Kathy and Kris Site

This is my continuation of initial posting  of my Loving my Harman XXV pellet stove , so I guess this may be considered part 2.

It has now been almost 2 full heating seasons with using my Harman XXV pellet stove as my primary heating source. As March is underway the stove is still going but I find myself having to turn it down since they days are getting warmer. It seems a good time to write about my Harman XXV pellet with some additional review information.

Cost: some people are wondering what the XXV cost and I can say it varies. I have seen them online for a lot less then what I paid in other parts of the country. I can say this, you are buying a solid cast iron stove not some sheet metal no-name brand that looks like it will break after the first year so here is what it cost.

• The Harman XXV was approximately $3100.00 at the local dealer which included a free ton of pellets.
• I opted for the optional black metal stove pipe that attaches vertically to the top of the stove, which makes it look like a wood stove and is not necessary at all.
• Total with installation and delivery, the stove and optional “wood stove” pipe was around 4200 of which I got a tax rebate for 1200 back for a total of $3000.00

Has the XXV paid for itself: The way we look at it, YES YES YES. We are insulated from the oil  price spike of heating oil that has happened in Feb 11 and is still rising (hope it goes down) and as an irony pellet prices have dropped so it is cheaper to run. Having to not worry about shocking oil delivery bills has been great.

• We will have paid $1000.00 for the entire heating season to heat approximately 1900sqft of space to a temp on average of the mid 70′s. We live in Vermont so the outside winter temperature is very cold dropping to below zero F for entire weeks.  We could have saved more money by keeping the temp down, but we like a warmer house especially with a little one.

Maintenance wise: I had the augur replaced, which was under warranty, due to it making a sort of grinding noise. It took the tech only a few minutes to pull the old one and place a new one in, the hardest part was moving it. I bought the optional pipe kit that makes it look like a woodstove and it was in the way. The warranty is very long on the stove so I thought I would go ahead and have them replace it just in case.

Cleaning Tip: Make sure to take the cover off the back and clean out where the pellets come down. It is spelled out in the owners manual how to flip this little cover up after removing this plate which just has a thumbscrew. It is actually really easy once you remove the back cover. I think cleaning it out should be made more important in the manual. I removed a lot of sawdust that had fallen down there, which is normal from pellet dust, and I can imagine it causing issues if it was never cleaned.

Tip 2: Get yourself one of those small wire brushes meant to clean a gas grill, they are about 8″ long and have metal bristles that are semi-soft. These are great for cleaning the grooved inside of the stove where the ash accumulates  out, and since ash insulates, it can keep your heat output from falling. The tool that comes with the stove for scraping is ok but the brush gets a lot more of the crud off.

Renee had her first “belly laugh” today when her Daddy gave her a bath and tickled underneath her chin. It was unbelievably cute, but of course when I got the video camera she didn’t want to perform–oh well, thought we would at least mention the milestone here!

During the inauguration speech, Renee sat up for the first time all by herself without any assistance. I kid you not! Now we’re in trouble.

Even better, the minute Bush’s face came on the screen, she let out a loud dissaproving poop in her diaper. That’s our girl!!

Well, like an old lady I went to bed before the ball dropped (to get some sleep before Renee’s 4 a.m feedathon). But I hope everyone had a nice new year celebration! 2009 will be fine like wine.

Since the little peanut is growing so fast, and I don’t yet have one of those “baby books” to record everything down in, I thought i’d write about the sweetest things about her at this time (some of which i’m sure is true of all babies around this time):

1. That “new baby” smell. So intoxicating! apparently it’s so strong that other mothers can smell it from across the room and come flocking. it’s indescribable. We have some lavender baby lotion that we put on her after a bath, and when it mixes with her baby sweat….mmmmm. If only Yankee Candle could make a “lavender-tinged baby sweat” candle….

2. The fact that her hands and feet can fit right into the palm of your hand. and the way those little hands grasp at everything without yet putting it into the mouth to taste-test it!

3. The way she stretches her little body out and sways from side to side when she’s on the changing pad.

4. the beginning of those first smiles–and giggles and coos! ah, heavenly…

5. when she’s over the squalling phase but not yet into the “talking back” phase.

6. the sighs she makes in her sleep, especially when she falls asleep over your shoulder and sighs right into the crook of your neck.

7. when her hair is all messy when you pick her out of her bassinet in the morning.

8. that fat little belly and her “outie” bellybutton!

9. The fact that she stays put where you leave her for now.

10. the awe of everything. we just put up our christmas tree and she is absolutely mesmerized by the lights.

11. her fast little breathing

12. snorting through her nose when she eats

13. mouthing everything because she can’t quite tell the difference–people’s shirts, her hands, etc…especially cute is the fact that she’s just discovered the joy of sucking fingers–but hasn’t quite got the focus for it, so usually she messily slurps on a fist if she can see it.

i’m sure i can think of some more!

Renee had her 6-week checkup at the doctor today. She is now 9 lbs 8 oz and 22 inches long! She sure fattened up. Can’t believe how fast they grow! they said she’s perfectly healthy, which is always a relief for a mom to hear. Right now the poor thing has some bad baby acne, she has the face of a 13 year-old prepubescent boy. The dr. said just to keep it clean, there is not much you can do and it should clear up in a few weeks. Hope so…

So far I’ve been surviving solo at home with her, still trying to get out with her a little every day, and succeeding most days. I do miss the hubby though, it was a special kind of happiness to have us both enjoying the baby together and watching her cute antics. It gets a bit lonely at home, especially when the weather is crappy. But I’ve managed to visit a few folks and attend the “new moms group” at the hospital, which has been nice. Just have to take it one day at a time with my little sidekick.

she’s been starting to smile more and even coo a little…in fact the girl never shuts up,with all the cooing and grunting that goes on! it’s hilarious.

hope everyone is staying well and keepin warm and avoiding s.a.d!!

We had a lovely turkey day in Killington Vt at Chris’ sister Jen’s rented ski house. It was a very nice house, complete with a roaring fireplace and hot tub. We didn’t end up using the hot tub but we sure enjoyed sitting by the fire! So did Renee.
Jen shares the ski house with 4 Irish guys who were hilarious! Wednesday night they each polished off a case of Long Trail Ale, a couple glasses of wine and a glass or two of scotch and they weren’t even buzzed. That’s the Irish for ya. Good thing Chris didn’t even try to keep up with them! They were all really nice people and pleasant to talk to, you just had to listen hard to understand the accent at times.
I really enjoyed chatting with one of the guys’ girlfriend, Tonya, who just turned vegetarian. We let her try our soy turkey (NOT a tofurkey but a “quorn” turkey–SO much better!), she loved it. She brought her bulldog, Bella, who was adorable but a big scaredy cat. She was afraid of the baby! And she snored REALLY loud (the dog, not Tonya ).
The whole Thanksgiving dinner was a laid back affair but the meal was amazing. Jen and her friends really outdid themselves preparing. Even though we’re vegetarian, the turkey looked incredible. Chris’ parents got it from a farm down the street from them, freshly killed. Jen’s friend prepared it from a Martha Stewart recipe and it looked fresh out of a magazine, surrounded by cranberries, sage and glazed pears and stuffed with an orange rind brine–wow. Chris’ mom made some amazing pies and everyone else made some awesome sides, all outta this world.
We enjoyed relaxing and chatting. Everyone wanted to hold Renee so much that we barely got to see her at all that day! No one wanted to give her up. We’re extremely lucky that she was so good and tolerated the 2 hour drive up north so well. Maybe Jen will let us visit her ski house more often!
if you could believe it, it snowed 5 inches that morning too! good thing we came Wednesday night.

hope everyone else had a nice day too!

It’s hard to believe that our little Renee is a month old today. already she’s really grown, so much so that she no longer really fits into her “newborn” onesies and diapers. She’s even got a double chin. She was always a very alert baby, the doctors were even surprised how alert, but now she’s becoming even more so, it’s like she’s a real little person starting to interact with the world around her. She cracks us up with her constant grunting and squeaking. She loves the bath and her little fishy swing. She also loves staring at our big kitty Cosmo and the stripes on our couch (probably because they are both black and white). She loves to pump and wiggle her little legs in the air like she’s a little bicyclist, and wave her arms in the air like she’s conducting an orchestra. If, while she’s asleep , a sudden noise or movement startles her, her hands will go high into the air as if to say ” I surrender!”.
She falls asleep in the car and when you take her for walks in the baby carrier (but she hates being put into the car seat and baby carrier at first!). she does NOT like having her hands or feet tied down.

She’s generally quite good natured but can have a short temper, like if she can’t latch on right away while nursing (she tries to suck on her hands too and gets frustrated when she can’t). Usually around 7 to 8:30 p.m is her crankiness time, she just generally is a bit out of sorts.

I love holding her over my shoulder while she’s sleeping and hearing her little breath in my ear. I love everything about her, even her occasional crankiness and constant farting like an old man!!

it’s cheesy, i know, but i find myself getting a bit teary eyed and thinking “they grow up so fast”…

i’m enjoying it all while i can.

hope everyone has a lovely turkey day!!

This Wednesday, Chris and I had the luxury of being able to go on a real “date” in the afternoon. Chris’ parents were kind enough to watch Renee for a few hours and we went out to lunch and did a little shopping. We missed our little Renee, but it was nice to have a good stretch of some “us” time, too.
We went to CT Tuesday night and Renee had her first sleepover at her Papa and Noni’s house. Chris’ parents seemed excited to be with her, they even put a little sign on the door to “her room” (formerly the guest room) that says “The Princess Sleeps Here”. Ya think she’s gonna be spoiled by them much? Chris Grandpa came over on Wednesday and got to hold his great-granddaughter for the first time. It was a pretty tender moment. He was almost as mushy as Chris’ Dad is when he held her.

We were a bit nervous at first how Chris’ parents’ 2 collies would react to her, but the dogs simply adored her. Brody, the male collie was her instant protector. He didn’t want her to be out of his sight for more than a minute, even when he looked really tired like he wanted to sleep. When she cried, he would cry and act very concerned. Mollie, Brody’s sister, came over to Renee when she was sitting in her little bouncer and laid her head right on the bouncer. Both dogs played “sentry duty” all night long, walking back and forth to the room to “check up” on her. They would give her kisses, but not the big slobbery kisses they’d give me and Chris-they’d only give her ever so gentle, tiny little licks. How do animals know how to treat babies so well? It was pretty sweet.
It was really, really nice that Chris’ family wanted to help watch Renee.Chris’ Mom even came into our room early in the morning and said she would watch Renee for us so we could sleep a little (she kept us up all night just “talking”. Lately Renee has been “talking more and more, always waving her hands in the air (so she MUST be Italian!).
I’ve been pumping a couple of times a day and she drank from a bottle, she’s doing pretty good with it (we try it once a day at least). We’re looking forward to going up to Killington for Thanksgiving (Chris’s sister rents a ski house up there and is hosting turkey day there this year) and having a relaxing day with people who want to spend time with her too.
I can’t believe already that she is over 3 weeks old! Already she is changing so much. She’s always been really alert for her “age” and held her head up pretty good, but now she even tries to roll over when we put her on her tummy. She is starting to smile more to the point that it isn’t just gas, so cute. She eats like a pig, burps and farts like a frat boy, and grunts like a cavewoman. That’s our little girl!