Sears - The Big Disappointment

Remember I mentioned in my January 6th blog about the new elliptical we ordered from Sears on December 29th, the elliptical model CE 7.4?  The Customer Service Representative (CSR) who took our order on the phone assured us delivery would be in 7-10 days, which made delivery Friday the 13th.  John was on travel and instructed me to call on Friday to find out where our elliptical was and why it had not been delivered.  Yolanda, the CSR at Sears, said it wasn't shipped until the 5th of January, so the 7-10 (business) days would make the delivery about the 16th (MLK holiday).  We expected between the 17th through the 19th.  I had held off grocery shopping until John came home from South Dakota on the 14th.  Since it was a holiday weekend, the grocery stores are usually crazy.  I figured I'd wait until everyone returned to work on Tuesday and go then, our supplies were not depleted by any means.  Then I remembered...the Sears delivery.  I couldn't leave home during the day with the delivery coming.

John decided to take off from work on Friday the 20th since he traveled home from South Dakota the previous Saturday.  If the delivery wasn't here by Friday, I had the freedom to go grocery shopping instead of waiting for the delivery.  Friday, while I was grocery shopping, John called Sears to see where our elliptical machine was.  After being put on hold a couple of times in a half hour period, he was told it was NEVER SHIPPED from the vendor.  Since Sears sells many brands, they act as a third party between their vendor and the customer (us).

John had the same questions I did.  Question:  Why were we told on two previous conversations with their Customer Service Representatives that our elliptical machine had been shipped and we could expect it in 7-10 days???  Answer:  The first (ordering) call, we were not given the ship date only told delivery would be in 7-10 days by the CSR when we placed our order.  Our second call we were given the ship date from CSR Yolanda.  Question:  How can a ship date exist if the elliptical wasn't shipped???  Answer:  Sears assigned a ship date to the vendor when the order was placed, the vendor never shipped it.  Question:  Why didn't Sears follow up???  Answer:  Sears had no reason to follow up with their vendor, they presumed it was shipped on January 5th as indicated in their computer.  Question:  No one had a shipping routing number or tracker???  Answer:  Well, yes, they did - that's how they discovered after our third inquiry that our elliptical never shipped!!  Prior to that third call which John made on Friday, January 20th, no one at Sears bothered to check with the vendor only checking the information in the computer.  The vendor DID NOT notify Sears they never shipped our elliptical.  

Sears offered to contact the vendor and have our elliptical shipped taking another 7-10 (business) days delay (no offer from Sears for express shipping for THEIR MISTAKE).  Sears would have to place a reorder (in their computer), which includes charging us the current price (not the sale price we originally purchased the elliptical for), 55% off the regular price.  Ahemmmm!!!!  We are furious with Sears, such poor customer service from what use to be a reputable name and company.  John cancelled the order.  Sears promised(?) the credit card would reflect the elliptical charge credited by February 2nd (they could not give a satisfactory reason why it took so long - it is how their process works)!!!  John said we'd wait for the credit to appear on the credit card and go shopping at a store and buy one (hope the sales hold until February).

Remember my binders I put together in my clean up?  I made two, one for workouts and one for recipes.

I marked my workout binder (Motivation) with tabs for quick reference.

I also marked some exercises I found for the elliptical and some articles about it.

For my Low Fat Recipes binder, my first page had to be the most important.

I included some rules and general knowledge in addition to recipes.

And since illness is more prevalent in winter, we must remember what foods keep us healthy.

And as long as we stay healthy, we need our comfort food!

Well I'm all set on getting healthy (again), except without the elliptical, which was my exercise assistant.  I will have to rely on the good old fashioned exercises without the equipment.  I am not happy about it, only accepting of it.

Visitors

Yesterday, looking out my sliding glass door in my kitchen....

Today, still cold, winds finally died down, temperature crawled to freezing.  Staying with the positive....it is sunny and John came home today.  Here's a picture of Dulles International Airport where he was waiting for me to pick him up, he came home sick.  John felt a cold coming on about Wednesday while in South Dakota.  He's on the couch with a blanket on him watching the playoff game, still sneezing and coughing (no fever), chicken noodle soup time!

Stay warm, two more months until spring, can't wait!

Round Tuit

Do you have that project that you've been putting off because you really don't want to tackle it?  You tell yourself "I'll get around to it".  Today, I tackled one of many a project that I've been putting off, and I (finally) got Round Tuit.


We converted our third bedroom into an office/den.  John and I have have our own desk, computer, a shared printer, shredder and a fax machine.  I keep my laptop in the kitchen and really don't use my desk (w/desktop computer) much unless I need to use the printer (no wireless printer set up-yet).  Since before Thanksgiving, I've been shoving crap moving stuff to my desk/office to keep the living room and dining room clean.  Some of it is my school work for my medical coding class (yes, remember that?), some of it is low-fat recipes for the new year (another attempt at weight loss), some of it is exercise programs from the internet (more weight loss info), and some of it is health information from the Dr. Oz show, Weight Watchers and The Biggest Loser websites.  Here's what my desk looked like before I got started today.

Here's a close up of the mess...

Here's John's desk, all nice and clean, as he usually keeps it (disheartening isn't it?).

Yesterday, I went to Staples and bought some binders to get organized.  I have three (white) binders for my medical coding class.  I bought a bright orange (they didn't have red) for my Get Healthy binder.  The bright orange is intended to be a motivator.


I thought I was going to burn out the shredder with all the older crap stuff I was hanging onto for some unknown reason.  I found two Jiffy Lube receipts - just in case I ever sell my car, I can show I've maintained it (duh, stupid).  Are these hoarding tendencies?  Another new habit (not a resolution, they get broken) I'm starting in 2012 is pitching (the art of throwing away).  I have to go through my closet too - that's another round tuit project for another day.  I have clothes in four different sizes, why do I hang onto these clothes?  When If I lose weight, I want NEW clothes!


What a relief, after shredding and organizing for two hours, this is what my desk looks like now.  Tomorrow I have to punch holes in the class lessons for those binders and put together my Get Healthy binder.  I even bought dividers.

What a feeling of relief and accomplishment, I just have to hang up my sign!!!!

Up Up and Away

Here's what the full moon looked like at 4:30 this morning as I was pulling out of the driveway taking John to the airport for a week in South Dakota.

They're having better weather in South Dakota today than we are in Virginia.  Sunny and 56 degrees in South Dakota today.  Below is what it looks like in Fairfax, Virginia (actually about a 20 mile radius of the Beltway).

Seems like we have a snow the second week of January for the past couple of years.  It is pretty on the trees, so quiet.

It will all be gone tomorrow, expecting temps in the mid 50s and sunny.  Another storm brewing for Wednesday.  As of now, temps in the 40s and rain - just what today was suppose to be.  Seems like every time John is on travel, something happens.  Last time he traveled, I spilled water on my laptop keyboard.  I'll take the snow event.

Wacky Weather & Getting Healthy

We continue with our wacky weather here in Northern Virginia.  Is the weather wacky your way too?  I heard on the news today that Buffalo, New York normally has an average of 36 inches of snow this time of year.  However, to date, those folks have only seen 3.5 inches all winter.  Many of the ski resorts are screaming for business.  In Pennsylvania, they're having problems making snow because it's been so warm, it won't stick or stay.  It certainly was a gorgeous day yesterday, today and expected tomorrow.  Today, we reached 63 degrees, unbelievable.  Tomorrow it is expected to be near 68 degrees (yesterday was 58 degrees).  I was headed home from the store, such a beautiful day.

I headed for the grocery store before the weekend crowds hit and there are still sale items left.  Picked up a great deal on cherries, love cherries, they were $2.99 pound.  Strawberries too, $2.99 pound.  I went to Giant since my list was small this week.  John leaves Monday for another business trip.  This time to Rapid City, South Dakota (it even sounds cold, doesn't it?).


We have bounced into this warm spell from a cold spell earlier this week.  Our temps dropped to the teens on Monday and Tuesday nights.  I took this on Tuesday afternoon - it was sunny and snowing!  Yes, snowing, look closely.  Those white specks are snowflakes!  It only lasted a few minutes and stopped.    Wacky weather!

My knee has hit a plateau for healing or just taking longer than I'd hoped.  John says I have learn to be patient.  It has been five weeks since surgery.  I've been walking on it since week two.  Several times a day I get a shooting pain that goes right through my kneecap.  I'm usually sitting when it the pain happens.  This pain just started about a week ago and comes and goes not constant.  I'm able to walk on it for short periods of time.  I think I'm going to start pushing myself a little more.  This pain may be brought on by me being sedentary too long.   I'm going to start walking about every hour or so, short distances.  If it is warm, I'll go outside, otherwise, I'll just stroll the house.  I'm going to try and build my endurance, spring will be here in a couple of months!


Last Thursday I told John Sears was having a huge sale on exercise equipment.  I really miss my treadmill.  John said he would buy an elliptical if I would settle for that.  He's joined me on the quest to lose weight and get healthy.  We agreed it would probably have less impact on my knee than a treadmill.  An elliptical is suppose to offer a better workout as well.  John asked I do the research and run what I found past him.  I finally settled on model CE 7.4 from Smooth Fitness based on all the features and reviews from a buying guide.  John agreed with my selection, we ordered it that evening online from Sears.   The expected delivery date is next Friday (the 13th!).  John returns from South Dakota on Saturday, just in time to put it together, hehe.


We have a small home.  As you can see pictured below, we pushed our dining room table against the wall to make room for the Christmas tree, which we do annually.  However, we decided to leave the dining room table like it is and set up the elliptical where the tree was.  We still have our meals at our eat-in kitchen table, which I also use for my laptop, and we have a TV in there too.

That's our big news and excitement as well as an update on my knee.  What's new with you?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

CHRISTMAS

I decided to cover the entire holiday week with one blog.  I headed to my brother's home in the beautiful Shenandoah Mountains of Skyline Drive on Christmas Eve early afternoon, which is about an hour's drive from my place.  He lives in Front Royal, Virginia.  It was a beautiful day, although traffic was surprisingly heavy.  Here's my exit.    

Front Royal is such a small, quaint little town, yet they have all the modern conveniences (stores such as CVS, Pizza Hut, Jiffy Lube, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, KFC, McDonald's, etc.).  Below I am is just cresting the hill into the main part of town.

I think there are only three traffic lights on the main road.

This is approaching the last traffic light "in town" as I head toward the outskirts and my brother's home.  There is a very small airport in Front Royal, and of course, we head toward Skyline Caverns.

A few minutes out of town, I cross the Shenandoah River.

I turn onto the road where my brother lives.

I finally come upon his driveway.  Imagine having to shovel this driveway when it snows?

I pull in close to the house to unload my car.

Once inside, Rory, the Newfoundland Dog, is happy to see me.

Luna, the newest addition, is a six month old hound dog.  She won't sit still for my picture....puppies!

My sister-in-law, Terry, gave my brother a poker table for Christmas.  We had a wonderful evening playing poker with the twins, Danielle and Shauna, and Danielle's boyfriend, Tony - surprisingly I won the evening of Texas Holdem Poker (no money, just chips).  No one would sit still for pictures, so here's the table.

It was so hard to get anyone to pose for pictures.  Presents had the highest priority.  I just started snapping my camera.  Here's the girls, opening gifts, you can see Shauna's face.

My gifts from his family.

Danielle

Shauna

Terry

John (my brother, holding his Virginia Tech Dad t-shirt from Danielle)

After opening presents Christmas Day, we had a wonderful southern breakfast of sausage biscuits and gravy made by Danielle (biscuits) and gravy (Shauna). I forgot to take pictures.  It was a short visit, as the family had plans with friends that evening.  I decided to head back home that afternoon.  Johnny gone to his Mom's for Christmas dinner.  I got home to an empty house and got unpacked.  Here are my gifts unwrapped and stocking stuffers from my brother's.

Terry was going to give me some leftover ham from Christmas Eve dinner before I left, unfortunately, we both forgot.  It was about 5pm and I was starving.  Time for a frozen dinner - my Christmas Dinner, a french bread pizza.  The diet starts next week (again).

Johnny's presents were under the tree, awaiting his arrival home.  He's a smart shopper, he gave me cash.

Johnny arrived home around 7pm and opened his gifts.  I'm pleased I don't have any returns, even the flannel shirts fit.

NEW YEAR'S

I went grocery shopping on Friday.  I was surprised to see the number of Amaryllis still unsold, probably because they had reached their peak.

for a Purdue oven stuffer roaster for just the two of us for New Year's Eve dinner.  That would leave us plenty of leftovers for New Year's Day. I put out a cutting board of crackers, cheddar cheese and summer sausage.  I guess Johnny was hungrier than he thought.  He ate almost all the sausage, cheese and crackers all afternoon.  With the roaster I made stuffing, green beans, potato, some brown bread and a salad.  I forgot to take a picture of it all.  Here's the bird and potatoes in the oven.

Johnny was too full to finish his dinner.  Today, we had some of the leftovers.  I think we'll have leftovers for another day or so.

I was surprised Johnny stayed up and watched the ball drop on TV in Times Square with me this year.  Normally, he's long gone to bed.  I did have a new find that I just love, the perfect cocktail - Skinnygirl White Cranberry Cosmo made with vodka and triple sec, delicious!  Cheers to 2012 for health and happiness to you and yours!