We finally got the ice-maker in our fridge repaired.
It broke when we moved to our house 2 years ago. Hubby wanted it fixed but I thought it wasn't important - not for the $200-$300 I estimated it would cost. I told myself that it was a 1st world problem, no big deal.
So for the past 2 years, we've been making ice the regular way in ice cube trays. We'd fill the trays with water, bring it downstairs to the freezer in the basement and when we need ice, we bring the trays up and dump the cubes into the ice cube tray in our kitchen freezer.
Now, refilling the ice cube tray has always been my job. It wasn't something we agreed about but hubby has never done it and if I think about it, I was the one who put her foot down regarding the repair so I was it. Kaya lang, lately, I find myself forgetting about it or just getting plain lazy about filling the trays and bringing it downstairs. Medyo balancing act kasi yun each time, nakakatamad so for weeks now, we don't have ice. Not a really a big deal, but when you're having one of those days when you just want to have a sip of any ice-cold drink,... sorry!
So while waiting in traffic on my way to work last week, I happened to stop beside a FridgeFix truck. Bored, I read the text on their truck and took note of the company name. Did some research later that day and broached the topic with hubby. Surprise, surprise (sarcastic), hubby was totally on board with the repair. Side note lang, in fact nga kung siya ang masusunod, ni co consider pa nga nya magpalit ng refrigerator to get an ice-maker that works. *roll eyes*
Today, I found myself WFH (working from home) again unexpectedly. Traffic was a mess this morning and I decided to turn back home. Pag uwi, I figured it was as good a time as any to call FridgeFix. My thought was that if they could send someone today, I'd take it as a sign. Otherwise, hindi na.
And guess what ? As it turns out, they had a technician available for 2-4p. I accepted the appointment but when I put down the phone, medyo alangan ako because I have to pick up Swe-cha from daycare in the afternoon. What if the tech comes in at 4p, how long will he need to diagnose and repair ? So while thinking about cancelling, my phone rings. It was FridgeFix. They had a tech in my area who got freed up, they can be at my place in an hour. Ayos! That was the universe coming into alignment with our needs :)
Ice maker was broken, couldn't be repaired. I thought the $350 repair estimate was too steep and got the price down to $300 flat (inclusive of tax and the house call - they charge a $75 house call fee which is NOT applicable towards repairs) and gave the go ahead. I probably paid too much, but it was convenient because it fit my schedule.
Now, I am staring a this room-temperature bottle of coke and am waiting for the ice to form. Sana lumabas na!
Am sure that when hubby and Swe-cha gets home tonight, matutuwa rin sila. Etong 2 boys ko ang mahilig mag ice. Swe-cha keeps getting ice & pag ubos na "Mommy, more ice" pero never naman sila gumawa ng ice. Hay.
Happy weekend, everyone!
Friday, November 13, 2015
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Birthday
I had my birthday last weekend. It happened to coincide with the Great Wolf Lodge vacation that I booked - I booked this weekend because Swe-cha didn't have classes the Friday before so he wouldn't e missing any classes.
Everything worked out nicely and this is the first time in many many years, we had something that was close to a celebration on my birthday.
The last time that my birthday was celebrated with some sort of fanfare was in 2004 where my friends helped me throw a combined housewarming & birthday party. 11 years ago na pala yun, ang tagal na.
Got a very nice and touching card from Dad, he signed it for the entire family, including my new niece. Dad is thoughtful that way.
When we got back home, we gave Swe-cha a present. We'd been holding onto it for days, we knew that he wanted it very much but we didn't want to give it before our trip in case he loses interest in the trip. Sayang naman.
As we were unwrapping the gift, a sad thought crossed my mind "pambihira naman, ganito pala ang maging nanay, ako ang may birthday and yet here I am, giving someone else a present. Nasan na ang gift ko ?"
That sad thought was unexpected. I should be used to things by now. Hubby and I have never been gift-givers so birthdays and occasions pass by without fuss. One year nga (just a few years ago) he even forgot that it was my birthday and I had to remind him of the date. Nagtampo talaga ako nun.
So as we were tearing the wrapper off of the Marble Run toy that we got Swe-cha, I saw his face light up and he started jumping up and down with excitement. Ang saya saya nya! And that's when it hit me, THIS is my gift. My heart overflowed with love, joy and happiness. I'm super thankful to the Lord for another year with my family.
Everything worked out nicely and this is the first time in many many years, we had something that was close to a celebration on my birthday.
The last time that my birthday was celebrated with some sort of fanfare was in 2004 where my friends helped me throw a combined housewarming & birthday party. 11 years ago na pala yun, ang tagal na.
Got a very nice and touching card from Dad, he signed it for the entire family, including my new niece. Dad is thoughtful that way.
When we got back home, we gave Swe-cha a present. We'd been holding onto it for days, we knew that he wanted it very much but we didn't want to give it before our trip in case he loses interest in the trip. Sayang naman.
As we were unwrapping the gift, a sad thought crossed my mind "pambihira naman, ganito pala ang maging nanay, ako ang may birthday and yet here I am, giving someone else a present. Nasan na ang gift ko ?"
That sad thought was unexpected. I should be used to things by now. Hubby and I have never been gift-givers so birthdays and occasions pass by without fuss. One year nga (just a few years ago) he even forgot that it was my birthday and I had to remind him of the date. Nagtampo talaga ako nun.
So as we were tearing the wrapper off of the Marble Run toy that we got Swe-cha, I saw his face light up and he started jumping up and down with excitement. Ang saya saya nya! And that's when it hit me, THIS is my gift. My heart overflowed with love, joy and happiness. I'm super thankful to the Lord for another year with my family.
Monday, November 9, 2015
dream
Had a really weird dream last night.
I went to a spa where I was led to the massage room. I took off my clothes, wrapped myself up in a towel and went through a revolving door to the shower area. The revolving door was actually a cabinet which turns so it looks more like a "secret" passageway.
I took a shower and went back through the revolving door. When I got to the other side, I was in a dry market. It was in Cubao, according to the people there.
In retrospect, okay rin naman. The last time we flew home, the ticket cost us $1600/head, the portal-slash-revolving door in my dream was free. Yun nga lang, my clothes and purse were left behind in the massage room and I only had a towel wrapped around me.
I looked around and asked to borrow a phone from one of the vendors, it turned out that I also had a few P5 coins in my hand so I could afford a phone call. I called a number that I had memorized from a long time ago even though I didn't remember whose it was, naalala ko lang yung number and that I used to call it decades ago.
Someone answered, nasa America rin sya on vacation.
&#!*&*#@!(*S*
Lesson: always keep your clothes and purse with you.
I went to a spa where I was led to the massage room. I took off my clothes, wrapped myself up in a towel and went through a revolving door to the shower area. The revolving door was actually a cabinet which turns so it looks more like a "secret" passageway.
I took a shower and went back through the revolving door. When I got to the other side, I was in a dry market. It was in Cubao, according to the people there.
In retrospect, okay rin naman. The last time we flew home, the ticket cost us $1600/head, the portal-slash-revolving door in my dream was free. Yun nga lang, my clothes and purse were left behind in the massage room and I only had a towel wrapped around me.
I looked around and asked to borrow a phone from one of the vendors, it turned out that I also had a few P5 coins in my hand so I could afford a phone call. I called a number that I had memorized from a long time ago even though I didn't remember whose it was, naalala ko lang yung number and that I used to call it decades ago.
Someone answered, nasa America rin sya on vacation.
&#!*&*#@!(*S*
Lesson: always keep your clothes and purse with you.
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Saturday, October 10, 2015
SUPER LOVE: Gator Strike Plates
First off, let me get this out. This is not a paid post. This is not a paid endorsement deal - as if naman I have enough readership, haha! ;) This is an honest-to-goodness rave about a product.
So we moved to an old house 2 years ago. As with any house, the structure eventually settles and the materials expand and contract due to temperature changes and these result in doors being out of alignment. We have 3 doors that do not latch properly, depending on the season (seasonal lang siya nasasara) - the master bathroom, the one going down to the basement and a closet in the 4th bedroom.
The closet wasn't too bad (it doesn't latch close but doesn't swing open on its own), the basement door annoys me but I use a security bar to secure it anyway but imagine having a bathroom door that would not close. Kainis diba ? Thankfully, it was the master bath and we just close the master bedroom door when we use the bathroom so may work-around.
I've looked everywhere for possible solutions - shims in the hinges, loosening and/or tightening the hinges, ,etc - but I couldn't find a solution that worked for us. I was all set with reaching out to a carpenter/contractor to fix this but it didn't seem like a big enough job. Baka lugi lang ako sa minimum fee.
A few days ago, I came across an ad for Gator Strike Plates. I looked for reviews and Amazon has it for 5 stars (98 reviews), I figured that was enough to make me go for it. I purchased 3.
Tonight, we installed all 3 and they all fit perfectly. ALL OUR DOORS LATCH & CLOSE PROPERLY NOW. How awesome is that ?
I wish I knew about this 2 years ago, it worked perfectly!
If I had to have a complaint, it would be because I couldn't find this product anywhere w/o paying for shipping. Amazon ships this out for $4.99 each plus $1.99 shipping for each one you purchase. I eventually found them on ebay for $4.99 each but with a flat shipping fee of $1.99 no matter how many pieces you buy (this is why I decided to go for it and got 3 at the same time).
Out of pocket $16.96 to repair 3 doors. super sulit!
I feel so happy that I want to call up all my friends and ask if they have doors which do not latch just to recommend this stuff but I won't kasi 10:30p na.
So we moved to an old house 2 years ago. As with any house, the structure eventually settles and the materials expand and contract due to temperature changes and these result in doors being out of alignment. We have 3 doors that do not latch properly, depending on the season (seasonal lang siya nasasara) - the master bathroom, the one going down to the basement and a closet in the 4th bedroom.
The closet wasn't too bad (it doesn't latch close but doesn't swing open on its own), the basement door annoys me but I use a security bar to secure it anyway but imagine having a bathroom door that would not close. Kainis diba ? Thankfully, it was the master bath and we just close the master bedroom door when we use the bathroom so may work-around.
I've looked everywhere for possible solutions - shims in the hinges, loosening and/or tightening the hinges, ,etc - but I couldn't find a solution that worked for us. I was all set with reaching out to a carpenter/contractor to fix this but it didn't seem like a big enough job. Baka lugi lang ako sa minimum fee.
A few days ago, I came across an ad for Gator Strike Plates. I looked for reviews and Amazon has it for 5 stars (98 reviews), I figured that was enough to make me go for it. I purchased 3.
Tonight, we installed all 3 and they all fit perfectly. ALL OUR DOORS LATCH & CLOSE PROPERLY NOW. How awesome is that ?
I wish I knew about this 2 years ago, it worked perfectly!
If I had to have a complaint, it would be because I couldn't find this product anywhere w/o paying for shipping. Amazon ships this out for $4.99 each plus $1.99 shipping for each one you purchase. I eventually found them on ebay for $4.99 each but with a flat shipping fee of $1.99 no matter how many pieces you buy (this is why I decided to go for it and got 3 at the same time).
Out of pocket $16.96 to repair 3 doors. super sulit!
I feel so happy that I want to call up all my friends and ask if they have doors which do not latch just to recommend this stuff but I won't kasi 10:30p na.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Toy Closet
One of the biggest issues we deal with at home is getting Swe-cha to clean up after himself. He does pretty well if asked to clean up but if you're not around, he tends to want to take out ALL his toys. The end result is that we have toys strewn all over the house.
Not good, especially if you walk around barefoot like I sometimes do.
While reading up on possible solutions, I came across a blog where the mom decided to lock up all the toys in the basement. The kids are allowed to choose 1-2 toys every week. Her husband thought she was crazy at first but it turned out well for her family. The children learned to share with each other, play with each other's toys, they got more imaginative because had to get more mileage out of each toy, they turned to their books and crafting, and the house was much much more organized.
Hubby had long been advocating that we turn one of the bedrooms into a playroom. I didn't think that it was such a good idea because I didn't like the idea of Swe-cha being in the room by himself while I'm doing chores around the house. Reading that blog post (I'll put a link back if I find it again) gave me an idea - sort of a twist on hubby's plan. Since we're not using the closet in my home office, we replaced with door knob with a combination lock (Swe cha is good with keys and finding out our hiding spots).
He does not know this yet but whenever I get the chance, I've been putting his toys back into the original box if we still have it or into small containers and storing them in the closet. The plan is for him to clean up his current toys before exchanging it for another set. Since the closet is locked, there's no way for him to get toys when we're not looking.
Wish us lock!
Monday, October 5, 2015
MBR Updates
My boys painted our MBR last week and I am loving the new color. It feels so much more presko and bright - it was exactly what I wanted.
We didn't get to paint the baseboard heater covers anymore for the following reasons:
- we couldn't find the glossy white paint. I know we still have a can and I didn't want to buy more
- we were iffy about taping painters tape on the newly-painted walls before the paint had time to set in.
As it turns out, I barely notice them anyway. And yes, I realize that they are covered in both pictures I'm publishing with this post. That was not intentional :)
Probably took them half an hour to get the stuff unloaded - dresser, chest of drawers, 2 nightstands, a king sized bed frame with headboard, and dual box springs. The bedframe had to be put together during this time while the other pieces already came pre-assembled.
At the time when this 2nd picture was snapped, the mattress had not been installed yet, we asked them not to put it on yet as we wanted to clean the wood pieces first.
I am so happy with our furniture and the 2 year wait is so worth it. I'm glad we didn't buy just for the sake of buying before and opted to wait till we find a set that we really like.
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