2012 Kia Sorento!!!

Now that I am coming up on my one-year mark of owning a brand new KIA Sorento, I thought I would share with you the pro's and con's that I have come up with!!

First and foremost... I am still in love with my car as much as the first day I drove it home! It has been perfect for me. I have adored the fact that everything works! Coming from an old, dying, sputtering, sad, electrical gremlin carrying car... this base model KIA was a major step up for me! So when you read about how entranced I am with this car, you kind of have to realize than nearly anything was a step up from what I had.

That being said, this is no car to snuff at!!! It is nearly as smooth and quiet ad the day I bought it! The only thing that rattles is the license plate and that is only because I am too lazy to add the bottom bolts! I always forget because it is such a minor inconvenience!

I have averaged about 25 mpg with about 40% of my time being around town, and the rest commuting on a turnpike about 20 miles away. This is awesome considering my road trip to Colorado was even better because it was nearly all highway! The mpg gauge resets itself anytime you put gas in the car, so my estimates are purely my recollection of my ending MPG for each tank. Some weeks I averaged nearly 30, and others only 22. This was also contingent upon my kindness to my car. If I ran her a bit hard, my average was low. If I was a granny driver, I averaged high!

So speaking of the gauge cluster, everything resets itself automatically except for the mileage odometer. There are two odometers that can be independently reset. The gauge cluster also records your average speed and time elapsed per trip. So each time you turn off and restart your car, it begins a new record of how fast you have gone and how long you've been in the car. This is especially useful during car trips because I tend to lose track of time, and time zones further complicate things when I am trying to figure out destination arrival times!

Another feature in the gauge cluster is the distance to empty screen. It tells me approximately how many miles I can drive with my tank of gas. The only problem I have with this is that it is very inaccurate below about 50 miles. I have never seen that gauge read less than 20, so somewhere between 50 and 20, it bottoms out and all of a sudden the car is telling you that you will be running out of gas in a matter of moments. The redeeming factor of this is that fact that it is inaccurate.. I have driven like this for nearly 10 miles after it has bottomed out without any trouble. I hate doing that, because I prefer to gas up when the car is still about 1/4 tank... but sometimes I can't help it!

So besides the gauge cluster the cup holders are amazing! Stuff never falls out of them! I have driven cars where I have had to hold cups in the cup holder as I go around turns! Not my KIA!!! There is a standard little rubber tray in the bottom that comes out for cleaning, and in nearly all of the little nooks and crannies in this car, you can find convenient cleaning shortcuts like this.

I can't really comment on the safety stuff because I am not an expert, nor have I crashed my beautiful little car, but I can say that I love the curve of the seats because they really hold my bum in place! I do not like flat seats because I slide around on them. I wish the seats had lumbar, and I am sure they do in the upper models, but mine is just base. I also have not regretted skipping heated seats because they warm up to my bum pretty quickly and the heat and AC work AMAZINGLY!!!! I LOVE the back seat vents, and those who have ridden along with me are super happy to see them every time they get in! Those rear seat vents have also helped out during cake deliveries on hot days!

I have only taken the dogs in the car one time, and their hair vacuumed out WAY easier than I thought it would. Plus there was more than enough room for them to be back there comfortably, but not so much room that I would worry about them bouncing around back there during a crash. I have a large, and an extra large dog, so this may not be the case for those who have smaller canine friends!

Speaking of trunk space, I never have to worry about whether there is room for luggage, or groceries, or Lowes goodies. I have never had to say, "sorry it wont fit!" That is not to say that it wont happen... it just hasn't yet! The other thing I love about the cargo space is that the seats fold down super easily for extra room, the carpets clean way easy, there are hooks for grocery bags, AND there is a secret compartment!

The secret compartment is the best thing about the car  --  by far! It is under the floor in the trunk. This space is apparently for when a third row seat is installed, but I don't have one yet, so I get to use it as secret storage! It is my favorite feature because I like to have emergency packs for inclement weather with me at all times. Oklahoma weather can get crazy and I am not interested in being stuck in the snow freezing myself to death. I store blankets, extra clothes, and sturdy shoes in the secret compartment all winter long. During the summer it has towels and a swim suit! (Hey, you have to be ready for everything, right??)

So moving on to the outside! The paint still looks beautiful and shiny. I wash it every single week... rain or shine... freeze or hot... The black panels on the front and back have a couple of scratches in them from someone bumping me in a parking lot, but are only noticeable if you really try looking for them. Ummm what else other than the fact that it is just such a pretty car!?!!?

Oh yeah... my two beefs.... The center console melted a checkbook and a pair of sunglasses... I drove to Dallas from Oklahoma City and when I drove back after the weekend I found them melted in there. My other beef is that the super awesome looking running boards that I got with my car are not very sturdy... I would not have allowed them to put them on my car if I had known they would be such an irritation!!! I am too tall to reasonably step on them to get into the car, and so is everyone in my family... So the first time it ever got stepped on, other than my by 4 year old nephew, one of the screws holding it on broke... Seriously... ONE time... and they broke... My husband stepped up onto the rear portion of them to dry my roof after he hand washed the car.... My husband is an average guy.... tall... less than 200 lbs. It would be nearly impossible to jump on them from the angle he had... and why would he??? Anyway I keep forgetting to say something to the dealership when I go in for my oil changes... I kind of want them taken off... I didn't really want them in the first place.


So thats it... I love it despite two minor irritations. I will probably drive it until I have either paid it off, or the warranty runs out, at which point I'll trade it for a new one! If KIA keeps up their great customer service, amazing warranty plan, and affordable prices, then I'll be hooked for life.

New Car --- Finally!!!

Well crazy times call for crazy measures!!

Things have been crazy busy in this crazy house over the past month or so. After B's visit, he decided that being away was not going to work out for us anymore! He is home now and starts a new job on Monday.

In the past month we have taken the popcorn crud off the last of our ceilings, replaced a hall door, and put tint on our big sliding glass door. Not a whole lot going on in the home improvement department, but man have I had car issues!!! Ugh its been rotten!! Well tonight we finally got our old SUV going again but its only a matter of time before something else decides to give us trouble. Sooooooo... I got a new car!!! Yaaaaaayyyy!!!! Lets just hope things work out with the newest addition to the family! His name is Nixon and he is a 2012 Kia Sorento!! I am a little peeved though because when I asked about rebates yesterday, while we were signing papers, they assured me there were none... I looked it up on the KIA website today when I had the chance, and lo and behold I am entitled to a nice cash back bonus!! It was valid yesterday!! So tomorrow Kyle and his finance buddy are going to get an ear full from me if they don't hand over my pretty little(big) check!!

I wish I had more fun stuff to show you... I haven't painted the ceiling yet but that is next weeks job since B will be at work on my day off.

-S

Update - Peppermint Bark Fudge

K I figured it out...

Do not use Hersheys white chocolate chips for the white layer. Nestle's chocolate chips make the white layer more firm. Use two whole bags!

Hersheys: becomes slightly soft and gooey.

Nestle: Holds shape and doesn't get too gooey!

SOOOOOOOO YUMMMMERS!!

 Here is the updated Recipe card!!

-S

The Kitchen Phase One

I have had so many different dreams of what to do with this kitchen. They, of course, started huge involving knocking out walls, adding a wrap around bar and pot lights. Things have taken a turn for the more simplistic approach. We have found that over-updating, compared to the rest of the neighborhood, can actually decrease the value of the house. So we are going to stick with things that are relatively cheap but make a huge difference.

Changing the kitchen is going to have to take place in Phases.

• Phase 1 is to be shortly described. 
• Phase 2 involves sanding and refinishing all the cabinets in a lighter color. 
• Phase 3 involves either buying or making a moveable kitchen butcher block island. 
• Phase 4 sees a gorgeous new counter top/back splash. 
• Phase 5 is ripping out our floors and having polished concrete.
• Final Phase is replacing all appliances with Stainless steel to appease B. 

These Phases are subject to change at my whimsical desire.

Explanation for Phase One:
I have always been irritated that most of the items stored in the lower cabinets become forgotten relics only to be discovered during moves. Why would I get something to use in my kitchen, only to have it lost and underused. I used to tell myself that if I ever tore out my cabinets, that I would replace them with drawers. One day, not too long ago, I decided It would be much easier/feasible if I just made drawers inside the cabinets I already have!

After carefully examining existing drawers, I figured it couldn't be that difficult. So it begins...

The inside minus one of the shelf pieces.

I had to slide it out.

Phase one is complete. The drawers are pretty much finished. I think I'm going to hold off on putting a second drawer in the pots and pans cabinet to see if I really need it.

 When I hammered the shelves out of place, I had to very carefully turn them and slide them out length-wise. I re-purposed this wood into many of the drawer bottoms.

Tools used to remove shelves

Handy Dandy

I employed my handy dandy drill for purposes of screwing and drilling. I always pre-drill holes slightly smaller than the screw to avoid splitting the wood. I usually choose semi soft wood to begin with to help with this problem as well. After measuring the openings, I was able to construct a basic box using wood and screws. I had to remember to account for the thickness of the drawer slides.

First one!!

Some of my drawers had to be slightly more shallow that others because of electrical conduits at the back of the cabinet space.

I took the faces off some of the cabinets, but others i have left in tact. I don't really have a rhyme or reason for doing this. Its just seemed to work out that way. I may, or may not, go back later and affix the cabinet faces to the drawers anyway.

I made my first Drawer for the purpose of cans and dry goods.

Wish my mixer was a Bosch

I think the hardest part was making sure the drawer slides were level and even with one another. Creating something for them to attach to was kind of irritating too... and not always pretty.

Drawers three and four were for baking items such as big bowls, my mixer, and the blender. I love my mixer, but I still wish it were a Bosch.

I'm sure you have noticed there are three strangely light upper drawers. They were my test subjects. I had no clue what the wood looked like under the stain. I am super excited that it is so neutral. If it had a red undertone, it would have been more difficult to color. I feel like I can do ANYTHING with this, though!!

The drawers to the left of the sink turned out by far the best! Super even and super smooth. I still need to get a small jar of tinted Spackle to hide the screws, but that's not high on my priority list.


Hope you loved my drawers as much as I do!!!

-S

Pallet House??

I received an email from a close friend with a link to an article that described how to build a house using only pallets. Pallets?? Like the fuel of choice for college bonfires? I was instantly mesmerized by these individuals ingenuity. I decided then and there that I would make something using the old crappy wood that has been cluttering my yard for years.

The table will have the same design.

When we put in the rock wall, part of the yard was already being held up by an old wood retaining wall. We tore out a good portion of it and now have a pile of old rounded beams sitting in the corner of the yard. I set to work sorting which ones had to be chopped and burned, and which ones might be useful. I quickly saw that there was more than enough wood to make a table, bench and a few chairs. THRIIIIILLLLLEEEDDDDD.

I have, so far, only made the bench. I don't really want to put anything into these works of art that hasn't been previously used in one way or another. I'd like to keep the recycled aspect in full force. There were plenty of materials for the tops of these wooden creations, but to hold it together, I need two by fours. So I finished a bench and am waiting to find some extra two by fours to repurpose and finish the table and chairs etc.

-S

Cookie Monster!!!!

Giant Cookie!!!! I made this with my brother last year. Great memory. We used two 9 inch baking rounds, and then sliced the ice cream to fit from a box of ice cream. We used a spatula to make the edges look decent. The key is freezing the cookie pieces BEFORE you try to put the ice cream on! If you don't, then even if you get the whole thing back into the freezer quickly, a room temperature cookie is still warm enough to melt the ice cream! Trial and error, right? Same thing for Ice Cream Cakes.

-S