Thursday, August 5, 2010
The best boss
I just received a text message from my boss. He wants me to get my work done tomorrow and start my vacation early. He knows I’ve had a ton of stuff at work and home and he told me to take the afternoon and get ready for the trip by either shopping, sleeping or packing. I almost cried when I read the text message. That was a prayer that got answered!
T minus 48
Two days until we leave for Florida. That meant everything needed to be cleared out from the house tonight. There were a lot of odds and ends left. The biggest problem we were having was, not knowing where to put everything. You can only cram so much into 985 square feet.
We ended up taking some stuff to my parent’s house. Once we get back from Florida, we will either need to rent another storage shed or take more stuff up there. You cannot walk through this house. It’s crammed full of boxes.
Our builder agreed to do the repairs that the buyers of our house asked for. He got those done today and we have a document saying so that we will take to the bank tomorrow when we pre-sign the closing papers. Due to the termite issue, the bank wasn’t able to get all of the paper work ready for an official closing tomorrow, so the actual closing will be on the 10th. We will be in Florida resting and relaxing…and seeing Mickey Mouse, so that’s why we are pre-signing tomorrow.
Speaking of the repairs, when we bought this house we thought it was a quality built home. The house was a foreclosure on a builder, but it was brand new. Sure it had a few odds and ends that needed fixing, but we were up for the task. We didn’t have a home inspection when we purchased the place because it was brand new, so all of the mechanics should be just fine. The bank who had the house wasn’t going to fix anything either, so we decided it wasn’t worth it.
The buyers had a home inspection this time and overall everything was fine except two things that I found odd; the roof and the siding. At first we thought these were just trivial nickel and dime issues. When our builder, whom we completely trust, made the repairs, he said they had to repair 150 shingles because they were either coming off or the nails were showing through. Can you believe that? The house is only 3 – 4 year old. Just poor workmanship. He also said the top row of siding just wasn’t installed properly.
When we moved in, the window screens were missing, we had to secure and stain the trim, the water line for the icemaker in the fridge was never hooked up and the hot and cold water lines were switched in the master bathroom shower. Hmmmm, maybe this house wasn’t as well built as we thought.
I will say though, the space, floor plan (aside from the location of the basement steps), the storm shelter, the extra room off of the kitchen for Pheebs, the fantasic master bath…all of these things really made this a great house. I really loved the back porch too. It was fun to watch neighbor Dave garden while sitting back there. There was something peaceful about that.
We ended up taking some stuff to my parent’s house. Once we get back from Florida, we will either need to rent another storage shed or take more stuff up there. You cannot walk through this house. It’s crammed full of boxes.
Our builder agreed to do the repairs that the buyers of our house asked for. He got those done today and we have a document saying so that we will take to the bank tomorrow when we pre-sign the closing papers. Due to the termite issue, the bank wasn’t able to get all of the paper work ready for an official closing tomorrow, so the actual closing will be on the 10th. We will be in Florida resting and relaxing…and seeing Mickey Mouse, so that’s why we are pre-signing tomorrow.
Speaking of the repairs, when we bought this house we thought it was a quality built home. The house was a foreclosure on a builder, but it was brand new. Sure it had a few odds and ends that needed fixing, but we were up for the task. We didn’t have a home inspection when we purchased the place because it was brand new, so all of the mechanics should be just fine. The bank who had the house wasn’t going to fix anything either, so we decided it wasn’t worth it.
The buyers had a home inspection this time and overall everything was fine except two things that I found odd; the roof and the siding. At first we thought these were just trivial nickel and dime issues. When our builder, whom we completely trust, made the repairs, he said they had to repair 150 shingles because they were either coming off or the nails were showing through. Can you believe that? The house is only 3 – 4 year old. Just poor workmanship. He also said the top row of siding just wasn’t installed properly.
When we moved in, the window screens were missing, we had to secure and stain the trim, the water line for the icemaker in the fridge was never hooked up and the hot and cold water lines were switched in the master bathroom shower. Hmmmm, maybe this house wasn’t as well built as we thought.
I will say though, the space, floor plan (aside from the location of the basement steps), the storm shelter, the extra room off of the kitchen for Pheebs, the fantasic master bath…all of these things really made this a great house. I really loved the back porch too. It was fun to watch neighbor Dave garden while sitting back there. There was something peaceful about that.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Time is tickin'
Tonight my mother-in-law came down to entertain Lauren while we attempted to clear the rest of the house on Spring Ridge out. We didn’t get completely done, but we made a ton of progress. The biggest challenge is where to put everything. Going from 3600 square feet finished to 985 is rough. It’s not like we have a ton of stuff. There are just four of us.
One luxury I miss is the “snack cabinet”. I had one drawer in a cabinet dedicated to snacks that the kids could grab. They would ask if they could have a snack and sometimes I would tell them to get something from the snack cabinet. Now when they ask, I have to go grab the box for them. It’s not a huge deal, but it is a change. It takes some of their independence away. We’ll fix that when we get into the new house. I’m all about them being as self-sufficient as possible.
One luxury I miss is the “snack cabinet”. I had one drawer in a cabinet dedicated to snacks that the kids could grab. They would ask if they could have a snack and sometimes I would tell them to get something from the snack cabinet. Now when they ask, I have to go grab the box for them. It’s not a huge deal, but it is a change. It takes some of their independence away. We’ll fix that when we get into the new house. I’m all about them being as self-sufficient as possible.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Laundromat
Warning: Please have a chuckle when you read this. A friend of mine told me this reminded him of the episode of “Friends” where Rachel tries to do laundry for the first time.
Tonight I needed to do laundry…BAD! Mark hasn’t been able to get the washing machine hooked up and we leave for Florida on Saturday. I decided to try out the laundromat in town. WOW!
First of all, it was the hottest day of the year. I know at one point the heat index was 112. There was NO air conditioning in this place. It was HOT!
Maybe Mark was right. Maybe I am spoiled. I don’t think I care though. This was quite an experience. First of all, I don’t know when the last time was I used a top loading washing machine. It took me the longest time to figure out where the soap went. I ended up pouring some in on top of the clothes only to read the instructions later that say the soap goes in prior to the clothes. What a racket! How the heck was I supposed to know that!?! Yes, you read that right, I couldn’t figure out a basic top loading washing machine. I’ve had a front loading machine for as long as I can remember. I’ve NEVER bought a top loading machine. There is no way I could have known how those things work. I sooooo felt like a fish out of water in this experience. It was like I was a college kid again out on my own for the first time. I just had to laugh.
On top of all of that, two machines wouldn’t work and one dryer wouldn’t. I think I lost like $7. Hopefully Mark gets the washer hooked up very soon!
Tonight I needed to do laundry…BAD! Mark hasn’t been able to get the washing machine hooked up and we leave for Florida on Saturday. I decided to try out the laundromat in town. WOW!
First of all, it was the hottest day of the year. I know at one point the heat index was 112. There was NO air conditioning in this place. It was HOT!
Maybe Mark was right. Maybe I am spoiled. I don’t think I care though. This was quite an experience. First of all, I don’t know when the last time was I used a top loading washing machine. It took me the longest time to figure out where the soap went. I ended up pouring some in on top of the clothes only to read the instructions later that say the soap goes in prior to the clothes. What a racket! How the heck was I supposed to know that!?! Yes, you read that right, I couldn’t figure out a basic top loading washing machine. I’ve had a front loading machine for as long as I can remember. I’ve NEVER bought a top loading machine. There is no way I could have known how those things work. I sooooo felt like a fish out of water in this experience. It was like I was a college kid again out on my own for the first time. I just had to laugh.
On top of all of that, two machines wouldn’t work and one dryer wouldn’t. I think I lost like $7. Hopefully Mark gets the washer hooked up very soon!
Termite treatment day
The termite guys showed up at 8:45 this morning! I wasn’t sure how they knew we had termites so I asked them to show me. It’s really something very easy to spot if you know what you are looking for. They assured me this wasn’t anything we had done wrong and it happens to people all of the time. Then they said BUT it will cost you some $ to fix it. Great! How much??? I had been prepared for something between $1,000 - $2,000. He looked at me and said “For you Darlin’, $800”. Whew!!! I’ll take it. I never knew what they did to treat those little suckers. They drill into the concrete about every 3 inches or so around the perimeter of the inside of the garage, patio, porch etc… then spray some stuff (I think) and then seal the holes back up. Took them three hours!! Learn something new all the time.
Did you also know that if you have termites, it increases your neighbor’s chance of having them or getting them in the future? I had no idea. The lesson I am taking away from this is that termites do not discriminate in any way. Our house was 3 – 4 years old. I didn’t think they attacked newer houses. I also learned it not my fault, and not to be naïve. I intent to have a termite inspection at our new house every 2 - 3 years. You just never know when they’ll appear. Two years ago when we bought the house everything was fine.
Did you also know that if you have termites, it increases your neighbor’s chance of having them or getting them in the future? I had no idea. The lesson I am taking away from this is that termites do not discriminate in any way. Our house was 3 – 4 years old. I didn’t think they attacked newer houses. I also learned it not my fault, and not to be naïve. I intent to have a termite inspection at our new house every 2 - 3 years. You just never know when they’ll appear. Two years ago when we bought the house everything was fine.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Wanna play a game?
We won’t have cable or internet at the pot-shack until we return from Florida on August 16th. Tonight Ryan asked me if I wanted to play a game. SURE! He chose Connect 4. I love that game. Lately, he’d been playing in the basement at the other house or watching iCarly on TV. Tonight was nice though. I love playing games like that. There were lots of smiles and some great bonding time. Making the most out of tight quarters.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Spoiled?
Today was another day of tears. This temporary house we are living in is very dark. Not much light comes in at all. It’s just not a very welcoming place. I was crying in bed and Mark said that he understood why I was so sad. This process had been so stressful. He also said that he thought I’d become spoiled by the houses we’ve lived in. He didn’t say it in a mean way, at all. He was very nice about it and he meant nothing negative by it at all. I never thought of myself as spoiled though. Quite the opposite actually. We’ve worked very hard for everything. We’ve never had anything just handed to us. It got me thinking though, have I become spoiled by things that I considered necessities in life but to others they are luxuries? Maybe. Will this process change me and make me not need those “luxuries” anymore? Not a chance in h*ll! It will probably make me appreciate them more though. My hope is that it will make the kids appreciate the little luxuries in life more too!
Don’t get me wrong. I know I should be thrilled that we sold our house in six weeks. AND it was our decision to sell it prior to building. We knew we’d need to rent. We just had no idea WHAT we would have to rent. Could we have done anything differently to avoid this situation? Not really. So we must keep our chins up and know that in a few months we’ll have our new home.
Don’t get me wrong. I know I should be thrilled that we sold our house in six weeks. AND it was our decision to sell it prior to building. We knew we’d need to rent. We just had no idea WHAT we would have to rent. Could we have done anything differently to avoid this situation? Not really. So we must keep our chins up and know that in a few months we’ll have our new home.
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