Abt Comes to Visit

The lovely and always polite service people from Abt Electronics paid us a visit today. While they are always polite, they don't come to visit merely out of kindness. Instead, they came to install our new range and microhood. The range part went well -- it is so nice to have a working oven after 3+ months without one. The ignitor on our old one went kaput (again!) at the end of July as we discovered when making cookies for the neighborhood garage sale. Of course, I had just mixed up a triple batch of cookie dough when this happened. The Girl and The Boy were disappointed; The Tot was apoplectic when there were no cookies at the end of that interminable (for a 1-y/o) wait.

But today, they came, they installed, and we now have a fabulous oven! Unfortuntately, we were not so lucky with the microhood. I should know by now, but still have yet to learn after 6 years of doing projects in my 105-year-old house, that whenever I take on a project, it is going to domino into more side projects than I had originally anticipated. Such is the case with my microhood project. I now need to re-route my vent-to-outside ductwork further up the wall; anyone know a great HVAC person for this? It's such a simple thing; I feel like I should be able to do it myself, but fear becoming what I've grown to hate (as an owner of a home that is 105-years-old): a DIYer who does it badly.

Football Sundays

The Dad and his brother are continuing their tradition of Football Sundays. The Dad takes The Boy, The Girl and, for the first time, The Tot, with him to visit their cousins and watch football. One week, my brood goes over to their uncle's house and one week, the uncle and cousins come here. I get the afternoon off. The kids get to hang out with their cousins (two girls: aged 5.5 and 9) and The Dad gets to watch football with his brother. Everyone is happy.

I spent the afternoon at home, puttering around the house. I finished hacking out the useless range hood over our stove, hung a lamp in The Girl's room, and took a walk in the rain to K-Mart and back. I also discovered leaks in our roof, hauling up to the attic to inspect the source and find something to catch the drips. While I was up there, I also found an old kitchen drawer that matches what we have already. Maybe I can use it in my new over-the-range hood/microwave project.

Floods

Our block party was canceled because of the rain, so we needed a way to occupy two disappointed kids (and a clueless Tot). Unlike the rest of Chicagoland, who stayed home to bail out basements and watch movies, The Dad and I loaded the kids into the car and headed north to Glenview this afternoon. The purpose of our visit was to shop for new kitchen appliances at Abt Electronics. It took less than 10 minutes. But we spent over an hour wandering around the showrooms and atrium in the store. The Tot loved the atrium's fountain, The Boy and The Girl were entranced by the bell sculpture, The Dad scoped out the Apple store within Abt. Me? I just wanted the freshly baked, free chocolate chip cookies.

Afterwards, we stopped at Pita Inn for kifta plates, falafel, and lamb kebabs. Yum! The parking lot next door was a giant pool of water and some of the roads that we had taken up to Glenview were closed on the way back due flooding. When we got home, Independence Park was a giant mud puddle, so the kids and I played in it for a bit before heading home for a hot bath.

Chores

With the price of gas over $4/gallon, we stayed in town for the 3-day weekend. And spent much of it doing much-needed chores around the house. The Boy even got in on the action, by helping The Dad wash the windows in the front of the house. (The Baby helped, too, by letting them do it.)

Our big outings of the weekend were to Home Depot, Whole Foods (to stock the larder), and Chicago City North 14 movie theater in Logan Square (to see Speed Racer). The Boy was really into the movie, which was like live-action anime with garish colors. The Girl was kind of bored, given how many times she had to go potty during the 2-hour film (seven).

It was a nice weekend of family time.

Pink polka dot pajamas

This morning, after I dropped The Boy off at school, I took The Baby and The Girl with me to Dunkin Donuts for coffee, a bagel and a couple of donuts, and then to Home Depot. All while wearing my pink polka dot pajama bottoms (and The Dad's polarfleece). I was styling. My fashion standards have slipped so far that this is actually not the worst combination that the counter clerks at Dunkin Donuts have seen me wear.

At Home Depot, The Baby and The Girl rode in one of the racecar carts. The Baby loves sitting up like a big kid and steering the wheel like his big sister (or brother). I dislike pushing those giant things, especially for errands like today's where I needed a single thing that I could have easily carried without a cart if I had been there on my own. But the kids enjoy it and it makes shopping with small children much nicer.

The Girl went to MDO today. The Baby took a nap, had lunch, and accompanied me to on our weekly Treasure Store trip. We ran into my Treasure Store stalkers. It's funny, because I don't always go on the same day each time, but I always see the same people there over and over. Half of them are from the co-op.

The Girl and The Boy went over to their friends' house after school, while I took The Baby to Target for such exciting things as dishwasher cubes and deodorant for The Dad. When we got home, The Dad took The Baby, The Girl, and The Boy outside to play with the neighbors while I made dinner.