a happy ending

We've had a drippy bathtub faucet for a while. It started not long after we moved into this house and two weeks ago, we'd finally had it. I took the faucet handles apart, but couldn't figure out how to get the valve stems (the parts the handles connect to that turn to open and close the valves) out to change them, so we decided to bite the bullet and call a plumber to come fix it. He came, replaced the valve stems, charged us $250 (ouch!!) and left.


The faucet still dripped.


We called the plumbing company and they sent the plumber back. He insisted that there was sediment in the line and the valves just needed to be flushed for a few minutes. Five minutes of flushing later, the faucet was still dripping. Then we got the bad news: the plumber figured that the valve body was cracked and quoted us $650 to fix it. YIKES! Keep reading, I promise that happy ending is coming...



I wasn't about to shell out more money for a plumbing fix that I could probably figure out myself. So, using the new reciprocal saw that my parents gave me for my birthday this year (thanks Mom and Dad), I enlarged the tub plumbing access door in Jack's closet, disconnected the valve body, and took it in to BJ Plumbing Supply.



I am very happily married to my wonderful husband. But if he wasn't in the picture, I'd marry the entire staff of BJ Plumbing Supply. All of them. In a heartbeat. That's how much I love that store. I get the best customer service there that I've ever recieved for any purchase anywhere. They don't treat me like an idiot woman when I come in with what are probably obvious questions (an attitude that I've gotten elsewhere). And they just saved us a lot of money.



Right. Enough with my crush on BJ Plumbing. Back to the story...



... I took in the valve body and told the guy at the counter that I needed a new one. He found one for me, rang me up for a new one ($150 that I was happy to pay), and then thought to ask me what was wrong with the old one. When I told him that the plumber said it was cracked inside, he asked to take a look at it. He took it into the back room and took it apart. A few minutes later he brought it back and said, "There's nothing wrong with your valve body. The plumber over-tightened the valve seats and cracked them."


To make a long story shorter, he put in new valve seats for me and I walked away with a bill for $10, instead of $150. I learned how to solder copper pipe and our faucet no longer drips. Happy? Yes, but we're still not done.


Joe took the cracked valve seats into the main office of the plumbing company. He was ready to put up a big fight, but didn't have to-- they were very reasonable and refunded the cost of labor-- $200-- of the original repair.


Final total cost: $150 (and that includes my new blow torch and soldering supplies)


And we all lived happily ever after...

quote board

Daniel, to himself, while playing at the sink:

"This is my bubble kingdom. Obey my commandments."

Arts and Crafts Thursday: 2 for 1

I forgot to post about our A&C day last week. Which is too bad, because it was pretty cool. As a little background, the boys love to "help" me sew. Their past loves are: coloring on scrap pieces of fabric with taylor's chalk and fabric markers, measuring stuff with my measuring tape, and "sewing" with yarn, a giant tapestry needle, and that holey, plastic canvas stuff that old ladies use to make tissue box covers and the like.

Both boys have been showing a current obsession with my sewing machine. In fact, they find it nearly impossible to keep their little hands off the thing when I've got it out. So, we all thought it would be fun if I taught them a little about the parts of a sewing machine and helped them to sew something for reals. I suggested little pillows in the form of each of their initials, they agreed, and we were off. Since I couldn't simultaneously take pictures and help with the sewing (i.e., make sure that nobody ended up with a needle in their finger), a picture of the end product, and not the process, will have to suffice:

In hindsight, an full-on project was a little much for my 3 and 4 year-old guys. They helped out with all of the actual sewing, but I got stuck with the cutting, turning, and stuffing. Next time we try this, I think we'll just stick with stitching random patterns on scraps of fabric and we'll save the actual making of stuff until they've got longer attention spans. But it was still lots of fun...

Okay, for this week's A&C project, you'll need to look very closely at the pictures-- they're kinda hard to see. We drew body outlines of the boys on our giganto roll of paper (thanks Aunt Mandy!!) and let them fill in the details. Daniel wanted to be a mermaid, and Lincoln a racecar driver. They were both so thrilled with the results that they wanted them hung up in their bedroom as a permanent exhibit.

The Bean Museum

We had planned on a hike in Provo Canyon this week, but we woke up to a cold and wet Wednesday morning. So instead, we decided on a visit back to one of our favorite places: The Bean Museum.

For those of you not from this area, the Bean Museum is not devoted to displays of legumes. It's actually a natural sciences museum named after Monte L. Bean. Mr. Bean, if you will. Anywho, my boys love this place and we could happily spend hours here. While I wish it had more going for it in the way of natural light-- it was built in the eighties when boxy, completely artificially-lit buildings seem to have been in vogue-- I'm happy there too.

I'm sure that most, if not all, of this blog's readers have been to the Bean Museum. But there are a couple of things we've learned about the place might encourage you to take another look:

• Reptile Shows. If you call ahead, you can schedule a free reptile show for your group. You can schedule a show for a preschool class, cub scout den, or just you and your kids. They'll show off some reptile skins and shells, talk about what makes reptiles special, and then bring out some live animals-- usually a tortoise, a couple of snakes, and a lizard (our favorite is the bearded dragon named Colonel Mustard). The coolness of this is not to be underestimated. (there are other live animal shows geared towards older children)


• Scavenger Hunts. If you ask at the front desk (where you'll have to stop in for a parking pass anyways), they'll hand you a scavenger hunt list and some pencils or crayons and you and your kids can turn your visit into a fun hunt. They make different lists for different age groups. We like to use the one that has pictures of different animals for little ones to color in.


• The Play Room. In the Southeast corner of the building (near the restrooms and insect exhibit), there's a play/story room. They have a story time there every Wednesday at 11:00. The rest of the time, though, it's a great place to take a break from looking at the animals and let the kids play, be a little rowdy, and enjoy a bit of a snack-- as well as feed a hungry baby if you've got one.


• Saturday Safaris. Kids ages 5-12 can sign up for Saturday morning classes on a variety of topics. The cost is $12 per child (or two from the same family for $22). They also have a summer program for kids ages 6-12, and "nature experienceships" for anyone ages 12 and older.

Discovery Park

So we checked out Discovery Park last Wednesday. When we pulled into the parking lot, I thought, "Holy Smokes! This is the coolest park ever!" But when we left I was singing a different tune.

First off, remember that I'm reviewing this as the mother of two preschoolers and a baby. If your kids are 7-8 years old and older, you'll want to go right away. You'll all have a wonderful time.

This all-wood playground is HUGE, with lots of different features (rocket ship, tree house, volcano/fort thingie, etc.) that are all connected by a maze-like set up of bridges, monkey bars, ladders, ramps, etc. I wanted to get a wide angle shot of it all, but I was too busy chasing the boys.

My complaint about the playground is it's lack of visibility. The wooden slats on everything are spaced so closely that it's really difficult to keep an eye on your little ones unless you're right there with them. Which is hard when you're carrying a very heavy baby. And you've got two boys who want to go in different directions. And the maze-like set up of it all means that if you lose track of a kid for a second, he'll be all the way at the other end of the park before you have any idea which way he could have gone. Can you tell I'm stressed out again just thinking about it?

Anyways, the boys loved it and are begging to go back. We will, just not without Daddy.

(if you're interested, here's a link to another, more thorough review of the park)

how steph makes bread

I just posted a bread making tutorial over at snickerdoodle (my crafty/creative blog). If you've ever wondered how I manage my once a week bread making, you'll want to check it out.

chubbilicious

We just can't get enough of Jack's squishy chunkiness. Fortunately, he loves to be cuddled, tickled and squeezed (gently, of course)

His most recent stats: 18 1/2 lbs. 25 in.

quote board:

"I AM A VERY FAMOUS RACE CAR!!!"
-Daniel, in the middle of sacrament meeting (our Sunday worship service)