I know what I'm getting for Valentine's Day!

Let me start by saying this will be the 22nd Valentine’s Day I have spent with The Big Guy. I have long since given up on thinking I’ll get candy, flowers, or jewelry. Sometimes, he does come up with a card but only if he finds something humorous and sort of off the wall. He’s not your run-of-the-mill romantic. We usually eat at home on Valentine’s Day as we prefer not to fight the crowds. I usually do prepare something special. Generally, we do go out for a nice meal the weekend before or after and refer to it as our Valentine’s dinner.

This year, I am getting a big present. It’s something I really need and actually, as of today, want. We picked it out tonight but it won’t be delivered for two weeks. I can wait. My new stove will arrive on the 26th! Maybe before, if we’re lucky. (Since I do love to cook it’s not quite like the standard “vacuum cleaner for Christmas thing.”)

Yes, there is a background story.

I added excitement to my life yesterday by blowing up the oven. (No real fire!) The Big Guy worked late and called to tell me when he was heading home so I could start dinner. I immediately turned the oven on to preheat. The kitchen and dining room were dark and I was in the living room working on the computer. Suddenly, I heard some strange sounds coming from the kitchen. It sounded like someone banging around empty cookie sheets. (I make similar sounds when getting them in and out of the cabinet.) Then there was some sizzling sounds and the entire kitchen seemed to glow. The glow rose and fell in degrees! It looked like aliens were taking over!

I rushed out and turned the oven off. The oven was full of thick dark smoke. I left it closed and self-contained. I didn’t need to deal with the smoke detectors going off. I assumed (and turned out to be right) the electric coil heating element died. I couldn’t get to the plug to unplug it so I just kept a close watch on it and kept checking the cabinets on either side and feeling the wall to be sure the fire wasn’t in the electrical wiring in the wall or something.

By the time The Big Guy got home in an hour, the smoke had dissipated and you could clearly see where the coil had burned and melted right through. We pronounced it dead!!

Which brings us to going out for dinner tonight with stove shopping afterwards. I know we can’t eat out every night for the next two weeks, so I’m taking suggestions for creative meals made in the microwave, crock pot and on the Forman or my electric indoor grill. Maybe a gal can have too many appliances. Without them, we’d have to eat out more this week !