Archive for the year 2009
Eastern-Inspired Furniture Online
Posted on February 14, 2009 by Ching under Sponsored Post.
Brian and I haven’t gotten much further on the home remodel because things keep coming up. For instance, he’ll be leaving for Germany in a couple of weeks. I doubt that I’ll do much work on the house while he is away. I have been doing lots of web-surfing for inspiration, though.
Recently I found LOMBOK, this online store specializing in Eastern-inspired furniture, lighting, and home accessories. LOMBOK has several stores in London and throughout the UK, but none in Wichita. Mostly, I visit their web site for inspiration.
I found the web site completely by accident while searching for lamps online. As you all know, we don’t have a lamp in the bedroom right now. I search all over town and all over the web for one that would be suitable, to no avail. I finally stumbled upon the LOMBOK web site and their wide selection of lamp shades.
They also have these cool woven laundry baskets and a similarly-fashioned log basket. The first laundry basket on the page and the log basket are made out of material called Vietnamese jungle string. They also have matching rectangular baskets made with the same jungle string material that are lined. They are beautiful, decorative storage options that you can use for just about anything. I was thinking these baskets would look great in our chocolate room. Of course, there isn’t any room right now. However, when we get done with the home remodel then we can begin moving some of the stuff out of the chocolate room and into other parts of the house and then decorating the rooms with various home accessories. We plan on pretty much keeping the same color scheme and going for a minimal look so the baskets would work anywhere really, not just the chocolate room.
Besides just lamp shades, baskets, and other home accessories, LOMBOK carries some beautiful furniture. They have this simple yet elegant “Malang” dining table made of teak. It is so Brian and I. Anyway, I really wish there was a LOMBOK store here so I can look to them for more than just inspiration. Perhaps a visit to London is in order.
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Brian is a Credit Card Nazi
Posted on February 10, 2009 by Ching under Life.
As you all know, Brian and I are anti-credit card. We have been since we racked up tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Now that we are out of credit card debt (most of it shifted to my student loans, mainly) we don’t want to get back into it. Therefore, we only have the one credit card. He is convinced that he is more responsible than I am. Although, I have changed a lot in the last five years. Right now he is the only one with a credit card.
Before we would use our credit card only once in a while. Maybe every couple of months or so, if we have a big ticket purchase. Last year, I managed to convince Brian to use the credit card for our day-to-day and monthly expenses because we can earn points faster that way. I assured him that we would pay off the balance each month. It would be just like if we were paying out of our checking account, but with a couple of key benefits (1) we will be earning points, and (2) we’ll be balancing our checkbook less frequently.
I begged and pleaded with him to do this several times over the last couple of years. He always refused. We would get so frustrated having the same arguments over and over. After asking him for the umpteenth time last year, he finally relented.
So for the last several months that’s what we’ve been doing, earning quite a few points along the way. However, we still only have the single credit card. So if I have to get gas for myself (like when Lila and I were driving home from Topeka a couple of weeks ago), rare as these times may be, I have to use my debit card because I have no credit card at all. It irks when when I have to use my debit card because I get no points out of it.
My plea to him for the last couple months has been to give me a credit card of my own or allow me to apply for one. The answer has always been no. He says he fears that I will go nuts and revert back to my old ways. I think he keeps refusing my request because it gives him power over me or a greater sense of control, imaginary as it may be. I mean, I have our credit card number (including the three digit security code) memorized so if I wanted to go nuts I could easily do it. I haven’t and I don’t plan to.
Anyway, he got this new credit card in the mail today. He started freaking out immediately. I think he thought that I applied for a credit card without his knowledge.
ME: I think it’s a replacement for our credit card.
BRIAN: Our credit card doesn’t expire until next year!
ME: It has the last four digits of our BOA World Points card on the letter. Read it. I think it’s some kind of upgrade. Maybe the $7500 that we charged for the plumbing got their attention?
BRIAN: They are replacing our card. (He confirmed that my observation was correct, but he was mad that the new card has upset the balance of our single-credit-card-world.)It’s a Visa Signature card I didn’t ask for this!
ME: I think the new card comes with nice perks. (I was trying to calm him down, but I also had another motive.) Can I have the little mini one that goes in your key ring?
BRIAN: It still has my name on it. You wouldn’t be able to use it. Besides, I was already going to get you your own card.
ME: Really? Like, for Valentines Day?
BRIAN: Yes.
ME: That’s all I’ve ever wanted!
Some women get jewelry. Others get flowers. All I want is a piece of plastic. I can’t believe it. My very own credit card!
LOL. I think the biggest factor in Brian letting me have my own credit card is his trip to Germany. He wanted to make sure I had a credit card of my own in case some sort of disaster happens. Otherwise, I think I’d still be credit-card-less in 2009. Have you ever met a credit-card-less 30-year-old woman (okay, I’m really 31 but I stopped counting at 30)? It’s almost unheard of! I might as well be a unicorn!
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My “Art by Amy” Scrabble Tiles Necklace
Posted on February 9, 2009 by Ching under Life.
My “Art by Amy” Scrabble tiles necklace arrived on Saturday. I was so excited! Brian and I went to Wal-Mart and picked up a jewelry tools set for me so I can attach the tiles to the chain.
I am so totally addicted to “Art by Amy” stuff. My favorite part is how you can mix and match sentiment pendants and different baubles and different chains and silks to create your own unique necklace.
Sunny is actually the first to get me into “Art by Amy” jewelry. She wore her “Poker Slut” sentiment necklace and her “Butt Necklace” (both “Art by Amy” pieces) on the cruise. She purchased them from The Pink Boa. I told her that I had never been there so she picked me up from my house and took me there one day.
I ended up coming home with a Pink Panache necklace and the “Poker Slut” sentiment pendant with two silks: one red and one black. Little did I know that would only be the beginning. Since then I’ve added a “C” initial pendant and a fleur de lis pendant to my growing “Art by Amy” collection. Most recently, I added the Scrabble tiles necklace.
If you want to give the special woman in your life something special, please be sure to check out The Pink Boa. The have the best selection of girlie items in town, bar none. I can’t wait to purchase my next “Art by Amy” piece.
BTW, Amy will be at the River Festival this year. I’ve never met her before, but I found this video clip (from almost ten years ago) in Google. I can’t wait to meet her and by new stuff. Enjoy the video!
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Brian is an Easy Mark
Posted on February 8, 2009 by Ching under Life.
The ShamWow guy at the HBA home show is by no means a fantastic salesman, yet he managed to con persuade my husband to buy his product. Brian was completely convinced it was a great deal. He got two sets for only $20, after all. I knew we should have deposited his poker winnings in the bank. Having cash in his wallet is like holding sand in your hands: here today, gone tomorrow.
I had heard that the ShamWow doesn’t really work as great as they say it does so maybe the sales guy deserves more credit for his very convincing sales pitch. Either that, or Brian is just an easy mark.
Kidding aside… On the bright side, he did get two sets so now we have one and his mom and dad has one. If anything, at least it’s affordable.
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Ron’s BDay and a Very Full Saturday
Posted on February 8, 2009 by Ching under Life, Movies.
Proof that Brian and I were present last night. Well, this photograph I took while there and our card/gift card for Ron. Then again, someone could have delivered the card for us, so I decided to take a photo as evidence.
The HBA home show in Hutch wasn’t very busy Jason, the coworker who was working our booth with me, allowed me to leave early so Brian and I were able to make Ron’s birthday on time. Except the GPS dropped us at the wrong house. When Wilma said “Arriving at … on left,” we couldn’t really tell which house she was referring to. The festive tiki torches in the driveway should have been a dead giveaway, but I wasn’t wearing glasses so I didn’t notice them until we were walking up to the door. This was after we had knocked on the wrong house, though. The embarrassing moments just seem to continue. Ugh.
Anyway, I really enjoyed looking at Ron’s pictures over the years. The displays all over the house were A+. Ron was very handsome when he was younger. (This is the part where I dig myself into a hole.) Don’t get me wrong, he is still a very handsome man. However, if you see some of his pictures from “back in the day” — specially the ones of him with long, shoulder length hair — he almost looks like a male model in some of the photos.
Cooking is one of Ron’s interests and he isn’t kidding. The food last night was fabulous. The food items I tried were all really good. The timpano (it’s like a deep-dish pasta pie) was most notable because I had never eaten anything like it before. Sure, I’d had pasta before. Never like this, though. It was pasta with sausage and hard-boiled eggs and other things encased in dough. It looked like it was a real challenge to make. Ron was telling us about their adventures while preparing it: having to remake the dough to get it just right, making sure that it was in the oven by 5p to get it done in time for the party. I really envy those who can tackle complex dishes and pull it off. They really did pull it off. I think everyone loved the timpano, inspired by the movie Big Night. I have never seen it, but Ron and others say it is a great movie. I added it to my Netflix so Brian and I can watch it one day.
Anyway, there were so many people there last night. Ron has a very impressive circle of influence. There were many guests from the Wichita Eagle, past coworkers, some friends from church, lots of tweeps, Facebook friends, long-time friends, friends of the kids… All of the generations were well-represented. I had never seen such a diverse group of people together in one house.
Brian and I left as Julie and Viktor Tarm arrived, this was probably 9p or so. We only stayed an hour an half because we were trying to squeeze in all of our commitments this weekend. Brian had promised to take his parents to watch Push (a movie that Brian has been waiting to see since he first learned about it) on opening weekend. Friday night is poker night so that was out of the question. Sunday is tax and laundry day. The only way to get it in this weekend was to see the late show on Saturday. The latest showtime was 10p. =(
We got almost everything we planned to do on Saturday done: Pink Boa to pick up my “Art by Amy” pendant, HBA home show, Ron’s birthday, Push. The only thing we didn’t get to were the back rubs that we promised each other. Having had only five hours of sleep the previous night (because Brian made the final table at poker) we were so worn out by the time we got home. We simply went straight to bed.
Today is going to another long day. We are scheduled to meet Jeremy, our tax guy, at 11a and then we will head to the in-laws to do laundry after a quick lunch. The nice thing is they are feeding us dinner so we won’t have to go somewhere or make anything. Having to leave the house for laundry is very tedious, though. I hope that we get the laundry closet situated this week, so that we can buy a replacement washer and dryer and finally start doing laundry at home again.
I’m not looking forward to the expense of having to buy a new washer and dryer, but I am looking forward to not having to drag my dirty laundry across town anymore.
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