Scoundrels, Saturdays and Cleaning

Finally took actual possession on August 25, 2004. The sellers did a pretty lousy job of cleaning. The bathrooms were okay, but everything else was a mess. They left junk out at the curb (and $20 to pay for getting rid of it). They burned documents in the woodburning stove just prior to vacating. The left charred paper on the floor around the stove. The windows are filthy. The carpet that we're not replacing is filthy. It smells of smoke in there. Saturdays are for cleaning and preparing for paint!







Met the neighbor across the street. His name is Leon. Seems like a pretty nice guy. His wife's name is Connie. According to him, the sellers used to burn just about anything in the wood stove. That didn't do much good for his wife's breathing difficulties.

Notice how that awful giant tiled mirror is now gone. That's Mom using a putty knife to remove the double-sided foam tape from the wall. On Sunday, we got the two upstairs bedrooms all covered with primer. We'll be ready to finish the job when we return from our trip to Washington/Oregon! Then maybe the carpet can arrive...

Other things to worry about: Heavy rains a few days ago showed up as a ceiling leak in the family room. Gotta get someone to look at that. Also, I'm already sick of the big tree in the middle of the driveway. That's gotta go. Hello pavement.

Decisions are hard!

This has been my rallying cry (read: whine) for about a week, now.

I think we've reached a couple, though. We are definitely (probably) in agreement on carpet and wall color for the two upstairs bedroom. And the mirrors on the bedroom wall ARE coming down, because I just hate them so, so much.

No big news, but Neil got utilities hooked up, so yay!

No reason to get excited

Top ten things I am excited about with regard to this whole house thing:

10) Don't have to call anyone to get permission to paint the walls.

9) Nasty carpet is so gone. (Instead of something you just live with because, well, you have to.)

8) I get a GARDEN! YAY! Peas straight off the vine, bay-bies!

7) A Room of One's Own. Namely, a sewing room. All for me.

6) Heated garage. Hank will be overjoyed. (Unless he's so shocked he goes into a car-coma.)

5) My ideas will actually become reality, at least part of the time. I get to plan things for, you know, the future.

4) Dinner parties. Patio parties. Barbeques. Movie nights. In short, we'll have room to entertain. (Our last place, maximum occupancy was somewhere around 4. Including the two of us.)

3) I want a hammock. There's a distinct possibility I'll actually get one. (Good thing, since the yard is made for it.)

2) Guest bedroom. (Woot!)

1) The place feels like home. I can't quite quantify the rightness of this purchase in any other words. I walked in the door, and had to blink back tears because it's just perfect for us, right now.

Nothing says "I love you" like arguing over carpet

Neil closed on the house on Tuesday, August 10. (The same day my niece was born, no less.)

I was in Port Heiden. But I read the paperwork, and it appears we have a house.

We get to actually take physical possession of the house on August 25.

We spent the weekend arguing over flooring for the upstairs, and choosing paints. We've settled on a pale yellow wall color for our bedroom with a dark sage/mossy color carpet; the other upstairs room will be painted a warm vanilla and have medium sandy-brown carpet.

Now to figure out what sort of faux texture to put on the walls ...

The search is over

(Apologies to Survivor)

After a year of watching the Multiple Listing Service, an ill-fated attempt to buy a condo, and way more sleepless nights than either of us would care to count (or recount), we found our home.



It needs some work.

OK, it needs plenty of work. (But it's inhabitable, as is, and that's the important thing, here.)

Closing is supposed to be next week. I can't wait!