Lesson Learned: Best Buy Blows

This is our old oven.


Aside from being old and gross the igniter was busted, which kind of sucks since it's a gas oven. Thankfully, we got a new shiny oven.

Before I brag about my new oven, let me start by warning you about Best Buy. Everything you read on The Consumerist is true. They are horrible and I highly recommend never, ever buying anything from there other than maybe DVDs, games, and CDs (if you're still into CDs).

I will tell you the short version of this debacle since even thinking about it angers me. Basically, when my brother placed the order he was told that the hook up charge is included with the delivery charge. Fast forward couple of days later and we have two big beefy dudes telling us that all they're responsible for is delivering the oven inside our doors and that we need to call, and pay, for a separate team to do hook up and haul away. Thirty minutes spent with the most absolute rudest customer service team EVER (as in one almost started to yell at me and I had to tell the lady I don't appreciate her tone of voice after which she responded by putting me on hold and transferring me to someone else) gets us no where. I'm super nice to CRs and I usually get very good results with them. I don't know if Best Buy intentionally hires the rudest people in the world or if they were just burnt out from the flood of post Holiday bitch fest they had to deal with. Probably both.

Michael and I almost admitted defeat and were ready to just suck it up and pay the $130 hook up fee when I got the brilliant idea to ask my sister for advice. The result? She tells me to ask my dad to hook it up for us and ask our HOA to haul away the old oven. BRILLIANT!!!

So, here's our awesome oven!


And here's what I learned from the whole mess:

1) NEVER BUY ANY APPLIANCES FROM BEST BUY!!!
2) Before committing to paying a lot of money for services ask around. Someone might do it for free or someone might give you a part they don't need.
3) My dad needs to live forever because what other man would fix my brakes, install laminates, a new facet, etc. Michael? AH! Okay, that's mean. Michael is more than willing to become Mr. Fix It, it's hardly his fault that this is his first house and he doesn't have a degree in engineering like my dad. But, it does bring me to...
4) Get all up in people's business when they're fixing/doing things for you. Observe, ask questions, ask lots of questions! Learning is knowledge and knowledge is power and power will save you money when, the next time around, you can DIY.
5) Oh, and of course, in case I wasn't clear:

DON'T BUY ANY APPLIANCES FROM BEST BUY, LIKE NEVER EVER EVER!!!

We're done with major appliance purchases for now (knock on wood!!!) but once we save up the money to:

1) Finish painting
2) Get new floors for the upstairs and basement
3) Buy some furniture
4) Install new counter top

I would like to start upgrading the appliances in our kitchen. For instances:


Mr. Microwave needs to go. He's kind of dirty and very ugly. Sorry Mr. Microwave.

Dr. Dishwasher is no winner either.


Originally, my brother and sister were going to generously gift us with a new stainless steel appliance suite consisting of a new oven, microwave, refrigerator and a dishwasher. I vehemently said "NO" because it was too generous and because the oven included in that suit was pathetic. Really pathetic.

Oh, this is where the bragging comes in. Wait, let me post another picture of the oven really quick.


Are you ready for the features?!?!?!

1) FIVE burners!!!
2) Cast iron center griddle!!!
3) 17,000 BTU!!!!!!!
4) CONVENCTION OVEN!!!!!!!

OMG!!! So thrilled.

I Like You a Latte Coffee and Cream Brownies

I love brownies. It's like the perfect love child of a chocolate cookie and a chocolate cake. I love coffee. LOVE. I cannot think of anything in this world that I need more than coffee. I am an addict; it's cool.

So, you'd think the combination of brownie and coffee would be amazing, right?


Meh, I don't know about amazing... but it was good.

If I ever make it again I might add more espresso powder; it wasn't coffee-ish enough for me. In all fairness I did not follow the recipe exactly. I had it all nicely swirled, looking pretty and everything, when I look over and see the bowl of chocolate goop. Oh crap! I was supposed to mix that in before the other goop! Oh well. It's not as swirly and pretty as it could have been but it's the taste that matters and it tasted fine.

To be honest, it's not really worth making unless you just happened to have all the ingredients lying around and this is a better brownie recipe. Though, lets be honest now, neither of those recipes come close to this recipe.

Could Have Been Worse

Do you know what "thunder snow" is? I do now!

My 25 mile commute took me six hours yesterday! Six hours!!! Take your normal amount of DC Metro commuters, have them all leave work at the same time and add two to three inches of snow per hour, sprinkle on random abandoned, broken down cars through out and you get the commute from hell!


Going through any major intersection took me about an hour. Despite the horribleness of it all I consider myself very lucky:

1) I did not hit anything.
2) Nothing hit me.
3) My car did not end up in a ditch.
4) I didn't run out of gas.
5) I happened to have a drink and a snack in my car.
6) I did not need a bathroom break.
7) I did not have any kids with me.
8) I did not get stuck.
9) I had a snow brush in my car.
10) My home had electricity when I finally arrived (over 100,000 households in NoVa lost power).

It could have been worse, way worse. The only casualty I suffered was a very sore butt (you try sitting in one spot for six hours!!!).

A couple of days ago I was organizing my hall closet and thinking, "Maybe I spent all that money on my snow boots for no reason."

Awhile back I was looking for some winter boots and, after much contemplation, I decided to get the black boots:


It's not the warmest but it's suitable for winter and it can be worn during fall and early spring without looking goofy. The best part:


I don't have to lace and unlace them all the time!

The leather is so very nice it's a shame. As passionate as I am about proper shoe care, and I have become very passionate lately (I actually own a bottle of heel dressing), these are my gross weather/future yard work shoes so I don't exactly care to give them the proper TLC. Before yesterday winter has been pretty mild so I haven't had a lot of chance to use them. I was beginning to question if I wasted my money on needless boots? I guess not! Snow storms suck, a lot, but at least I have nice shoes.

We still have one, maybe two months of potential evil winter months. As much as I love those boots I hope they spend the rest of winter inside the closet!

It's No Joke! I am Broke!

Recently I checked my bank balance and... Yeah... There's a problem... The problem is that I am BROKE! I'm staring at that number in disbelief... It can't be! I've never had that little money! WTF?!?!?!

It has to be a bank error! Did someone steal my card?!?!

Nope, nope, nope. I don't have have hardly any money and it's all my fault. Oh the guilt! The guilt! I spent how much?!? On what?!

I'm not really broke. Michael and I pool 90% of our income into a joint fund that pays for all of our bills, needs, savings, and house stuff. 10% of our pay goes into our individual account that's purely ours for discretionary spending. So no, I don't have to worry about paying for heat or food. It is, however, very embarrassing that I have close to nothing when it comes to my own account. Very embarrassing. Very. Embarrassing.

How did this happen?!?! I used to be great with my money! I made so much in overtime!!! December was a hectic month full of working late (and eating out 'cause who has time to make and bring lunch?!), buying work appropriate stuff (navy and shoes ain't cheap!), and, of course, Holiday presents. Add to it the fact that I have made Michael the CFO of our household (financial vigilance fatigue set in) and I haven't been thinking about money all month of December. And it shows.

This little wake up call was what I needed. I'm refocused! RAWR! My first goal will be to bump up my personal savings to pre-December craziness level. Hmm... That's going to take awhile... But it's okay if it does because the things that I want to buy now, will be on sale by then. Like these shoes:


Yes, all three please!

And this bag too while I'm at it:

Bookmark Clean Out

I am waiting for my haircut!!! I don't know how long it's been since my last but it's been awhile and my hair is looking very fug. I've been feeling a bit down about my looks for quite some time now. I'm not expecting miracles but I'm hoping that trimming a few inches will help me from looking like such a sad wet rag.

While I safeguard my income with a hair cut (see link below) here are some articles you can read!

7 Tips for Maintaining Your Mattress- Our mattress is beyond any help. Aside from the fact that it looks like it's from a drug den there's a large dip in the middle. Yeah, we're going to buy a new one soon.

Flea Market Style- Now I really want to go thrifting.

You know, you wouldn't be able to do this with dogs:



At the very least watch from the 3:15 mark. Is there anything cuter than a sleeping cat? No, no there isn't.

Love in the Time of Soul-Crushing Debt- I once told my brother that he shouldn't marry any girl with a large student loan debt. I was only half serious be he apparently took it to heart and is now on his rather long list of deal breakers.

Clothesline Going Green- I really want a clothesline in my backyard but it's forbidden by the HOA. Well, the lady across from us has a shed higher than the fence and a lawn decoration on her front lawn so... Come spring I'm putting up a line and sticking some garden gnomes outside. If the HOA says something I'll tell them I'll take down the line when my neighbor tears down that ugly shed.

Forget Scrubbing: Iron Out Set Stains in Carpet- Our carpet is beyond hope and we might just spring for laminates rather than new carpets. However, most likely, we will get carpets so I will have to keep this in mind.

If I Were a Brady- Love it so much I almost want to try using tasseled curtain tie backs as belts.

Gritty Live Action Pokemon Trailer is Totally Fake but Generally Fun- Well, I think the first clue should have been that Ash looks like he's 30 in that video. Jiggly Puff looked cute.

Mediterranean Baked Fish- As much as I love olive oil, I hate olives so I'm not sure how I feel about this recipe. I have a lot of frozen tilapia in my fridge so I guess I'll give it a go. Oh, and if anyone cares, Target's frozen tilapia, ewe. Wegman's frozen tilapia, awesome.

The 10 Poorest Countries of the World- I once saw a documentary on Liberia. Oh. My. Goodness. Everyone should be required to watch it.

Inflation in Zimbabwe in Pictures- One Hundred Trillion Dollars?!?! Isn't that the kind of numbers little kids make up?

We're Sorry, That's Out of Print- Not sure why but book shirts seem more pretentious than band shirts.

Tipp-Ex's Bear & Hunter Interactive Video- Quite the time waster and yes, I did try the "f" word (just to see what will happen!). You should try it too, it's totally SFW. Well, the initial video isn't, but the rest is good to go.

Evoke Mio by Orla Kiely- Damn, foreign countries get the best stuff.

6 Ways to Safeguard Your Income- "Don't scrimp on career-related investments...even a new wardrobe for office workers who need to impress the higher-ups." Well, I'm not an office worker but I do work in a high profile location. I think this post is telling me that it's okay to go shopping... and pay for a decent hair cut.

Strange Bedfellows- It's hard to hate someone for being a gold digger when they're so upfront and honest about it.

Broiled Salmon with Orzo Salad

You know, sometimes I hate things without reason and I think that's okay. Why do we always have to justify our opinions. Sometimes, "Just because" is good enough. I hate feta cheese... No reason, just because. I'm normally down for any sharp tasting cheese and the texture doesn't bother me. I just don't like it.

I hate feta cheese and I'm not a big fan of cooked salmon so I don't know what made me decide to make broiled salmon with orzo salad but I did:


and it was good!

It's one of those dishes that tastes better as left over, and this is coming from someone who HATES left overs. Why do I hate leftovers? Just because.

Mackezine Oxfords: Too Much is Never Enough

Did you know that shoes have to be broken in? Since most of my shoes were too big for my feet it was never an issue for me. Breaking in shoes is not fun; it hurts. But, when it's done, it's totally worth it. Let me introduce you to my new favorite shoes:


The first week was painful; like it just hurts looking at them kind of painful. But, every day I wore them I got all kinds of compliments so I knew the pain would be worth it. It totally is!

A tip: If possible, wear thick socks when breaking in shoes.

I loved my new oxfords so much that when I bought a second pair:


I was a bit put off by the color at first but I started seeing similar shoes everywhere so when it went on sale I had to get them. It goes with everything.

Oh, another tip: shoe horns are your BFF.

Before and After Pt. 6: Living Room

Since starting my new job six weeks ago I think I've had a total of like four days off, one of which was Christmas.

So, one day, on a rare day off, Michael and I went to Ikea!

Note to self: their Swedish meatball is very overrated.


As to what we purchased, it basically came down to two choices: arm chairs or a dresser.

Michael really liked this one:


In real life the dresser is actually a darkish gray, perfect for our bedroom color scheme. I kind of liked it but those white knobs just really freaked me out for some reason.

Michael also liked this one:


It only came in wood and white. I had my heart set on having all black/dark wood furniture in the bedroom so I wasn't sure how I felt about a white dresser.

Both dressers were $299 and maybe I just have an unrealistic notions of what Ikea furniture should cost but $299 for an Ikea dresser seemed like a lot. Even though a dresser would have been the more practical choice we decided to go with the armchairs simply because:

1) We weren't convinced that the dresser would have fit in Michael's car.
2) The dressers were REALLY heavy and neither of us felt like lugging heavy furniture up the stairs.

So, instead of a dresser, something we would have used every day, we decided to go with armchairs, something we would use when we have guests over... which is not very often. Useful, no, but they do make the place look more like a home. So, which ones did we get? The tullsta!


It's from the Ektorp line (like our free sofa) and it was $99 for each chair, $30 for each slip cover, for a grand total of... $260. Okay, so it's $40 less than a dresser and yes, the dresser would have been much more practical but the armchairs weighed like nothing and now we finally have an area that feels "done".

Well, except for the rug. I got that at Target for $20. Is it too small? I can't decide. Yeah, it's too small, isn't it?

So, before:


After:

Before and After Pt. 5: Dining Room

Before:


Ugly plastic blinds, too blue walls, pee stained gross carpet.

After:

Yay!

It's not done; I still need to take the blind bracket things down and paint the ceiling above the bay window. But, it's almost done!

I tried putting a full panel curtains there and, I don't know, just didn't work. Since that side of the house never gets too much light and since all we really wanted was something to block the views of our neighbors ugly back yard we (well, I) decided to go with cafe curtains. Three tension rods from Target and two packs of cafe curtains from Walmart equals window dressing for under $30!

I am semi obsessed with cafe curtains right now and I really want want one for the kitchen and my bathroom. The kitchen gets a lot of light, which I love, but the view is gross:


I mean, our yard looks like poop as well so I'm not judging anyone... Still... It's not exactly a view that I enjoy.

So, I've been looking up some cafe curtain ideas and found a few that I love:

OMG, WHERE can I find crocheted cafe curtains? I think they are so cool.


This one is apparently made from Ikea fabric.


I think cafe curtains would be pretty easy to make. I don't have a sewing machine but you can probably make a no sew version with those iron on hemming things, you know?

This one is supposedly made of dish towels from a dollar store:


Okay, what dollar store does she shop at because I've never seen any dish towels that cool. The whole cafe curtains from dish towel thing isn't a bad idea for a kitchen. Maybe I'll go antiquing and try to find some cool old dish towels.


Speaking of retro...

Shoe Buddies!

I'm kind of really into shoes now. I got my last credit card statement and it was pretty ugly, like really ugly, but, the way I see it, I have a lifetime of poor shoes selection to make up for, right?

I'm thinking about buying this pair:

What, I like granpa shoes! Wouldn't they look so cute with dark skinny jeans and a boyfriend cardigan? I think so.

I won't buy them because I really do not need to be buying shoes right now, even if these are "cheap". If I were to allow myself to buy shoes, there cuter, spring-ier ones out right now. Besides most of my shoes are brown and I need some more color in my life.

However, I did find a men's pair that is almost identical:

I wish Michael was into the idea of being shoe buddies; we would be so cute!

Butternut Squash Carbonara

I never heard of butternut squash until I made my Pasta with Butternut Parmesan sauce. I recall thinking it would taste awesome stuffed inside something and Lean Cuisine, my favorite frozen dinner brand, agreed as well.

Have you tried their butternut squash ravioli?


I guarantee it's one of the best frozen entrees you'll ever try.

I was in a butternut squash kind of mood the other day and decided to make butternut squash carbonara. Since Michael was going to the grocery store I asked him to pick up some butternut squash. He comes back with... butternut squash... Like in squash form, not pre-cut. Have you tried cutting butternut squash? I haven't but it looked hard, so I left it to Michael who misunderstood me and ended up dicing the entire thing.


The carbonara would have tasted better with chunks of butternut and not just little bits but it was still good. Next time, even though pre-cut butternut squash chunks are like twice the cost for half the amount, I'll be sure to tell Michael to splurge.

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

I sincerely believe that if more Americans cooked at home we would be a much skinnier nation. If people were more cognizant of exactly what goes in their favorite dish they would eat significantly less. For example, hot spinach and artichoke dip- Now, at a restaurant, oh boy... I can eat the entire thing, no problem. Do you know how healthy spinach is? I don't know about the nutritional value of artichokes but it's always more spinach than 'chokes and spinach is one of the super foods!

After making my own...


Hmmm... Maybe I'll have a few bites. It's ALL cream cheese and mayonnaise!!! Oh boy. Now, my version pictured above is a tad bit healthier than Alton Brown's since I omitted the sour cream. It wasn't on purpose, I forgot to buy some, but it tasted fine.

Since knowing the ingredients turned me off the dip I was bummed about all the left overs, what a waste! The next day Michael was grumbling about how we ran out of cream cheese when I had a brilliant idea: spinach and artichoke dip on toasted bagel! Why not, it's practically all cream cheese anyway. And you know, something about spreading it on a bagel just made it seem a bit healthier.

Taupe Sued Tassled Moccassins

I now totally understand how some one can be addicted to shoes. Shoes addiction was never a problem for me since it's so hard to find shoes my size. Now that I have a dependable supply of size 5's to choose from... Well... Let's just say I fear my next credit card bill.

Check out one of my new purchases!


I almost returned them because they didn't fit quite right (too tight around the toe box, slightly too big overall) but I tried them on again a day or two later and they somehow magically fit perfectly. It's like my feet loved them so much they grew to accommodate.

I'm all over any granpa looking shoes and these are mighty comfy. I love the contrast stitching and wish they were a bit more loden colored like in the picture above but, in real life, it's more of a beige, like this:


This one is an actual men's shoes and I thought about buying it for Michael so we can have matching shoes (shoe buddies!). I think it would've been cute but he got pretty self conscious the last time we left the house in a matching pair so I figured he wouldn't wear them. Besides, the man has no appreciation for fine footwear.

Chocolate and Pistachio Biscotti

I thought I read somewhere that "biscotti" meant "twice baked" which made sense because biscotti are twice baked and, you know, "bi" means two, right? Well, my Italian MIL set me straight this Christmas; "biscotti" actually means "cookies". Oh, and did you know that it's "broos skeh tah" and not "broo shetta"?

Anyway, speaking of biscotti...


These are chocolate pistachio biscotti and they are amazing! As tempting as it is to snarf them down as soon as they come out of the oven I highly suggest you let them cool before slicing. If you don't, you'll end up with biscotti that looks like the ones pictured. Pistachios are kind of pricey so next time I think I'll use hazelnut. It won't be as pretty but I'm sure it'll taste just as good. If you do decide to use pistachio I highly recommend the unsalted kind.

Oh, and I finally found my battery charger so the quality of the pictures will improve shortly.

Lie To Me

When I see models I want to see impossibility. I want to see flawlessness. Seeing real people with real flaws do not make me feel better about myself or the product; it's actually quite a turn off. Case in point:


Check out her legs. Not seeing it? Well, go here, click on the various pictures and zoom in on those gams. While there, check out the armpit on the fourth picture. Yeah...

Don't get me wrong, I'm not picking on the girl's legs, I too have discolored knees, uneven skin tones, scars, etc. However, seeing a model with imperfect legs do not make me feel better about my imperfect legs.

I once read that the average Lane Bryant model is a size 9, a size that we can all agree should not be considered plus size. It might be hypocritical for a plus size company to use average sized women to model their product but that's what their customers want. They tried using size 14 models and the reaction, from their very own customers, were not kind. I can believe it. We want our ads to sell us lies and hopes, not reflect who we are.

I wonder if they were going for gritty realness or if they were too cheap to photoshop.