Stories | Best Buys
Vitamin B Shots
Published March 10, 2010
“Drop your drawers, Patrick,” I called to my husband as I arrived home from grocery shopping. “It says here on this flyer that Dr. Kelly Austin is offering vitamin B12 shots at the La Mesa Henry’s. ...
Port Tasting
Published March 3, 2010
Patrick has ceased sipping port after dinner. Times are tight. So wifey is on a mission to find some tasty bottles that can be purchased for around a Hamilton. Last week, Pat sat down with college ...
Cold and Flu
Published Feb. 24, 2010
After spending much of the winter sick in bed, it’s time for the Kelly family to take some proactive measures to stay well. Eve can’t take any more time off. The housework piles up, the kids ...
Personalized Plates
Published Feb. 17, 2010
We’ve been driving beaters almost since we got married. Our last “new” car was eight years old when we bought it. Every now and then ... More Comments (4)
Making Chili
Published Feb. 10, 2010
“Chili with merlot?” grinned my husband Patrick. “There may be something to this wine-and-food-pairing thing after all.” I had to drag him to the winemaker ... More Post a comment
Flood Repair
Published Feb. 3, 2010
Water roared down our street, pooled up around the clogged street drain, and began to overflow into our neighbor’s front yard. By the time Patrick ... More Comments (2)
Window Tinting
Published Jan. 27, 2010
The family Suburban turns 16 this year and with a little help from my kids, the tinting on the rear windows looks even older. I’m ... More Comments (2)
Green Tea
Published Jan. 13, 2010
“The Chinese proverb says, ‘Better to be deprived of food for three days than tea for one,’” proclaimed friend Bernice as she poured a cup ... More Post a comment
Almonds
Published Jan. 6, 2010
New Year. No more chips. Almonds! Hubby Patrick, friend Lissa, and I sat down for a tasting, beginning with the kind most likely to be ... More Comments (2)
New Year's Resolutions
Published Dec. 30, 2009
“I’m not looking back — I’m looking forward,” Nancy proclaimed. “I try not to think of the resolutions that I have broken. My main problem ... More Comment (1)
Christmas Assistance
Published Dec. 16, 2009
“What if we skipped Christmas cards this year?” I asked my husband Patrick. “What if we just told the kids Santa had swine flu this ... More Post a comment
Chicken Nuggets
Published Dec. 9, 2009
“The breading is the swaddling clothes, the chicken is the Christ child, the steam piping off the nuggets is the breath of the animals gathered ... More Post a comment
Rain-Gutter Maintenance
Published Dec. 2, 2009
It’s a winter tradition: husband on the roof in the rain, pulling leaves out of the gutters and trying not to fall to his death. ... More Post a comment
Gifts for Teachers
Published Nov. 24, 2009
“According to Plato, ‘The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life,’” observed my pal Bernice. “So, you need to reward ... More Comment (1)
Junk Removal
Published Nov. 18, 2009
“This isn’t a garage,” complained my husband Patrick. “This is a landfill. Let’s get rid of this junk.” Fred Siegel of San Diego Junk Removal ... More Comments (2)
Monogram Embroidery
Published Nov. 11, 2009
“The old guard is passing away,” sighed Aunt Azelda. “Nobody wants monogrammed shirts anymore. Except my brother Wilfred, bless his heart. Help me out, won’t ... More Post a comment
Graham Crackers
Published Nov. 4, 2009
Our camping trip was near perfection. Long hikes in the backcountry, bird-watching, warm days followed by cool nights gathered around the campfire singing songs… The ... More Post a comment
Marshmallows
Published Oct. 21, 2009
The family is off to another camping excursion this weekend, and the kids’ only concern is that marshmallows are packed. They’re really all you need ... More Comment (1)
Paintless Dent Repair
Published Oct. 14, 2009
Crunch. Uh-oh. Patrick backed into my best friend’s car. I rang up Eddie Martin, owner and master technician at the Dent Devils (619-726-6767, thedentdevils.com), a ... More Comment (1)
Crock-Pot Cooking
Published Oct. 7, 2009
“You are Crocktastic!” “Well, they don’t call me Crockalicious for nothing.” This back-and-forth at our family reunion happened between hubby Pat and sis Meg, aka ... More Comment (1)
Image Consultants
Published Sept. 30, 2009
Remember when I helped my nephew Freddy find a résumé service? Now, he’s getting called for interviews but still not landing the job. “Help me, ... More Post a comment
Mammograms
Published Sept. 16, 2009
I’m 38 years old now, and my mother has been after me to get a mammogram for three years. So, me being me, I started ... More Comments (2)
Fishing Equipment
Published Sept. 9, 2009
The Kelly children are hooked on fishing. All it took was a morning with Dad at the Crystal Pier Kids’ Classic Fishing Derby. They returned ... More Post a comment
Résumés
Published Aug. 26, 2009
"Is there a Résumés for Dummies?” asked my nephew Freddy. “I’ve been looking for a job for two months with only one callback.” I didn’t ... More Post a comment
Winter Garden
Published Aug. 19, 2009
Abundance flowed from the Kelly garden boxes this summer. When the first produce was ready to be picked, I licked my lips as I planned ... More Post a comment
Bowling
Published Aug. 12, 2009
"Of course everyone wants to visit us,” I quipped to my husband Patrick. “We live in America’s Finest City.” “Fine,” he retorted. “But all at ... More Post a comment
GoCar, Pedicab, and Segway Tours
Published Aug. 5, 2009
‘We just want to toodle around and see the sights,” said Aunt Nancy on the phone before her visit. “And we don’t want to put ... More Post a comment
Camping Supplies
Published July 29, 2009
As the night dragged on, the four-year-old wailed with growing pains. The pregnant mama made her third trip to the bathroom across the campsite. Exhausted ... More Post a comment
Baklava
Published July 22, 2009
My friend Mike is turning 40 this month, and he has been making rumblings about baklava instead of birthday cake. “We used to have it ... More Comments (7)
Bargain Golf
Published July 15, 2009
Patrick hasn’t been playing golf lately. Three years ago, he played a game about every two weeks. That became a weekday-morning nine-hole at Mission Trails ... More Post a comment
Oral Healthcare
Published July 1, 2009
“Bloody hell!” exclaimed Patrick in mock horror as he gazed into the sink at my pink post-brush spittle. “Oh, my gums always bleed when I ... More Comments (2)
A Summer Unstuck
Published June 24, 2009
“My kids are like druggies,” lamented my friend Nancy. “If you give them sugar or TV, they don’t want to stop.” I sympathized. “I know ... More Post a comment
Odor Concealment
Published June 10, 2009
“With all of my boys,” said my sis Meg, surfacing from her boys’ messy bedroom, “I really should be refreshing our home more often. Between ... More Post a comment
Baby Carriers
Published June 3, 2009
"The problem with the Baby Bjorn is it’s a two-man job,” complained my brother Mike. A new dad, he was having trouble finding a comfortable ... More Comments (2)
Locksmith
Published May 27, 2009
‘Remember when all you needed was a coat hanger you could slide over the window?” asked Patrick as he stared into our locked car at ... More Post a comment
Frozen Pizza
Published May 20, 2009
‘What’s the matter with you kids? It’s frozen pizza!” I couldn’t believe it — my own children picking at the cheese on top and regarding ... More Comments (2)
Window Screens
Published May 13, 2009
This time of year, hordes of flies visit our 1930s-built home. One would think we were in farm country the way the flying pests invade. ... More Comment (1)
Lead-Paint Removal
Published April 29, 2009
“How’s life in the new house?” I asked my friend Suzy, who recently bought a North Park bungalow. “New?” she answered. “More like old. I’m ... More Post a comment
Jewelry Engraving
Published April 22, 2009
I will not be surprised by 2009’s Mother’s Day. The 2008 observance caught me off guard. I found myself in a crowded mall the day ... More Post a comment
Soundproofing
Published April 15, 2009
“They told me the freeway would sound like the ocean,” griped Patrick’s friend Jon just after buying his first house. “It doesn’t. It sounds like ... More Post a comment
Easter Gifts
Published April 8, 2009
Hubby Patrick despises Easter grass. “It’s like the plague!” he complained over our nightcap. “It gets everywhere and clogs up the vacuum. Who created this ... More Comment (1)
Tissues
Published April 1, 2009
Instead of a handkerchief or tissues, Dad’s pockets always contained a paper towel. Usually used. And if he noticed any of us kids sniffling during ... More Post a comment
Computer Training
Published March 25, 2009
“Eve, maybe you can help me,” pleaded my Aunt Azelda, slowly shaking her snowy mane. “They finally put in a computer station here at the ... More Post a comment
Walls for Climbers, Bulls for Riders
Published March 11, 2009
‘I hate being the go-to guy at school,” griped my husband Patrick. It seems he missed a meeting and got himself “volunteered” by some of ... More Post a comment
Piano Movers
Published March 4, 2009
"We can move any type of piano except concert grands, the largest-sized pianos,” explained Ron Castiglione, owner and technician at Pitch Perfect Piano in Encinitas ... More Comment (1)
Wedding Transportation
Published Feb. 25, 2009
My efforts to help my stressed friend Barbara prep for her upcoming nuptials continue. Her plea: “I want to arrive in style!” “We have a ... More Post a comment
Photo Restoration
Published Feb. 18, 2009
My husband Patrick’s grandparents’ wedding photo, taken in 1917, sat on the bookshelf with water damage. The damage got me thinking about photo restoration. Only ... More Comment (1)
Wedding Day Fitness
Published Feb. 11, 2009
‘Fat girls need love too!” crooned Barbara as she sashayed into my kitchen, waving the ring on her left finger. “Oh, hush — you’re not ... More Post a comment
Worms
Published Feb. 4, 2009
Hubby Patrick is revving up for a banner garden year. His cover crop is in, and now he’s got a hankering for worms. “They say ... More Post a comment
Waterproof Cast Covers
Published Jan. 28, 2009
Hooray! We’re going to Palm Springs for a weekend at a friend’s place! Boo! My 11-year-old broke his elbow during his first-ever game of pads-free ... More Post a comment
Sewing Machinery
Published Jan. 21, 2009
Stitches have played a big part in my life — sewing stitches, that is. In college, there was a wrap cocktail dress I whipped up ... More Post a comment
Cover Crops
Published Jan. 14, 2009
“I could break a Mack truck’s windshield with some of these grocery-store tomatoes,” griped my gardener friend Shawn. “I hate buying produce at the grocery ... More Post a comment
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