Friday, May 2, 2008

Gas leak problem finally solved!

Today the third company came in to fix the gas leak. At last, someone willing to do the job of detection of the leak!! One leak was in the mechanical room where a coupling was loose above the GAS hot water heater, the second above it in the ceiling!! Thank God, it was only a small leak, if it had been any larger..BOOM!! While relieved with my solution, you have to wonder how many people are relying on plumbers and companies like AHS to "fix" their issues. It is a good thing that I don't take no for an answer, or it could have resulted in an explosion and my family might have been hurt!! I do plan on writing a letter to the company, and might even go as far to hit the web with the story! I am livid, although relieved. Now, I have no gas to my fireplace in the kitchen, and a few missing drywall patches left to do. But, for the moment, that seems trival to what could have been if the gas line was not repaired!!

My Blog is worth???


My blog is worth $1,129.08.
How much is your blog worth?


I found this over on N Good company's blog and thought I would give it a try. I guess my writings aren't as interesting as her's, but at least I didn't get a 0..ha!!! Where can we cash in?????

The wig debate!

Today I woke up to T dressed in her school uniform with her Hannah Montana wig and a hat on for school. After the last two days, I was not up for a round of fights, so I asked her once to take the wig and hat off. It turned into a war of words, and finally, in the car, I just reached over and took the hat and wig off of her head and put it in the backseat of the van. I sat thru a silent ride and a look of disgust from her, and then the debate started as we entered the school parking lot. Taylor-"Mom, I just wanted to see if my friends would notice me." Mom-"you look the same with the wig and hat, you would not fool anyone." Taylor- "I think you are the meanest mom alive that you won't allow me to dress in my wig." mom-"At this point, I don't care if you think I am Satan, but I will not allow you to be thrown out of school for breaking the rules on the dress code!" ...And then the final word from my daughter as she was exiting the car.."mom, you suck!" At this point, I was sitting speechless in the carpool line with a what the F**k look on my face!! I can not wait for this afternoon, I intend to show her how bad her little life can really suck!! I have the soap ready for her mouth and I have a list of chores for her that will take her days to finish! Happy weekend, T!!

The Nightmare with AHS!!

If any of you have ever purchased a home warranty from AHS, beware!! On yesterday, the company really showed how lame they are when they sent two plumbers out to my house to check on the gas leak. The first plumber showed up and walked around the house with some sudsy water to put on my main pipes coming from the outside gas meter. He did not have a gas sniffer, nor did he do a pressure test, but insisted that he would have to cut thru my entire basement ceiling in order to look for the leak, and he also said he would have to remove the brick from my kitchen fireplace?? Hello, there is a ceiling in the basement under the kitchen and also a wall where the lines are in the laundry room behind the kitchen, and the gas flexible pipe is in the wall beside the fireplace running into the fireplace where the wood goes. This company quoted the price at 1900.00? I called AHS and told them that I was not about to let this guy cut up my house when he did not have the proper equipment to do the job, so they sent out for a second opinion. The second company was on time, walked thru the entire house, including the attic and checked for leaks with a solution similar to the first guy. This company sent a message to AHS that they did not smell the gas, and that he suggested they send in for a pressure line check and a sniffer. He also informed me that he did not see a problem since my house was well ventilated, so there was no chance of an explosion. So, I was back to square one!After getting no help, I called Atlanta Gas Light and told them the situation. They documented the issue and told me to call AHS and tell them that they were neglecting a gas leak and they should send someone out with the right equipment to check again. They had confirmed a leak. 6, yes that is a six, hours later at 6 pm, a plumber with the right equipment called and said he would be out in the morning at 9am. So, I was on the phone all day, back to square one, and not to mention I had to entertain two companies without the proper equipment and risk my house blowing up to get the right person after I threatened to expose their negligence, I finally got the right response! Is it too much to ask that a company that you pay your hard earned money to do what is right the first time instead of trying to get something done for nothing?????? I am irate at the situation that I am ready to bring a lawsuit for stupidity against them. This warranty is a joke!! I am waiting ever so patiently for the next company, I guess the next thing will be..we can't pay for it because it is pre-existing??? I am applauded at this company for it seems to be a scam and it offers a false sense of security!! So, beware! I have read alot of negative things, but I expect a gas leak to take priorty over a broken washing machine???

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Three Days of Hell!!

Today I finally got my appointment with the oral surgeon for next Wednesday am..hooray!!!! And the truck finally passed inspection without work being done on it..long story, but in a nutshell, it had a problem with the computer and the gas cap, and the emissions guy was nice enough to tell me before test because the check engine light came on...so I had to disconnect the negative side of the battery to reset the computer to make the check engine light go off, and then put oil around the gas cap, so that it was lubricated enough to seal it better, so that it would not produce fumes. After that, the check engine light went off, and the truck breezed thru the inspection, so now all four cars have legal tags..another hooray! Just as my day was getting better, D said he smelled gas fumes in the kitchen, so I made a call to Atlanta Gas Light. They arrived and said that the gas lines inside the house had a small leak.. because the meter continued to run when the meter was turned off..GREAT, so he turned off the gas until we could get a plumber in to see where the line was leaking! And wouldn't you know it, no plumber until tomorrow, even with an emergency! At this point, I am just about ready after all the repairs to strike a match and throw it into the house. I wish!!! HA!! Luckily, I have morals and a conscience!! My blood pressure went thru the roof, and then I remembered that I had a home warranty, so I called the plumber they gave me and he is supposed to be here in the am, so maybe the leak can be fixed. I am not very trustworthy of these AHS(home warranty) people after a leak in our upstairs bathroom, but for 55.00, I will let them see it and hopefully, it will just be a small leak in the fireplace or something. Pray people!! After we have already spent thousands on repairs since we moved in..we need a break here!! Another interesting story happened last week and got a remedy today. We paid in October to have our vents cleaned and new filters put in the furnace, etc. When we went in to do the six month check on the filters and clean them, there were no filters!! D freaked out and I told him that I thought the new house was awfully dusty since we moved in!! Duh??? His famous quote to me.."master of the obvious"!! ha!! I am feeling the blond hair today!! Anyways, after a call to the company and a few choice words of what I thought of the company and the idiots that work there, the owner came out and re did the work, and ordered me 2 better filters, in addition to the two I had already paid for and not received. He also told me that the guy had been fired?? Go figure. So, that is what I dealt with today!! Oh, and I forgot to mention that D was up all last night with his hernia, so I got no sleep and had a bad toothache and a horrible day!! I can only hope that nothing else happens tomorrow to make for another day from hell!! If so, just send the fire department over..I am smoking people and I have a few matches!! haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! You have to wonder where the home inspectors head is when he told me he found nothing major!! I guess he had it in his ass!!! Let's count the issues..leak in the upstairs bathroom down three floors, a crack in the foundation in the basement office, repair to the drywall where D tore holes looking for the crack, new header boards for the deck, new boards for deck, and now a gas leak???? All in a six month period!! On the bright side, it is over an acre on the golf course..but enough is enough!!! Prozac take me away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The toothache returns!!

My toothache has returned, and it is bad!! I have been trying to schedule to have the tooth removed, but of course, there is a wait because my dentist does not do extractions, so I have to go to an oral surgeon, which is a real pain. They do not have emergency appointments, and the referral takes time to get an appointment! There is a month's wait, so I am calling around to see if I can go out of network. This is such bull@***!! What a racket!! What ever happened to good old fashioned dentist that do the work in their offices???? Oh well, let's don't go there today!! I am illing, and not in a very good mood.
T had to be at school at 7:30 am this am, so it was an early day. I got an email from an old friend today and I was glad to hear from her. We have a lot of catching up to do, so I hope to see her soon, when I go to my mom's. Other than that, I am waiting on some vent cleaners to come to do the air ducts in the house. This is their second trip since they forgot to put the air filters in on their last visit, so they are coming out to do it again!! Fun, fun. Until tomorrow!

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Tugs at my heart!

Today I stopped by the vet to get some flea control for Bear for the summer. As I was standing in the office area, I spotted a kennel with two little black labs and I had to go over and play with them. As the puppies had been lacking in attention and human touch, I began to talk and play with them. As puppies often do, they wagged their tails and licked my hands. I looked into their eyes and saw that they needed a new mom. Knowing that my husband would actually kill me if I adopted them, I inquired on what was needed to adopt the two of them. The lady at the vet told me she would give me both puppies for 140.00! What a steal for two sweet black labs. I began to calculate how I could afford the puppies when it came to mind that I needed a fence for my back yard, and two kennels, and then there is Bear, he has been the only one for years, and his personality is not a "share the love" kind. I told the girl I would get back with her and watched the puppies become saddened that I was leaving them there in the vet. My heart was filled with sadness as I left the vet and got into my car. I tried to think of a way I could get the puppies without losing my husband and house in a heated divorce. Then it suddenly came to me. Bear needs to go in for his shots, so I will send him over with T and D to the vet. Once T sees the pups, I know she will not leave the vet without them. In the meantime, I will call a fence company and see what it would cost me to fence in the backyard. Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well and my plan of action is one that will work!! I know that my husband cannot resist a crying little girl. He has already proved that when he purchased the parrot and Patagonia birds for T. Let's hope that the pups are still there next month!!! And as for Bear, I think it would be a good experience for him to actually have some company for a change. It would teach him to be more loving and to share. And as for the fence, we need it anyway. Now I just have to find a way to pay for the fence without detection which could ruin the plan!! Hurry up with the stimulus package President Bush!!! If I can't have more kids, I can certainly fill the gap with puppies!! After all, they are human too, right??? Let's hope that my husband doesn't read this blog. He never does, only to update my music, etc. Until tomorrow...

Monday, April 28, 2008

Spring Concert

T had her Spring concert tonight at school. It was very good! She also sang "An Irish Blessing" with a small group of girls and it was beautiful. The rest of the program with the chorus was also very good. The beginning chorus was so much fun to watch. The younger kids are always so funny. One little boy sang as loud as he could and his facial expressions were hilarious!!! I laughed so hard that I had tears streaming down my cheeks. I thought D was going to make me leave the church!! He was laughing too, but not as hard as I because he was trying to take photo's and did not see the one kid throwing kisses to his mom. It was so sweet, and he was also winking at someone, and he even closed his ears and gave the little guy next to him a wink and shove. The look on his face was priceless! I really miss those days when my child was in first grade!! Kids grow up so fast and while I am overjoyed that she can do things on her own now, it is still hard sometimes to see her so independent and strong willed! But, I am so proud of her. She is a good child, and even though her mouth has gotten a little smarter and her eye rolling a little annoying, over all she is a good person and does well in just about every situation she is put into. I have compliments on her behavior from everyone, and stories of things she has done for others, etc., so I guess I have not failed her as a parent, which is a blessing in itself!!
Other than the concert tonight, I made some really great crab cakes for dinner... for the first time all by myself!! My husband loved them, which is unusual for him with my cooking skills!! I also fried some soft shell crabs, and they were to die for!! I am allergic to the soft shells, but once a year, I take my life into my hands for one soft shell crab, and one crab cake!! I always have my epiepen(I can't spell this!!) close by, and I actually take a Benedryl, so as bad as this may sound..I am prepared to die for eating shellfish, etc. My husband kids me about this because I have scared him a few times, once in MD, I drove all the way back to Atlanta in shock, and I made Will Smith look like a joke in Hitch when he ate shell fish. I actually drove myself to the doctor and my throat was already closing up!! He gave me three shots and kept me at his office for four hours to make sure that I would live! But, oh, they were so good!!! I only got a rash this time, so I think the shot and benedryl started working when I took the first bite. I am so much fun with all my allergies..penicillin, Demerol, codeine, shellfish, bees and pollen. That is all I know of and over the years, I have found out the hard way of what to stay away from..bees are the worst for me, so I have to carry my pens in my purse. Maybe I will outgrow some of the allergies one day!! My husband has learned to watch out for me.

Rainy Days and Monday's...

Today started out with bad...I walked out to take T to school and the tire was flat on the van, and it was pouring rain! Thank goodness, I have a spare car! When I started my spare car, the gas gauge was on empty!! Fun, fun..pumping gas at 3.57 a gallon in the rain!! Not to mention, I forgot my wallet, and had to pay with the change in the center of my console...5.00. I held my breath to school and home! HA!! But, I had purchased a little compressor, so I was able to inflate the tire and make it in to have it fixed before my doctor's appointment! What a morning!! Monday all the way!! I had to stop and remember that sometimes things happen for a reason. I remembered the guy from a newspaper article that had to stop and get a band aid for his blistered heel on his way to work at the World Trade Center on 9/11, and because he did this and was late for work, he was not in the World trade center on 911 when the attacks happened. Just a different perspective of taking a negative morning and making sense out of the situation! Sometimes, you just have to look at things differently to get thru the day! My daughter said.."hey mom, be thankful that you always keep change in the car for emergencies." So, I guess this is one of my thankful's for today!! Bear was not too happy today because he did not get to ride to school with T! But, there is always tomorrow, right? He was so distressed about missing the car ride that he pooped in the garage to let me know how mad he really felt!! Thank God for Bear!! I had to stop and say a few curse words on that one!! I could not come up with a positive reflection for that!!! But maybe as Monday's go, I could be thankful that he did not poop in the van!! HA!! Have a great day!!

Alyssa made the newspaper!!


Alyssa made the news by selling cokes for a fundraiser with her baseball team! She received a signed bat and a $100 gift card for selling 95 cases of coke, and collecting over 1880.00 for her baseball team, the Pinto Devil Rays!! Alyssa is my great neice! Way to go, Alyssa!! We are proud of you!!

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Sunday

This weekend went by so quickly!! D's birthday went well. We went out to dinner on Friday night, breakfast on Saturday am(his birthday), and I cooked dinner for him (and some family and friends) on Saturday night. I ended up going to Publix for his birthday cake. I started to get the box mix, but then I passed the bakery and saw a huge carrot cake, so I picked it up and had the decorations put on the cake. It looked much better than I would have ever been able to make!! I think he had a good day!!
Today I did laundry, and went to the grocery store, etc. I am exhausted!! I am still up and trying to catch on on my emails, etc. It seems I never get caught up on things! T. has a Spring concert tomorrow night, and I have a full day tomorrow, so it is tonight or never!! This week is going to be busy!! I am counting the weeks until the end of school, at least I can take a break from the "taxi service" for a few months!!
It rained here today and is starting to storm again. Hopefully, the rain will be gone tomorrow! At least I did not have to water the flowers today!! Have a great week!