Happy Thanksgiving!

I love this time of year and no matter what is going on in life, there is always so much to be thankful for. I do a lot of celebrating on Thanksgiving weekend (mostly in the form of eating wonderful food) and I have many reasons to celebrate.

This weekend we celebrated with a 7 lb chicken that my brother raised. We feasted yesterday and are having leftovers tonight. Very thankful to be able to cook and enjoy such wonderful food.

We also celebrated our car-niversary this weekend. We've had our little baby car for four years now. She still gets us where we're going and without too much complaining either. Very thankful she is still going strong.

Thanksgiving weekend is also the anniversary of when I met John. So another excuse to have a big dinner and celebrate all we are thankful for. Also a great excuse to bake something. I made some plain butter tarts and we ate them cold from the fridge. Pecan butter tarts are great, but these plain ones were fantastic.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Car-niversary #3

I'm happy to say we are celebrating our third Car-niversay today. We had a rough summer with the car, but she has been on her best behaviour lately and I haven't had to buy her anything new for a while. Very happy about that.

It is a nice day out there, so as part of the anniversary celebration I'm going to give the car a good wash, windex all the windows, and maybe even vacuum out the inside. It will be a good way to get it nice and clean for winter.

Tired and Grumpy Monday Blog

I spent much of the weekend in bed fighting something off. And even though I spent most of my time laying down, sleep only came in pockets, so I am completely wiped today. And grumpy. And probably cranky too.

The crummy thing about me feeling bad is that it was John's birthday over the weekend. I had a plan to make a new cake recipe, but just did not have the energy to do it. We ended up having a store bought cake to celebrate, but I have to say I have had waaaaayyyy better store bought cakes. You know I'm grumpy if I am getting mad at cake!

Also realized over the weekend that our car is making a sound that we can't ignore. I'm taking it into the mechanic today and hoping it just needs a little something and not a whole lottta something.

There is some good news to report: I finished my first week of my second 28 day reboot. I am no longer relying on my mostly broken pedometer, so have been gauging my progress on timed walks. Last week I was "on a walk" for 165 minutes (2.75 hours). My goal for the second week is 4 hours of walking. I'm hoping to do more than that, but setting my goal realistically (seeing as I'm starting the week off tired and cranky). But I will be walking back from the mechanic shortly, so at least that is something.

How was your weekend? What is the best store bought cake you ever had? Mine was a huge slab cake we got from Zehrs in Barrie for my parents 25th wedding anniversary. It was delicious. I found a photo of it and it made me smile, so maybe I'm going to beat this grump after all.

There is a First Time For Everything

**Author's Note: I have been going through my drafts folder in Blogger and noticed that sometimes I write cool blog posts and then don't publish them. I wrote the following post a year ago, so this actually happened last August and everyone in the story is now a year older. And maybe I'm a little less anxious now, but don't quote me on that. I have made some edits and additions before publishing. Enjoy! :)**

Our friends Bryan and Betony recently had a baby, adorable little Clara. There are many things to see and experience with a friend's new baby - they learn to stand, they start eating real food, they start crawling all around the house - all in such a short amount of time.  It is amazing how fast she is learning and growing.  Every time we go over there, Clara has a whole new set of awesome skills.  Way to go kid!

I've been around a lot of babies, toddlers, and children in my life, having five nieces and nephews that I adore and multiple friends with little ones. I thought I had a good grip on babies and what they do and how to roll with them. I admit I'm a little nervous around a less-than-a-month-old, but once they seem less breakable I am way more easy going. This easy going attitude was recently tested as I did something I've never done before: I drove around with an eight month old in my car.

Not sure if I've written about it before, but I have some anxiety. It is not all the time, but certain situations (new things/change/the unknown) can trigger a flood of negative and obsessive thoughts that make me feel really overwhelmed. I have been working on minimizing my anxious reactions with the aid of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, specifically The Feeling Good Handbook by David D. Burns (highly recommended!). Even though I'm working on it, I still get thrown for a loop from time to time. Life's a journey, right?

So last week Betony and I had a girls' night that had us driving from Midland to Penetang (which is really not that far) and involved me being the driver. In the space of time between knowing that I would be driving and then actually getting on the road (about ten minutes) I did a really great job of freaking myself out. It sounds silly to get worked up about something as ordinary as driving 5 KM with a kid in the backseat, but the 'This is New' factor triggered my anxiety.

Initially I had some nice thoughts, like: "Wow - thank you for trusting my driving ability with your beautiful baby".  Then my anxious brain kicked in and reminded me that I had never done this before and convinced me that it was a Really Big Deal. The negative thoughts came: driving is dangerous! Babies are delicate! Next I began to wonder if I was even a good driver (spoiler: I am). So my anxiety got me nice and worked up before we headed out.

Once on the road, realization hit that I was just driving a car, which is something I know how to do.  So then my brain transformed all those scary/anxious feelings into feelings of supreme accomplishment for having done something so amazing. I totally drove with a baby in the backseat! Yay me! Life would be a lot easier if I could just skip the terrified part and move strait to the feeling awesome part, but this is who/where I am right now and I'm happy to say I'm working on it. I will get there.

We safely drove to Penetang and enjoyed some really tasty food at Union Burger and got to have a fun girls' night despite my initial anxiety. I have some amazing friends, and Betony is one who accepts and supports me despite my quirks. Thanks, buddy! :)

I didn't get a great shot, but here is proof 
there was a baby in my car!

Mondays and Cars in July

Well for the third Monday in a row, my car was in the shop. The day after I was home from getting a new gas tank (and gas lines), we heard the horrible screech of the brake pads going. I already had a car repair anxiety headache from multiple car incidents in July, and the screeching sound made it piercing.

I've now added new brake rotors and pads to the list of things repaired or replaced in July (previously we fixed a hole in the muffler and got a new gas tank/gas lines). My Mom says it's like I got a whole new car. Hopefully she's right and these repairs last me for some time yet. Not sure what the repair cost limit will be for me, but I'm pretty sure I'll know the number when I hear it. Just don't want it to be anytime soon.

I wasn't the only one experiencing car grief this month. While waiting for my gas tank to be repaired, I borrowed dad's car, with the hope of catching a movie with my brother in law. The first stop I made (at the end of the driveway) the brake pedal went all the way to the floor...and the car did not stop. I hit it again and it still did not stop, so I looked down to see if I was accidentally hitting the gas (it is a very disorienting feeling not having the brakes work). I gave the brakes a third pump and the car stopped. I threw it in reverse and parked it and then got a really intense headache. Adrenaline is funny like that. Dad ended up needing entirely new brake lines, and we got to bond about all the money we were spending on our used cars. (I much prefer when we are bonding over music.)

Another car incident happened with John's aunt, who had her muffler detach on the way to his sister's wedding. His aunt had his mom in the car, so the Mother of the Bride was half an hour late to the ceremony. Never a dull moment!

With July ending, I now declare that weekly car repairs end with it. I've reached my quota of car stress for the year, and would now like to enjoy using it for a while before I have to worry about it again. Got that, Car???

Maintaining the Car with Helpful Mechanics

We are a few months away from the third anniversary of purchasing our used car. We are also coming up on the car's tenth birthday. Our Mazda Protege is the first car I ever bought, I still love it immensely, and we are doing what we can to maintain it so we can keep driving it.

We purchased our car on a tip from a Mazda mechanic friend of my brother's, who let us know about a car his friend was selling. We got a super deal and a trusted mechanic in the process, and have been taking our car to Mazda for service and repairs ever since. We sometimes go to specialist mechanics (Tirebuster for tires) but we really love the service at Mazda, and they have a 'service rewards' program so all of our repairs usually end with a free oil change coupon.

We had an exhaust leak over the past few months, which presented itself in both sound and heavy exhaust fumes in and around the car. We booked a diagnostic last Monday for Mazda to check it out and they provided me with some pretty stellar customer service. Instead of advising that Mazda fix our muffler (of which they quoted me parts starting at $500 and labour that would add many more dollars to that), they recommended I go to a muffler repair place, and gave me directions to the one they trusted. They even told me to use them as a reference and said: "this is the most cost effective way for you to repair your vehicle". It blew me away that they recommended a more cost effective repair than they could offer, especially since that meant they were recommending I give my money to someone else!

So I took directions and went to Carline Muffler, who were able to check out my car within half an hour and fix it in about the same time. They quoted me "about sixty bucks", which sounded much better than the upwards of $1000 repair job I was looking at through Mazda. Plus everyone was super nice and I've now made some muffler mechanic friends, which will come in handy as my car continues to age. The muffler mechanic also noticed that I had a fuel leak, though he couldn't tell where it was coming from and recommended I get it checked out. He even let me know he had to remove my muffler to weld it "safely", as welding under a car with a gas leak is pretty dangerous.

So my inexpensive muffler repair directed me towards a new problem. So the excessive exhaust smell in the car was actually the exhaust leak AND a gas leak. Double the fun.

With my muffler repaired, I stopped it at Mom and Dad's to figure out my next car repair move. Dad recommended I go to The Gas Tank Doctor, a specialist mechanic he trusted. It was a little after 4pm, but I gave them a call and asked if they could check it out (they closed at 5), and they told me to "come on over".

Turns out fuel is leaking from the seam of the gas tank and we need a new one. Everyone was really nice and I was quoted a good price from my new gas tank mechanic friend. All told, the muffler repair and the gas tank replacement are going to be cheaper than the original muffler repair quote that Mazda steered me away from. How about that. I'm taking the car over this afternoon and I'm looking forward to driving it home with that new "doesn't smell like gas fumes" car smell.

I have to say that everyone who helped me or offered advice last Monday was super nice and doing their best to save me money. I know as my car ages I will have to periodically take it in for repairs, and it is very comforting to know I have a number of different mechanics that I can trust (and who are also super nice!). I know they can help me keep this car running for as long as possible.

Gary liked the car repair deals too. She had a nice nap on the receipts.

Number Nerd Odometer

Numbers are pretty cool. I like when they line up in fun ways, like when the time is 12:34pm or the date is 11/12/13. It's fun. I knew I had a string of numbers coming up on my odometer, and with a trip to Barrie yesterday, I knew it was going to happen. I was ready with my camera and a mental note of how many KM I had left before I hit it.

I had about 19 km to go when I left Mom's last night. I Google mapped where that would put me on my drive home, and kept my eye on the odometer. About 2 km from the number string, I turned down a side road and drove out of the way for a klick, feeling far more comfortable taking pictures on a lightly traveled side road than on the main highway. If you were driving around Fergusonvale last night, I was the one on the side of the road taking photos of her dashboard.

Here it my Number Nerd string in all it's glory:

I learned about Number Nerd being a thing from Anne Wheaton, so obviously I had to tweet her my photo. The following is her response, which I love forever.

Isn't life fun?

DIY Out of My Comfort Zone

I stopped at a red light and heard the person in the car next to me say "Excuse me".  Because I live in a constant state of partial anxiety my first thought was: "Oh great, what did I do?"  I looked over and it was an older man who said: "I just wanted to let you know your left brake light is out".  I thanked him for letting me know and my next thought was: "Oh great, how much does that cost to fix?"

I was on my way to my parents place and in conversation with my dad he told me replacing the brake light was an "easy fix".  He went so far as to say, "The longest part is going to Canadian Tire to get a new bulb".  Now it almost hurts me to put this in writing, but my dad was right.  The second longest part was figuring out how the brake light assembly came apart, but once we got at it, we quickly removed the burnt out bulb.  Conveniently, the bulb number (or bulb type?) is written right in the plastic beside where the bulb goes. It is also imprinted right on the bulb, so picking up a new bulb was easy as pie.  It turns out replacing a brake light is really just replacing a light bulb.  Like dad said, it's an easy fix.

The brake light assembly is accessed through the trunk of the car. 

We removed the paneling/covering and three screws.  I initially thought the wires and the metal panel dislodged into the trunk so we could access the bulbs that way.  After a few failed attempts to get it to do that, John realized the brake light itself detached away from the vehicle.

The brake lights!  Inside out!

 Light bulb goes here!

Burnt out bulb!

Two bulbs at Canadian Tire were $4.99.  I only needed one so this repair was pretty cheap!!

Bulb replaced! I hit the brake to ensure it worked! It worked! 
We did it!

As it should be!!

This Week in Random/Awesome/Educational

Random: John came and met me for lunch on Friday.  There was free pizza at my office, so we scored some slices and drove to the parking lot behind the mall for a romantic meal together.  We we talking and out the window we saw the most adorable little dog, happily running towards our parked car.  I rolled down my window, greeted him with a proper "hey buddy!" and asked where his person was.  He didn't respond, he just continued on his parking lot run, blissfully unaware of the potential danger the parking lot could offer.  To be fair, the lot behind the mall does have a lot of space where there are no cars, but it is still a parking lot with cars driving through it, and I judge it as not the safest place to be running around.  The dog didn't care about my concern, ran blissfully, pissed on some light stands, and eventually ran over to what must have been his person's car and got a ride home.

Awesome: I spoke with my nephew Earl on the phone last week and he was playing pretend with his little sister.
  Earl: "Liz is the Princess and I'm the Knight.  But I don't have any armor right now, so I'm wearing my
  pajamas.  My pajamas are actually pretty good armor, so it's okay."
I agree with Earl, my pajamas are some of the best armor I own; defending my right to naps and lazy Sundays!

Educational: My Mom baby-sat my niece and nephew all last week and throughout each phone conversation we had, there was a repeated message that I read loud and clear from the background noise: "don't have kids!"

Spring (Car) Cleaning

Like many cars following a Canadian winter, my car was very, very dirty.  Any attempt to clean it throughout the winter was negated by any use of the car, as it would instantly return it to its previous state of filth.

But thankfully (for a million reasons) it is now Spring.  The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and the weather is warm enough to get outside and clean the car.  I'm a bucket of soapy water kind of car washer, and I've never really gotten into automatic car washes.  I just prefer to thoroughly clean it myself.  It is a little more time consuming, but on a nice Spring day I actually find it enjoyable.

The car is now clean (inside and out!) and I have a Before and After shot to prove it.

BEFORE

AFTER

I also had my all season tires put back on this morning and I've stored the snow tires for the summer.  That dreaded time called winter is now officially done.  Bring on summer!!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, -- Make It Stop!

I'm in Barrie today, but just barely.  It was snowing heavily the whole drive down and it has only gotten worse since I've been here.

I know I live in Canada.  I know it is winter time.  I know that piles and piles of endless snow should not be a surprise.  But it has been snowing for DAYS now (DAYS!!!) and it is starting to make me a little bonkers.  In the country, everything is contingent on the weather.  If it is a snow storm you can't go out, even if you need groceries.  Or you can go out, but plan to take twice as long and pee before you go, because you might not make it back.  It is weather like this that makes me miss the city.  No matter what the weather, you can just walk to the bus/subway and you can get where you're going.  It still might take a while, but at least you're not risking your own vehicle, and it is probably a lot safer being in a giant bus versus my little Mazda.

One of these days I am going to pick up a pair of snow pants and try to enjoy all this stupid snow.  Until then, I am taking to my little blog and complaining about it!

Boo!!!!!

Why Pay More?

Because sometimes you get more.  Or you save more over time.  Or both.

I'm really frugal so I'm always looking around for the best deal, and sometimes the best deal is more expensive on the front end.

Being the proud owner of a new used car, I want to do everything I can to take care of it and extend its life.  Now that it is winter time, that means rust proofing it from salt.  Rust proofing is new to me, so I called around to a few places to see who could do it and how much it cost.  Walmart and Canadian Tire were two places I knew of that did it, and I found out they both offer a treatment for $89.99 that covers the entire car, not just the undercarriage.  I made an appointment at Walmart (they had the earliest time available), but they told me the appointment could be conditional on the weather.  The technician let me know that if it was too snowy/slushy, they weren't able to remove the snow/slush from the car before they did the oil application.  It was a snow storm the day of my appointment, and they said I was welcome to still get it done, but they would have to spray the oil OVER the snow/mud/salt that was on the car, so they recommended I reschedule for a less snowy day.  I don't think there is going to be a less snowy day until March.  I called Canadian Tire and asked if they remove the snow from the car before application.  They told me that the heat of the garage melts the snow off and then they apply the oil.  The snow melts off on its own?  How long does that take?  Doesn't anyone have a hose and some warm water to rinse the car off?

Krown does.  I was complaining to my brother about getting rust proofing done in the snow, and he told me to "just go to Krown".  I'd never heard of them, but Bro said they are the best.  I called the Barrie location and they are indeed the best!  When I asked if they clean the snow from your car first, they said they spray it off with hot water.  No letting it melt away on its own?  No just putting the oil on over top of it?  Nope.  They clean the snow from your car before they apply the oil treatment.  That is all I wanted.  The price was higher - $119.95 - but that also included drilling into the car so they could put the oil deep into the vehicle.  They give your car a rinse after the application, and they guarantee the price you paid for the life of your car.  So even if their rate goes up, I'll always pay $119.95 on the Mazda.  The best part was the staff were super friendly and helpful and it only took 25 minutes.  I mentioned that my brother went there too and they gave me $10 off for a family rate.  Seriously?  It was a bonus that has me singing their praises and now my Dad is going to go there next year too.  I was really impressed with the whole Krown experience and it was only twenty dollars more than the other places.  For the professional service I received, I think it was well worth it in the long run.

Also this week I paid more up front for new Christmas lights.  My previous lights were regular bulbs and half the strand was dead when I plugged them in.  I only used them twice and I already had to replace them.  I went in to get a new strand last night, and I had to decide between the $5 regular strand and the $15 LED strand.  The LEDs use less power and are said to last ten times longer than the regular strands.  I gave them a try and I frickin' love them! They are so bright and festive.  From what I have been reading about LED lights, I am pretty sure when I plug them in next year they are still going to work.   And the year after that and the year after that.  I had to pay $10 more up front, but I'll save money on my hydro bill and by not having to replace them as frequently.

Pay more now, save more over time.  Sounds like a plan.

How to Spot Your Vehicle

Exiting the grocery store this afternoon, I began to walk down the row of cars where I remembered parking.  I scanned the row of cars and it was easy to spot mine: the one with the headlights left on.  Shit.  I picked up the pace with my groceries in tow, believing that the extra three seconds I gained by running would ensure the battery was not dead.  I threw myself in the car, did a chant of "please don't make me learn the hard way", and attempted to start the car.  It worked, thankfully.  No boost required.

One of the only flaws I have found in my car is that there is no alarm bell if you try to exit the car with the headlights still on.  I'm not used to turning the headlights on and off, so I need an alarm to yell at me or I am not going to remember.  In lieu of a bell, my friend Duct Tape and I have placed a friendly reminder in the form of the word "Lights" on the inside car door just above the handle.  Here's hoping that this visual aid will help me avoid a car battery failure in the future.

On the Road

I'm at my parent's place for a few days - involving myself in family events that will conclude with buffet lunch at Mandarin on Wednesday.  I am having a glorious relationship with food lately, where my cup has been continuously running over since about Halloween and I am indulging in every minute of it.  I might take a break from feasting after lunch on Wednesday - as I will have to resume this lifestyle at Christmas and I don't know if I can keep up the pace until then!

This multi-day visit to my Mom's is the first one where I didn't need to get someone to drop me off and pick me up.  I just drove my car over here and parked it.  When I am ready to leave, I will just drive it home.  It is a simple thing to be happy about, but I am still celebrating having a car of my own.

Which leads me to my "Going to Mom's Car Mix".  These are the tracks that will be taking me to and from my parents place.

Going to Mom's Car Mix

 1. F*ck You - Cee Lo Green
 2. Telephone - Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce
 3. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money) - Pet Shop Boys
 4. Crash - Dave Mathews Band**
 5. Rudie Can't Fail - The Clash
 6. Murder of One - Counting Crows
 7. Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You) - Pet Shop Boys
 8. Under Pressure - Queen and David Bowie
 9. In Your Eyes (live) - Peter Gabriel
10. Home and Dry - Pet Shop Boys
11. You Can Close Your Eyes - James Taylor and Carole King
12. Sail Away - David Gray
13. Alejandro - Lady Gaga
14. September - Earth, Wind, & Fire
15. Bennie and the Jets - Elton John
16. Pendulums - Sarah Harmer

**While listening to the mix in the car, I realized it was a little unnerving to sing along to the lyrics "crash into me."  Version 2.0 of this mix would replace 'Crash' with '#41' (also by Dave Matthews Band). 

Driving Around the Learning Curve

When I awoke this morning I noticed the car was looking a little slumped to one side and further investigating revealed that the drivers side front tire was completely flat.

First: Thank goodness it was flat at home and didn't happen while I was driving.

Second: I realize I would have no idea how to change a flat tire if it happened to me on the road.

Since I now own a car, I am going to be driving a lot more often, and I need to be prepared for emergency/problem situations that may arise.  I have common sense and I took a driving course (12 years ago...), but I still have some serious learning to do.  Right now I feel like a grandparent who is first learning how to use the computer; I'm worried that everything I do or touch is going to break it somehow.  I need to get over that.

On Friday we thought the tire was low but we didn't bother to check the gauge or fill it up (it was late, I was tired).  I drove it on Saturday and I felt it was pulling to the left (a sign the tire was low), but I still didn't check it.  Then this morning, the tire was flat.  We used a motorized air pump and filled the tire. We waited a few hours to see if we had a fast leak on our hands, but it stayed inflated so we drove to the local gas station and used their heavy duty pump/gauge.  Each of the tires was filled to roughly 32psi (our optimal pressure).

Tonight we drove into town and bought ourselves a digital tire gauge.  I was really hyper about the tire the whole ride there and the whole ride home.  It has continued to stay inflated.  The digital gauge is awesome - this is a necessary technological advancement.

So hopefully our tire issue is just that we drove on a low tire and by neglecting to fill it up on the two days we noticed it, it rebelled by going flat.  Or there is a slow leak and it will have to be fixed.  We tested the gauge of all the tires tonight and we'll test them again tomorrow, so if the one tire does have a leak we should be able to tell.  I have learned my lesson about air in the tires though, and I will happily be checking the gauge regularly.  As for everything else there is to learn about car ownership/car maintenance/emergency car situations, I am reading my owners manual and taking it one day at a time.

UPDATE:  Ten days later and the tire hasn't gone flat again or lost more pressure than any of the other tires.  We've been driving around a lot since then, too.  I went through a phase where I was afraid to use my car because I thought the tire was going to blow up, but it hasn't given me any reason to continue to think that.  So far so good.

My First Car - The Official Mega Mix

I am a rather sentimental person and I have been waiting to go for a substantial drive in the new car until I had the proper mix.  This is a major event in my life - it must be honoured with music.  I have also never had a CD Player in a vehicle before, so a killer mix is also required to mark the occasion of my technological advancement.

Songs were selected based on theme (cars, traveling), certain words (driving, miles, road, etc.,) or if I have a specific memory with the song relating to driving (i.e. the song was featured in a movie where someone was driving).  I think it is a stellar mix and am excited to go for a spin with this soundtrack!

First Car Mix

 1. Drive My Car - The Beatles
 2. Cars - Gary Numan
 3. Life is a Highway - Tom Cochrane
 4. Power of Love - Huey Lewis and the News
 5. Kings Highway - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
 6. Take it Easy - The Eagles
 7. End of the Line - Traveling Wilburys
 8. Helen Wheels - Paul McCartney and Wings
 9. King of Wishful Thinking - Go West
10. Get Out of My Dreams, Get into My Car - Billy Ocean
11. Highway to Hell - AC/DC
12. Driving Rain - Paul McCartney
13. A Thousand Miles - Vanessa Carlton
14. Groovin' - The Young Rascals
15. Cruisin' - Huey Lewis and Gywneth Paltrow
16. Drive - The Cars
17. One Headlight - The Wallflowers
18. Too Fast Driving - Lisa Loeb
19. Big Yellow Taxi - Counting Crows
20. Casey Jones - The Grateful Dead

On The Inside

The following things were inside the car when I first sat in it as the new owner:

1. Travel pack of Kleenex and car manual in the glove box

2. A quarter in one of the cup holders

3. A matchbook and a dime in the ashtray

4. Snow tires in the trunk (only a year old!)

5. A third tank of gas

6. Freedom

Zoom Zoom

We bought our first car this week!  We have spent the past while borrowing cars and catching rides, and it is such a relief to have a car of my own!

We bought a 2003 Mazda from a super-nice private seller who was a friend of a friend of a friend (the middle friend was the car's mechanic, so the car had great references!).

Expect some car-centric posts this week - I am really excited about my new wheels! :)