Black Friday Edition

Shopping Pandemonium

Black Friday was yesterday.  It has traditionally marked the start of the Christmas shopping season.  I have heard that it got it's name because it is the day when retail stores go "in the black" for the year and become profitable.

Every year there are stories of people going crazy trying to get in on the great deals.  This year was no exception:

Today's Headlines Re Black Friday

Yes, I'm ashamed to say that the pepper-spraying incident happened in Southern California.  I heard she at least had enough remorse to turn herself in today.  No word on whether she kept the discounted X-Box that she was so desperate to get at midnight!

I like to avoid the crowds at Black Friday.  And if you are going to catch me doing any shopping at midnight, it will be from the internet as I enjoy the comfort of my own home.

My mom and sisters, however, are another story.  They were plotting out their midnight shopping routes on Thanksgiving Night.  I haven't yet heard whether they have recovered yet or if it was even worth it.  I'm sure they'd claim that it was worth missing sleep, but I still have my doubts!

My big online purchases yesterday were a new 23 inch monitor for our home computer from TigerDirect.com and a DVD.  That hit my shopping limit for the day.

Today, J. had me brave the crowds to hit Costco in search of some items that are on the kids' wish list for Santa.  She stayed safely at home and I got to take E. for some quality daddy-daughter time.  I think the real reason E. was excited to go was that I promised her a Costco hot dog and a slushee.  But I was still glad that she came with me.

This might or might not be on Santa's list this year...
...depends on whether Costco gets it back in stock!

Frankly, it was a lot busier when I was at Costco on Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving).  It got so frenzied that someone actually took out my legs from behind with their shopping cart.  I narrowly avoided biffing it in front of the entire store.  

Yes, this story is true...

If I had, I'm sure that people would have at least been kind enough to step over me or around me as they continued on their merry way!  Maybe if I'd been really lucky, someone might have even stopped!  ;)

What struck me from yesterday and today in my limited anecdotal experience, however, was how few people seemed to be out shopping.  Our brand new Target's parking lot looked pretty empty last night.  I had to go to two Costco's today looking for the things on Santa's list (the first store was sold out) and both were pretty empty.  The I stopped at Walmart today.  Not too busy.

I really hope my experience is wrong.  Our economy could really use a boost from a strong holiday shopping season. 

If you're shopping for others this holiday season, don't forget to
follow Uncle Eddie's advice to Clark Griswold and get yourself "[s]omething really nice!"

I'd love to hear some of your crazy holiday shopping stories...

The Drought Is Over!

I do not <3 droughts, especially when they are en mi casa!

I'm proud to announce that as of approximately 11:30 a.m. yesterday, the water was back on at our house!  Hallelujah!

If you remember nothing else from this post, here are two very important life lessons that I learned from the recent water outage in our house:

#1 - Check Your Warranty!

Remember how I said that our house was only four years old?  Well, a friend of mine reminded me that new homes in California are basically under warranty for ten years.

What does this mean?

Scott the Plumber hard at work...and The Price Was Right!

It means that one (1) strategically placed call to my builder + one (1) more call to the original plumber = the pipe was fixed under warranty.

Total out of pocket cost:  Zero, zilch, nada, gratis, FREE!

So, when you have a warranty, 1 + 1 = $0

The builder (Standard Pacific) and the plumber are even sending someone out tomorrow to re-pour the concrete pad that I had to have demo'd.  I love good customer service!!!

(and I'm a little embarrasssed I didn't think of this sooner)

#2 - There's Always a Workaround

Remember how I said that I would have run my neighbor's hose into my kitchen if I could have?  Turns out I didn't even need to go to that much trouble.

I did not know this, but Scott the Plumber told me that if you shut off the valve to the house, you can run a hose from his outdoor spigot to your home's outdoor spigot and you will have water in your house.  Maybe it won't be as strong as your normal pressure, but it will work.

I'm excited to try this next time someone I know (because this better not happen to me ever again!) has a pipe break.

#3 - Yesterday Morning -- A Photo Essay

Mark and Gabriel showed up promptly at 7 a.m.
They didn't waste any time getting to work.

Jackhammer?  We don't need no stinkin' jackhammer!

The hole wasn't hard to spot once we got rid of the concrete.

Someone did a lazy repair job during construction.
It's not supposed to look like this...

Much Better!!

This is pretty much what the driveway looks like now...
...minus the plumber of course!

Yes, still not complete, but did I mention that we have water??

The Ox in the Mire...

This is what it looked like once the water
got shut off...lots and lots of muck and mire!

My 7-year-old woke me up very early this morning to tell me: "Daddy, there's a man at the door who said there's a flood in our front yard."

Of course I got up, even though I didn't want to and went to check it out.  Turns out the man was one of my neighbors and I did have a flood.

My house is four years old.  We've lived in it for a year.  You don't think this stuff happens when you have a relatively new house.  But I'm living proof that it can.

Here are some tips on how to survive if you ever have to shut off your water for an extended period of time:

1.  Be Prepared and Don't Panic.

You should know where the water shut off valves for your house (or dwelling) are located.  My house has 3 main ones:  the one at the curb that shuts of EVERYTHING.  This is the most important one.

I don't think anyone has ever actually touched the whole house water shut-off valve in the four years since our house was built.  That made shutting it off a pain in the neck!  I had to get a wrench to get enough leverage to get it to budge.

Then next most important valve is the shut off for the whole house.  Ours is located in the garage.

The Whole House Shut Off is the yellow lever on the right...
Notice how it's in the "OFF" Position

Then there is the shut-off for the sprinklers.  Ours is located on the side of the house.

Anyway, make sure you get that turned off so that you stop the bleeding.  If you know where those are located ahead of time, you'll be a lot better off and you won't have to panic.

Whenever I think about NOT panicking, I think of that great Vince Vaughn quote from "Couples Retreat" where he screams: "He said not to panic, He said NOT to panic!"  (it's at 1 minute 5 seconds of the video...)

(That reminds me that I need to show J. where all of those things are....)

2.  It Takes A Village.

Even though there was little they could do except feel bad for me, I was heartened by having so many neighbors come over and offer to help.  Some offered to let me borrow tools (helpful because many of mine are still packed even though we moved over a year ago!); others offered to let us shower at their house (I took a neighbor up on that one); and one let me actually use his outside hose.  

He's the real lifesaver and we've been using that all day.  If I could, I'd run that hose right in my kitchen window!  We never would have survived without it!

3.  The Bucket Brigade.

Break out the buckets and water bottles!  If you put one in the bathroom and kitchen it will make your life easier.  If you didn't have the foresight to have either, a quick trip to Walmart will solve the problem pretty cheaply (so long as there isn't some sort of natural disaster in your area).

I shamefully admit that I had to buy a couple of extra buckets and the water bottles pictured below.

Your neighbor's borrowed outdoor hose will come in handy as you fill those bad boys up.

Your fancy dishwasher won't work without water, but don't worry...
...the photographer doubles as a dishwasher!  :-)

You never really realize how dependent we are on water until you turn the tap and nothing comes out.

I'm grateful for our modern water supply!

Having this in the bathroom will make brushing your teeth a snap!

Put those buckets to work "re-loading" your toilets!

 4.  Dig Yourself Out Of A Hole or Don't Be Afraid to Get Your Hands Dirty.


Fixing a broken water line is not as tricky as it sounds.  I've actually done it several times.  Many times if you count broken sprinkler lines.  The more you do yourself, the more you can save yourself financially speaking.  I can't imagine what a plumber would have charged to come out today (on a Sunday) and get started on this!!

First, you need to try and find the break in the pipe.  In this case, water was gushing from the hole on the right and cascading down my yard into the gutter.

Note how the force of the water pushed up the concrete slab.

You will need to break out the shovels.  I had three different ones, depending on where I was trying to dig and what I was trying to dig through.

I had to dig through chunks of concrete construction debris, tree roots, clay, muck, mire, pebbles, and mud.

WARNING: Don't try this if you care about how your hands and nails look. My nails are scuffed and torn from digging and reaching through clay, stones, and concrete.  I have scratches all over my arms and hands.

I was able to dig the break out and stick my arm down the hole to try and find the break.  I got all the way to my arm pit, but still couldn't touch the pipe.

Unfortunately that means that I will have to "demo" the sidewalk slab to get to the break.

I just hope that our demolition work is limited to one slab and that I don't have to tear up the driveway.

Those are sprinkler pipes (not leaking)...
...I'm still looking for the main line (which is leaking)!

With Thanksgiving Day approaching, it reminds me of one famous family Thanksgiving where the main water line to my parent's house broke on Thanksgiving Day.

We spent all of Thanksgiving Day digging a huge hole in our neighbor's yard where the break in our pipe had occurred.  Somehow my mom managed to make Thanksgiving dinner with no running water because she had dozens upon dozens of 2-liter bottles of water that she had stored.  That was a memorable Thanksgiving for sure!

Be sure to pile the dirt out of the way--like the driveway.

5.  Have A Sense of Humor!

I suspect that I'm going to need it when I get the bill following demolition tomorrow!

J. told me that she thinks that I've been a star today for having such a good attitude, but it has been stressful.  It's no fun to have to ration toilet flushes or to carry water upstairs in the bucket brigade so that you can keep the bathrooms "civilized."  (I'll spare you any further details...)

I think that the kids also deserve a star because they have been really good.  E. kept on coming out to check on me and wanted to help so much.  She is so adorable that it's hard to be grouchy or bugged when she is so cute.

For example, I came in tonight to find that the kids (who couldn't really run around or get dirty today--and never had a bath) had set this up to entertain themselves.

Seeing my kids play brought back a lot of memories...

...of making forts and structures like this
and playing with my brothers and sisters.

It was really cute to see them playing together like that.

Even though we are still in the midst of this crisis, we are blessed with so much.  It helps to remember that and to remember that "this too shall pass."  Let's just hope it's tomorrow!!

The Display-Off To End All Display-Offs, Indeed!

No one was more surprised than I was when I got the phone call to judge Round 3 of the Display-Off between The Mostess and Ashley C. (actually, it wasn't a phone call, but I digress):

The Chief

Lord Barrister

I mean, despite my extensive experience in the judicial arena (which includes, bytheway, operating a blog with the word "Court" in the name), you never really feel like you are really prepared for this type of experience.

I mean, this is The Mostess versus Ashley C.--two veritable titans of the Blogosphere.  And Round 3 no less!

It might as well have been the Immovable Object versus the Irresistible Force; Coyote vs. the Roadrunner; Batman vs. the Joker; Yankees vs. Red Sox; or Game 7 of the Celtics vs. Lakers.

You cannot imagine the pressure of making a bad decision in a contest this important.  I mean, you know that Ashley C. is going to be bringing her "A" game.  And you know that the Mostess doesn't even have a "B" game.  Heck, that's why they call her the "Mostess" for goodness sake!

And no matter what decision is made, someone is going to be disappointed.  It's inevitable.  But then I realized that someone had to do it.  And then I thought a little more about it and realized that I am not one to back down from a challenge.

That and the realization that I would be getting paid big bucks to make this decision.  And by "big bucks" I mean nothing, so you know why there was no way that I could turn down this (ahem) opportunity.  (Only later would I learn that my selection was pretty much by default because no one else was willing to do it...)

So I am ready to suffer the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" as Shakespeare put it--or perhaps more accurately, the slings and arrows of outrageous criticism sure to meet whatever decision I make.

But enough about me...Let's get to the Display-Off!

The Good:

Definitely Hooty:

Who doesn't love owls?  Especially at Thanksgiving.  They're a HOOT!

Let's face it, even though I'm one of the judges, there is no way that I could ever come up with any of this stuff!  And as The Mostess famously quoted Ashley C. (in a rare moment of "sister"-hood and sportsmanship for this otherwise heated rivalry): "...the visitors to our homes are the real winners in all of this."

Both Ashley C. and The Mostess are right.  We are the winners for being able to see their amazing sense of creativity and festive Fall holiday spirit.  But enough of this sappiness!

The Bad:

The Famous Homemade Life-Size Mummy

Ashley C.:  I hate to say this, but you took the bait and fell into The Mostess' trap (when The Mostess warned that the criteria for this contest would not be based on the following philosophy:. "No I love candy, so Ashley wins' business going on in this ever-important round!") when you failed to include your famous candy in your display!

If you did it to keep me from getting sick on your six-year-old candy, you are forgiven.  :-)

The Mostess:  Where was the life-size Mummy?  I'm fairly certain that would have sealed the deal early on (and spared me from having to write this massive post and all the rest of you from having to read it!).

Ashley C:  I'm not going to lie...I did miss the handmade penguin pinata.  With two PDR's and three birds in the display, your formidable display might well have proven insurmountable.

A Thanksgiving Penguin?

The Ugly:
Let's face it, there is nothing ugly about either of these worthy submissions.  :-)

The Deliberations:

PDR x 2

The Front Door

This was not an easy decision.  I saw The Mostess' display first and thought: "This will be hard to beat."

Then I saw Ashley C.'s display and thought: "How can you not choose this one?"

I studied both and then did what all good judges do.  I went to bed and decided to sleep on it.

I knew that I was going to need some additional resources to decide this one.

So I went into my office and decided to do something productive with my work computer by putting up both displays side by side.

Even that was not enough, so I had to pull up individual pictures of each display--side by side--so that I could really focus on the details.  (see example above and at right...)

And even then, there was no clear winner.

I realized that I needed to try and come up with a set of criteria that was fair and equitable.  Because honestly, the criteria for the decision--for my decision at least--would dictate the decision.

My first thought was to decide whether I should judge based on sheer volume of display/bounteousness.  If I used that as my criteria, clearly The Mostess would win.  I mean she had (as far as I could tell), three entirely distinct areas for her display.  Ashley C., on the other hand, did not have as many areas or as much stuff.

And yet to go on that criteria alone would not have been fair because (since I've never been to either house), maybe The Mostess has a much bigger house and yard than Ashley C.  Or maybe Ashley C. is worried that if she puts out as much stuff in her display, it will mysteriously disappear during the night.

And also, as we all know, bigger isn't necessarily better (i.e. look at our bloated federal government) and good things come in small packages.

Then I thought, well maybe the criteria should be "restraint."  I mean Ashley C. would certainly agree with that.  ("...But also the key to a great Spooktacular display is RESTRAINT..."), so she could hardly fault me if I used that as my criteria.

"Restraint"

And in fact, if I did use "RESTRAINT" as my sole criteria, I think that Ashley C. would win.  Yes, it was smaller than The Mostess' display, but it was all there in one neat, tidy, balanced, symmetrical, pleasantly-arranged, visually-appealing, pyramid-like cornucopia of "bounteous" goodness.

But to use that would not be fair to The Mostess because she is apparently from the "Go Big or Go Home" school of thought.  And it probably is tougher to show restraint when you have a bigger porch area or more stuff to fit in to your display.

So then I decided that maybe the solution was to look at individual elements and to see what elements each person had.

I noticed that Ashley had a very festive wreath on her front door.  But then I looked at The Mostess' display and she too had a wreath that was perhaps even more festive.

Then I looked at The Mostess' and thought how great her cornstalks looked (she is from Iowa after all!).  Then I looked at Ashley C.'s blog and realized that she too had cornstalks (and apparently was the one who sacrificed life and limb to get them).

And so it went:

Vintage crates:  Check. Check.
Indian corn:  Check. Check.
Pumpkins:  Check. Check.
Squash:  Check.  Check.
Gourds:  Check. Check.
Fall Foliage (Leaves, grasses, branches, seed pods):  Check. Check. Check.


I could go on nearly all day!  (And sadly, you probably think I have--if you even read this far!)

So let's get on to some of the more important things:

PDR:

Ashley C. included her famous PDR.  But wait, The Mostess "saw" her PDR and raised her one Pilgrim's hat  PDR!  But before you get too excited, let's remember that Ashley C. was the one who came up with the PDR in the first place.  Call that one a draw.

This PDR stands for "Piece Deux Resistance"...

Cornucopia:

And we can't forget the Cornucopia.  What would Thanksgiving be without a Horn of Plenty?  The Mostess had one of course.  But Ashley C. made a calculated decision to omit the traditional horn because they are "played [out]".  Instead, Ashley C. went with a "whimsical" pumpkin turkey.

A Turkey - The "Lesser-Known" Thanksgiving Bird
(Behind Owls of Course!)

Did Ashley C. take a risk?  Yes, she did.  Did it pay off?  Yes.  But I still call this one a draw as well.

Trash-Talking:

Yes, what would a Display-Off be without the usual assortment of good-natured insults and jibes?  As you know, in this country the fourth Thursday of every November is a day of thanks (and turkeys) but "thankfully" Ashley C. and The Mostess do not let us forget that it is also a day for another "T"--Taunts.  ;)

The Mostess concludes her post by writing: "Bring it Carter!! Let's see what you got!"

Undaunted by The Mostess' jab, Ashley C. helps us by playfully including a "picture" of The Mostess' display.  

  

She also throws in a few verbal barbs along the way...all in good fun of course!  Edge:  Even.

Other Details:

And we really are down to details.  But don't despair.  I will cast my vote for a winner.  I'm too much of a sports fan to ever be satisfied with a tie.  Because having a tie is like kissing your sister. 

Ashley C.'s display incorporates some really cool "vintage-y" lanterns.  One is filled with small gourds and squashes (or is its squashi?).  The other appears to be filled with acorns.

The Mostess' display has vintage items like a picnic basket filled with Mums (sadly no mummies though) and a milk jug with grasses in it.  She also has some delicious looking green crab apples in a harvest basket (just don't eat them. I think they're plastic) and a tin bucket with a white pumpkin in it.

Conclusion:


Both displays have their merits.  There are lots of good points and really no bad points.

In the end, the criteria that I had to use was which of these Bountiful Harvest displays was most visually appealing on the whole.  They both incorporated many of the same elements and yet were original and different from each other.

Ashley C.'s greatest strength was the simplicity and concise layout of her display.  It really is amazing how she was able to pull so many disparate elements into one harmonious display.

The Mostess' talents were also on display and she showed why she has certainly lived up to her nickname.

On another day, with another set of criteria, my final vote could probably change, but for me, the difference maker in this contest was that The Mostess was able to incorporate the green crab apples and white pumpkin into her display and that is what put her over the top in my book.

Yes, The Mostess, the unique variety of colors do make this display "so inviting to guests as they walk up the path..."  ;)

Congratulations, my vote goes to: The Mostess!