Friday, June 10, 2011

Blitzkrieg Bop

 

 

Do you know what is coming in August? Well, I will tell you. It's a Blitzkrieg of  Home Improvement. Why August? I'll tell you why. We will have help for 3 whole days! There is a lot that can be done to a house in 3 full days especially when someone has tools!

 

So what can you plan to do with 3 days, 2 extra people, plenty of tools, and some basic supplies?

 

I'll tell you!

 

The Plan:

 

 

Living Room:

·        New Laminate flooring (floor already purchased and sitting in the bathroom)

 

Kitchen:

·        New OTR Microwave installed

·        New Faucet installed

·        Install right side butcherblock countertops

·        Paint

·        install backsplash

 

Master Bedroom:

·        rip up old carpet

·        replace broken subfloor and level the damn thing out

·        new laminate wood floor

·        paint

 

Hall:

·        rip out old carpet

·        new laminate wood floor

Kids Room:

·        rip up old carpet

·        new laminate wood floor

 

 

A lot of this stuff can be done before we play out our "Battle over London" with Home Improvement and as I work on them I will post about them.

 

Because as Bob the Builder says "Can we do it? YES WE CAN!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Let's Just Take a Walk!

You would have to have been hiding under a rock for the last several years to not know that the Housing Market went bust and one of the places that was hit the hardest was Las Vegas, Nevada. Over the last 2 years I have watched a lot of my friends fight to save their homes. I have seen them fight hard. In the end every single one of them have lost.

 

I have also seen a few of my friends just look at each other and say "I'm not willing to fight. Let's give up walk away and get a fresh start." Most of these will walk away lesson learned and in a few years buy another home. This time smaller, cheaper, and smarter.

 

I've been asking myself for the last few days, "Do they have the right idea?" We have worked very hard for several years painfully putting the Chateau back together. It never seems to get better. We are still missing ceilings, flooring, doors are busted, there are holes in walls were moldy chunks have been removed. I wonder should we walk away? Would it be morally repugnant? Where would we go?

 

As an accountant I've done the math. It makes no fiscal sense to keep our Falling Down House yet, we do. We hang on with both hands that are slowly losing their grip. Our hearts are broken, our spirits are weak. Do we continue to make our children live in a place like this? Would it be safer to leave? Is there a place or people we can turn to for help?

 

I have no answers just more and more questions. C doesn't seem to have any idea either. I look to him for guidance and he just lowers his head and says "I don't know Sher." He walks away and we both dream of something better, something that seems so far out of reach.

 

Our little girl has surgery next week to place tubes in her ears. She has had ear infections almost non-stop since February. I ask myself as most mothers do "Is this my fault?"

I have the added burden of did the house cause this? If we lived in a safer, cleaner house, one with ceilings, and one that there is nothing moldy or broken would she have had this? Would she have become hard of hearing? Would she be struggling learning how to walk and talk? Could walking away from the Chateau Ghetto have prevented her pain?

 

I just don't know, and not knowing is killing me….

 

 

 

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Living Up to Its Name

 

 

 

I work my day job 8-5. By the time I get home with the babies it's usually 6pm. I try to clean up the house a bit, play with the kids and make dinner. Dinner is usually around 6:30 and the kids head upstairs by 7:00 bathed by 7:30. This leaves a half hour to snuggle, brush teeth, read books, say prayers, and talk about our day before lights out.

 

I've been fighting a sinus issue for the last few days so the kids and I have been getting micro waved TV dinners for our supper. Yesterday I got Goo and Gouda's done and it was time for mine. The bell dinged and I went to grab it. I smelled this horrible smell. My first thought was "what's on fire?" I looked around scared but couldn't see anything. I went to grab my dinner and that's when I noticed the microwave. It's one of those ones that mounts over the stove. It allows a heap more counterpace in our little kitchen.

 

Well, the Chateau Ghetto has claimed its next victim. The microwave is dead. The motor burned up and just over 2 years old.

 

 

RIP my first mother's day present….

Monday, June 6, 2011

Google Voice

I think I want to try out Google Voice. We don't get cell reception at the Chateau because of the Mountains and Nellis Air Force Base. However, a co-worker keeps telling me about how awesome this service is so I think I'm gonna try it and see.

I'll let you all know. Also if you've had great luck with it please let me know.