I was shocked, I tell you. Shocked!

Today has been a busy, busy day.

The kids were thrilled that the morning started with freshly made French Toast after I got the first load of laundry done for the day. We don't have French Toast but a few times a year, so they were very happy with that. Once we were done eating, I got the dishes done up really quick and started another load of laundry, fluffed and hung the first load on hangers, and got them hung outside on the line to dry.

I then went back downstairs to work on outlets in the family room. I'd replaced most of the outlets a few years ago, but there were still several that needed replaced. I started with the ones that only needed to have the extenders put in, so I could at least get them out of the way. I knew replacing the actual outlets would take a lot longer to do, and if we got the easier ones out of the way first, we could look back, and see that we'd accomplished something.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I was not expecting that it was going to be as hard as it was to line everything up. The screws that came with the extension boxes were about an inch too short, so we had to scrounge up longer ones. Thankfully, we found them in the bag with the extenders. We'd thought ahead when we bought them a year or so ago. So I worked on the first 2 outlets for a good 45 minutes or an hour. Yes. It really did take that long.

The next outlet was a new one on an inside wall, so it only needed an outlet cover, so we skipped to the next outlet. It, too, was on an inside wall, and we still had the electricity off, so we got to work on it. For whatever reason, I couldn't get the one wire stripped. The plastic sheath just didn't want to give, so I asked my husband, if he could do it. So we traded. I held the flashlight, and he started stripping the wire back, so we could attach it to the new outlet.

As he was pulling the last of the plastic off, he yelled. He said he thought he got shocked, but he wasn't sure. He thought he maybe just got poked with one of the wires that was sticking out. We shrugged it off, because he said he didn't have any tingling that is often present after a mild shock. So I started bending the wire in a little loop, so the wires could be attached. And wouldn't you know it, but I no sooner started than I yelled when I got a little jolt.
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So hubby runs upstairs and shuts the other breaker for the basement off and comments that every outlet from here on out will be checked personally by him. It's not worth the risk.

I agree.

He decides to work on the outlet that's squeezed in by the treadmill. It's located on an inside wall and shouldn't be too much of a problem for him to tackle on his own, so I decide to go work on laundry again. I fluff and hang the load that's in the washing machine and start another load of clothes and get the latest load hung outside on the clothesline to dry.

After about 30 minutes, The Hubster has finished his work. It's taken longer than the other outlet, because the ground is so short it needs piggy backed with another piece of copper wire to make it long enough to reach the outlet. That. And hubby literally has only about 15 inches clearance to get to the outlet to switch it out. He starts working on one of the last two outlets that need to be done. Not only do they need new outlets, but they're both on outside walls, so they need the extensions, too.

Time is running a bit late, though, and The Hubster has to use the restroom. He's hoping we can finish this all up before he leaves on his run in a few minutes, so I decide to work on the outlet while he's in the bathroom. He'd already snipped the old outlet off, so I started with stripping the wires. I get the neutral stripped without a problem, and I start on the hot wire. And wouldn't you know it, but I get zapped again. It got me on the back of my hand between the knuckles of my first and second finger.(I have a little blister from it even.) I yelled.

I think I scared my husband a bit, because he yelled at me from the bathroom with great concern.

"Are you OK??!"

I assure him that I am but that I got electrified again.

He finishes up and goes upstairs and turns the breaker off again. At this point, I don't even remember why we'd turned it on. I think we figured we had only outlets on the same circuit to work with, and it was a lot easier to work with a treble light than with only a flashlight. At any rate, it had been turned back on, I got a little juice, and the hubby turned it back off again.

I finish up that outlet while The Hubster works on the last one. I have a little trouble getting the bottom screw threaded through the holes, so he takes a look at it and is able to fix it straight away. He finishes up the last outlet just moments before he's scheduled to go on his run, so we check the rest of the outlets with the tester we have that shows whether or not they're wired correctly. They are. So we straighten up, run the vacuum cleaner really quick, and he takes off on his run.

While he's gone, I make burgers for supper and get some bacon in the oven. I had seen on a cooking show that bacon turns out perfectly, if you bake it. Just toss it on a cookie cooling rack over a cookie sheet and bake it at 325. I figured I'd give it a try. Let's just say that it did indeed turn out perfect! It was super crunchy, perfectly flat, and there was very little grease. I was pleasantly surprised with how good it tasted. I normally don't care for bacon, because the grease gives me a stomach ache, but this was different. It was just good all the way around.

After the kids were in bed and while the bacon was baking, I browned a pound and a half of ground turkey and fried the boiled potatoes I'd diced yesterday. I decided I'd do a casserole for breakfast tomorrow morning. It will last a few mornings and will make my life so much easier. I crumbled up several slices of baked bacon in with the potatoes and there was a knock at the door. Hubby was home from his 8 mile run.

He had to run to the store. We needed more outlet covers. So while he was gone, I started his turkey burger in the skillet and proceeded to slice up an onion and some tomatoes and peppers from the garden to add to the mix. I no sooner finish mixing the ingredients all together when my husband comes through the door. He sits down to eat his bacon cheeseburger, and I tear up some bread, line the bottom of the baking dish with it, pour the ingredients I've got ready in on top of it, crack open a dozen eggs, whisk them up with a little bit of milk and pour the eggs on top of everything in the casserole dish.

The casserole gets covered with plastic and stuck in the fridge. I'll stick it in the oven when I wake up at 5, and it will be done for the girls to eat before heading off to school. After cleaning up the kitchen, washing the pans by hand and loading the dishwasher I head to the laundry room to fluff and hang the last load of laundry I'd done earlier. The Hubster helped me with the fluffing and hanging, plus he dried the pots and pans, so I took advantage of the hot oven and baked him a batch of brownies.

It's been a really long day, but I'm thrilled with all that was accomplished.

And now...I'm pretty much beat.

I'm off to bed.