We are not fans of our current vet. When Lonestar suffered from his Urinary Tract Disease in December we took him to an emergency clinic because that was our only choice. We took him to our vet for a follow up and then during another visit with Alamo, we mentioned Lonestar's past blockage problem. The vet told us we needed to bring in another sample just to make sure no more crystals were forming.
"Please bring in a urine sample so we can check," says the vet. Nice lady, but come on. I'm thinking she's a quack.
I was open to any suggestions -so I asked. She suggested the obvious way and then decided to give me 3 pee cups, each including about a 1/3 cup of mini rocks. Apparently the little rocks don't absorb the pee, so when he goes, I can use a syringe to capture the pee and voila, there's the sample. Of course I have to get a fresh litter pan for this and make sure I've got his pee and not Alamo's. Ever since we've started monitoring the litter pan (long story for another day), the cats have decided they want more privacy.
Lonestar likes to dig and cover. A cup of rocks was not going to suffice so I combined the three cups worth of mini-rocks. This gave me a clean cup, just in case I caught Lonestar in the act.
Last night, as Sean and I were having a routine conversation at the litter box, Lonestar came in to take a whiz. I realized this was my chance. I grabbed the cup and stuck it under him. He was a bit surprised. Bless that cat... he did not get scared and run away like I presumed he would. I managed to hold the cup at the right place and got a few tablespoons of pee in the cup. Even more surprisingly, I didn't get a drop on my hand or the outside of the cup.
I know you are wondering why this is blog worthy. But, you have to admit, this is pretty amazing right? I got a urine sample from a cat the old fashioned way.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus
To put it quite simply, this product is awesome. I've used it once, for less than 5 minutes, and I already know I love it. I have had the Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus Food Processor in a closet (in the box) for over two years. It was a registry item that I knew I wanted, but I was waiting for the right moment to use it. I chose this because it was small and I knew I didn't expect to use it very often. But, when I did, I wanted it to be the right tool for the right job. It is!I've been boiling chicken to feed Alamo a bland diet in order to help her current health issues. After boiling the chicken, I had been using my Pampered Chef manual chopper tool. This was arduous and my chopper never really worked well. Works great for chopping peanuts, not so much for onions and chicken. I do not like the Pampered Chef chopper and do not recomment it to anyone. After watching Sean try for several minutes to grind the chicken with the Pampered Chef tool, I knew I needed another solution.
I decided to bring out my Cuisinart to see if it could grind the chicken more easily. The results: It was quick and it did a great job. I can't believe I waited this long.
The Cuisinart Mini is meant for small jobs and is very simple. Once the bowl and lid are locked in place, you can either grind or chop. So far I have only used the grind function.
Pros:
-Easy! (I did have to read the instructions because I didn't realize the lid needed to lock in a certain way, however within 2 minutes we had it figured out.
-Effective - grinded the chicken chunks in less than 5 seconds.
-Small - great for quick and small jobs. Easy to store
-Easy to clean - self explanatory
-Fun to use - Equivalent to what Crayola meant to me when I was 6.
Cons:
-Small - although this is also a pro, I wish I had a bigger one so I could shred everything. It would take a while to make cole slaw for a party.
-Fragile? - I think if the bowl or lid was dropped it woud probably break. Maybe not, but how do I test this without losing my new beloved product?
-Safety - no easy way to store the blade so no one accidentally cuts themself. It looks darn sharp, but again, it is supposed to be.
If you need to grind and chop small servings of food for yourself, a baby or a cat, this might be the machine for you! I now believe a food processor is a must have!
Monday, February 18, 2008
Kenmore Elite Oasis HE (#27072) Day 1
Today I washed 4 loads of clothes with my new washing machine. Although it is early to say, here are my initial thoughts on this product.
1. Delivery - The Sears delivery duo was quick, effective and knew what they were doing. Both were pleasant although our conversation was sparse. Very nice and professional. Delivered machine right in the middle of my two hour window.
2. Appearance - Looks good. Lots of buttons and green and red lights while the machine is in use. I passed on the glass lid. Sure enough, I found myself dying to see what was going on inside the whole time. Oh well. Time to use my imagination
3. Here is my response to several common comments I found on several review sites:
- "Uses less water!" Yes, it most certainly does. While listening (wishing I could see) to the machine run, I didn't hear that much water. I actually wondered if it was using any water. The clothes did come out wet, so I'm positive water was used in the process.
- "It's so quiet." It is fairly quiet, but I think that is because the noisy part is the water filling the bucket and it uses so much less that you don't get all of the noise. It makes some strange alien noises, but overall it's quiet. Except for the annoying triple beep that tells you the load is done, but you can turn this off if you so choose.
- "It uses very little soap." I bought the special HE soap and it uses about 2-3 tablespoons per load. Hard to believe it is really enough to clean, but I suppose it does. The clothes smelled fresh and clean, but I'll need to wash some dirtier clothes.
- "The spin cycle works so well, I barely have to use the dryer." These people are smoking crack or have a better dryer than I do. I have not noticed that my dryer time has decreased noticeably, but I'll keep testing. I did notice one shirt looked dry in parts when I took it out of the washer, but I wasn't sure if that was because of the spin cycle or because it never got wet.
- "My clothes have never been cleaner." Hard to tell. I did notice some black marks on a pair of khaki pants near the ankle after they were washed and dried. Possibly this needed to be stain-sticked before putting them in, possibly the machine isn't that great, possibly it's a stain that has been there for a while. Jury is still out on this.
- "The spin cycle makes my clothes wrinkled, knotted and mangled." Wrinkled? Definitely. I've never seen so many in the cotton dress shirts. I will say by the time I shook them out and dried them, they looked about the same as they usually did with my other machine.
Knotted? Yes, a few pieces were knotted together, however I didn't need a boy scout to separate the items.
Mangled? Nah, I'd say that is a little extreme.
- "The bucket is so big and washes so much." Yes, the capacity is huge. If I liked to mix my darks with lights, I could have done all of today's laundry in 2.5-3 loads.
I'll update my thoughts as I learn more with my new washer. Would I recommend it? Not sure yet, but I'll have my answer within 3 months. Do I love it? No. Do I like it much better than the piece of crap Roper that I booted out the door earlier today. Absolutely. Do I find myself wondering what else I can wash around the house? Yes. Do I wish I would have splurged for the glass lid. No comment.
1. Delivery - The Sears delivery duo was quick, effective and knew what they were doing. Both were pleasant although our conversation was sparse. Very nice and professional. Delivered machine right in the middle of my two hour window.
2. Appearance - Looks good. Lots of buttons and green and red lights while the machine is in use. I passed on the glass lid. Sure enough, I found myself dying to see what was going on inside the whole time. Oh well. Time to use my imagination
3. Here is my response to several common comments I found on several review sites:
- "Uses less water!" Yes, it most certainly does. While listening (wishing I could see) to the machine run, I didn't hear that much water. I actually wondered if it was using any water. The clothes did come out wet, so I'm positive water was used in the process.
- "It's so quiet." It is fairly quiet, but I think that is because the noisy part is the water filling the bucket and it uses so much less that you don't get all of the noise. It makes some strange alien noises, but overall it's quiet. Except for the annoying triple beep that tells you the load is done, but you can turn this off if you so choose.
- "It uses very little soap." I bought the special HE soap and it uses about 2-3 tablespoons per load. Hard to believe it is really enough to clean, but I suppose it does. The clothes smelled fresh and clean, but I'll need to wash some dirtier clothes.
- "The spin cycle works so well, I barely have to use the dryer." These people are smoking crack or have a better dryer than I do. I have not noticed that my dryer time has decreased noticeably, but I'll keep testing. I did notice one shirt looked dry in parts when I took it out of the washer, but I wasn't sure if that was because of the spin cycle or because it never got wet.
- "My clothes have never been cleaner." Hard to tell. I did notice some black marks on a pair of khaki pants near the ankle after they were washed and dried. Possibly this needed to be stain-sticked before putting them in, possibly the machine isn't that great, possibly it's a stain that has been there for a while. Jury is still out on this.
- "The spin cycle makes my clothes wrinkled, knotted and mangled." Wrinkled? Definitely. I've never seen so many in the cotton dress shirts. I will say by the time I shook them out and dried them, they looked about the same as they usually did with my other machine.
Knotted? Yes, a few pieces were knotted together, however I didn't need a boy scout to separate the items.
Mangled? Nah, I'd say that is a little extreme.
- "The bucket is so big and washes so much." Yes, the capacity is huge. If I liked to mix my darks with lights, I could have done all of today's laundry in 2.5-3 loads.
I'll update my thoughts as I learn more with my new washer. Would I recommend it? Not sure yet, but I'll have my answer within 3 months. Do I love it? No. Do I like it much better than the piece of crap Roper that I booted out the door earlier today. Absolutely. Do I find myself wondering what else I can wash around the house? Yes. Do I wish I would have splurged for the glass lid. No comment.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Washing Machine Blues
Besides baking, I spend a lot of time reading product reviews. Why you ask? Because everything in the house keeps breaking.
About three weeks ago our washing maching started this annoying habit of stopping mid cycle. We discovered if we pushed on the lid (to activate the switch I can't see but know is there), it would start up again. After another week, a push did not work and we had to perform CPR-like thrusts. Cursing also helped. What used to take 30 minutes for a load of clothes, would now take closer to 60 because you have to babysit, coddle and prod the machine. It would stop working a few times through one cycle.
I still had the owner's manual (was given to me when I bought the house 2 years ago) and called the service department. I dislike this washing machine. It has no features, it rips my clothing sometimes and leaves black streaks on my whites. But since it was only 2 years old, I figured I would just get it fixed. This would probably cost about $100. The service department told me based on the serial number, it was purchased in 1999. I am amazed the flippers we bought the house from have a manual for a 9 year old machine. Needless to say I was disappointed. I bought a new dryer three months ago, and had I seen this coming, I would have bought a set.
I started reading reviews on washing machines. I am very interested in the new front loader technology. I like the idea of less water, and room for huge loads. Washing machines are expensive and many of the reviews aren't positive. This decision was extremely stressful. Literally, I thought I was going to have an indecision meltdown in Sears. (This was my third trip to a store to check out washing machines.) I narrowed the choice down to a standard agitator style machine that was pretty big and a High Efficieny Top Loader. I took Sean with me to assist in the buying process and hold my hand.
I decided against the front loader because I had no desire to bend all the way over to put clothes in and pull out, and if I got a pedestal, the washer would be a foot higher than my new non-techy dryer.
Option 1: Whirlpool Cabrio with Agitator
Pros:
-Uses more water (some feel that more water gets clothes cleaner)
-Uses regular soap
-Washes fairly large loads
-Less expensive
-Agitators have been around for years
-Stainless steel bucket
-Nice push botton controls and knob
Cons:
-Uses more water
-Can fit Queen size comforter (I have a King bed)
-Push button controls (repair costs?)
Option 2: Whirlpool HE Top Loader (the one we looked at had a glass top)
Pros:
-Uses less water
-Uses HE soap which many brands now make
-Washes large loads - King sized comforter
-Stainless steel bucket
-Nice push botton controls and knob
-Washes more towels than I own
Cons:
-Repairs (if needed) are fairly expensive
-Expense
-Reviews state that clothes are left wrinkled and mangled due to the high speed spin cycle
-Clothes take longer to wash (than your standard older machines), but I'm told the time and energy is made up with much less dryer time.
My heart truly wanted the huge bucket (option 2). I'm tired of taking my big blankets to the laundromat. This machine had a glass top which looks nice, but is it practical? I don't see myself watching my laundry spin, however I do see us setting tools on top of it and cats jumping on it and more. Being the bargain hunter I am, I asked if it would be cheaper to get a model without a glass top. Yes!
It came down to this:
1. Option 2 machine w/glass lid could be delivered March 1.
2. Option 2 without a glass top could be delivered March 13.
3. Option 3 presented itself. The salesperson offered us a Kenmore machine, very similar to Option 2, for $50 less that what they were asking for the Kenmore on the price tag, and less than option 2 w/glass. The clincher, they would deliver tomorrow! President's Day! And we already have the day off. Score.
Stay tuned for the full review. We will hook it up tomorrow and I will wash!
About three weeks ago our washing maching started this annoying habit of stopping mid cycle. We discovered if we pushed on the lid (to activate the switch I can't see but know is there), it would start up again. After another week, a push did not work and we had to perform CPR-like thrusts. Cursing also helped. What used to take 30 minutes for a load of clothes, would now take closer to 60 because you have to babysit, coddle and prod the machine. It would stop working a few times through one cycle.
I still had the owner's manual (was given to me when I bought the house 2 years ago) and called the service department. I dislike this washing machine. It has no features, it rips my clothing sometimes and leaves black streaks on my whites. But since it was only 2 years old, I figured I would just get it fixed. This would probably cost about $100. The service department told me based on the serial number, it was purchased in 1999. I am amazed the flippers we bought the house from have a manual for a 9 year old machine. Needless to say I was disappointed. I bought a new dryer three months ago, and had I seen this coming, I would have bought a set.
I started reading reviews on washing machines. I am very interested in the new front loader technology. I like the idea of less water, and room for huge loads. Washing machines are expensive and many of the reviews aren't positive. This decision was extremely stressful. Literally, I thought I was going to have an indecision meltdown in Sears. (This was my third trip to a store to check out washing machines.) I narrowed the choice down to a standard agitator style machine that was pretty big and a High Efficieny Top Loader. I took Sean with me to assist in the buying process and hold my hand.
I decided against the front loader because I had no desire to bend all the way over to put clothes in and pull out, and if I got a pedestal, the washer would be a foot higher than my new non-techy dryer.
Option 1: Whirlpool Cabrio with Agitator
Pros:
-Uses more water (some feel that more water gets clothes cleaner)
-Uses regular soap
-Washes fairly large loads
-Less expensive
-Agitators have been around for years
-Stainless steel bucket
-Nice push botton controls and knob
Cons:
-Uses more water
-Can fit Queen size comforter (I have a King bed)
-Push button controls (repair costs?)
Option 2: Whirlpool HE Top Loader (the one we looked at had a glass top)
Pros:
-Uses less water
-Uses HE soap which many brands now make
-Washes large loads - King sized comforter
-Stainless steel bucket
-Nice push botton controls and knob
-Washes more towels than I own
Cons:
-Repairs (if needed) are fairly expensive
-Expense
-Reviews state that clothes are left wrinkled and mangled due to the high speed spin cycle
-Clothes take longer to wash (than your standard older machines), but I'm told the time and energy is made up with much less dryer time.
My heart truly wanted the huge bucket (option 2). I'm tired of taking my big blankets to the laundromat. This machine had a glass top which looks nice, but is it practical? I don't see myself watching my laundry spin, however I do see us setting tools on top of it and cats jumping on it and more. Being the bargain hunter I am, I asked if it would be cheaper to get a model without a glass top. Yes!
It came down to this:
1. Option 2 machine w/glass lid could be delivered March 1.
2. Option 2 without a glass top could be delivered March 13.
3. Option 3 presented itself. The salesperson offered us a Kenmore machine, very similar to Option 2, for $50 less that what they were asking for the Kenmore on the price tag, and less than option 2 w/glass. The clincher, they would deliver tomorrow! President's Day! And we already have the day off. Score.
Stay tuned for the full review. We will hook it up tomorrow and I will wash!
What keeps me busy?
Greetings from VA. I've been quite behind on my blog lately. I thought I would take a few minutes to update my few, buy loyal, fan club members.
I have been traveling quite a bit, mostly for work. In January, I found myself out of town 10 nights. February will total 7 nights. It's not too bad, but definitely more than usual. The good news is I don't have anything planned starting in March, although that will change. I don't mind business travel too much, but I feel like I spend too much time obsessing about whether to carry on or check baggage. And deciding on what fits in the 1 quart clear plastic bag and what doesn't.
I have discovered a new hobby. It is something I've always enjoyed, but just recently learned how much. I like to cook and I like to bake. I have several cookbooks that I have received as gifts and a few that I have bought myself. Just recently, I realized that when I get a cookbook, I actually read it. The whole thing. I make a mental note of what I want to try. When a good friend gave me the Ultimate Cookie Cookbook, I read it before I went to bed. Half way through, I thought, who reads a cookbook when they are in bed? I've had this deep yearning to develop a specialty and now I'm working on cookies. Each weekend I try to make time to bake a new kind whether or not I think I will like them. (Although I have started with ones that I think I will like.) I've never really liked nuts or oatmeal or lots of things, but who cares. I'm baking cookies and I'm trying new things. I take them to work, send them into Sean's work, or when I meet friends out, I take a sample. This way I can enjoy the baking aspect but I don't feel inclined to eat every single delicious, fattening, or potentially crappy cookie myself! It's been fun. So far I've enjoyed everything, but I've only baked 4 types. With any luck, maybe others will like them and buy a couple dozen for their own parties.
I've also been baking homemade bread. I've discoverd with my Kitchenaid mixer (with bread hook), it's not really that hard.
I've talked about what keeps me busy, but what keeps me perpetually tired is the fact I can't get a good night's sleep. Lonestar is party animal at night. He whines and cries, runs around the bedroom, scratches the side of the mattress, terrorizes Alamo and and is an all-around nuisance. I need to lock him out of the bedroom... I get that this is easily solved. We are are yet to do that because the crying outside the door and the vigorous shaking of the door from a large orange paw is just as annoying.
Alamo has lost quite a bit of weight lately. A diet success story! Well, until you see how much goes in and how much comes out. We are proceeding with thyroid tests. The symptoms seem likely but she is still fairly young.
We are starting to work out the details to replace our back fence. One of our posts broke and the fence has quite a lean. We live in a townhome development so the key is to take care of this before we get cited by the HOA (again). We are accepting volunteers.
I have been traveling quite a bit, mostly for work. In January, I found myself out of town 10 nights. February will total 7 nights. It's not too bad, but definitely more than usual. The good news is I don't have anything planned starting in March, although that will change. I don't mind business travel too much, but I feel like I spend too much time obsessing about whether to carry on or check baggage. And deciding on what fits in the 1 quart clear plastic bag and what doesn't.
I have discovered a new hobby. It is something I've always enjoyed, but just recently learned how much. I like to cook and I like to bake. I have several cookbooks that I have received as gifts and a few that I have bought myself. Just recently, I realized that when I get a cookbook, I actually read it. The whole thing. I make a mental note of what I want to try. When a good friend gave me the Ultimate Cookie Cookbook, I read it before I went to bed. Half way through, I thought, who reads a cookbook when they are in bed? I've had this deep yearning to develop a specialty and now I'm working on cookies. Each weekend I try to make time to bake a new kind whether or not I think I will like them. (Although I have started with ones that I think I will like.) I've never really liked nuts or oatmeal or lots of things, but who cares. I'm baking cookies and I'm trying new things. I take them to work, send them into Sean's work, or when I meet friends out, I take a sample. This way I can enjoy the baking aspect but I don't feel inclined to eat every single delicious, fattening, or potentially crappy cookie myself! It's been fun. So far I've enjoyed everything, but I've only baked 4 types. With any luck, maybe others will like them and buy a couple dozen for their own parties.
I've also been baking homemade bread. I've discoverd with my Kitchenaid mixer (with bread hook), it's not really that hard.
I've talked about what keeps me busy, but what keeps me perpetually tired is the fact I can't get a good night's sleep. Lonestar is party animal at night. He whines and cries, runs around the bedroom, scratches the side of the mattress, terrorizes Alamo and and is an all-around nuisance. I need to lock him out of the bedroom... I get that this is easily solved. We are are yet to do that because the crying outside the door and the vigorous shaking of the door from a large orange paw is just as annoying.
Alamo has lost quite a bit of weight lately. A diet success story! Well, until you see how much goes in and how much comes out. We are proceeding with thyroid tests. The symptoms seem likely but she is still fairly young.
We are starting to work out the details to replace our back fence. One of our posts broke and the fence has quite a lean. We live in a townhome development so the key is to take care of this before we get cited by the HOA (again). We are accepting volunteers.
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