Just Saying Hi

I still need to load pictures for my NYE post, but figured I would just stop by to say hi!
My phone camera card is full so I was looking at some photos on it to delete.

This picture below was taken out my kitchen window, so excuse the screen.  You see, Andrew leaves his coffee cup out on the picnic table A LOT. It is pet hate of mine.  When I see it out the window, I tell him to go get it and bring it in. HE isn't even allowed to use my nice coffee cups because he always leaves them out on the porch or the picnic table, or his car.  So, before Christmas,  I was in the kitchen baking and Andrew was outside doing stuff around the yard (picking up dog poo, cutting fire wood, hauling fire wood, etc)  and he wrote "LOVE YOU" in the snow on the picnic table! Aww, sweet, right?  BUT, I didn't even notice. Then he came in after a while and said something and I looked out and saw. Then he said "I thought for sure you would yell at me for my coffee cup out there so I Just wrote that for you to see too" haha. SO basically, he was picking on me for always nagging him for leaving his cup!  Oh, but he still LEFT THE CUP!  You can see in photo! lol.

 This was on our 2nd to last day of swim I think. Andrew came downstairs with her riding in his bag. haha. She thought it was great. I think he said "My bags are packed"

Someone at work gave me this photo of Anika from Andrew's ceremony.

Me trying to read to Anika on xmas, but she would rather do other things! I practically have to beg for her to come hang out with me!

This one was actually sent by my  mom. This is Anika up on New Years Eve waiting for the ball to drop! haha

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 Yesterday I got a flat tire on the way to work. I had already dropped Anika off at Miss B's and I had gone to the gym. I was leaving the gym and headed to work and I felt it!  I pulled over. I was going to ATTEMPT to change it myself, but it was 5 degrees out yesterday!! FREEZING.  Ended up calling AAA, but it was going to be an HOUR. I had to be at work so someone from the gym came and brought me to work. Then I got in touch with the tow truck person AAA had coming, and he picked me up at work and brought me back to the car.  Thank God. It was too cold to walk! I told the driver that ironically the last time I had a flat tire was when I was in NZ and I was driving Andrew's old beater car around. It was a 1984 Subaru that had a CHOKE to start it. It was obvi  a manual, which I knew how to drive, but this one needed fluids like everyday. A real mess of a car, but that's probably why he let me drive it in a city I dint know that well- AND driving on the other side of the road! Eeks. watch out! I got a flat tire at the grocery store there, and just left it there and walked back to Uni! I called Andrew and he said he would come after work. HE met me at  the store after work and apparently all his work friends were in shock that an American girl didn't know how to change a flat! Andrew vowed that I needed to learn. To this day, his is quite horrified I don't know how. The thing is, My dad taught me how when I was 16, but that was on a DIFFERENT car and LIKE I remember!!  Andrew thinks it should be part of our licensee test. Whatever. That's what we have AAA for! duh.  The tow guy put air in it instead of changing it. He said it didn't need to be changed and that putting a spare on my all wheel drive car would mess it up, bla bla He gave me his number to call if I needed more air to get home after work. Then, I drove it back to work and my mom came and took it to the local garage and they fixed it for me. Just a hole needed repair. 

Shortly after she dropped the car back to me, I got a call from the delivery people that they would be at the house in 30 minutes with our new washer and dryer, so I went home to meet them (and took a long lunch break).   THANK GOD they moved our old ones from our top floor down to the basement for us. Andrew wants to keep them to put in his future garage to wash his work clothes. Right now he takes his work clothes to the laundry mat.  I have a small attached garage, but Andrew wants to build himself a separate one next to our house. I don't see that happening soon so I guess I will just have 2 machines collecting dust in my basement for a while. That basement is getting mighty full!

  Andrew did the first wash last night-clothes.  HE showed me how to use it and walked me through it...and told me to read the directions but I told him to just tell me. ha.  I needed to do a diaper load.  So, I dumped the diapers from the pail ihto the wash, and told him to do a spin cycle first (to get the stuff out). It was a cold spin.  When the spin cycle was done, I went up to add the soap, but he had to show me where to add the soap...and we looked in and there were poop particles!!!   WTH?  He asked if I rinsed all the poop off. I told him I rinse *most* of it off, but I always just toss them in with SOME on there. HE was grossed out!  He started freaking out that he was sick to his stomach and we have been wearing poop clothes for 9 months. Technically, not 9 because breast milk poop really is organic and does dissolve. So, basically just since she has been on solids.   I SWEAR my old washer NEVER had poop particles! He wanted me to take out ALL the diapers and then hand pick poop out of the washer.  I did..mostly. I made him come help me though.  Then, he had me freaking out. I never saw poop particles in the old washer! He said the holes in the drum were bigger in the old one so they went through the holes..but he didn't want me ruining this new one. All I could imagine was some BIG poop buildup between the drum you can see in the washer and the outer drum where the water drains out the holes!!  EW!  WELL, I posted something on this hippie mom site I belong to ...where most of the moms Cloth diaper and some people were like, ew- "I rinse ALL THE poop out" Which is what my mom said too. She always gives me back diapers with ALL the poop completely rinsed- not just the solids flicked off like i do. Also, my mom CD'd my brother and I so she said she used to hand rinse ALL diapers.   Andrew said he also rinses ALL of it out, but how would I know that? I never supervise him!  But then other moms commented they do what I do and its fine. My favorite comment said this
"Ashely, I do the same. If it makes you feel better, I used to do customer service for Maytag. There shouldn't be any build-up between the inner and outer tubs unless there was already a fabric softener buildup there - and usually that presents as greasy or bluish streaks on your clothes. If there were really poop left on your clothes (and the dipes!) you would FOR SURE smell/see it. Every once in a while I do find something like a bean skin in the washer bottom - but only because it was way to big to get through the tub holes. If you're worried about buildup between the tubs, run an empty hot water wash with bleach. That'll take care of it unless you just use ridiculous amounts of fabric softener. :)"

I have never used fabric softener, so that is good!  I washed the diapers in HOT water again and no poop was left. 
 I still dont  know if I love this washer and dryer. As I experienced with the brand new stove we bought for this house- "THEY JUST DON'T MAKE THINGS LIKE THEY USED TO"

By the way, it is a TOP loader. We heard front loaders are not good for Cloth diapers so we stayed away from them.  And, by we, that was the ONE thing I told Andrew when he said he was looking at new machines...and then he picked them out ALL on his own and wrapped up the paperwork for Christmas.
If they suck, I will make him return them.