Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
TV Upgrade
The TV in the gameroom is a 20" RCA CRT tv/dvd combo. Doug won it at a company Christmas party about 5 or 6 years ago. With the HD programming, when we viewed regular tv stations, the picture was very small.
So a week or so, we started looking for a HDTV for upstairs. The best deal we found in the store was $529 @ Best Buy, so we decided to come home and do some research online. We were able to buy the same exact model at Amazon for $517 with free Super Saver shipping and no sales tax.
I ordered the tv and it came, via UPS, within 2 days.
This past weekend we went shopping for a tv stand and found one at "The Dump" for $179.
Below is our new television & oak tv console.
Sony BRAVIA KDL40BX420 40-Inch
1080p LCD HDTV
Now I can start watching all those dvd's I got for Christmas!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Foundation Issues
We are needing to get the upstairs cornerbead fixed and the rest of the interior painted.
We first wanted to see if the drywall cracks and things were foundation related.
If it is, then we need to get that exterior fixed prior to fixing the interior.
Texas soil moves a lot and foundation issues are common. If you catch them early they are less expensive than if you wait too long. I've heard many a stories about foundation repairs costing $17,000 or more.
We do have foundation issues. The southwest corner of the house has dropped about 2"-2.5"
These are some of our examples of of foundation problems.
Brick separation on the front of the house.
We first wanted to see if the drywall cracks and things were foundation related.
If it is, then we need to get that exterior fixed prior to fixing the interior.
Texas soil moves a lot and foundation issues are common. If you catch them early they are less expensive than if you wait too long. I've heard many a stories about foundation repairs costing $17,000 or more.
We do have foundation issues. The southwest corner of the house has dropped about 2"-2.5"
These are some of our examples of of foundation problems.
Brick separation on the front of the house.
Separating fascia boards on the front corner of the house.
Cracked masonary - cracks in exterior walls, running along a mortar line
or cracks running through the bricks.
or cracks running through the bricks.
Evident foundation crack
Crack in the ceiling
Cracks in the ceiling and cornerbead separation.
More drywall cracks.
Drywall crack that follows the exterior brick mortar cracks above.
Bathroom tile separation
We have done our preliminary research on Angie's List and have narrowed it down to three contractors. All three foundation companies recommended 8 piers to correct the foundation but they are each recommending different approaches:
1) Structured Foundation Repairs Inc $3,425 (8 Exterior Pressed - Concrete Piers)
2) All-Pro Foundation Repair $3,500 (8 Exterior Pressed Pilings - Concrete Piers & Root Barrier) or $4,900 ( 8 Helical Peirs and Root Barrier)
3) Granite Foundation Repair Inc $3,815 (8 Steel Piers) or $4,295 (8 Helical Piers)
Each of the estimates includes Structural Engineer fees, plumbing check(before & after) and the permit from the city of The Colony.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
New Grill
Doug received a new grill for Christmas this year to replace a Thermos grill he got 6-7 years ago.
Doug initially purchased the Thermos grill from Target for $189 as he didn't want to spend too much on a gas grill if he wasn't going to like it. But over the past few years, the Thermos grill has finally corroded through in too many places; making grilling more of a chore than a pleasure.
The new grill is a Weber EP-330. Below is the new grill, after it was dropped off by
R&L Carriers this past week. The box & contents weighed 152 pounds.
Doug initially purchased the Thermos grill from Target for $189 as he didn't want to spend too much on a gas grill if he wasn't going to like it. But over the past few years, the Thermos grill has finally corroded through in too many places; making grilling more of a chore than a pleasure.
The new grill is a Weber EP-330. Below is the new grill, after it was dropped off by
R&L Carriers this past week. The box & contents weighed 152 pounds.
So the delivery had to be made by a freight truck. This is our delivery truck!
It took some time to coordinate the delivery of the grill and we thought it might have been mis-placed on the loading dock but with some constant phone calls to customer service
over a span of several days......it finally arrived!
This photo shows the major rusting of the back side of the grill.
This photo shows the corrosion of the propane delivery tubes.
This photo shows a fix that Doug made to a section of the propane delivery tubes.
This is a photo of the rust & corrosion on the behind the controls on the front of the grill.
Click here for the specifications of the new grill: http://www.weber.com/explore/grills/genesis-series-ca/genesis-ep-330
Monday, January 16, 2012
Parking Assist
Saturday afternoon, Doug installed the Chamberlain Lift Master - Laser Garage Parking Assist on the truck bay of our garage. The Expedition is a tight fit and needs to park in the exact spot everytime or the garage door will not close. Doug had seen this device at Josh & Jills and decided to try it out.
"Park in the right spot every time with help from the LiftMaster® Laser Garage Parking Assist. The laser turns on automatically and projects a beam onto your car's dashboard. Once the beam hits a pre-determined spot on your dash, you know you've pulled in far enough, and exactly where to stop."
Doug is shown installing the wiring from the garage door opener, to power the new device.
Doug is shown after putting a hole in the ceiling from the attic.
This opening in the garage ceiling will be the location of the wireless device.
This opening in the garage ceiling will be the location of the wireless device.
This is what the laser looks like on my dash. Sorry for the dark photo, but I needed to wait until later in the day for the laser to show up on my dash for the photograph.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Andrew's Visit
Andrew and his parents came to visit on Thursday, January 5th and due to unforseen circumstances had to stay until Friday, January 13th....more on that at the bottom of the blog entry.
So there was plenty of time for snuggling!
And feeding!
We also got in a few stroller rides!
Close-up of Andrew on his first stroller ride.
and nap time!
Photo of Jill in the ER at Presbyterian Hospital of Plano.
(see story below - caution gorry details...but no gorry photos)
When Jill arrived on Thursday, she said her bottom hurt. She had Josh check it later that evening and found she had an external hemmorhoid due to straining to have a bowel movement. (see story below - caution gorry details...but no gorry photos)
Friday, she was even in more pain and he said it was even larger and it was not able to be reduced. I gave her some PrepH suppositories aand Dulcolax stool softeners and she called her gynecologist in The Woodlands for further advice.
By Saturday, the pain was way worse and she allowed me to take a look. It was the largest hemmorhoid I've personally seen. No way to reduce something that large. It was thrombosed, meaning filled with blood clot(s). Her gynecologist called in a prescription for a Lidocaine/Hydrocortisone cream which did not provide relief for longer than 10 minutes.
Sunday was even more painful and it hurt for Jill to walk, sit, lay down and she began bleeding spontaneously. Her and Josh decided to stay for a while longer as she wouldn't be able to make the 4 hour car ride home.
Monday I got her in to see my primary care physician, whom Jill had seen when she lived at home. The doctor examined her around 4pm on Monday and referred her to the Emergency Room for a possible GI bleed. We stopped by the house to inform Josh and proceeded to the ER. Jill had labs taken to rule out anemia and then had an I&D (Incision & Drainage) of the thrombosed external hemmorhoid (it was the size of a Texas pecan). OUCH! The ER doctor had to make 2 incisions to get 3 blood clots removed. A dressing was applied and she was instructed to follow up with a colon and rectal surgeon. We were home by 9pm.
On Tuesday, I took her to the colon and rectal surgeon. He had 2 recommendation
1) Wait 10-14 days for the swelling to decrease and then remove the remaining skin tissue
2) Remove the hemmorhoid completely today, get some stitches and come back in a few days for a recheck.
Jill opted for the immediate relief and the hemmorhoid was removed, 7 stitches were done and a dressing was applied. She felt better immediately, that is, until the numbing medication wore off.
Today, Friday, she went back to the surgeon for a re-check and he said she was ok to go home.
So they packed up their car and took Andrew home. I'm very glad they were here when all this happened as Josh had extra people around to take care of Jill and Andrew. I'm missing them already but hoping the next visit will be less eventful!
Saturday, January 07, 2012
SHSU vs NDSU
Last weekend all the kids came home to attend the
NCAA Division 1 - Football Championship Game
Sam Houston State University Bearkats vs North Dakota State University Bison
Saturday, January 7 @ 12pm Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, TX.
Below is a photo of everyone in their SHSU orange before leaving for the game.
FYI - Andrew did not go to the game but was lending his support for his parents alma mater.
NCAA Division 1 - Football Championship Game
Sam Houston State University Bearkats vs North Dakota State University Bison
Saturday, January 7 @ 12pm Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, TX.
Below is a photo of everyone in their SHSU orange before leaving for the game.
FYI - Andrew did not go to the game but was lending his support for his parents alma mater.
Close-up of Andrew sporting his SHSU orange and Grandpa's All Star football shirt.
Close-up of Andrew in his SHSU stocking cap
SHSU Orange vs Tigger Orange?
Truck Vent Repair
Last week, we had noticed the rear seat fan motor making noise in the Expedition. Doug took it apart and found the vent to be faulty. He ordered one via Amazon and installed it after a "few" "custom" modifications.
Now there is a loud clicking sound coming from the same area. It turns out an air door actuator module was bad. Another part was ordered, but it sadly won't be here until January 18th.
So this is what the rear part of my truck looks like in the mean time.
Now there is a loud clicking sound coming from the same area. It turns out an air door actuator module was bad. Another part was ordered, but it sadly won't be here until January 18th.
So this is what the rear part of my truck looks like in the mean time.
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