Fly on the Wall: Technologically Challenged

Welcome to a monthly Fly on the Wall group post. Today 15 bloggers are inviting you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes. Come on in and buzz around my house. At the end of my post you’ll find links to this month’s other participants’ posts.

Hubs has finally decided to join the 21st century. Yes, he’s officially retired his razor phone that holds a charge for a whole 15 minutes.
The day he got his new phone activated, I showed him one or two things about how to use it. I'm not terribly successful with mine but at least I was able to get Hubs started.
He found his apps store and retired to the man cave. A while later he comes upstairs.
Hubs: Look what I got!
Me: What?
Suddenly I’m completely blinded.
Hubs: It’s a flashlight app.
Me, squinting: I can see that. In fact, that light you’re shining in my eyes is all I can see.
Hubs: It really works well, just like a flashlight you’d buy at the store.
Me, eyes tearing: Remember we taught the kids not to point flashlights in people’s eyes? That goes for flashlight apps too.
He removes the light from my eyeballs and starts to walk away.
Hubs, like a kid with a new toy: And it’s FREE!
I’m just hoping that tomorrow he doesn’t find an air-horn app.

The next day Hubs told me that he was able to turn off cell phone notifications for his email without turning off other notifications, something I haven’t been able to do.
Me: How did you do it? I’ve wanted to do that for a year now.
Hubs: It was easy, the thing kept dinging and it started annoying a friend I work with.
Me: Aaaaand?
Hubs: So I told him it was my damn email but I don’t know how to shut off notifications just for the email.
Me: Aaaaand?
Hubs: He grabbed my phone, pressed a few buttons and now I don’t get email notifications any more.
Me: Thank you so much for all of your help.

The following day I was at home and Hubs was at work. We were having our new dishwasher installed and when the installer went to open the box, the dishwasher was damaged. I called Hubs on his cell phone but there was no answer. Two seconds later my cell rang and it was Hubs.
Me: I just called you two seconds ago and you didn’t answer.
Hubs: Ummmm
Me: Ummmm?
Hubs: Well . .  .
Me: Well . . . ?
Hubs: The thing is . . .
Me: What? Just tell me already.
Hubs: I don’t seem to be able to answer my new phone.
Oy.

 

The next day Hubs was at work and I was doing laundry. I went down to the man cave to grab the towels out of the bathroom down there and I looked over at the table and there was Hubs' new phone, still plugged in from the night before. He'd gone to work and forgotten it.
Which, I guess, isn't all that bad since he can't answer it yet anyway.

On a similar note, Hubs found out that our phone company offers lessons on how to use smart phones. Now I can't stop giggling. I keep picturing him sitting at a little school desk with a bunch of 2nd graders learning how to use a phone. Better remind him, no cheating on the final.

PurDude is someone who is not technically challenged. I do, however, sometimes question his common sense. He was home last month for Spring Break and with all that’s going on with him, it was great to have him home.
I was a little concerned about him because he had Mono for well over a year in High School and he’s often tired still. His first day home he complained about being tired and fell asleep on the couch in the afternoon. The second day, same thing.
That night he went out with his friends and came home at around midnight. At 3:00 am I went into his room to find him still fully dressed and on his laptop.
Me: Ummm, I think I may have solved the mystery of why you’re always tired during the day . . .

Frosted Mocha Cookie Bars

Last month I wrote about a number of funny typos I’d made. Here’s one I made this month:

PurDude had a long day when he returned to school. His first flight left at 7am so we had to get up really early to drive to the airport. He had two flights, then an hour and a half drive back to school. I was worried about the drive when I knew he’d be pretty tired by then. I had him text me when he got to his destination airport, then when he finally got back to his frat.

PurDude (text): Home

Me (text): I feel butter.

PurDude (text): You need help. See if there’s a support group for that.

It was Passover this month and I just hate this holiday. There are so many dietary restrictions that instead of my family helping themselves to cereal for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch, I'm force to make them something allowable for breakfast and for lunch  and for dessert and all snacks on top of dinner and what I'd normally make.
We were discussing the start of the holiday, which would be a seder on Friday night. The first day of Passover is Saturday, but holidays always start at sundown the night before.
Me (sort of kidding): You know, with daylight savings time, we could actually eat a normal dinner early and be done before sundown. We'd still have to do the seder after sundown, after we've had dinner. But that would be so wrong.
Hubs (jumping on that): If you want, I'll come home for dinner early. Any time you want me here I'll be here.
Me (laughing): Aren't you accommodating . . . you know it's wrong, though.
Hubs (who's not Jewish): Well, I don't want to do it if we'll end up going to hell.
Me: We don't believe in hell.
Hubs, smiling: No hell?
Me: Sheesh, nothing like taking hell off the table, huh?
So . . . just on the slight chance that my mom or son are reading this . . . I'm not saying that we DID cheat or anything . . .

One of my wall ovens wasn't working and not worth fixing. We finally got new ones installed. The top oven has a convection option which I've heard people rave about but I've never used. I'm uncomfortable because you have to adjust cooking times on all your recipes and until I have it worked out, I'm worried that whatever I'm cooking in the oven will either be ready way before or way after the veggies and sides I'm making in the microwave or on the stove.
First night:
Hubs: Dinner's good, did you use convection?
Me: No, I was afraid I'd screw up the timing.
Second night:
Hubs: Dinner's good, did you use convection?
Me: No, I was afraid I'd screw up the timing.
Third night:
Hubs: Dinner's good, did you use convection?
Me: No, I was afraid I'd screw up the timing.
Hubs: So let me get this straight. We got these great new ovens with this feature everyone loves and you're afraid of it.
Me: Yup, pretty much.

College Boy likes to toast bread in the oven, not in the toaster oven. Don't ask me why, maybe to boost my electric bill.
With the old ovens, the temperature can be set in increments of 5 degrees. This oven can be set to any number.
The first day that we have the ovens, College Boy takes out a roll and sets the oven to 372 degrees. OK.
The second day he sets the oven to 403 degrees. OK.
The third day he sets the oven to 358 degrees.
Me: Are you on some kind of a mission to figure out the exact temperature for optimal roll toasting or something?
College Boy: No.
Me: Then why are you setting the oven to all of these obscure temperatures?
College Boy: Because I can.
Me: Ah, should have known.

College Boy: I've been thinking about how uncomfortable you are with the convection oven and I think I know how to help you.
Me: Really? That's great.
College Boy: You know how you always said that the best way to get over a fear of something is to just keep doing it?
Me: Yes.
College Boy: Here's what you do. Get out your cake and cookie recipes and just make them all. One after another. Just start baking and don't stop until you're comfortable.
Me: That sounds like a lot of work. And a lot of food.
College Boy: Oh, and btw, did I tell you my friends and I are hanging out here in the basement tonight?

Now click on the links below for a peek into some other homes:

Spatulas on Parade

Follow me home

Menopausal Mother

Stacy Sews and Schools

Battered Hope

Just A Little Nutty

The Momisodes

Someone Else's Genius

Disneyland in Kentucky

Searching for Sanity

Sanity Waiting to Happen

The Sadder But Wiser Girl
Dinosaur Superhero Mommy 
Juicebox Confession 

 

PS: I have been selected as one of the 100 nominees in Dedicated2Life's Passionate People of 2015 awards. If you'd like to vote for me, you can do that HERE.

Frosted Mocha Cookie Bars

                                                                        ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
1 stick margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 TBSP unsweetened baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules
 
2 cups powdered sugar
4 TBSP butter, softened
2 – 4 TBSP brewed coffee
 
2 TBSP softened butter
1/3 cup chocolate chips
 
Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9X13 baking dish.
*Cream the butter, margarine and sugars until smooth. Beat in the vanilla, chocolate syrup and eggs. Mix in the rest of the ingredients.
*Spread into prepared backing dish, making the corners and edges a little thicker than the center.
*Bake approximately 30 minutes or until the center is completely set and browned like the rest of the cookie. Allow to cool completely.
*Carefully at first, beat the powdered sugar with 4 TBSP butter. One TBSP at a time, add the brewed coffee just until the frosting is of spreading consistency. Spread over the cooled cookie bar and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
*In a microwave safe bowl, melt the softened butter and the chocolate chips approximately 30 seconds. Stir until completely smooth. Spread over the frosting. Return cookie bars to the fridge until the top is set, then cut into bars.