Craigslist

So awhile ago I looked on craigslist for something. I don't remember when that was or what I was looking for, but I don't think I found it. Than recently a couple weeks ago I decided to try and look to see about a new computer desk. I discovered there is a lot of things on craiglist. I have found it to be kinda my new favorite website. I check it almost daily now in the "free" section. I did find my desk on craiglist. I bought it though it wasn't one of the things listed as free. But I got a desk I really like for $20. I am happy with it.

Anyway we have been living in this house for 29 years and a few months now... I don't know how new the house was at that time, but we still have the same oven and stove cooktop from when we moved in. The oven is pretty small and I guess the cooktop too. Our cooktop had 4 burners, it's gas and has a pilot light ignition. Several years ago one of the burner knobs was getting to be so hard to turn on and off and it was kinda hard to make sure it was completely off so my dad took the knob off and so we didn't use it anymore because we didn't want to risk any gas leaks etc. Than recently the burner we use most frequently wasn't really lighting very well and we were frequently having to use something extra to light it. So I was doing some investigating and found that the tiny tube thing that runs from the pilot to the burner had a hole in it. So as we would try and start it was leaking. I told my mom we should probably start looking for a new stove because I didn't want to risk any fire/ etc. I love my family too much for that. In the meanwhile I switched that burner with a different one that was used less frequently again for safety reasons.

I was doing some research online. I called the habitat for humanity restore and they only had one gas cooktop but unfortunately it was too small. I looked at Warehouse Discount Centers, Lowe's, Home Depot, Sears online. I found that of course the discount center was the least expensive, But they did have one matching one at Lowe's and Lowe's will price match. the one I found was a basic simple one very similar to what we had and the price was jsut under $250. I wanted to buy it for my mom but I had just paid bills and didn't have enough to do so. Than the thought hit me to look on craigslist. As I said it had just become my new favorite website! So I was looking and in Ventura county didn't find anything. I found a few but they were mostly too small. So I decided to take a chance and check in LA county. I knew that it was a risk and may be somewhere in the San Fernando Valley or I may find something way too far to go but looked anyway.

I was looking on Tues the 8th.... I found an ad that had been posted the week prior on I think the 3rd or 4th and it said they wanted to sell it that weekend. It was an ad for a 36" gas cooktop (which is what we needed) for $100. It said it was a Kenmore and had only been used about 5 months but they decided they are going to remodel their kitchen so they were getting rid of all the white appliances! I figured there was no way they still had it, it said they wanted to get rid of it that weekend which had already passed and stuff. It was in Downey which I knew was only about 50 miles so I decided to give it a shot. I called the lady and she actually told me she still had it! She told me there were some people that she was going to be calling back but than she told me she would wait until the next day at noon to see if I wanted it or not since I didn't live close. So I checked with my mom and dad and we decided we definately wanted to check it out! So I called her back and said I would come right than if she wanted (it was about 7:30 when i was talking to her) or the next day, we decided on the next day.

So on Weds my mom and I and my nephews drove down and we bought it! The lady whose name was Faith... or at least that's what she put on the ad and answered to when I called, but her voicemail on the phone said Diane... anyway she told both my Mom and I that the week before she got a bunch of calls for the stove and misplaced some of the numbers, and the ones she did call back she said they could come the following week to look at it but never set anything up or anything. She said that when I called she felt she wanted to give me a chance and not call any others back. We told her that our stove is at least 30 years old, that my dad is getting VA benefits and my mom is disabled and financially it was tight times, and that our stove was dying. We knew it was meant to be that we were the ones to get the stove from her! She was also selling a refridgerator and dishwasher... I guess she really was remodeling! She said she had the cooktop for about 5 months, it looked brand new, there was a little bit of dirt under the knobs, but otherwise didn't even look used! She had the installation kit and manual stuff still in the sealed package from when they bought the stove!!

So that night I pulled out the old greasy grimey stove and Dad and I were doing some measurements and such. The next day after I got home from my morning institute class we went to Do It Center and bought some supplies we needed to install the stove. This one has a deeper base than our old one so it was going to hit the drawers we had in the cabinet so we got some wood and raised the countertop. Well Dad did that part while I went back to the store to by some adapter stuff we needed because the new gas line didn't fit our old gas valve. I had to go to several stores to find what I needed. The new cooktop has 5 burners. 3 are normal burners, one is a lower powered "simmer" burner and one is a high powered burner for fast boiling! It is a pilot-less electronic ignition. So we had to run power to it. Like I said Dad did most of the installation of the wood to raise the countertop, but I re-installed the counter as well as did the gas line and installation of the cooktop! We worked together to fix the drawer tracks since they were worn out so the drawers would work better. ANyway it took most of the day but it works! No leaks and it looks amazing! I love the new stove! It works great! I am so glad we were able to get what appears to be a brand new cooktop that is way nicer than the one I was looking at from warehouse discount center for less money! This particular one is a $650 cooktop at Sears!!!!! This is how it looks installed!

Old formula

For many many many many years now I have been using Pantene Pro-V 2in1 shampoo plus conditioner. I really like it and it works well in my hair. I have found many other kinds of shampoo's seem to me like they make my hair fall out more (It comes out in my hand while I am washing, I rarely have it happen with the pantene) and some (like Suave) leave me with a really itchy scalp. So I have used the Pantene. I generally bought the regular one and occasionally if they were out of it I would by the one for dry/damaged hair. I figured it doesn't hurt to add more moisturizer! Than a few years ago they changed their formula. The bottles were a little different it smelled a little different but I grabbed a bottle anyway. I didn't like it as much and since they still had the small bottles of what I now refer to as "the old formula" I woudl just buy the smaller bottles. Than i began to notice they were discontinuing them. So I would buy whatever I saw whenever I could find it and wherever. My mom even got me a few bottles somewhere! So we bought what we could find and I had like 5 or 6 small bottles. So now here I am a few years later (It's been at least 2 years.... probably like 3 years really) and I am almost out of my last bottle! It is very sad to me because I really don't like the new formula as much. I did buy one bottle of it recently knowing I am going to need it soon. I used it the other day I figured I would kinda try it out, and maybe work it in slowly like you would do if you are changing the brand of pet food you buy. I only used it that one day! I still don't like it as much! So I guess my plea is if anybody who happens to read my blog is in some little random mom and pop shop or somewhere and you find the "old formula" design bottles whether big or small size buy all you can!!!! Either the regular or dry/damaged! I will pay you back and pay for you to ship it to me! I have checked every grocery store and drug store and of course Wally World and Target in my area but they are all completely out of the "old formula" bottles! I have looked on amazon and ebay but in the searching I did I couldn't find any.... I may look again though! I have included a picture of the old bottle (the smaller size bottle with the blue label) as well as the new bottle (bigger one with the green label) if you do find any with the old design the dry/damaged one is a red label!! Anyway I really hope somehow I can find some more old formula bottles! If not I may have to do some shampoo testing again and see if by chance I can find something else I really like! But I have always loved my Pantene!

No Eggs....

I meant to post this one a long time ago... I have saved this box for quite awhile in order to post it and tonight I finally took pictures and am ready to write my story.... so one day (prob after Halloween last year since it is about that size candy box) I was eating some Sugar Babies. I don't really remember why but I was reading the side of the box.The edges of the box where you open it, it only says Sugar Babies. Than the front and back on the large sides also says Sugar Babies and has the picture. Than on the other two edges one talks about where they were manufactured Tootsie Rolls Industries... etc... than the last side has the ingredient listing. Of course sugar, corn syrup etc... all the normal junk you would find in candy that you probably shouldn't be eating. Than at the very bottom qiote randomly if you ask me it says "Egg may be present" now as I said it is a small box probably from Halloween so I did some measuring and took some pictures to show you what I found.... It's just my opinion and observation but I don't think an egg would fit in the box! :)

About me, and my room....

Well I was just reading through some of my friends blogs and I realized even though I have posted twice this week they weren't much about my life! Things are a little crazy for me> I guess they generally are but maybe it's a little more so than normal right now. I don't recall whether or not I ever posted anything about it but there are currently 10 people living in my house! Half of which are kids... ages 11, almost 7 , almost 4, 3, and 17 months. During the day from Tues- Fri from 8-5 there is also a 8 month old.... so of course things can be a little loud and hectic. School started last week which is nice because it means the 11 and 6 year old are gone most of the day. So that's a bonus. But during the summer look out for fights. Well look out for them still. in the mornings, in the evenings and basically any other time there is more than one kid present in a room at a time!

Luckily I do still have my own room. It is usually kind of a refuge for me. I can read, I can go online to chat with friends, I can email and blog and occasionally I even watch TV or a movie, my music is available to me. Basically I can do anything I want in my own room... well even that depends. I have to usually ask myself a couple questions before any of that comes true.... 1) did I remember to lock my door when I came into my room? 2) Even if I did lock my door was I noticed to have left and come in here? I frequently get visitors to my room, they knock and knock and tell me to let them in. If I don't answer they don't always go away. If it's an adult they just use the key outside (hanging out of reach of children on my door) to open it. Or I find little tiny fingers wiggling under the door. Sometimes I let them in. Other times I ignore them. Sometimes I tell them to go away and they cry but eventually I have peace again. Such is my room!

Anyone who knows me well or for any length of time, usually also knows I am a frequent furniture mover. I like to re-arrange my bedroom furniture somewhat frequently. If it wasn't for my knee injury it would happen a lot more than it currently does. Well I had finally gotten to a point a month or so ago where I couldn't take it anymore and I switched it. But with the desk I had I was having difficulty finding a good furniture layout in my room. It was annoying but I made it kinda work. I wasn't completely happy with it but I was content because it was a change and it worked. But in the meanwhile I have been looking for desks if I drive by a garage sale. I have been wanting to go to the good will and see what I could find. I wanted to find a desk that was not a corner desk so that it would open up options for my room. I started looking on craigslist. Well the other night I finally found one within a reasonable price $20 in Thousand Oaks so it was close enough to get as well. It was small like I wanted (for space) and even has a hutch/shelf on top which was a nice addition because it gives me a space for my printer. So last night I got a new desk and did a slight rearrangement to my room. I am still kinda re-organizing now and looking for space for some of the desk stuff from before since I have a little less storage room now but I am overall really happy with my new/used desk! Woohoo. Maybe I will post a picture sometime! I gotta finish the organizing first :-)

I have been sick for over a week now. It started last week on like Mon or Tues as what seemed to be a sinus infection. By Fri I was coughing and occasionally sneezing. The sinus is mostly clear now but it's been nearly a week (Thurs) and I am still coughing! I really hate it! I am almost debating going to the Dr to get checked. Maybe it would be good because I can get some cough syrup, do they still give prescriptions for the bubble gum stuff? At least I am not waking up with the phlegm anymore! Yuck! I just can't seem to ditch the cough though!

I cannot believe I am turning 30 this month! I have mixed feelings about it really. I do have a lot of friends near my age as well as some younger and a couple that are a little older. But generally I feel kinda on the old side. I know 30 is not old but it's hard to imagine I am going to be 30 since I pictured my life a lot different than it is right now. I imagined being married and starting a family. I imagined being debt free or a lot closer than I currently am. I guess being on disability and unemployment don't help much with that. I know that those things will come and I know I have to be patient I guess it's just hard when something like a 30th birthday is coming up quicker than you expected!

I applied last week for the California Highway Patrol. I am hoping to hear back soon that I get to test for a dispatcher position. I am really hopeful and excited for this potential opportunity. It would be really great in my life right now. It is a full time job with really great benefits. It is a desk job, so my knee could continue to heal and it pays well so I would ideally be able to get out of debt a lot quicker. Than maybe I could find a place of my own. The only downside I can see for now is the application process. It is a timely process. I have applied to test, the final filing date for testing was today. than if accepted to test the test will be in Oct or Nov. Than from there depending on the score of the test I would be put on an eligibility list. Than based on that list they do interviews and what have you. Than I think maybe an orientation and then if I am liked I go into a background check. Which is all a waiting game! So it's a great opportunity but depending on the time for each step I may not be hired for several months still. So I have also applied for the city of Santa Barbara, and have been looking online for other options within the dispatch world. I found an ambulance company in the valley I may apply for, as well as life alert. So I guess my options are not completely limited but I would love to be in dispatch so that I can still feel like an EMT in some sense!

Well I think for now that is my update! I hope this finds all my readers well! Life is crazy but I do love a good roller coaster so it's worth it right??

Finding Prince Charming

I had another fun converstion with Elijah again today. This is what happened this time, Elijah was in the playpen which is currently filled with toys, I was sitting in the recliner nearby. He found a frog stuffed animal....

Me: If I kiss that frog will he turn into my Prince Charming?

Elijah: Yeah

Me: Can I try?

Elijah: Yeah

...he tossed me the frog

... I kissed the frog and nothing happened

Me: It didn't work, where is my Prince Charming?

Elijah: In the TV

Me: He is in the TV? How do I get him out?

Elijah:Go in the TV and get him

Me: How do I go in the TV?

Elijah: Oh (and he looked at me as if he was thinking "Good Question" Than he kind of laughed and said "go in the TV"

Conversation with a 3 year old

I was in the kitchen telling my mom about going to the Hollywood Bowl on Sat... this is what happened.... it may be a little bit off from the actualy conversation but you get the idea.. my nephew is so darn cute sometimes!


Me: Mom I am going to the Hollywood Bowl on Sat with S and a dozen other people to see a John Williams concert.

Mom: Are you sitting in the grass?

Me: I don't know where we are sitting.

Mom: You can usually bring a picnic lunch

Me: Yeah S said to bring a picnic meal and sweater because it gets kinda cold sometimes

Mom: I don't know how cold it will get

Elijah: (3 years old) my mommy got tickets

Me: She did?

Elijah: Yup

Me: Ok I will see you there than

Elijah: Mommy get you tickets

Me: Oh she got me a ticket too?

Elijah: Yup, two tickets

Me: Oh she got me two tickets? So I can bring a date than?

Elijah: Yup

Me: Ok good, will you be my date than?

Elijah: Yup

WOOHOO I have a date!