It's a new old me

Why is it Good Habits are so hard to form but so easy to break! While bad habits are easy to form but hard to break... For years and years, I've been in the wonderful habit of making a To Do List first thing every morning -- and then accomplishing everything on that list (if humanly possible) each day. For some reason (blogging, computer games, life) over the past several months, I stopped making that list and my house is suffering because of it. How did that happen?! So this morning I resolved to get back to my To Do List habit. Apparently "no list" is an excuse to be lazy -- and lazy just isn't something I aspire to be! Another benefit to a daily To Do List is that I get things done early in the day. I'm up at 6am, have Jeff's breakfast cooked, his lunch packed, me showered and dressed, and the kitchen cleaned up by 8am. When my List is in full swing, I usually have either the upstairs or the downstairs vac'd, sheets changed, bathrooms glistening by 10am. One morning a week I run errands, and I'd have those done by noon. I had so much more free time! Now I'm still up at 6am, still get Jeff's breakfast on the table and his lunch packed, the kitchen cleaned by 8am, and then I turned into a slug. Jump on the computer and before I knew it, it would be noon or 1:00, and I'd have nothing done. I'd say "just one more game" or "just read one more blog" and the next thing I knew, it would be 3:00. I'd run around like crazy trying to get surface cleaning done, and that'd be it. NO MORE! I've blown the dust off my Super Housewife Cape! With pen and lined pad in hand, I shall show my magical powers -- be gone dust! be gone cobwebs! be gone clutter that's piled on the bookshelves while I had my nose buried in computer games! be gone gritty floors! be gone non-sparkling bathrooms! be gone I say! So my self-challenge has a goal of re-establishing my GOOD habits (making a To Do List, getting housework done before computer time, blogging later in the day) and doing away with these nasty bad habits (waaaayyyy too much time on the computer, signing up for too many swaps, too much TV time, etc.). It takes 21 days to firmly establish a good habit. Today is #1. My To Do List this morning was this:

• Make bed - done
• Clean master bathroom - done
• 2 loads laundry (wash, dry, fold, put away) - done
• Clean kitchen counters - done
• Sweep kitchen floor - done
• Dust family room & dining room - done
• Take out trash - done
• Re-arrange family room furniture (tonight with Jeff's help)
• Sort and box video's and dvd's in family room for keep or yard sale - done
• Dinner prep - done
• 15 minutes paper sorting in office - done
• Menu planning, grocery list - done

I have to admit - it feels SO much better to have a productive day than to slug the day away in front of the computer! How about you? Do you spend too much time on the computer or in front of the television or in some other non-productive fashion and wish you didn't?

The Art of Negotiation

Our TV has been on it's last legs for several months now, and yesterday we agreed it was time to bite the bullet and buy a new one. I did some research, found information I needed on manufacturers, warrantys, cables, etc., and we headed to the local electronics store where they were holding their President's Day Sale "extravaganza". We've moved into the 21st Century and purchased a Plasma Flat Screen High Def TV. I asked a lot of questions (that I already knew the answer to, thanks to my research). A wonderful "equipment specialist" stepped us through all the details, along with simply viewing all the TV's in the store, we made our decision on a TV. The price? $1799, on sale for $1399. A new DVD player that ?upgrades? standard DVD's to HD, $149 on sale for $89. Two HDMI cables at $95 each (one for cable to TV, one for DVD player to TV). Delivery and set up - $120.00. Service contract $395.00 for three years (sounds like a lot, I know, but according to what I researched, almost any part for a plasma TV is $300 to $400 plus labor!). A new stand for the TV to replace our humongous entertainment center: $370 on sale for $185.00 Total cost pre-sale: $2839. Sale price: $2378.00 Armed with information and knowing what I actually needed, but pretending not to know, my negotiations went like this. Me: OK, I'll take this TV. Sales guy: Wonderful choice, ma'm! Let me ring it up for you! Me: Do I need to buy a special cable for High Def TV? Sales guy: Yes, you're going to need an HDMI cable Me: You'll throw that in for free, right? Sales guy: Well, let me see.... Sales guy: OK, I'll give you that for free. Me: I've decided to take the DVD player too. Sales guy: OK, I'll add that in... Me: Will we need another cable for that? Sales guy: Ummmm... yes, you will. Me: So that's free too, right? Sales guy (looking nervous): Well, let me see if I can do that. Me: OK, but don't forget I'm paying cash today. Sales guy: (Goes away, talks to manager, comes back...) OK, I can give you that second cable for free too. Me: How much is an extended warranty on the TV? Sales guy: $395 for three years. Me: OK, I'll take that too. Me: And I need a TV stand -- I saw one there that I like -- add that in. Sales guy (brightening): OK. Me: Is that your store manager over there? Because I want to go tell him how wonderful you've been to us today. (He says yes -- and while he's keying in the invoice, I go over and talk to the manager. The Sales Guy is VERY happy with me now.) Me: Now, this is a big TV. I'm not going to be able to fit in my car, am I? Sales guy: No. You'll need a van or a truck - or we can deliver it to you. Me: What's the delivery fee? Sales guy: For standard delivery, it's $70. For Deluxe Delivery where they set it up, set up your DVD player, calibrate the color, and take away your old TV, it's $120. Me: Best Buy is offering free delivery, free setup and they'll take my old TV away. Sales guy: (gulp) Me: Will your store match that? Sales guy: Let me get your invoice finished up here and I'll see. Me: I'm sorry -- before you do the rest of the invoice, I need to know if you'll match Best Buy -- otherwise I probably ought to go over there. (*beam*) Sales guy: OK, ma'm. I'll match their offer. Me: I want to watch the Daytona 500 tomorrow in HD -- can you deliver it today or tomorrow? Sales guy: Well, I'll have to call and see what the schedule is. Me: OK, because there's really no point in buying it if you can't deliver it and set it up in time for the race. I think I'll just have to buy a smaller TV I can fit in my car... that one over there is just $399, right? Sales guy: (Breaking out in a sweat) (Goes away, talks with manager, makes a phone call... comes back). Yes ma'm we can deliver it tomorrow but they will have to call you between 6am and 8am to confirm delivery early enough for you to watch the race. Me: Oh, that's OK, I'm up anyway. Final cost of 47" plasma HD TV, DVD player, TV stand, 3 yr warranty, "deluxe" delivery: $1800 - $578 less than sale price! Yeah baby! UPDATE: Apparently the delivery truck people damaged our television. The company called and stated that they had no more 47" in stock -- would we be willing to accept a 50-inch in it's place? Obviously, we accepted. Everything we received we paid $300 less than the price of the television alone. An even better deal than I anticipated. It's all good.

Need Advice from you cat lovers, please!

This is Joey. I call him Joey the Killer Cat. He looks sweet, doesn't he? And he is sweet -- when he wants something (food, treats, a good chin scratch). After we had to put our beloved dog, Lucy, to sleep I chose to get a cat from our local animal shelter. I have always loved cats, but the kids and husband always wanted dogs, so I was out-voted. Once the kids and the dogs were gone, I got myself a cat. I couldn't wait to have that furry body cuddled up in my lap, purring away, happy to be petted, happy just to be... the way cats do. Joey came to us when he was eight weeks old and I was so happy to have a cat back in the house! Joey doesn't like me. I don't know why. Not a clue. It's not just that cat-standoffish-way -- he literally attacks me. Right now I have four long bloody scratches down the side of my leg. Joey snuck up on me while I was answering the door for a package delivery, wrapped himself around my ankle and scratched away. A few weeks ago, I walked by the door of our laundry room and Joey jumped out and grabbed me -- to the point where it tore a hole in my jeans and bloodied my leg. I swear, I have done nothing but try to love this cat. This is not an abused cat, this is not a mis-treated cat. Joey prefers to be outside hunting (and he is an incredible hunter -- dead mice, moles, and rabbits are constantly lined up for exhibit on our back deck, sometimes three and four at a time!). Because we have extensive woods behind our house, Joey is outside more than he is in. He is free to go in and out as he pleases. Joey also attacks Mr. B. Admittedly, Mr. B is the typical three year old and might push Joey a bit too far. But other times, Mr. B is doing nothing more than walking down the driveway, and Joey will ambush him -- jump up as high as Mr. B's belly and push him over or leave hefty scratch marks in trying to do so. The attacks have gone from one every month or so, to almost daily. Sometimes I can tell it's coming because his pupils get giant and black, and his tail twitches just so. But other times, he lays in wait under furniture or around corners, and I don't know I'm about to be attacked. It's making me jumpy, to be honest. So what do I do? I have never, ever not had a pet that wasn't with us until it passed from old age. But Joey's attacks are getting more and more serious and causing injuries to both Mr. B and I. I know there are a lot of cat lovers out there -- has anyone ever experienced anything like this? Cat lovers - I know you're out there (and I'm one of you!) -- anyone have any advice?? I'm considering bringing Joey back to the shelter (this makes me very sad), but want to know if there are any alternatives I can try first.

OttLite Giveaway!!

Hey all you crafters, quilters, knitters, readers -- and all the rest who just like to see better! The Ottlite company has generously donated a Wing Shade Floor Lamp for a giveaway on my other blog, Quilting on a Budget. You don't have to be a quilter to find this amazing lamp of great use to you, so head on over and check out the giveaway. As they say in Ohio -- "Someone's gotta win -- might as well be you!" Good Luck!