Hot Water Everywhere!

When I was about six, I have a vivid memory of one night in particular. I remember waking in up during what I thought was the middle of the night. The hallway light was on and I wondered why. I got out of bed and when to my bedroom doorway. That is when I heard a deep voice talking. It wasn’t my dad and this deep voice was getting closer. This man was climbing the stairs and he had the loudest food steps I have ever heard. I ran back and jumped into bed.

I must not have asked my mom about it the next morning because later when I first heard the story my parents didn’t believe me when I said I heard the guy coming upstairs. To really get the full affect of the story you would have to hear my dad tell it in person, but  basically my dad was working on the bathtub facet in the upstairs bathroom. Something broke and my dad couldn’t get the water shut off. The bathtub started to fill up with water (at a much faster rate than it was draining), my dad ran downstairs and told my mom he needed a bucket and she needed to call the fire department. She did and they came quickly and got the water turned off. That man with the deep voice and the loud footsteps was one of the firemen coming upstairs to help my dad.

So why am I telling you this random story?

Well we have these great front loading washers and dryers. We got them when we moved in to our house three years ago. I love them. When Jon was hooking them up, he couldn’t get the old hose off the facet for the hot water. It was rusty and just won’t budge. We ended up just leaving it off and we have washed our clothes in cold water ever since. They come out clean and nothing every shrinks. Perfect.

Well almost perfect. You see in the last three years we have had some trouble with our towels smelling mildewy even right after they are clean. I always though it was because our dryer has a sensitive sensor and doesn’t always dry them completely. I started running them through on timed dry. That didn’t seem to help. I thought it might be because they don’t get completely dry in out bathroom, but even after hanging them up so they get plenty of air. That didn’t help.

Last night I did some research. Seriously what did we do without the internet? Anyway after some research it seems that with front loading washing machines people have had some trouble with mold growing in the rubber seal of the door. It doesn’t affect clothes or sheets because they are thin material. It does however affect towels. The only way to get rid of the mold is to use some vinegar in the wash. Ok I can do that. But the only way to keep it gone is to wash towels this hot water. Hmm, I guess we need to hook that hose up after all.

I filled Jon in on my research and this morning he decided to take a look at it. Of course he turned the valve to the hot water off before attempting to remove the hose. He was finally able to get the old hose off but there was a little bit of water spraying out. So he put the old hose back on and had it dripping into a bucket while he got the new hose ready to go. Then he went to remove the old hose again and the entire valve came off! Like you know the spot where you turn the water hose on and off? Ya, like that part just came right off! So remember that little spray? No so little anymore. More like rushing water spraying out all over our laundry room. So I hear him yell to go shut off the water. Um, do you guys know where the water shut off is? If you do good for you. I did not. I know how to do a lot of things around the house but shutting of the water, not so much.

I decide it would be best for Jon to figure that part out so I take over in the now flooded laundry room. I am trying to hold the hose up to the spray and then point the other end into a rapidly filling up plastic tub (the bucket was overflowing at this point). Remember how I said it was the hold water hose? So Jon turned off the electricity to the hot water heater but that didn’t stop the already hot hot water from spraying out. Not so fun. So Jon is trying to turn off the water at the street but can’t find the handle. I tell him to call 311. They say they will send a guy out soon. Um soon? Really. I told Jon to give me the phone. He does and I called 911.

Obviously we are not in a life threatening emergency and I am pretty sure Jon did not think it was okay to call 911, but remember that story from when I was six? It worked then, it would work now. So I call. I tell the lady I need the fire department. She transfers me and I give them our information and tell her what is happening. A few minutes later we hear the truck coming (the fire station is like walking distance from our house). Just as they are pulling up our neighbor (who came out to help) finally finds the water cut off, buried under inches of mud. The water stops as the fire truck pulls up.

The firemen jump out and have squeegees ready to go. They helped get the gallons of water out of the laundry room, finish removing the parts of the old valve and move the washer. They were so nice and helpful. I seriously contemplated getting my camera out and taking their picture for the blog, but I thought that might be frowned upon. :)

When they were about done helping with the clean up, the guy from the city showed up. Man, I am glad we got the water turned off before he came. If we had had to wait we probably would have been swimming around the house! He estimated that we lost about 15 gallons per minute over about 10-15 minutes. Yikes! He gave us a sheet that we get to turn in with out water bill so we don’t have to pay for it. Thank goodness!

Jon went out and bought new valves and now everything is hooked back up. The water is back on, and we have some portable fans drying off the carpet outside the laundry room. Oh and now that every single towel in our house is soaking wet, we now have hot water to wash them in. Sure hope it was worth it.

-Lauren-

Christmas Cards

Ok maybe it is a little early to think about but really with all the Christmas commercials and the red Starbucks cups already out, how can you not think about Christmas! I love sending out and receiving Christmas cards. I love looking at everyone’s pictures and hearing about year to year updates. I also love picking out Christmas cards for our family. Go check out my review blog for a sweet deal on some cute cards!

Ok, I am off to make a cup of hot chocolate and start working on Christmas gift lists. Even if it is 75 degrees outside, I can pretend it feels like holiday season, right?!?

-Lauren-

Things We Love Part 8

Part 8! You mean my little bitty baby is just about to be 8 months old! Good grief!

When I started thinking of the top 5 things we have used this month, this is the first thing that came to mind. We use this outdoor swing at least once a day, if not more. Aedan loves it. It’s kind of funny because he was never a big fan of his newborn baby swing. We used it for naps but that is about it. But he has loved this outdoor swing from day one. I was trying to decided between this swing and a blue one without a tray. I am so glad I got the one with a tray. Aedan loves to bang on it and we will put toys on it for him to play with when we are just sitting outside. Right now we have it hanging on our front porch but we are also going to make a place to hang it from our pergola since we have been outside enjoying a chiminea more lately.

Next on the list would have to be these name bands from Inchbug. Sarah had them on her list of favorites and I would have to agree that they are great. Aedan goes to his sitter’s house two days a week and I usually take one or two bottles plus a sippy cup over there for him. His sitter’s takes care of a few other kids as well and sometimes a sippy cup will get placed in someone else's bag. These labels are perfect. They fit around his bottles and sippy cups and now his sitter easily knows what belongs to him. I love that I was able to put his first and middle name on them too. I know we will be using these for a long time!

Next on the list is shape sorter. Of course Aedan is a long way from being able to put the blocks in the correct shape holes, but he loves to take all the blocks out and bang them together. I fill up the bucket with the blocks and various other toys and he takes them out one by one.  

I started giving Aedan mum mums a few months ago and he still loves them. We started to give him puffs last month and then I decided I was tried of spending more money on “baby” snacks and just bought a big box of cheerios. He loves them. After I give him breakfast, I put some cheerios on his high chair tray and he goes to town. It gives me time to unload/load the dishwasher and get bottles ready for the day.

 

Last on our list for this month is our BOB stroller. My parents bought us this stroller before Aedan was born. We knew this would be the stroller we wanted as soon as we found out we were having a baby. Seriously if you live in Austin, I think there is a 90% chance that you own this stroller (well if you have a baby of course). When I am out walking around Town Lake, I lose count of how many BOB strollers we pass. We used it with Aedan’s infant seats for a few months but quickly learned that he does much better when he can see out so we started putting him in the seat. This stroller is easy to maneuver and handles rough trails wonderfully. We take a family walk every evening and this comes with us every time.

That sums up the things we love this month. What about you guys, is there something that you have been using recently that you or your baby loves?

Exam Results

I got an email last week saying I could log in an see the results of my BCBA exam. It instructed me to log in and told me that under exam status it would say “active passed” or “active failed”. I read the email. Then I sat there. We were in the middle of getting ready for my grandfather’s funeral. I debated for a few seconds about just forgetting about it an checking it later. Then I thought I would just check it and if it was bad I’d just keep it to myself for awhile. Then I decided to stop thinking about it and just check.

I logged in. I found the link that said exam status. I clicked and held my breath. The screen popped up and said “active passed”. So I did was any rational person would do and clicked the x to close the window and logged in again. You know incase it was a mistake. Again the screen said “active passed”. Again, being the rational person I am, I logged out and check again. No surprise it said the same thing. So I got excited! I ran in to the bedroom to tell Jon. Then I ran into the bathroom to tell my sister (um she was blow drying her hair so don’t think I just barged into the bathroom on her or anything).

I passed! Sweet!! The director of the company I work for (aka my boss) ordered me business cards a few weeks before I took the exam. She ordered 25 that just had my masters following my name and she ordered 150 with my masters and BCBA following my name. She told me I could use the 25 then and save the 150 for when I passed the test. She decided to give these to me a week before I took the test, Seriously. No pressure or anything, but the business cards were already printed. Well now it looks like I can use all those cards (thank goodness).

My days of school and tests are officially DONE, my work email signature now looks like this

Lauren Dechiro, M.Ed., B.C.B.A.

and I am proud.

-Lauren-

Granddad

My grandfather (Granddad) passed away early Tuesday morning.

Thursday was his funeral.

It was hard, but it was a beautiful service. It was full of stories that told of how special my grandfather was. How wise and kind he was. How his memories will live on because he had such a big impact on so many people.

My mom shared this at the funeral

For the past several weeks, Tommy has asked Nancy, “I just don’t know why the Good Lord doesn’t just take me.” She has replied, “He is not ready for you yet.” I think I might know why this is so but the answer to his question begins with a story.

Tommy and Nancy attended Austin High School together. She noticed him (he was good looking) and I’m sure he noticed her (she was lovely). Nancy’s friend, Helen, had a big crush on Tommy and she wanted to write him little love notes but didn’t know what to say. Helen asked her good friend, Nancy, to begin writing the notes for her and everyday, when they passed Tommy in the hall, Helen would quickly pass these notes to Tommy, hoping that Tommy would begin to notice her. Tommy was not the least bit interested and tossed the notes without ever reading them. Only later did he learn who the true writer of those notes was!

Then the war came, and Tommy headed off for boot camp. While he was there, he wrote to Nancy, asking her to write to him while he was gone. She didn’t think too much about this as she was writing to 5 other boys at the time; it was something all the girls did for the boys as they left. They corresponded this way for several months. When he wrote to her that he would be coming home for furlough and would like a date on Saturday, she answered that she already had a date but was free on Sunday. That Sunday began a romance and they saw each other every day that week. At the end of the week, Tommy took Nancy up to Mount Bonnell at evening time where the lights of the small city of Austin lay before them. It was there that he told her he loved her and she told him she loved him too. Sixty-three years later, Mount Bonnell was where Jon Dechiro proposed to our daughter, Tommy & Nancy’s granddaughter, Lauren.

Nancy and Tommy wrote to each other through those war years. Nancy even received her engagement ring through the mail and plans were made for their marriage after the war.

On April 12^th, 1946, Nancy Whitworth became the bride of Tommy Mueller. They set up housekeeping in a small little house in Austin and enjoyed their newlywed life. With the births of Kathy, then Randy, and finally, Danny, their family and joy was complete.

Now jump ahead 19 years and I am meeting my future in-laws for the first time. Right away, I see something very special about their relationship because after welcoming me into their home, they sat on the couch close to each other and begin tickling one another. I was tickled myself to think that such “old” people would be acting like teenagers. From that point on, I was a witness to a very special marriage, and for the next 36 years I have been blessed to see what God desires in all marriages. Tommy and Nancy loved one another but the love of God was always first in their lives. It was only by this love, that they were able to sacrificially love one another. They did all things together, from camping and boating with the children, to supporting their children in school and later college. They welcomed spouses of their children and soon began wonderful traditions of incredible feasts at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was always so important for them that the family gather together as often as possible. When the grandchildren arrived, Tommy and Nancy became loving grandparents. Now, from the 3 children, and 5 grandchildren, there are 8 great-grandchildren to share in their legacy of love. The bigger the family gatherings, the happier they would be.

But it has been in these final years of Tommy’s life that the perhaps greatest gift has been given. It was in these times of sickness that I have been touched the most. For despite not feeling well, Tommy would still reach out and playfully pinch Nancy and she would flirt and wink back at him. Nancy’s ceaseless devotion to Tommy’s care without complaints will be with me always as a model of true love and devotion. When he worried that his care was too much for her because it was 24 hours a day, she told him she would take care of him 36 hours a day. When I talked to Tommy this past summer about death and dying, he told me that he was not afraid of dying, but he was worried that Nancy would be ok without him. When they knew that with each passing day, he was growing weaker, they were thankful for one more day with each other.

The answer to Tommy’s question, “Why doesn’t the Lord just take me?” is clear to me. The love they that they have shared for 64 years is an amazing testimony of God’s love to family and friends all around them. I am thankful for each and every day that I have been blessed to witness that “Marriage takes Three.”

I then read this poem

A Marriage Takes Three

I once thought marriage took
Just two to make a go,
But now I am convinced
It takes the Lord also.

And not one marriage fails
Where Christ is asked to enter,
As lovers come together
With Jesus at the center.

But marriage seldom thrives,
And homes are incomplete,
Till He is welcomed there
To help avoid defeat.

In homes where Christ is first,
It’s obvious to see,
Those unions really work,
For marriage still takes three.

 

Yesterday was a hard day. But after the services my family gathered at my grandmother’s house. We looked through old pictures and enjoyed everyone’s company. There were more stories shared. Stories of little moments that we all remember. Things that at the time seemed so small, so usual, but now, now they are big. They are the memories that we will carry forever.

My cousin’s three year old son said it best “Granddad is not here tonight. Granddad is in Heaven with the Angels now”.

-Lauren-

Crock Pot Recipe Linky Party

I am participating in Sarah’s crock pot recipe linky party. I am so glad she is doing this. It has finally gotten cooler around here and I can’t wait to cook up some warm comfort foods. There is nothing better than throwing ingredients into the crock pot in the morning and coming home the wonderful smell of a warm dinner.

I love Taco Soup so when I found this recipe I knew I had to try it. I found it last year and I can’t for the life of me remember were I found it. So if it is your recipe, thank you! I love it!

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped, 1 can chili beans (15oz), 1 can black beans (15oz), 1 can whole kernel corn (15oz), 1 can tomato sauce (8oz), 1 bottle of beer, 2 cans of Rotel (if you want it spicy you could do 1 hot and 1 regular), 1 package Taco Seasoning, and 2-3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Directions:

Place everything except the chicken in the crock pot and mix together. Add the chicken breasts (make sure they are covered by the other ingredient) and set the cooker to low. Cook for about 5 hours. Remove chicken and chop/shred and then put it back in the crock pot and continue to cook for about 2 hours.

*the first time I made this I wasn’t home to take the chicken out so I just let it cook for 6-7 hours. I chopped the chicken just before serving. While it tasted fine, the leftovers were much better because the chopped chicken had been able to soak in the soup.*

This tastes great served with tortillas or tortilla chips, and topped with sour cream and cheese.

Enjoy!

-Lauren-

Halloween Weekend

I decided not to get Aedan a costume this year. Instead I could him a couple of cute Halloween outfits instead. We had a busy weekend and ended up just hanging around the house last night so Aedan didn’t really need a costume anyway.

On Friday night we headed out to our favorite park for a family picnic again. This time Jon’s parents joined us. It finally felt like fall and actually got cold when the sun went down. I finally got to dress Aedan in this cute outfit that came with fleece pants. I didn’t get a good picture of the whole outfit but these pictures are pretty cute.

Aedan loves apple slices. He spend most of the picnic with one in his hand/mouth.

  .

I think this is such a cute pictures of Jon’s mom and Aedan. Too bad it was getting dark and I had to use my flash. For some reason I can edit out the red eye in Lightroom but when I put it on here his eyes are red. Ugh.

On Saturday we went over to Jon’s grandparents house for a quick visit. Then we headed up to see my grandfather. The hospice center where he is staying is beautiful. There are huge trees all around with lots of areas to walk around. Aedan was wearing his second Halloween outfit. Unfortunately I only too pictures with my mom’s camera so I will have to get them from her and put them up then. Aedan did really well despite it being his afternoon nap time. We came home and all took a long late afternoon nap.

On Sunday we spent most of the day around the house other than a quick trip to Costco. Around 7 we headed out to our front porch to pass out candy. For the first half hour we got very few trick-or-treaters. Jon and I always end up giving too many pieces out to the first few groups and then around 8 the crowds increase and we start to get low on candy. Seriously this has happened 3 years in a row. You would think we would learn. Oh well. We ended up with just enough candy.

We loved looking at all the little trick-or-treaters. I can’t wait until next year when Aedan will be old enough to go around the neighborhood. We will be dressing him up for sure!

-Lauren-