Day 137 - Lisa

Painting is done!  Floors have arrived!  Sink, faucet & stove are installed!  Still more to do but we are making progress!  It'll be nice to finally see things actually clean but that won't happen for a few more weeks.  ;>

Day 137 - Sis

I am not going to school for foreign languages but think foreign accents might be my next thing to study.  I've pretty much understand Mexican or any Latino accent, along with Portuguese, well they are two of my four bloodlines.  However, Eastern Bloc accents are much more difficult for me.  The accent could be of Bosnian, Croatian, Lithuanian or Russian and they all speak rapidly. I feel like my head swivels at mach speed and causes my brain to seize up.  Now the Georgia accent, not the country, the State, is another that takes me a while to process because my brain has to slooooow down and my mind starts to wander waiting for a sentence to end. Almost like the Tower of Babel trying to communicate with workers at our house, the Tower of Terror of needed repairs.

Day 136 - Lisa

The thought that within the next 3 weeks we might both be sleeping on real beds again seems unbelievable and emotional. LOL!  My back is giving us a standing ovation!

Day 136 - Sis

This is my checkbook and it use to get opened maybe once or twice a month.  In the last two weeks it gets opened once or twice a day.  Now placing a new packet of checks in for the future two weeks! Going to change the Bonnie Raitt song "Home" lyrics from- "home sings me of sweet things" to - home sings me of more needs!"

Day 135 - Lisa

Out with the old, in with the new.  See you later Mr. Heater and Mr. AC Unit.  We hardly knew you.   More changes at the ole' Money Pit.

Day 135 - Sis

Yes, I love flowers, nice dinners, cologne, jewelry, but right now, these two cards from my daughters means they truly understand in giving me exacting what I wanted!

Day 134 - Lisa

Thank you Francis Ford Coppola.  I love your wine Sofia.  I also love the bottle.  I might actually love the bottle more.  I have visions of a set of pretty candle holders once I'm done enjoying the second bottle.

Here's some info on this particular wine:

Feminine and stylish, with a fragrant perfume of fresh strawberries and lavendar, this rosé explodes with ripe, juicy flavors of cherry, raspberry and citrus zest. This refreshing wine is reminiscent of the popular dry rosés served in seaside café along the French Riviera. It’s crisp, delicate, and elegantly fruity with just a kiss of spice on the finish.

We typically harvest the grapes for our Sofia Rosé at a lower brix to ensure we get a light wine that pairs elegantly with food. For color extractions, the grapes are cold-soaked for 48 hours before the juice is separated from the skins.

• Alluring and refreshing, our Sofia Rosé is perfect for easy sipping on a lazy afternoon.
• Elegant blend of Monterey County Syrah and Grenache.

Day 134 - Sis

After seeing the weather report for Mother's Day earlier in the week and being asked by daughter number one what I'd like for dinner, my choice was easy.  Make me, ummm, fully loaded potato soup, for dinner. She did it justice, thank you Lisa.

Day 133 - Lisa

Brazilian Koa - that be our new flooring come next weekend.  After much deliberation and worry about your costs we decided to go with laminate.  We had laminate flooring at our other house and it held up really well.  Hardwood would have been fine if it was a couple rooms but not the entire house as carpet is not not an option with all of my sinus and allergy problems.  Cannot wait to get rid of the nasty carpet and really badly stained floors.  Woohoo!  Going to be interesting to see the whole floor laid out as the pattern is very "animal" like as in a zebra or tiger strips.  Speaking of animals.  Poor sunii is feeling lonely as we are gone for really long stretches of time.  She's not used to that but her attention getting antics when we are home have been pretty funny.  She's sitting in a Staples Copier paper work so I've been calling her Copy Cat with the laser printing eyes!

Day 133 - Sis

Our plan for today was to check our two storage units and move somethings to the house.  There's room in the basement to store items that won't be used right away. This would cut down on some of the expense of hiring a moving company. So there we stood in the smaller unit and this was our take of the day, two folding chairs.  Can't even imagine how much we saved in moving costs!

Day 132 - Lisa

My co-worker, Carolina sent us this surprise today.  I had given her a basket of fruit when she bought her first home a couple months ago.  We've been on this house hunting journey together. Commiserating at work about all the trials of trying to buy a home.  Today she returned the expression of congratulations on being a home owner with this beautiful bouquet of fruit.  As sweet as she is.

Day 132 - Sis

Second day of the ice puddle saga.  Even more water; start to sweep again, towels are placed and I call Lisa.  She has the guy's number we need him to come out as soon as possible. He was there within an hour. Finds two or three reasons why the iceberg is there and gets to work.  He makes a trip to supply store for a hose, pump and new filter.  Old filter has not been changed for quite some time, maybe five years! Filters needs to be changed every three months, six at the longest. Of course not the kind you can just pick up at local hardware stores. Spends the day working and explaining to me what he has done and is doing. I nod my head when I think I'm understanding.  Oh and the ice was inside all the box that the hose was attached to so the AC is now the problem. He has gauges and a leak finder that's buzzing like crazy. He had hoped the work he had done would help or even fix the reason for the icing but nope, not enough. From eleven to 5 p.m. he worked and his charge was unbelievably reasonable and he will discount that charge when we put in the NEW AC!

Day 131 - Lisa

Today was a very long day.  Eleven hours at work and then six hours at the house afterwards.  My mom was already there keeping tabs on the renovations.  I'd lined up the plumber, electrician, tile setter, landscaper, septic tank maintenance and chimney sweep over the past two days.  LOL  The electrician wanted to keep working so we stayed so he could finish.  My mom and I are zombies at this point.

So here's some before and after pictures of the progress so far.  We have a long way to go; patching the ceiling holes, painting and flooring still need to be done but boy do we have lights now.  The house was very poorly lit but we changed all that today!  We plan to flip the rooms.  Use the dining room as a  small family room and use the living room as our dining room.

We won't talk about the AC unit though.  That was not so good.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Day 131 - Sis

Arrived at house, find a large puddle of water in basement. This is the culprit, now what do we do? The gas company guy arrives in the afternoon to turn gas on.  Very friendly man and we tell him about the puddle since he will be in that room where the puddle originated.  He tells us of a friend, licensed, bonded who does this work. Good guy and reasonable.  Puts in a call, gives us the number. So now we have an icemaker in the refrigerator and in the basement!

Day 130 - Sis

Well it took a while for the guys to find it but now we know where our septic tank is.  Won't be planting a garden in this area, unless it's stink weed!

Day 130 - Lisa

We had many different services come through the new house today;  septic tank man, electricity man, gas man, window man but the chimney sweep man wins the day.  When he finished the job he told my mom "I left my card on the mantle."  My mom went in and saw the below.  He left us a little Bert.  So cute!  Now that is an awesome way to keep your business in your customers mind.

Day 129 - Sis

Since I don't have car but have to be at the house tomorrow to meet multiple people for the different house projects, I will call a cab.  So here's the bags I must have so that I can carry food supplies, important papers, some with instructions from my daughter and a few odds and ends. I'm truly a bag lady, but not homeless!

Day 129 - Lisa

Typhoon Green!  We've learned about movement, flow and veins; who knew granite was so complicated and artsy.  Our sales person chose the word movement to describe the granite, I chose busy.  My mom said the she was not big on the swirls, the sales person said it had personality and flow.  We did a lot of eye rolling as our sales person did the wave describing the oceanic atmosphere within the rock. My cousin Sharon, a countertop expert, told us our piece was veiny, we called it the rock with the least amount of swirly movement.  LOL!

Day 128 - Sis

I have been noticing the effects of the pressure on myself and how draining it is to once again to own a home.  Apparently it is even harder on my daughter with her job and the added pressure of our house purchase, she is extremely tired. So tired, she doesn't have the energy to park the truck completely in this space.

Day 128 - Lisa

Poor mamacita needs some loving.  We haven't been home much.  Course this all the touching I can do.  I pet a bit more to the left or right and sunii, the Warrior Kitty emerges and sweet kitty goes out the door.  This is why I wake up in the morning with scratches and blood spots all over me.  LOL

Day 127 - Lisa

Poor mama!  She is wiped out!  I told my mom now I know the definition of "dog-tired" it's when you use a metal bar as a pillow cause you just cannot get up and move.  LOL

Day 127 - Sis

We drive up hoping things are okay at our seven door wonder of a house.  It is, phew.  Lisa places orange post-its identifying the problem on all doors.  New locksmith, same company, arrives. A little weird to see a tiny man with a Mohawk and a very heavy Russian accent. He was a little upset that his fellow countryman did such an incredibly horrible job, or let's clarify that, when you turned the knob on the garage door to the kitchen, it fell out. LOL He was seething because he said this guy was not qualified to do this big of a job and it's happened more than once. This has left Russian # 2 doing the clean-up and dealing with the wrath of the consumers.  Not us, we did not rake him over the coals or threaten any retributions for Russian # 1's ineptness. Our Sunday Russian did a very good job and we are quite satisfied with it. Guess that answers the question, "How many Russians does it take to change out doorknobs?"  To offset this near disaster project, the GAS stove was delivered and should be installed by our, "ceritified" plumber/electrician, after he puts in the gas line for it. Oh, he is a tall man, with just a slight accent and no attitude. I'm thrilled.;-)

Day 126 - Lisa

Picked the colors for my bathroom and bedroom.  I got the blues!  About the post-it's on the doors.  When I have to leave notes for the locksmith about his work, it never good.  12 PAINFUL hours.

Day 126 - Sis

Dishwasher delivered. Small problem, we weren't told WE were suppose to disconnect old one and remove for installation of the new one.  Delivery men don't remove the item, only install, so here it sits until we can find someone to take care of it, plus now we have to find someone to haul the old one away. No biggie but it has to be installed before the granite is placed on top of the cabinet it  sits in.  Next problem of the day.  Decided and advised we should change all locks on our doors, all seven of them.  Okay, Lisa is able to get a locksmith out this very day.  Up drives this very petite man with an accent and a bit of an attitude. He starts work around one, has doorknob sets, deadbolts, screws, washers everywhere he's working and he begins another door before he finishes one.  At 6 p.m. with every door  either missing a doorknob, deadbolt or put together wrong  he gives and tells us he will have to get help tomorrow to finish.  Ah, what? Lisa tells him, "We can't leave without being able to lock the doors, we don't live her yet."  He's astounded, "You don't?"  Guess he didn't notice our makeshift dining set and no other furniture in all the areas he worked.   So he jerry rigged them to close, oh there also was one left with no doorknob in it!  It was plugged and covered with a plastic bag.  We leave for the night with fingers crossed, okay we were a little crossed too.

Day 125 - Lisa

oneeya enjoying her new backyard.  She was a very happy doggie!  On a somber note, I was so sad to find out about Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys passing away today.  He was a rapper, a singer, a musician, a director and a humanitarian but I love the picture below of him as a father.  Far too young at 47!  My fav of his rhymes, "One lone Beastie I be, all by myself with nobody."  Just tickled me to always sing it, for what reason, I have no clue and that's always the best.  Got to see the Beastie Boys with Run DMC back when Walk this Way and License to Ill took off.  They were so outrageous.  LOL

Day 125 - Sis

We are homeowners again and the adventure starts.  First we had to go to the attorney's office to sign all the paperwork.  Our agent, Cathy then invited us to lunch, fortunately it was a restaurant we all liked and Lisa and I had recently ate at for the first time.  So lunch was our second visit to, The Three Blind Mice and it's very close to our newly purchased home, less than a mile.  We enjoyed our meal and still had time before our first appointment. This card table served as our office, which means we lost our apartment dinette set. LOL

Day 124 - Sis

One day away from introducing oneeya to her new yard.  We've been telling her all about it for so long think she's just ignoring us.  Wait until she sees this view!

Day 124 - Lisa

Congratulations to my nephew Ryan.  Graduating from ASU today.  Very proud and curious to see how life unfolds for him.

Day 123 - Sis

Boxes being made for the move to go along with the ones in storage. If you count all of them and include the ones I had to make at different jobs over the years, I probably could have built a prefab house. The cat is grateful though to have some new hideouts.

Day 123 - Lisa

They are growing up fast.  Today I stopped and fed them Panda Express fried rice.  No one else wanted it.

Day 122- Sis

Read two books last month, one fiction, The Last Child and the other, non fiction, The Invisible Thread.  Enjoyed them both although very different story lines but similarities in the two boys written about as far as survival in a grown up or so called grown up world.  Don't know how much time I will have to read in the next few months, busy, busy, busy.

Day 122 - Lisa

I went here mentally several times today.  Just closed my eyes and daydreamed about the lazy ways of Nawlins, the warm fuzzy feeling of a drink, the pulse of the drum under my feet and the trumpet in my ears.  Less than 90 days away keeps me focused.

Day 121 - Sis

Very large trendy jewelry?  Only electric stove burner coils, that I will soon be rid of and like the old saying goes, cooking with gas!  By mid-June should have my cast iron pans heating up on new stove as long as we can get a gas line installed. Please, please!

Day 121 - Lisa

Agonizing trying to decide colors for my room.  I know it will be blue and brown but what shades of blue?  Perwinkle has my heart this week.   

Day 120 - Lisa

Um, my mom is freaking me out down there in that other box.  She looks like Javier Bardem from No Country for Old Men.  I think I'll sleep lightly till she gets her haircut.

Day 120 - Sis

No, I didn't forget to comb it, just proving I need a haircut.  I'm sure there are whispers that I should color it.  No to that. If I start with coloring then I have to get the wrinkles taken care and that isn't quick or cheap.