Scrubbing bubbles part 2

So, yesterday I wrote my post in a break I was taking from scrubbing. It ended up that I just took the IBprofin and didn't finish the scrubbing because the Goof off was eating through my latex gloves and irritating my skin. I had to go and get some super-duper chemical resistant gloves last night. So today I tackled the griddle with renewed vigor...however, after a couple of applications I ran out of Goof Off. I was too bummed out to go and get some more to finish the job completly, but that's ok. The pan looks a million times better, and in general, I got the stove to look almost new. Incidently, I also finally got all of the greasy goop off of the back splash, which makes me very happy, even though no one else will probably notice :)

Here is the (almost) finished product, not too shabby, huh?
I am hoping that this weekend I can get Jeff to help me to clear out the add on room again. At one point it was cleaned and organized, but has since had a bomb dropped in it. There is a very tricky path through all of the stuff to the back door, but otherwise completly unusable. Once we get it cleaned out, I am going to move the kitchen table into it so that I can start taking off the old paint in the dining room...and just maybe the kitchen and laundry area will get painted! Happy thoughts :) So, here are some pictures of my handiwork for the day. I am hoping that I will be able to post some other pictures of the house in the next little while so that those who have never been here can see what it looks like...and so that those of you who have worked so hard on it can be impressed with how nice the inside looks now!

Here is a picture of the stove, just in case you couldn't get a picture of what I was trying to say in yesterday's post...

Scrubbing Bubbles....

As most of you know, we are renting a house from my Grandpa that was built by his father. It has been quite an adventure as the previous renters really did a number on it, or maybe they didn't, since it was a huge mess when we got here. Thankfully, after we did as much as we knew how to, some of my family has come to do a lot of work on the house--twice. The house's interior is looking MUCH better, there are still some places that need some love, but it isn't scary to touch anything :) I decided that since I wasn't going to be in school this summer, I was going to work on some of the bigger projects that we haven't had time to take care of since the last visit. Today I was working in the kitchen, getting the dishes done and thought that it was about time to clean the fridge, and the stove...two of my favorite jobs... (not!) I finished the fridge pretty quickly and then moved onto the stove. Now you have to understand something about this stove. It is the original stove's replacement. If you have watched the cooking show on Food Network called 30 Minute Meals, it is the stove Rachel uses to broil stuff--however I can gaurantee that mine is older. Anyway, the broiler on this stove is on the stove top, with a griddle on the top...I hope you get the picture. The broiler doesn't work, so when the oven had its first cleaning from my Grandpa, it didn't get cleaned, and neither did the griddle. I will be honest, I have been avoiding the job of cleaning them. They are caked with grease, and who knows what else. But today was going to be the day that I finally tackled the project. I started with cleanser, but that didn't even make a dent...not even on the grease. The pieces are made from aluminum, so I couldn't use oven cleaner on them. Luckily for me, I had worked on getting some other grime off of things with my Dad, so I decided to go for broke and try Goof Off. Between the 100 degree temperatures and the natural tendencies of Goof Off to flash off quickly my test pour didn't last long enough to do anything, so I tried again with a more vigourous amount. I scrubbed for all I was worth, and it seemed that all I got for my attempt was a hole in my latex glove where the Goof Off had eaten through. I was thoroughly discouraged. I rinsed off the griddle, and too my surprise gunk just started to run off! I renewed my efforts to get it clean! It took a lot longer to get done than I thought, but clean it is! Unfortunatly, I didn't think to take a picture before I started, but I did take one after the first application of the Goof Off. I figured that at least those who had seen it before would be impressed with my skills. So, hope that you enjoy the before and after pictures and I am going to take some IB Profin as arthritis has taken a hold of a few of my scrubbing fingers :)

The before picture...it was worse than this, I promise!

Isn't time funny?

I was pondering how funny time is this morning. I suppose partly because my baby sister is about to graduate from high school, my oldest brother was just ordained a priest, and Jeff and I are about to celebrate our five year anniversary. Isn't it interesting how some parts of our lives continue on, making it seem as though time doesn't pass, while other events make you wonder where the time has gone, and even others make time seem to crawl by?

I tell you what, Ashley graduating makes me think 'Good grief! Where has the time gone?' It doesn't seem that long ago that I was graduating from high school. (Although, Jeff will be happy to tell you that this year is my 10 year high school reunion.) Spencer turning 16 has had the same effect. I know that I am getting older, and I know that means my sibs are getting older as well, but somewhere in my brain they will always be little kids. It shocks me to go home and see how tall my brothers are, or how mature my sisters look.

Our anniversary has a different affect on my perception of time. In so many ways I can't really remember what it was like not to be married to Jeff (I think that is a good thing!). It seems like five isn't a big enough number...on the other hand, I don't feel old enough to have been married five years! It doesn't seem like it should be allowed. (I think my parents might feel that way too...) I haven't accomplished any of the "normal" things that people my age have: I am still attending college (I am getting closer to the end though! There is a light...), and we don't have any kids/pets (I am arguing that they are about the same amount of work and money to take care of, although I guess you don't have to send your pet to college). As we continue to avoid those two mileposts of time, we will continue to think that we are 22. I can't even count on Jeff to help remind me that time is passing--he has as much hair as ever :) I suppose it's OK that we have done lots of things that others our age haven't. We have been able to do different things because our family situation has allowed it, and because we apparently like to do things the hard way. I blame that all on Jeff, something about being a tough guy :) We are enjoying the time that we have together, and I guess that is all that counts.

So, that's what I was thinking this morning. To my siblings: stop growing up so that I have to think about such things!

Stalagmite or Stalagtite?

This past weekend we were able to go to Tucson with Sarah and Becky. We went to The Colossal Cave National Park and took the tour of the cave. We also checked out a couple of the other attractions mentioned on their website, but those were a little bit of a bust. The cave was pretty interesting though. We learned that the 362 stairs, the railings, and the lights were added by workers during the Great Depression. They were hired by the government to do the work and made about a dollar a day. We also learned that there are seven species of bats that make their home there. It is also a constant temperature in the cave--a balmy 70! We thought that was pretty crazy considering it was 101 yesterday!

Sarah, Becky, and Jeff in The Colossal Cave.

After visiting the park, we headed to the hotel for a quick swim and shower before heading to The Gaslight Theater (you can check out their website at http://www.thegaslighttheatre.com/) It is a really fun little theater that does old time melodramas. We saw "Buccaneers of the Caribbean." We enjoyed the show immensely, and also enjoyed bee-bopping around before the show started!

Becky (Jeff's sister) and Sarah (Michelle's sister) enjoying a stage coach ride at the theater.

Jeff and Michelle....Nice legs Jeff!

On the way down to Tucson, we were able to stop and do a couple of fun things. We stopped at Roger Cogburn's Ostrich Farm to feed the ostrich, deer, and larikeets. We also got to stop at one of the places Sarah delivers ice cream. Here are a few pictures from that:




Sarah and the scary ostrich!

Jeff and the larikeet

The Girl's by the buffalo!

We are home now--which is good since we are all a little sunburned, and really tired from our really fun weekend