Slow Progress....
Yesterday was a day where some progress was made, though not as much as I would have liked. The most important thing was that the appraiser came in from Medicine Hat to inspect the building. She spent about an hour there, taking notes and photographs and measurements, and I should have the completed report by the end of next week. I'm just hoping that it will be favourable, or I've just shot $2,000.00 that I really can't afford to spend.
Talked with the plumber about the bills I got (just before Christmas, thanks!) and got an explanation as to why one was as high as it was, and got a $270 (plus taxes) reduction on the other. The explanation was understandable, and (more or less) justifiable, so I'm OK with it. It also tells me that I need to examine my own labour rates and pricing stragegies, as I may very well be shooting myself in the foot by not charging anywhere near enough for my services. I need to talk to a few other shops in the area that do "house calls" to see how they handle things, and see what the concensus is. I don't want to screw people around, but I can't afford to be screwed around either...
Supper last night was another simple experiment that seemed like it should work, and it did work out beautifully. Last week, I had made a simple sauce using cream-of-mushroom soup and a little thickener, poured over mixed vegetables and salmon, and served over a bed of rice. This time I substituted cooked shrimp for the salmon, which gave it a far more mild taste - the salmon had a nearly over-powering "fishy" taste to it. On a whim, I also added some curry powder to the sauce - more than I had intended to (it came out faster than I had expected it to!) but not so much as to ruin it. In fact, the extra dose seems to have been "just right" so I will remember to use roughly a "heaping tablespoon" the next time I make this. Again, a very simple concoction: 1 can of Cambell's Cream-of-Mushroom soup, prepared as directed (using 2% milk.) Add a thickening agent (in this case, an assortment of starches that my Mom uses as a "flour" for Celiacs) and the Curry powder and shrimp, and stir over low heat until it thickens. Cook a pot of mixed vegetables, and mix the sauce into it. Pour it all over a bed of rice, and enjoy! :)
This morning, I finally got the last of 2010's pile of receipts organized, and I can actually see the surface of my desk for the first time in months. Receipts are supposed to be entered daily, or at least weekly, but when you've only got a couple at a time there's that darn "I'll do it tomorrow" attitude, and the next thing you know you've got a huge pile of them that makes you avoid them even more, and the pile continues to grow. This year, I'm resolving to get back to entering them on a timely basis, and avoid this mess in the future! :)