonderful weather!

Smart thinking. Not!

Our house is pretty basic, your typical layout with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. I like that it has a so called "great room" plan, with just one big living room, instead as is pretty common, a formal living room (who is never used) and a smaller family (TV) room. We have slowly been upgrading things here and there, after all, the house was built in 1992 and things are starting to get outdated.

So far it has a new roof, hurricane protection shutters, new AC, new heater, new light fixtures, new ceiling fans, new kitchen appliances and new laundry appliances. We are also in the process of replacing the flooring, and then we will do the master bath and kitchen counter. Except for a fence around the back yard there is not really anything else that needs to be done after that, I think. But then we need to start thinking about replacing our furniture, starting with the master bedroom.

But one thing that really bugs me about this house is it's security system. I think it was installed in 2002, so it is fairly new. But the moron who installed the heat sensors and smoke alarms must not have been a cook at all! He placed the heat sensors, which are meant to help pick up excess heat, in case there is a fire with little or no smoke, next to the kitchen. Which means that every time I open a hot oven door, or make toast, the darn thing goes off! And it is LOUD! With that comes howling dogs and a kid screaming to make me shut the dogs up because her ears hurt... The only way to get around this is to put the ceiling fan in the kitchen on full blast. So imagine how pissed you are if you forget to do this before making toast on a Sunday morning when you had planned on reading the newspaper in peace and quite before the rest of the house wakes up...

Hmmm... I know a lot of fires start in the kitchen, but we already have TWO fire alarms, one on the south end of the kitchen, one on the north end. Plus one outside the master and one in the guest bedroom hallway. So I think we are good. But I can't take the battery out; it will keep on beeping every 5 minutes to let me know it needs a new battery (since it is also hardwired into the electrical system) . Grrr!!!

This little evil thing sure looks all innocent...

Prickly me and hornet sauce

Last night I was making some chicken marsala. I don't eat mushrooms, but I like the taste of them, I just won't put an actual mushroom in my mouth. The marsala sauce contains mushrooms, and I usually heave in a full container. I was stirring them around when I noticed something odd... A weird clump of sorts... It was a hornet! Yuck! I had no choice but to remove it, lucky for me there seemed to be no more weird stuff and I continued cooking, the rest was almost done anyway and I had no other sauce options...

This morning I looked at the hornet again. Turns out it is just a clump of dirt... He he!

I feel so agitated today about all and nothing. We are hoping the tires we ordered will come in soon, but it is not so much the feeling about being stuck in the house that irritates me. I will take Sarah and walk to the grocery store later, it is a nice walk up there, not at all that far. The weather is just awesome with sun and low 70s!

I have some work issues with incompetent people that are really grating on me, and then the husband was all cranky last night, saying he is too stressed to have our floors done now. Ha! As if he even was going to be home when they do it! It would be mostly on me. My plan was to have it scheduled for the Monday after Thanksgiving, that way we will have a few days to move furniture and rip out the old carpet. By moving our own furniture we can make sure they don't dent up the walls, which is a common problem. Also, they usually charge extra for moving furniture and removing the old floors. I will probably have them remove the old tile though. And I think it will be therapeutic ripping out that yucky, very hated carpet!

Tomorrow morning we are having an in house quote done, and that will be our last quote. After that we will decide who we will go with.

Since we are tiling the entire house except the master bath, which will be dealt with later on, it would be faster if we removed all the furniture ourselves anyway... The office stuff weigh a ton!

I just feel so prickly today, so nobody better mess with me or I have a feeling I will bite their head off!

Thanks :-(

I was just on my way to pick up Sarah at preschool. The husband took my car this morning and left me his convertible. The car kind of felt funny pulling out of the garage. Then even weirder driving out on the street. I figured I better stop and go out and look, maybe something was stuck underneath, that has happened before.

Oh no! A flat front tire... As in completely flat, pancake style... We knew his car needs new tires, but we just got a brand new set for mine, and they aren't exactly cheap if you get the good kind.. we were stretching it a bit. Apparently a little bit too thin. Bummer...

So he is on his way over to pick her up now. He is going to be out of town tomorrow, so I am not sure when we can have it fixed, so I guess that means no car for me tomorrow. I know I don't have to go anywhere, but because I can't go anywhere I will feel like I am stuck! Oh well, things could be worse!

The tire in question...

Work day

Today I have quite a lot of work to do, probably won't be able to finish it all in one day. This morning all Floridians were shivering when the temperatures were in the 40s (around 5C!) That is cold! We are expecting a high in the low 70s today (22C), so it should be beautiful. The sun is already out shining bright!

But I am stuck inside doing two projects, one which has to be done today (for my Hong Kong client), the other one is for a newer client from Argentina that has turned out be be very reliable, but that one has a generous deadline. That is another aspect of my job that I love, you get to "meet" people from all over the world!

Have a good one!

Secret Chili Recipe

When I first came to the US I used to make the Swedish version of Chili Con Carne, a pretty basic staple in the Swedish kitchen. But after hand I got inspired by the myriad of American recipes for chili out there. It all involved into a recipe that I have tweaked over the years, and which now is truly my very own, healthy, tasty and super easy to make chili.

SweFlo's Chili

You will need:
1 lb of ground meat (you can use beef or turkey, all depending on how lean you want it)
1-2 yellow onions, chopped into chunky pieces (I love the sweet Vidalia onion for this dish)
1 large can or two regular cans of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 regular can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 regular can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 regular can of white beans (cannellini or regular white is fine)
1 can of corn, drained
3 cans of Ro*Tel tomatoes with chilies (see pictures below so you know what to get at the store)
NOTE: This is the secret that makes the chili, DO NOT skip!. Depending on you preference for hotness you can use the mild, original or extra hot. I have found that 2 cans of the mild and 1 of the original gives a perfect balance. DO NOT drain cans!

Handful of Cilantro leaves (not necessary if you do not like cilantro)
Couple of garlic cloves, pressed or minced
Salt and pepper if desired
You can of course try your own favorite kind of beans, it is an easy dish to mix up...

Secret ingredients - do not omit!

Preparation:
In a very large pan, heat a little oil, put in the chopped onions and stir around for a few minutes. Add the ground meat, stir and break up into small pieces. Cook until no longer pink. Add tomatoes (with liquid), add the garlic and pepper (if desired). Add all beans and corn. Heat through. Add cilantro. Ready! Wasn't that the easiest ever? Good for you and so easy! Yummy too! This makes a huge batch good for when you have company, or you can easily freeze leftovers for a quick lunch or dinner later on.

Enjoy!

Two legged Zebra

Thought the daughter was a little too quite playing in the living room...

Went to see what she was up to.

Found said daughter hiding underneath the table. Drawing zebra stripes all over herself!

As you can see in the first picture she wasn't too happy about being caught, apparently she wasn't quite finished yet!

Floors

I am very happy to be able to get the floors much sooner then I was expecting... but this morning I was running from store to store trying to get quotes for the installation. So far they vary $2,000 from the lowest to the highest!

PEI-ratings, absorbency rates, glaze variations, slip resistance, grout options... It is pretty mind boggling! Hopefully we can come to a decision this weekend and maybe get things started next week. Installation time also ranged from next day installation (that sounds a little too fast) to 2 ½ weeks. In worst case scenario I might have to wait until after Thanksgiving, since I really don't feel like celebrating the holiday in a construction zone. And how are we going to live in this house during the installation? We are doing ALL the rooms at the same time...

But, if there is a will there is a way. Have a great day!

Yes!

I have just convinced the husband, bless his heart, that it is in our best interest to get our disgusting floors ripped out and new ceramic tile installed in the entire house BEFORE Christmas, right in time for our wedding anniversary on December 19! I am so extremely on a high right now I don't know what to do with myself!!!

This disgusting carpet is going, and I could NOT be happier about that! Oh my goodness... My Christmas is already as good as it gets... Tomorrow I am shopping for installation quotes!

So how did I get him to agree to do this extensive renovation now instead of waiting until after tax season next year? Well, lets just say he now has in writing that he will receive a mind "blowing" night... I better get some knee pads with the new floor going to being so hard and all! ;-)

My List of Essential Electronics

This morning I was just sitting here thinking about all the different electronic gizmos and gadgets I call essential in my life. Sure, I would survive without ALL of them... But it wouldn't be too much fun... Here is my list of my Essential Electronics (in no particular order), I am sure there is more... Copy at will!

Why did I not get this sooner? Instead of having to wrestle my daughter (or husband) to get a thermometer in their mouth, I just pop this sucker in their ear and it is done) Don't ask why, but my dear husband thinks I used the old thermometer to take one of the dog's temperature a while back when it was sick, and he now refuses to come near the thing. Look, it was a different one, alright! And ever heard of disinfecting? Yeez!

Of course, my beloved digital camera that is sadly starting to get old...

Does a car count as an electronic? I guess somewhat... Oh, well. It is essential in my world! Check out the Swedish license plate...

As many of us bloggers have discussed previously, the ICE MACHINE that most American refrigerators are equipped with is a true miracle!

What would I do without my dish washer? A lot more dishes, that is for sure! Check out Bob thinking mommy is crazy taking pictures of appliances...

And the bread machine... Can't bake bread the regular way if my life depended on it!

Before owning this miracle tool I could never figure out if the meat on the grill was ready or not. No more undercooked chicken!

This plain little box is worth it's weight in gold... It is my Lingo box that for $20/month gives me free calling within the US, to Sweden and most other places in the world! (Hey Fiona, I can now call Australia for free; if you ever feel like chatting, call me and let me know and I will call you right back so you only have to pay for 1 minute!)

Our wireless router... Blogging from the couch, anyone?

Of course, without my computer life would not be much fun, would it? And I wouldn't get much work done either...

I am amazed how dependent I have become on my cell phone this past decade!

This unassuming postal scale have many duties in our house: helping out with eBay auctions, calculating postage to Sweden, and doubling as a household scale when I need to measure some kind of food in grams...

This air cleaner from Sharper Image (together with it's office twin) hopefully help clear the air of some of that musty carpet smell...

I LOVE this thing! This DVR records all my favorite shows on TV without me having to lift a finger...

A bit fuzzy, but this indoor/outdoor thermometer lets me know what to wear.

Of course, my notebook computer provides easy access to the Internet whenever needed...

... a lot in thanks to it's wireless broadband card.


Well, that was the most Essential Electronics I could think of in my life right now. What are yours?