Home Sweet Home

All moved in ... not yet settled! I began moving my things into my "new" home last week. I am finally beginning to feel a bit more organized!

Saturday and Sunday (last week) were moving days. My water heater wasn't working (it needed a new element) so I stayed with my sister for a couple days until I had hot water. Luke moved in on Monday (apparently he didn't mind cold showers!) and we got the water heater fixed. Tuesday night was my first night at home. Welcoming!!!

Wednesday was not so welcoming, as I came home at 11pm to find that my kitchen and basement had FLOODED. We had been fixing the sink and one of the shut-off valves came loose while we were away from home. GALLONS of water had gone through the kitchen and soaked down into the basement carpet.

Chris and Luke were my heroes of the evening and helped me vacuum up 6 wet-vac's full of water. We set fans up for a couple of nights, and everything is just fine now. Praise God, none of my things got wet. Just the floor. I am unpacking, painting, and trying to get everything where it should be. It feels GREAT!

Currently Watching House, M.D. - Season One see related

My "forthcoming" home improvement post is past due. I am feeling a tad bit under the weather today and I am in bed ... no excuse for not having time to post.

I haven't downloaded any pictures yet, so they will not be seen today. But, the past two months have been extremely busy.

I purchased the house on May 8th. I needed to have the wiring re-done in the whole house. So, Luke, Adam and I went to work ripping out the basement ceiling and the tile backsplash in the kitchen. Once that was done, the electricians went to work. I had plaster walls, and wanted to sheetrock over them eventually (they were rather rough). I told the electricians they could "knock holes in the wall if it was more convenient and they could get the job done faster". Permission granted, my fault! They knocked HUGE holes in every wall, and my "someday" sheetrock job was upon me.

Once again, brothers by my side, I started a project. Instead of ripping the sheetrock down, this time we were hanging it. We completed Phase One in early June, and continued on to Phase Two: taping, mudding, and texturing. Phase two was very time consuming, and it was finished two weeks ago. Phase Three of Project Home Improvement is in process as we speak (rather, as you read): Luke is sanding down my hardwood floors preparing them to be refinished. They are BEAUTIFUL. I tore out all of the carpet and I think the end result of hardwood throughout the house will be a reward worth working for. And work it is!

I came across a quote today that I got a chuckle out of. I share it with you now (especially for those of you who are LONG TERM homeowners and have never ending projects ... take heart ... this may give you a new perspective ... or perhaps a new excuse!!!)

"Why would we (or anyone else) suddenly be tempted to sell a house into which we had invested years of effort and sacrifice? I think the answer may have more to do with mortality than with fickleness. There's something deeply chilling about thinking that you may have put your life into something like its final order. Finishing the dining room was like turning the last page of a good book: oh, no, what will we do now? As long as there is bare Sheetrock somewhere, you don't have to confront the thought that everything eventually comes to an end. I rebuilt the inside of my closet a dozen years ago, but I still haven't painted it, and very possibly I never will. The closer you get your house to what you think you want it to be, the less power it has to pull you forward through your life. That's why you leave the kitchen tiles ungrouted."   

~ From Sheetrock & Shellac: A thinking Person's Guide to the Art and Science of Home Improvement by David Owen. Copyright © 2006 by David Owen.

I'm terrible at Xanga. Never think to post. A home-improvement update will be forthcoming, but in the meantime I thought ya'll would like to see how cute my nephew is.

Currently Watching Persuasion see related

To Grandmother's house I go ....

...but only temporarily. In a joint effort with my mother, I'm going to be issuing the annual offering to the IRS this weekend on behalf of my grandparents' business. Taxes. I'm afraid render unto Caeser is often done with the tight fist of an unwilling checkbook. The books were in order when I left in December. My hope is for everything to come together with ease.

I am looking forward to going back down to Medford to see my family and friends. I have been home for three months now. A quarter of a year. Gone for four months before that. How can time go by so quickly? A fleeting thought ... a vanishing moment ... time never returned ... have I used it wisely? A daily contemplation.