Friday, November 23, 2007

Curses...but I guess I'll still give thanks

Well, the Brasfields are notorious for having car trouble on Thanksgiving. You'd think we'd be exempt from that curse this year since we were not planning on driving any more than the 2 miles to Walmart and back. Yeah. Matt went to get some foil and had to call me from a pay phone when our car wouldn't start. Dead as a doornail.

Since we only have the one car, I had to call our friends to go pick him up or give him a jump. Luckily the car was jump-able, but even after letting it run for half an hour, it wouldn't restart once turned off. Dangity, dang, dang. My father-in-law said it could either just be our battery or it could be our alternator. I think it's been about 3 years since we changed our battery last, so it's possible that's it. Then again, this car is falling apart and I wouldn't be surprised if it were the alternator (or both).

So, we're going to try and fix it. On the upside, I am thankful this is going to help expedite our new car search. We've put it off because it's a bit overwhelming and we really don't know anything about cars or what we want. That means a lot of research. But I think we're shooting to find a new car before the year is over. That means furniture will have to wait. But I don't mind. I'd love to have a new car.

After looking online until about 1:30 AM, we are considering getting some sort of SUV crossover. Not an SUV. Not a mini-van. Not a compact. It's either going to be a crossover or a large sedan. Maybe a Toyota Rav4. That was looking fairly decent last night. We originally thought we'd get a lightly used car and buy it outright, but we've noticed that the cars that will suit our purposes and last awhile (even lightly used) are still quite pricey. So for the first time in our lives we're going to have a car payment.

My other Thanksgiving curse: my pumpkin pie was too salty. Blast it! Without thinking I used kosher salt in my filling since I had it out for my crust. After I dumped it in I knew I'd made a mistake. But I hoped it wasn't going to be too noticeable. It wasn't HORRIBLE, but it wasn't good. So I think it's headed for the trash. Last year I had a pumpkin pie mishap as well. I had a major miagrain when I was making my pies last year and I forgot my crust made two crusts, but my filling made 1 filling. I split it in half. It tasted good, but the pies were so thin!! Haha. I guess even good cooks can have an off day. Or item.

My pecan pie, on the other hand, turned out splendidly as did the rest of the dinner. (Thanks for coming and bringing your goods Erin and Christian!)

Oh, and the other little blessing for the day: Dean slept through the whole dinner and almost through our entire game of Settlers of Catan!

14 comments:

Celia Marie (W.) B. said...

So far it appears to just be the battery. So $100 later, we have a car again.

Emily said...

We had car problems to, it made us postpone our cabin for the weekend. I am so bummed! ;(

becki said...

thank goodness it was just the battery, but i'm sure you're still a little bummed about not getting a new car. at least now you'll get your furniture.
i have never made my own pumpkin pie, the frozen ones seem to work just fine for me. maybe someday i'll be brave like you.

Celia Marie (W.) B. said...

That stinks! No fun to have holiday troubles!

Amy said...

Well if we were perfect we'd be translated, right!? Good luck with the car shopping! I'm still waiting for furniture and a car!! :)

Mary said...

I bought a 3 pound box of coarse Kosher Salt at Target for 36 cents. I've never used it before, but it was so cheap! So, what's the difference? Is it saltier?

We are also in the market for a new car. I keep telling my husband to look for a good end of year sale, but I think he's waiting for his 1988 Accord to truly die. Good luck in your search!

Celia Marie (W.) B. said...

It has bigger grains of salt than table salt. It adheres better to certain surfaces than other salt. It is great for baking (anything with a dough that is cooked) but is not good for raw things since it's kind of crunchy. The recommended conversion is 3/4 tsp kosher salt to 1 tsp table salt. So, it is a little saltier.

~yoga~ said...

Celia,

I miss you so much. I am really sorry about your car, but grateful you have been able to get it running.
I enjoy reading your blog. I am really happy to read about the baby, and the adventures that have just begun. Hang in there! Love you!

-Laura- said...

Hey Celia- I found your blog through Emily's. So sorry to hear about your car trouble! Glad it was just the battery! We had our maintenance light turn on over the week in our car, but have yet to do something about it. Hmm...maybe we should. I swear it's this cold weather making all our cars go haywire. Glad Dean was such an angel for you on Thanksgiving! He's a major cutie!

Erin S. said...

I'm glad that it was only the battery!

Anonymous said...

Hey Silly Silly, I love love love your blog and I am going to come back and read everything sometime but not tonight because I'm tired because my BABE turned 1 today and I have been getting ready for her party for 2 days and it was so fun. Anyway I love you and I am excited for your new car. It feels good to have something dependable and warranties are extra nice too.

Celia Marie (W.) B. said...

Hooray for Randa Joy! I've been looking for contact info for you forever!!

I hope the birthday party turns out great!

Mizike said...

I'd suggest a couple things. First, check out all the articles concerning automobiles at www.consumerist.com.

For example: http://jalopnik.com/cars/rules-of-the-road/rules-of-the-road-how-not-to-get-dehorsed-when-buying-a-car-325256.php

Next, once you find a car you like, try the online car purchasing sites. Like www.autotrader.com. You'll find different car sellers competing to give you the best deal. Often over the same car.

FYI, we're moving to Long Island in 3 weeks. If you are ever up near NYC, feel free to stop by. We have an extra room. Take your shoes off, and stay a while!

Mizike

Celia Marie (W.) B. said...

Thanks for the tips! And good luck on your move. The next time we're in NY we'll give you a call.