Monica Kochelee Method and Madness

Cord cover makes a pin up light prettier

Monica — Sat, 12 May 2012 22:28:59 +0000

My husband brought home a pin-up light to hang on the wall beside the recliner in the living room. He was thrilled as could be that he found the lamp, he thought he had solved the lighting problem of not having enough space for a floor lamp, and not enough space for an end table with a table lamp. And I agree, a pin-up lamp is a good answer to that. But that brown cord hanging down from the lamp going to the electric outlet is in serious need of a pretty cord cover to make it less of a visual distraction!

Harry’s Law cancelled?

Monica — Fri, 11 May 2012 22:36:12 +0000

Yesterday I was reading an article online about some of the television shows that are being cancelled. I was most unhappy to read that Harry’s Law is one of the shows being cancelled. I’m the first to admit that I often don’t have time to watch any television at all, so I am not normally one to say “Hey, it’s such and such a day, this particular show is on!” Except for Burn Notice, that is! But I am sometimes so busy I even forget what day of the week is and even miss Burn Notice!

But I was reading the article that was saying that Harry’s Law actually won some awards and had pretty good viewing ratings, so I just don’t understand why the show would be cancelled. There was no information about any personality problems with any of the cast members! What in the world is going on?

Keeping it cool

Monica — Tue, 08 May 2012 22:37:00 +0000

When I go to a popular attraction in the warm weather, such as the zoo, or an amusement park, I have to admit that I am more than happy to see the occasional misting system sprinkled around the area. The first time I ever saw one of them in an amusement park I thought that the people that were standing in them were totally out of their minds, but once I went into one myself I became a true believer! They are a great way to help people to stay outside for longer periods of time in the heat of the summer, and they can be fun, too!

Ceiling fan or chandelier

Monica — Sun, 06 May 2012 22:23:47 +0000

When we moved into this house there were chandeliers in the dining room and the front foyer. They were very pretty, but since I decided to use the dining room as my little home office I decided to replace the chandelier with a ceiling fan. I felt rather bad for the chandelier; I hated the thought of packing it away into the basement, probably never to be used again. I don’t live in a neighborhood that is conducive to yard sales, and I don’t want to just give it away through Freecycle either.

My sisters think I should sell it on Ebay, but just the thought of trying to pack it well enough for it to ship without breaking all of the intricate little pieces just boggles my mind!

The chandelier in the foyer is still hanging in the foyer. Sometimes I think about replacing it with something else because it is a pain in the neck to keep clean, but I really can’t imagine anything different in the foyer to provide illumination.

Pretty wall fountains

Monica — Tue, 01 May 2012 02:18:29 +0000

One of the things that I would really like to have in my garden is one of the built-in wall fountains on the outside wall of the garage that faces the house. I’d like to cover the rest of the wall with latticework that would be covered with vines of ivy and clematis and roses, and have a pond full of koi and water lilies.

Peanut butter and honey

Monica — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 02:12:58 +0000

Today when I got home from running errands with my mother I was hoping to help myself to a slice of leftover pizza that was waiting in the refrigerator for me. I had bought a large Pizza Hut meat lover’s pan pizza the night before and only had one slice. That is one of my favorite pizzas – the meat lovers and I don’t eat it very often. I suspect that with all of that meat on it that it cannot possibly be healthy for you. But when I got home someone else had consumed all of the pizza and I ended up eating a peanut butter and honey sandwich instead. That was probably healthier for me to eat, but my taste buds were not as happy. Peanut butter is one of those foods that I eat way too much of when I’m trying to save money. Several years ago I ate peanut butter sandwiches every day for lunch and supper for several months, and I was hoping to never eat peanut butter again. I still don’t consider it a “treat” when someone gives me peanut butter cookies or peanut butter fudge. So I was feeling sorry for myself when I was stuck with a peanut butter sandwich today instead of pizza.

Cutting board

Monica — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 17:12:09 +0000

Ever since I’ve been cooking I’ve wanted to have one of the cutting boards that fits into the bowl of stainless steel undermount sinks. Having a cutting board like that helps to maximize counter space, and it helps to minimize any liquid spill-off/drainage messes on the counter of the food item that is being cut up. Having the liquids simply drain into the sink makes cleaning up after eating a lot easier!

Happy birthday little brother

Monica — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 18:20:02 +0000

Today is one of my younger brother’s birthday! I tried to call him on his cellphone to wish him a happy birthday, but his phone went straight to voice mail. I was more than happy to just leave a short message on there that I just wanted to wish him a happy birthday. Lately it seems that when I call him just to say hello he sounds like he is too busy to talk to me, or he sounds like he is angry with the world. I’ve told him that if he needs to talk to someone, I’m available to listen, but he always acts too macho to need a sympathetic ear. Whatever is going on, I hope that at least for today that he is having a good day with people he enjoys being with.

Everyone has a brother or sister that creates websites

Monica — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:07:16 +0000

Lately it seems that everyone I know has a brother or a sister that considers him/herself a professional website creator. Because of that many businesses that should have a website do not have a website because they are waiting for this favored relative to create their website for them. I think that waiting more than a couple of months is plenty of time to wait, and if a business waits any longer than that they are not thinking very clearly about how important it really is to have a website that is well designed and live!

Yummy pie

Monica — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:57:16 +0000

For years my favorite dessert pie has been apple pie. I especially like it when it has been warmed in the microwave for about fifteen seconds, and then service a la mode with a scoop of ice cream on top. Doing that brings back memories of the very first time I ever had apple pie a la mode. My first taste of apple pie a la mode was in a Howard Johnson’s restaurant. The theater troupe of junior high-school students had just finished our dress rehearsal, and we were told that it was a school tradition to walk to the Howard Johnson’s restaurant that was only a couple of blocks away from the school and grab a bite to eat.

Being very inexperienced at going to any restaurant that was not a McDonald’s or a Roy Rogers, I really had no idea what to do, or order! One of my fellow cast-members told me to try the apple pie a la mode. To be honest, I was really quite afraid that I would not like it at all! But I overcame my doubts and ordered it. Boy, what a delicious treat it was! I don’t have it very often anymore, but I will treat myself to it a couple of times a year, and savor the good memories of the camaraderie and laughter at that Howard Johnson’s so many long years ago.