Helpful Hint and a Few GA Pictures

A helpful hint of the day: If you happen to be married to an engineer, especially one with a strong interest in all things mechanical, then you should never ever over-exaggerate when discussing something like torque. (See previous blog entry.) Instead, you should discuss how he uses a torque wrench and precisely tightens down lug nuts to the manufacturer's recommended specifications and how maybe the problem with you removing a tire is that 1. your manufacturer-supplied lug nut wrench is under sized, 2. the person who put your tires on that particular time used an impact wrench instead of a precisely calibrated torque wrench, or 3. you are too weak and need to get to the gym. I don't know, I just thought maybe that could be helpful for someone out there. LOL

I have had a productive last couple days around here, despite what you may believe after seeing how well I have been keeping up with the blog lately. :) We both started back with our Portuguese tutor yesterday, so I have something to plan my day around once again. I did in fact get the floors mopped yesterday too along with a good scrub down of the kitchen including wiping out all the cabinets so that I can start storing and organizing in there! The bathrooms have returned to their pre-USA trip cleanliness and I even have everything unpacked and put away. I also have been giving the new washing machine a workout. I was a little weary of it at first given it's tiny little size and puny agitator (not to mention I wasn't sure how I was going to get by without my Tide detergent!) But, I managed to find Tide down here (although it goes by a different name, same manufacturer and logo), I also found Snuggle fabric softener under a different name, and boy, oh boy, the Brastemp washing machine does a fabulous job even if it is one small load at a time. And I was happy to discover that if I set up our fan in the laundry room, the clothes will even dry in about 12 hours on a rainy day. I still miss my clothes dryer though (I am wearing awfully crunchy jeans right now-even after using the fabric softener.)

The very best part though of being able to start settling in is, by far, being able to cook! I haven't been doing anything too extravagant yet, since I only have the kitchen tools I could sneak in between shoes and clothes in all those suitcases, BUT, it sure does beat having to go out to eat every night. We might even be able to drop the fluffiness we have gained during the last 2 months now too! I have most enjoyed being able to make fresh juice with my juicer that we managed to fit into the suitcase. This morning it was mango-orange and I'm thinking tomorrow will hold in store some pineapple-lime. The combinations are endless and the fruit is so super cheap here! I'll never be able to afford to run the ol' juicer once we move back, so I figure I better wear the thing out while we're here!!! I think we have all our documents in order now and they should be able to release our shipment to customs sometime real soon. So hopefully in a couple or 3 or 4 weeks I can cook for real!

Our table was delivered yesterday during my Portuguese lesson, which I thought was sort of ironic since that is the only thing that is scheduled all day long and so of course that is when I am interrupted to see the table get moved in. It took 6 men to haul the marble top up the 5 flights of stairs (too big for the elevator) and it looked like they were really struggling with it. So, Eric and I decided yesterday we will probably loose a few good friends if ever we ask for help moving once we are back in the States. ;) I am now up to a table, two benches, TV on the floor, and an inflatable love seat in the great room now. Hopefully our couch will be coming soon and we can get some more shopping done so we can start making the place look lived in. It is a pretty pitiful sight right now!

And then, here are a few random pictures from Georgia while we were there.

This is a little log cabin my middle brother, Justin, built completely by hand by himself. (I think he used a chainsaw to cut down the trees, but after that it was all hand tools!) It is on my parents property and he uses it to store wood for future projects. He also turns bowls, rolling pins and such on the lathe, builds wooden furniture, puts in wood flooring, and does all kinds of other awesome stuff in his free time. I keep trying to convince him to sell his work-it is all so gorgeous, but I guess he has too many personal projects right now to worry about commissioned work.

This is a favorite view of mine: Georgia dirt roads! This is the road my parents live on. The first time we drove down it Eric swore it had to be a farm road - no county would maintain a little narrow road like that! hehe

And this is the bridge on my parents' dirt road (if you come the back way.) There are actually steel I-beams underneath it too. Eric's first comment, the first time I took him to my Mom and Dad's (going the back way, of course!) was "Hmmm...nice bridge...did your Dad build that?" I was glad I took him the back way there - it really gave him the full experience, I think! ;)

I miss the little quiet Georgia dirt roads on nights like last night when I couldn't fall asleep for all the city noise!