TICKING THE IVORIES... AND ALSO THE BELLYSIDE OF VISA

You ever wonder how much you need to spend before your credit card company will call you to ask what is up with your daily purchases? I have to laugh... I remember Visa calling us to ask us about a $2,000.00 purchase just before Christmas. Yesterday I spent probably ten-times that and no call. Good to know the good folks at Visa are paying attention.

OK so just to recap: we went on a spree of sorts yesterday and YES we did burn the plastic. Since we got the money back off the house, and it already came off our home equity loan, why not purchase some equitables to put into it???? Is "equitables" even a word?? You get my meaning; as un-Websters as it may be. So we went to the piano store first. OK I just about had a cardiac arrest. Seriously I LOVE pianos. Played since I was a little girl; made it to the Royal Conservatory levels by the time I was 13. Just never had the room since I moved out of my mom and dad's to have one. So hubby took me and my mom to look at pianos!! I found the PERFECT one. Essex and it's beautiful! It's an upright; although I drooled all over the Steinway baby grands. Those make anything else sound like a monkey grinder's organ. But I don't have $64,000.00 (there was a full grand there for $126,000.00!) to spend on a piano you know!! I played my little heart out; it was a great thing to feel the keys again. I bought the girls some beginer books so I can start to teach them, and of course some new sheet music for myself. Jarrett even partook in it: I got home and found a book of all The Simpson's musicals in there as well. He loves The Simpsons... so I guess I'm learning the Stone Cutter song too.
We didn't tell the kids; it's going to be a surprise. Jarrett told me he thinks he's covered for Valentine's Day now. I jokingly asked him about the Louis Vuitton purse; no amusement there on that man's face!!

After that we moved to the furniture store to get the rest of what we wanted for the house. Since we finished the lower level off fully now, we had some of the furniture moved around. Everything that was in the family room, is now in the kids' rec room/playroom. We had movers come on Thursday to help us move it all around. We have this amish solid oak entertainment hutch... it made clearance of the doors in the walk-out by less than 1/2 inch!! I'm serious it was so close. We had to rip the screen door off because it was too tight. The girl at the furniture store was the same one who helped us two years ago; she actually remembered us. Now shopping with me and hubby, we don't screw around. We know exactly what we are looking for and never hmmm and hawww. I think we were the easiest sell to ever deal with in life. After about an hour we had it all. So the list includes: Bedroom set for guest bedroom, 26 cu in. side-by-side fridge, 42 inch flat screen LCD t.v., accent chair for the living room, leather couch set for family room, coffee and end tables, a woven rug, a painting... I think that's it. Ever read the book, "Confessions of a Shop-a-holic?" If you have, it was probably a perfect exerpt from that book. OK my house is now fully finished; I felt like I pimped my house. Think MTV will come knock on my door? I'm getting some of the things on Monday, some of it is on backorder though for a month. At least the fridge will be here soon. We still need to shop around for a new treadmill since mine is now possessed by demons and speeds up for no reason in an attempt to kill or possibly just maime you. We threw it into the rented dumpter we got Friday. Did I mention all my neighbors are calling to ask if they can throw stuff into this dumpster now? Didn't realize our drive way is now the community dump.

The end of the evening we went to Murietta's for dinner. Never been but it was awesome!!! No kids, calming atmosphere and all the crab cakes you could stuff in your face. The desserts there are divine as well. I'm sure my butt is thanking me for it.