We woke up to eight more inches of beautiful fresh snow. It's just gorgeous outside. It's snowed ever so lightly all day long. I looked out my fogged up window in the gallery (thank you, humidifier) this morning and this was my view in the back yard. It brought tears to my eyes. Our prayers for moisture are being answered! THIS is why I love winter in Cache Valley! It makes all the sub-zero temps and inversion worth it!
Tuesday night, while everyone else was at Young Men/Young Womens, I met Carol at Black Pearl for a bite and some gab. We hadn't seen each other for weeks. When I got into the Expedition, it wouldn't start. It sounded like it was going to, but it just kept turning. After checking with Doug, I called the Tow Truck since we were going to just tow it to the shop. The tow guy was so kind, he even offered to bring me home, after trying to see if it was a simple fix himself. I had a $20 bill in cash and he refused it for his kindness. That's impressive! The two repairs that it needed totalled just under $1600. Lovely. We picked it up this afternoon. Farewell new refrigerator. But, it drives very nicely.
Denise and I had plans for the day and everything changed when her grandson became sick. No go! We were still on the phone when Doug's mom called and we had a pleasant hour long phone chat. Then my mom. Then, I visited my dear friend, Susan, in Ohio. She had me very motivated about some great ideas that I'll probably share over the next few months as I accomplish them. Before I knew it, the kids were home and life got crazy and hectic. I didn't do a thing that I'd planned on for the day, other than get the bills paid.
Speaking of bills... I got the strangest notice in the mail from Centurylink saying that if I didn't pay $133 by today, my phone/internet/DirecTV would be disconnected and a $17.50 charge to turn them back on. Odd thing was... I knew that I didn't owe them a penny! I got online and checked the bank. It showed that the bill had cleared two weeks ago. I checked my balance due on their website... "$0.00". I called them and the lady said "Your balance shows $0.00 and your next billing date isn't for two weeks, I wonder why you'd get that disconnect notice?" Gee, me too!! If I was getting a late notice, that meant I owe for two months, not just one when I didn't really owe at all! Go figure!
We have all of our bills equal-pay and auto-drafted each month, except the phone bills. Almost every month, there is some discrepancy, so I check before paying both bills each month. Last month, I had $180 over-charged on the cell bill. (Can you say "heart attack" when I opened that statement!) When I called, they deducted it all immediately and even gave me a credit for my inconvenience. So, here's my tip of the day... check your phone bills very closely each month. Call your phone company on a regular basis (both landline and cell) and ask them if you are on the most economical plan for your usage. You can save a ton of money over the years by doing so. I, literally, call every two to three months. Also, if you get a free upgraded phone, try to only have one at a time under contract. You'll get much better service because they want to keep you! When we bought Grace's phone, they bent over backward to encourage me to stay with them and not just buy a pre-pay service like a lot of teens have. Doug always says, "If you don't A-S-K, you don't G-E-T." He's right. Again. ;)
After picking up the truck from the shop this afternoon, ZJ and I went to the mall in search of some new boots. Doug bought me a pair of new Bearclaws that didn't last two months! (It was a factory flaw.) Grrrr! We couldn't find any anywhere. So, I ordered a new pair, exactly like the ones that just died, online, since I know that they'll fit and be comfy. Being that we got another eight inches of snow today, I hope they come very quickly! I could not make myself pay the extra $28 shipping to have them here in 24 hours.
Since we were at the mall and ZJ was... well, ZJ... I decided to buy her and Grace a little something. She found two cute pair of those popular ridiculous looking patterned stretchy pants and a cute top. I say ridiculous because you have to be ridiculously thin to look perfect in them! She was so excited! Both girls looked adorable in them! They'd already walked out into the snow and I had them come back inside to catch a pic before they left! They didn't seem to mind!
I was quite proud of Quayd, who didn't even come into the house after school. He went straight to shoveling the driveway before his dad got home. We've made such a fuss over how awesome it is that he does this service for his dad without even being asked. I thought of the quote, "The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice." Oh to be able to remember that one every minute of every day!
Life is good... even if you're too old and too plump to wear ridiculous flowery stretch pants anymore! It's the weekend! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.
Super cute outfits your girls are wearing! I do the leggings but without the pattern but I love them, if I lost 20 pounds and could wear them... Beautiful snow pic! But enough snow for me this winter...
Posted by: Nicole Dirickx | Sunday, February 09, 2014 at 01:31 PM