Sunday, January 23, 2022

Long live the espresso machine

M was able to fix the espresso machine, hurrah! I don't know how long this fix will last, but he said that he learned a lot about the inner workings & thinks he'll be able to repair it again in the future, should it need it. Fingers crossed. I drink about 3/4 of one espresso a day, but M drinks at least 3 in the mornings. I only need the one, but am not very functional without it. :-) 

Yesterday was a nice day, filled with a two hour hike with my neighbor, a trip to the produce stand, granola bar making, dropping off a return at the UPS store, and I also made coleslaw. Otherwise, it was just the basics of laundry, driving Nick around, & a small grocery store run.

We were able to keep our weekly grocery shop just at $100, which is pretty remarkable for us. I'm thrilled. We didn't need much, so part of the $100 was a piece of sockeye salmon for M. He eats it on nights when we're having a dinner with more carbs. Feeding the boys + someone who can't eat carbs means there's a lot of creativity on any given day, and I love flexible meal options. 

I picked up a few things using a grocery store gift card, and they also generated iBotta points, as well as Fetch rewards, so that's a nice win. I was able to cash out $25 of iBotta awards, which I apply to the grocery budget. I set a goal of earning $200 in iBotta/Fetch this year, so we'll see how that goes. 

As for today, here's what's on the agenda:

  • Work out
  • Laundry
  • Make chicken fajitas (chicken is prepped & marinated, so just needs the peppers & to be baked + the side prep). We serve ours on tortillas (or, cauliflower rice), with sour cream, cheese & diced tomatoes. 
  • Nick has tennis 
  • More laundry will be done (of course!)
  • The boys will get packed for tomorrow's soccer game
  • Review work/workout/family schedule for the week. Juggle conflicts as needed.
  • List one item on FB marketplace
  • M & I are going to a wine tasting (hurrah)
  • Sam will need a ride home from an outdoor friend meet up
And, that's it. All in all, it's a pretty easy weekend day. What about you? What are you up to today? 

16 comments:

  1. We've been puttering this morning but another couple inches if snow so husband is shovelling. I finally set up my new coffee maker. Not convinced I'll like it but it's more compact than the box seemed and it does seem to have all the functionality I'd want. Good for M in fixing the espresso machine. I'm sure he felt satisfaction from that as well.

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    1. He was so thrilled with himself, and kept explaining how all of the functions worked. Well beyond what I want to know. I just want the coffee! :-)

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  2. My son fixed my faucet and a loose piece of Formica countertop. I was so happy so I am sure you had the same feeling when M fixed your machine. I travel back, with my dog, to my work house today. It is about an hour and a half south of here. I am debating on selling it but will wait I think until I fully retire. Cindy in the South

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    1. Exactly - it's so nice when something is fixed & working properly. Good for your son!

      I can imagine that would be a tough debate, between saving money & balancing your own time & ability to relax & recover during the week.

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  3. Hurray for fixing the espresso machine! My husband fixed my Instant Pot late last year; the heating fuse had blown, and I found him a video that walked him through the steps to repair it. Phew!!! I use the heck out of that thing, so I was extremely happy.

    Laundry, laundry, laundry today! Also cleaning my daughter's room. The usual weekend overhaul. ;)

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    1. Good for your husband, fixing the instant pot! All of our friends who have them love them. We've never quite gotten into it.

      Hope you got ahold of the laundry! :-)

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  4. TheHub is not terribly handy when it comes to fixing things and I am not much better. Fortunately I know people__Son2 is one fo the best tinkerers out there!

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    1. It's really strange how people either have that gene or they don't. M is really amazing at the things he can just experiment with and do properly.

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  5. Not much happening here. I did up my list of chores for next week, and worked on my rug. That is it. I haven't even done any knitting as of yet.

    God bless.

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    1. I'd say getting your chores done is more than enough!

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  6. Go M! I had no idea espresso machines were so expensive but I also had no idea they were so complicated inside!

    We had an easy weekend: PiC got to go out twice for exercise which is unheard of. I had my weekly brain therapy. I did a lot of laying down to recover from a hard week. Played with the kids. Not much else! That's the way I like it most weekends.

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    1. We bought the expensive kid of espresso machines, after our small/cheaper one kept breaking. We decided to invest & hopefully be able to maintain it. When we moved from Seattle (8ish years ago), it needed to be repaired, as it doesn't love being jostled. It was a reasonably easy fix. This one was more challenging, so very impressed that M could do it.

      So happy PiC was able to get out for exercise - twice! That's what keeps my stress levels down & my energy moderately high. Glad you had a chance to rest & recover a bit from the week.

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  7. That's great that M fixed the espresso machine! $$ saved and you can still enjoy a good beverage. A double win!

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    1. It was a huge win. He was very proud of himself ;-)

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  8. That is a great fix, as those buggers are expensive. How nice to have a handy man.

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