I feel like the poor old groundhog, scared to look out for fear of seeing my shadow. My last post was 10 days ago and I talked about the necessity of creating a Pesach cleaning plan and making myself accountable. Then I disappeared.
Well, life happens. Specifically, new babies happen! No, not mine. My Eldest Daughter's. But combine a new baby (and one whole night with no sleep while my daughter was in labour) together with 3 little girls who are off school, the Olympics, two kiddie birthday parties, various and sundry family members and close friends traipsing in and out to see the little guy and, well, you get the idea.
What, if anything has been done?
Well, my son-in-law and his dad did get the drywall down, fixed what needed to be fixed, and then put up the drywall again. It still needs taping, mudding and sanding before much of anything can be done in Dear Child's room. I did go through the big bin that had been stored but Dear Child was thrilled to see most of the items after 3 years, my hubby vetoed getting rid of certain other items and it's still 3/4 full. Sigh. Honestly, I think she could have lived without the baby doll, the baby Cabbage Patch and 2 big stuffed Care Bears at the very least! I know some will say that I should have gone through the bin by myself or forced her to give away more, but I've been on the other end of it and I still recall how upset I was (back when I was about 11).
Other than that, I've done a lot of laundry and hung up more of DC's things (in my closet) and I started sorting out paperwork that's stacked on the trunk and table (in an area I'm not supposed to even be in yet). I also started to make a detailed list in excel based on a spreadsheet I saw elsewhere. I worked on it for about 2 hours and was very satisfied with it. I just wanted to add another worksheet for Things To Buy, so I did that and tried to edit the tab of the worksheet to say "To Buy" and excel totally messed up on me at that point. It tried to tell me there was something wrong with what I was calling it (there wasn't), and listed that it couldn't be more than so many characters, no special characters and couldn't be blank. It wouldn't let me get out of the tab, wouldn't let me switch to another sheet, wouldn't let me save, wouldn't even let me close excel! It took 2 tries using Task Manager to eventually force excel to close. Needless to say, I lost the entire thing. I was not a happy camper and went to bed that night in a huff! The next day I recreated it from scratch and successfully saved it. In fact, I improved on the format, but I still didn't like having to do all that work twice! And, of course, that was a "planning the work" segment. Still have to work the plan!
As for money, I've been paying my bills and trying to get the MasterCard back down to where it was before. I did pay off the flooring I bought but then ended up having to charge DC's birthday party, which was held out of the house for what should be obvious reasons! I've since paid down another $90. That pretty much covered last month's interest charge ($91.43). Then I paid part of the money for the party but have to wait another couple of weeks to finish paying that off. And, today, I charged the first 1/3 of DC's dental surgery. We're paying it in 3 payments, each a month apart. I'm hoping that my hubby will get paid the commission on a couple of bigger jobs he's done recently by the end of March. Then we can pay the surgery off and be done with it. The good news is that it turned out to cost considerably less than originally anticipated, about $1,700 when we'd been led to expect that it would be about $3,000.
Right now I'm just trying to get through the week until Thursday, when the surgery takes place. And take baby steps on my cleaning plan until then.
Showing posts with label renovations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label renovations. Show all posts
Monday, February 22, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Passover Planning
Okay, this is what I was talking about the other night when I was suffering from caffeine-induced insomnia. Passover starts the last week of March and it's already almost the middle of February. My house could politely be described as a mess. We clean for Passover so that we don't have any crumbs anywhere (because we have to get rid of all leavened products for the duration of the holiday). Generally, people also do a lot of other cleaning and tidying at the same time because it helps you find the leavened stuff (called chametz in Hebrew). Right now, I'm hard pressed to even find any horizontal surfaces in my home (including most of the floor) because everything from my daughter's room is all over everywhere.
I have bins of Barbies and stuffed animals, trays of art supplies, boxes of school projects and clothes, her globe, baskets of books, etc. etc. all over my living room. Most of the bins look like they've thrown up their contents. Then, I have her little table in the middle of my kitchen, the chairs in the living room, her comforter across the foot of my bed, her hanging clothes in my closet and her laundry on the floor by the foot of my bed. Oh yes, and her lamps on my dining room table.
My Dear Child's room is still empty and taped off. My Son-in-Law got to the point of replacing the ceiling drywall but found that it didn't all meet up evenly and that he couldn't find a place to sink some of the necessary drywall screws. His dad was in town for just a day or two, so didn't have time to work on it but the problem apparently also affects the kitchen floor upstairs. They need to remove the new drywall, do something up above and then replace it. Of course, after that the drywall will need taping, mudding and sanding (at least a couple of days, what with the mud needing to dry in between). Then he's going to texture the ceiling (which I loathe, but he says he can't do an even enough job to look totally flat, so the texture is necessary) and repaint some of the upper parts of her wall that got damaged during the process to date.
Unfortunately, his dad won't be back until after Eldest Daughter has the baby (any day now, so he'll probably return within the next couple of weeks) and I can't put in the new floor until the ceiling is finished. I don't want paint or drywall compound or drywall dust all over my new floor! And the floor isn't a single evening project. Did I mention that I can't put anything back in the bedroom until both ceiling and floor are finished?
The original plan I made for Passover had me finishing the floor and refilling her room by Jan 31st, spending the next 2 weeks on the living room, 2 weeks on the foyer and 3rd bedroom (including tiling the floor, moving furniture and assembling a wardrobe we've had for about 2 years already), 2 weeks in the master bedroom and, finally, 2 weeks in the kitchen (and adjacent bathroom) and also included doing tiling and replacing cabinets and counters!
Okay, it was ambitious. Very ambitious. I'm now at the point where I should be finishing the living room and I haven't started anything because of the whole situation with the bedroom! I'm frustrated and that's part of what's holding me back. Realistically, while I can't do many of the things I'm supposed to be doing (or should have already completed) there are small areas where I could do something.
For example, I could clean off the mantel and a couple of the bookshelves. I could try to clear off the chaise longue (although I'm not sure where I can put DC's coats) and I could buy the wooden frame from IKEA that is meant to hold her bins. I could assemble it, empty and clean the bins, then only put cleaned and checked toys back into the bins. Then those toys would be off limits until Passover (the hard part). I could also go through her big bin of toys that's been sitting in storage and is currently in our 3rd bedroom. Most of those toys have been outgrown I think and maybe I could get rid of a bunch of them. Then any toys I'm not willing or able to clean for Passover could go in the bin. Those toys could be played with in the interim and then the bin could be sealed shut and sold for the duration of Passover.
On the reno front, I could rip out the carpet in DC's room and lay the DriCore (because it doesn't matter if it gets paint or dust on it).
So, here's a basic revised plan, week by week:
1. Starting Sunday, work on accessible areas in the living room and do the floor prep in DC's room. Work on the bins and toys.
2. Work on the living room areas that are revealed when I move the toys. Clean up the part of the foyer where we put the shoes & DC's backpack. Once Hubby reorganizes the shed, move the boxes that belong there out of the foyer. Rip out carpet in 3rd bedroom and move big items around in it.
3. Tile & grout the floor in the foyer and 3rd bedroom. Move the furniture into their final places. Build the single wardrobe. Move my grandmother's trunk from beside the table into the 3rd bedroom.
4. Work on the master bedroom. Do floor in DC's room (by this time the ceiling had better be fixed!) and move all her stuff back in.
5. Finish the master bedroom. Finish the living room. Start work on the kitchen, beginning with table area and corner by bathroom. Clean fridge. Box up stuff to be sold for Passover (regular dishes, pots, etc.).
6. Continue work on the kitchen, whether I'm doing a reno or scrubbing out the existing lower cabinets. Do reno the upper cabinets at least so we'll have a place to put the Passover food (since the pantry cupboard is the one that fell apart a few months ago). Clean stove.
7. Finish up the kitchen on Sunday the 28th and start cooking for the seders (Monday & Tuesday nights).
Just looking at all of that is pretty scary. Remember, we're also going to have a new baby upstairs, I'm planning to go to the house for a couple of days during the 2nd week, Dear Child is off school until the end of the Olympics, she's having dental surgery on Feb. 25th and we'll be busy with Purim on the 28th (of Feb.). Oh right, and I work! But I don't have any better ideas. If I don't at least try to work this plan I won't be ready at all and what will we do then? Move out for the duration of Passover?
So, plan the work, work the plan. Rinse and repeat.
I have bins of Barbies and stuffed animals, trays of art supplies, boxes of school projects and clothes, her globe, baskets of books, etc. etc. all over my living room. Most of the bins look like they've thrown up their contents. Then, I have her little table in the middle of my kitchen, the chairs in the living room, her comforter across the foot of my bed, her hanging clothes in my closet and her laundry on the floor by the foot of my bed. Oh yes, and her lamps on my dining room table.
My Dear Child's room is still empty and taped off. My Son-in-Law got to the point of replacing the ceiling drywall but found that it didn't all meet up evenly and that he couldn't find a place to sink some of the necessary drywall screws. His dad was in town for just a day or two, so didn't have time to work on it but the problem apparently also affects the kitchen floor upstairs. They need to remove the new drywall, do something up above and then replace it. Of course, after that the drywall will need taping, mudding and sanding (at least a couple of days, what with the mud needing to dry in between). Then he's going to texture the ceiling (which I loathe, but he says he can't do an even enough job to look totally flat, so the texture is necessary) and repaint some of the upper parts of her wall that got damaged during the process to date.
Unfortunately, his dad won't be back until after Eldest Daughter has the baby (any day now, so he'll probably return within the next couple of weeks) and I can't put in the new floor until the ceiling is finished. I don't want paint or drywall compound or drywall dust all over my new floor! And the floor isn't a single evening project. Did I mention that I can't put anything back in the bedroom until both ceiling and floor are finished?
The original plan I made for Passover had me finishing the floor and refilling her room by Jan 31st, spending the next 2 weeks on the living room, 2 weeks on the foyer and 3rd bedroom (including tiling the floor, moving furniture and assembling a wardrobe we've had for about 2 years already), 2 weeks in the master bedroom and, finally, 2 weeks in the kitchen (and adjacent bathroom) and also included doing tiling and replacing cabinets and counters!
Okay, it was ambitious. Very ambitious. I'm now at the point where I should be finishing the living room and I haven't started anything because of the whole situation with the bedroom! I'm frustrated and that's part of what's holding me back. Realistically, while I can't do many of the things I'm supposed to be doing (or should have already completed) there are small areas where I could do something.
For example, I could clean off the mantel and a couple of the bookshelves. I could try to clear off the chaise longue (although I'm not sure where I can put DC's coats) and I could buy the wooden frame from IKEA that is meant to hold her bins. I could assemble it, empty and clean the bins, then only put cleaned and checked toys back into the bins. Then those toys would be off limits until Passover (the hard part). I could also go through her big bin of toys that's been sitting in storage and is currently in our 3rd bedroom. Most of those toys have been outgrown I think and maybe I could get rid of a bunch of them. Then any toys I'm not willing or able to clean for Passover could go in the bin. Those toys could be played with in the interim and then the bin could be sealed shut and sold for the duration of Passover.
On the reno front, I could rip out the carpet in DC's room and lay the DriCore (because it doesn't matter if it gets paint or dust on it).
So, here's a basic revised plan, week by week:
1. Starting Sunday, work on accessible areas in the living room and do the floor prep in DC's room. Work on the bins and toys.
2. Work on the living room areas that are revealed when I move the toys. Clean up the part of the foyer where we put the shoes & DC's backpack. Once Hubby reorganizes the shed, move the boxes that belong there out of the foyer. Rip out carpet in 3rd bedroom and move big items around in it.
3. Tile & grout the floor in the foyer and 3rd bedroom. Move the furniture into their final places. Build the single wardrobe. Move my grandmother's trunk from beside the table into the 3rd bedroom.
4. Work on the master bedroom. Do floor in DC's room (by this time the ceiling had better be fixed!) and move all her stuff back in.
5. Finish the master bedroom. Finish the living room. Start work on the kitchen, beginning with table area and corner by bathroom. Clean fridge. Box up stuff to be sold for Passover (regular dishes, pots, etc.).
6. Continue work on the kitchen, whether I'm doing a reno or scrubbing out the existing lower cabinets. Do reno the upper cabinets at least so we'll have a place to put the Passover food (since the pantry cupboard is the one that fell apart a few months ago). Clean stove.
7. Finish up the kitchen on Sunday the 28th and start cooking for the seders (Monday & Tuesday nights).
Just looking at all of that is pretty scary. Remember, we're also going to have a new baby upstairs, I'm planning to go to the house for a couple of days during the 2nd week, Dear Child is off school until the end of the Olympics, she's having dental surgery on Feb. 25th and we'll be busy with Purim on the 28th (of Feb.). Oh right, and I work! But I don't have any better ideas. If I don't at least try to work this plan I won't be ready at all and what will we do then? Move out for the duration of Passover?
So, plan the work, work the plan. Rinse and repeat.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Review Day & February Goals
It was Wednesday. It was payday. And my Hubby had transferred money to my account. Guess what I did this morning before breakfast? I paid bills, of course!
That made me think about my goals for the year. How am I doing with those? What should I work on this month?
Overall, I'm doing well with the money. Both the Home Depot payment plans are history. That's just over $1,500 worth of debt we've paid off between about November and now. I have post-dated cheques for another debt we're chewing away at and I'm on track with that. I've opened a TFSA and there's already $150 in it. I have $10/week going into my ING Emergency Fund. No, that's not a lot but it's going in there nice and regular. The IKEA account is all paid off and can no longer be used because they changed companies that provide the credit card services. As of today, I think I'm current on all my bills. The one thing I still need to do for this pay period is to go to the credit union, take out $45 in cash and then deposit it into my other credit union via the ATM. That's the set-aside money each payday for my electric bill, garbage, property taxes and fuel oil at our rural home. Next winter, when it's time for a fuel oil delivery, I'll have the money all saved up.
On the other hand, I've been charging stuff for the city house on my MasterCard. In fact, Capital One put a fraud hold on my card after the third time I used it in 2 days! What did I buy? I spent $20.11 at IKEA on 4 D cell batteries, 10 votive candle holders and a pair of sheer drapes (2 panels). I bought $129.37 worth of DriCore (including a levelling kit) at one Home Depot and, the next day at a different Home Depot, I spent $229.75 on tiles for the foyer and 3rd bedroom, as well as concealing film for the bedroom windows, a closet pole that will fit Dear Child's closet at the rural house (it's an odd size) and a grouting sponge. Bad? Not really. I had to buy the reno supplies before the end of January to be able to cash in on the home renovation tax credit. And I needed the supplies to finish important projects that will make our part of the house a lot better looking. Plus, I've paid down $149.48 of that already today.
The fraud thing was actually pretty funny. I've barely used the card over the past year or more, so 3 transactions in 2 days was obviously suspicious! I got that all straightened out with a quick phone call.
What are my goals for February?
1. Pay for Dear Child's birthday party.
2. Pay at least $229.75 to MasterCard
3. Stay current with all the other bills.
4. Get the treatment plan for DC's dental surgery and figure out how to pay for that.
5. Make arrangements for Dog's Passover vacation and pay at least $100 towards that.
Got any goals for February that you'd like to share?
That made me think about my goals for the year. How am I doing with those? What should I work on this month?
Overall, I'm doing well with the money. Both the Home Depot payment plans are history. That's just over $1,500 worth of debt we've paid off between about November and now. I have post-dated cheques for another debt we're chewing away at and I'm on track with that. I've opened a TFSA and there's already $150 in it. I have $10/week going into my ING Emergency Fund. No, that's not a lot but it's going in there nice and regular. The IKEA account is all paid off and can no longer be used because they changed companies that provide the credit card services. As of today, I think I'm current on all my bills. The one thing I still need to do for this pay period is to go to the credit union, take out $45 in cash and then deposit it into my other credit union via the ATM. That's the set-aside money each payday for my electric bill, garbage, property taxes and fuel oil at our rural home. Next winter, when it's time for a fuel oil delivery, I'll have the money all saved up.
On the other hand, I've been charging stuff for the city house on my MasterCard. In fact, Capital One put a fraud hold on my card after the third time I used it in 2 days! What did I buy? I spent $20.11 at IKEA on 4 D cell batteries, 10 votive candle holders and a pair of sheer drapes (2 panels). I bought $129.37 worth of DriCore (including a levelling kit) at one Home Depot and, the next day at a different Home Depot, I spent $229.75 on tiles for the foyer and 3rd bedroom, as well as concealing film for the bedroom windows, a closet pole that will fit Dear Child's closet at the rural house (it's an odd size) and a grouting sponge. Bad? Not really. I had to buy the reno supplies before the end of January to be able to cash in on the home renovation tax credit. And I needed the supplies to finish important projects that will make our part of the house a lot better looking. Plus, I've paid down $149.48 of that already today.
The fraud thing was actually pretty funny. I've barely used the card over the past year or more, so 3 transactions in 2 days was obviously suspicious! I got that all straightened out with a quick phone call.
What are my goals for February?
1. Pay for Dear Child's birthday party.
2. Pay at least $229.75 to MasterCard
3. Stay current with all the other bills.
4. Get the treatment plan for DC's dental surgery and figure out how to pay for that.
5. Make arrangements for Dog's Passover vacation and pay at least $100 towards that.
Got any goals for February that you'd like to share?
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Starting 2010 the DIY Way
Well, as I was writing in the response I made to RivkA's comment to my previous post, I have to decide whether or not we're going to replace Dear Child's floor once we get access back to her room (since right now it's taped shut with clear tarp over the door, closet and dresser). I think it will probably cost about $400 for both the DriCore and the flooring itself. Oh, and baseboards.
It's certainly the right time to do this while all the furniture (except the dresser) is already out of the room. And there's no question that the horrible carpeting that was here when we moved in should go. Even if it was nice carpeting I'd want to replace it with wood because of my asthma. And, believe me, it's not nice. I had a very large straw mat I got in Fiji probably 25 years ago down over most of the exposed floor surface before and a small sheepskin right by the bed. Wood would be so much nicer. Wood is good.
However, it's money I hadn't planned on spending and it would end up going on yet another no interest payment plan at Home Depot. Now, it's true that it looks like my Hubby's commissions are picking up somewhat and he has a big job or 2 in process right now but probably won't see money for them for a couple of months. It doesn't make sense to wait until the money is in hand though from the point of view of getting our daughter back into her room. And getting our living room, kitchen and dining table back to normal.
I also have to think about how long it's going to take to actually do the floor. I'm not the fastest person at these things but I do a good job. Probably a couple of evenings for the DriCore and about the same for the floor (although if I go with engineered I'll be gluing it, which takes longer and also needs an extra day to dry). I don't want to do the baseboards. I hate the mitred cuts. If my Son-in-Law will cut the baseboards that will be okay. He did a pretty good job of them in the girls' room upstairs.
So I think I've rationalized myself into an additional reno job over and above the ones I really need to do around here (like finishing the bathroom or redoing my kitchen cabinets, or putting in the tile floor). And this is after I laid the floor in the girls' room with my Eldest Daughter's able assistance (also not something that had been on my list). I'd ask her to help me with this one in exchange but I feel guilty about asking someone who's 8 months pregnant to help lay a floor. My Hubby is totally not handy with renos and my S-in-L has more than enough renos to do in his part of the house right now. Sigh.
And from a financial viewpoint I do worry to a certain extent about the effect of taking on additional debt just as I'm paying off some from last year. It's not that I'm worried we won't have the money to pay it off when it comes due. I'm actually pretty good at that. It's just that I hate to be moving in the "wrong direction" if you know what I mean. I guess I just have to be really vigilant about paying other stuff when I'm supposed to, setting aside money for things that will come due later, putting that little bit away every week into the Emeergency Fund, etc. etc. You know, all those good habits I said I was going to develop this year.
And I did pay off the first of the 2 Home Depot amounts. On time. The next one is due in February and will be more challenging but I'm sure we can do it.
It's certainly the right time to do this while all the furniture (except the dresser) is already out of the room. And there's no question that the horrible carpeting that was here when we moved in should go. Even if it was nice carpeting I'd want to replace it with wood because of my asthma. And, believe me, it's not nice. I had a very large straw mat I got in Fiji probably 25 years ago down over most of the exposed floor surface before and a small sheepskin right by the bed. Wood would be so much nicer. Wood is good.
However, it's money I hadn't planned on spending and it would end up going on yet another no interest payment plan at Home Depot. Now, it's true that it looks like my Hubby's commissions are picking up somewhat and he has a big job or 2 in process right now but probably won't see money for them for a couple of months. It doesn't make sense to wait until the money is in hand though from the point of view of getting our daughter back into her room. And getting our living room, kitchen and dining table back to normal.
I also have to think about how long it's going to take to actually do the floor. I'm not the fastest person at these things but I do a good job. Probably a couple of evenings for the DriCore and about the same for the floor (although if I go with engineered I'll be gluing it, which takes longer and also needs an extra day to dry). I don't want to do the baseboards. I hate the mitred cuts. If my Son-in-Law will cut the baseboards that will be okay. He did a pretty good job of them in the girls' room upstairs.
So I think I've rationalized myself into an additional reno job over and above the ones I really need to do around here (like finishing the bathroom or redoing my kitchen cabinets, or putting in the tile floor). And this is after I laid the floor in the girls' room with my Eldest Daughter's able assistance (also not something that had been on my list). I'd ask her to help me with this one in exchange but I feel guilty about asking someone who's 8 months pregnant to help lay a floor. My Hubby is totally not handy with renos and my S-in-L has more than enough renos to do in his part of the house right now. Sigh.
And from a financial viewpoint I do worry to a certain extent about the effect of taking on additional debt just as I'm paying off some from last year. It's not that I'm worried we won't have the money to pay it off when it comes due. I'm actually pretty good at that. It's just that I hate to be moving in the "wrong direction" if you know what I mean. I guess I just have to be really vigilant about paying other stuff when I'm supposed to, setting aside money for things that will come due later, putting that little bit away every week into the Emeergency Fund, etc. etc. You know, all those good habits I said I was going to develop this year.
And I did pay off the first of the 2 Home Depot amounts. On time. The next one is due in February and will be more challenging but I'm sure we can do it.
Monday, December 28, 2009
The Crack in the Ceiling
Well, if it isn't one thing, it's another. We suddenly had a big, scary crack open up in the ceiling in our Dear Child's room on Shabbos. My Eldest Daughter's kitchen is directly above and it turns out that water has been leaking from the sink under the base cabinets and I guess the floor is giving way. Did I say scary? Very, very scary. The fridge is right beside the cabinets in question and one of our first moves was to Move. The. Fridge. Because, you know, it isn't heavy or anything. Luckily a friend's non-Jewish boyfriend and his dad happened to come over and moved it for us.
The fridge is now in ED's living room, which isn't great but it's a lot better than having it in DC's bedroom! If we hadn't moved it, that would have been a distinct possibility. Considering that it would have landed at least partially on the bed I'm wondering if we should be bentching gomel! (This is a short prayer said in shul thanking G-d for having been saved from a life-threatening situation.) Dear Child was sleeping in there when the crack developed and I was also in there for part of the night because she had a bad dream and I snuggled her back to sleep. Of course, I didn't see it then because it was dark but it was apparent first thing in the morning.
My son-in-law came back from his parents' place with the girls late Saturday night (the original plan had been to drive back today) and we've done a bunch of preparatory work. DC's room has been emptied except for her dresser (far enough from the damaged area), one kitchen cabinet has been removed and the flooring pulled up. Next, S-in-L plans to open up DC's ceiling to assess the damage from below and determine how far the problem goes. Not that it really matters. The next cabinet to come out is the sink cabinet and then there a couple of small ones and a large corner cupboard. It only makes sense to take them all out because they'll never be able to match them. That means they're going to be doing dishes in the bathroom for a while.
The lucky thing is that IKEA is apparently having a Kitchen Event starting January 4th. (I'm not sure why they're doing that, as they just had one for the whole month of November, but let's not look a gift horse in the mouth.) The kids can't even really afford to do an IKEA kitchen right now (plus new sink, faucet, counter, etc.) with the baby due in a few weeks but this is work that can't be put off in any way.
Once the floor and subfloor are repaired and we're sure everything is safe they can replace the cabinets. Oh yes, and install his parents' gift to them -- a new dishwasher! And we can fix the ceiling in DC's room. Maybe we'll finally get around to replacing her light fixture with the one we bought ages ago. I'm also seriously thinking about ripping up the nasty carpet in her room and putting in Dri-Core and a wood floor. I mean, everything is out of there. When else are we going to do it? I still have some materials left over from when I did the living room, but I'd need some more at least. It won't cost a fortune because I'm pretty sure the room is less than 100 square feet. We'll see. I do want to get the room back in order fairly soon though. Right now she's sleeping with one or the other of us and her "stuff" is all over the living room and kitchen.
The really frustrating thing is that this is happening just after my daughter and S-in-L finished redoing their girls' bedroom because the roof had been leaking and there was water damage to the ceiling and wall. It seems like there is always money to be spent somewhere (and big money at that!). They can't really afford it much better than we can. As for me, the only money I'll spend is on flooring if I decide to redo the floor.
The fridge is now in ED's living room, which isn't great but it's a lot better than having it in DC's bedroom! If we hadn't moved it, that would have been a distinct possibility. Considering that it would have landed at least partially on the bed I'm wondering if we should be bentching gomel! (This is a short prayer said in shul thanking G-d for having been saved from a life-threatening situation.) Dear Child was sleeping in there when the crack developed and I was also in there for part of the night because she had a bad dream and I snuggled her back to sleep. Of course, I didn't see it then because it was dark but it was apparent first thing in the morning.
My son-in-law came back from his parents' place with the girls late Saturday night (the original plan had been to drive back today) and we've done a bunch of preparatory work. DC's room has been emptied except for her dresser (far enough from the damaged area), one kitchen cabinet has been removed and the flooring pulled up. Next, S-in-L plans to open up DC's ceiling to assess the damage from below and determine how far the problem goes. Not that it really matters. The next cabinet to come out is the sink cabinet and then there a couple of small ones and a large corner cupboard. It only makes sense to take them all out because they'll never be able to match them. That means they're going to be doing dishes in the bathroom for a while.
The lucky thing is that IKEA is apparently having a Kitchen Event starting January 4th. (I'm not sure why they're doing that, as they just had one for the whole month of November, but let's not look a gift horse in the mouth.) The kids can't even really afford to do an IKEA kitchen right now (plus new sink, faucet, counter, etc.) with the baby due in a few weeks but this is work that can't be put off in any way.
Once the floor and subfloor are repaired and we're sure everything is safe they can replace the cabinets. Oh yes, and install his parents' gift to them -- a new dishwasher! And we can fix the ceiling in DC's room. Maybe we'll finally get around to replacing her light fixture with the one we bought ages ago. I'm also seriously thinking about ripping up the nasty carpet in her room and putting in Dri-Core and a wood floor. I mean, everything is out of there. When else are we going to do it? I still have some materials left over from when I did the living room, but I'd need some more at least. It won't cost a fortune because I'm pretty sure the room is less than 100 square feet. We'll see. I do want to get the room back in order fairly soon though. Right now she's sleeping with one or the other of us and her "stuff" is all over the living room and kitchen.
The really frustrating thing is that this is happening just after my daughter and S-in-L finished redoing their girls' bedroom because the roof had been leaking and there was water damage to the ceiling and wall. It seems like there is always money to be spent somewhere (and big money at that!). They can't really afford it much better than we can. As for me, the only money I'll spend is on flooring if I decide to redo the floor.
Monday, November 9, 2009
I'm Recovering, So it Must be Time to Overdo
This was another typically crazy Sunday. I spent about 6 and a half hours laying a laminate floor (including putting down underlay) in my granddaughters' bedroom with my Eldest Daughter. Hubby took Dear Child and the older of the 2 girls to the movies, which kept them out of our hair. The "baby" on the other hand was at home and we tried to keep her occupied with videos and dressing up. There were still a lot of interruptions and she managed to put off her nap for literally hours. What we wouldn't have done for a typical day where she sleeps soundly for 2 1/2 hours right after lunch!
However, we did almost finish, except for the last row where about half a dozen boards need to be ripped. We felt 8:30 pm was a little late to be using the power saws outside. I think we can probably finish up tomorrow after everybody is done with work and school. If not, we're all off on Wednesday for Remembrance Day. There's still a new heat register to buy and the baseboards to buy and install. Luckily they have a nailer that takes both staples and brads. Equally luckily, I don't have to pay for any of this because it's not my part of the house.
Afterwards I sat down to look at my bills and my bank balances again. Yes, I had to pay some more bills and still have more to pay. I have money for some of the remaining ones, but not all, and it's not going to get any better on my payday because I'll be getting just over half a cheque. Darn being sick anyway! Once I update my bank book and transfer some more money to the credit union I'll be able to finish paying as many bills as possible.
I'm mostly recovered from the flu now, although I'm still coughing and having some difficulties breathing. And I'm tired a lot. By the end of this afternoon I could barely get off the floor to go cut boards and I got kind of shaky but I made it. Oh yeah. Remember when I said maybe I'd lose some weight? I dropped 6 pounds and ended up at 125 (my goal is 120) and I've only gained back one pound since I started eating normally again and getting better hydrated. I bet my upcoming book, entitled "The H1N1 Diet" will be a best-seller! No calorie counting, no exercise and you can lose five pounds a week. What a deal!
However, we did almost finish, except for the last row where about half a dozen boards need to be ripped. We felt 8:30 pm was a little late to be using the power saws outside. I think we can probably finish up tomorrow after everybody is done with work and school. If not, we're all off on Wednesday for Remembrance Day. There's still a new heat register to buy and the baseboards to buy and install. Luckily they have a nailer that takes both staples and brads. Equally luckily, I don't have to pay for any of this because it's not my part of the house.
Afterwards I sat down to look at my bills and my bank balances again. Yes, I had to pay some more bills and still have more to pay. I have money for some of the remaining ones, but not all, and it's not going to get any better on my payday because I'll be getting just over half a cheque. Darn being sick anyway! Once I update my bank book and transfer some more money to the credit union I'll be able to finish paying as many bills as possible.
I'm mostly recovered from the flu now, although I'm still coughing and having some difficulties breathing. And I'm tired a lot. By the end of this afternoon I could barely get off the floor to go cut boards and I got kind of shaky but I made it. Oh yeah. Remember when I said maybe I'd lose some weight? I dropped 6 pounds and ended up at 125 (my goal is 120) and I've only gained back one pound since I started eating normally again and getting better hydrated. I bet my upcoming book, entitled "The H1N1 Diet" will be a best-seller! No calorie counting, no exercise and you can lose five pounds a week. What a deal!
Monday, April 13, 2009
More Kosher Kitchen Talk
Betty from Bouncing Back from Bankruptcy sent me a link to an article about a couple whose kosher kitchen renovation cost about $100,000. While the reno cost is enough to make me stagger it was actually a pretty good article and has inspired me to talk even more about my own kitchen than I've been doing recently (really, quite a lot).
First of all, it's very nice to have 2 dishwashers, 2 sinks, 2 wall ovens, a warming drawer, Sub Zero fridge, etc. etc. ad infinitum but it's not necessary in order to keep kosher. You don't even need a very big kitchen, although it's nice to actually have counter space (something I usually don't have enough of).
What do I consider essential? Now that they're readily available and not overly expensive, I wouldn't want to have to do without a stove with both Sabbath mode and a self clean oven. I have 2 identical stoves. One is in my rural home. The other one is here. So, obviously, I can't designate one for dairy and one for meat. What do I do? The 2 left hand burners are meat and the 2 right hand ones are dairy. The oven is dairy and I have a convection oven that's about 15 or 20 years old and the size of a big old microwave oven that I use for meat. I also have a microwave that's dairy (mostly used for popping microwave popcorn and baking potatoes).
Most of the sinks I've had over the past 20 years have been double sinks but the critical aspect has been that they're stainless steel and can therefore be kashered (unlike porcelain or enamel). I don't wash the dishes in them directly anyway. I have plastic dishpans that fit inside (a blue one for dairy and a green one for meat) and the dishracks sit on opposite sides of the sink, although the dairy one is the only one that stays out pretty well all the time.
I probably couldn't manage without my dairy toaster oven. It's extra large, big enough for 6 slices of bread at once. Toast is a lunchtime favorite around here with the little girls and it's great to be able to do everybody's at once. I can also fit in 2 or 3 pita pizzas or make a big tray of fries. And I use my meat crock pot pretty well every Shabbos.
You don't need a warming drawer to keep food hot on Shabbos. I have a Salton hot tray that works like a charm. It's about the size of a cookie sheet, keeps 2 different constant heats all the time and the hot spot on it keeps soup really hot. I bought a big Israeli style plata (the same idea only all metal surface and only one temperature) for Passover this year but it's too big for the counter. I didn't use it and I'm thinking about trying to take it back.
Two dishwashers would be quite the luxury but right now I'd happily settle for one (which I'd use for dairy because that's what we generally eat 6 days a week). Besides, my meat dishes have gold or platinum trim and that sort of thing gets worn off in a dishwasher over time.
I didn't spend $10k on a Sub Zero fridge with Sabbath mode. I just unscrew the light bulbs so they don't come on when you open the fridge on Shabbos! Some people are very careful to only open the fridge on Shabbos if the motor is already running (so they don't risk making it come on) but I'm just quick with the in and out. I don't leave the door open for long enough that it comes on. And look, I saved $9,000 over the Sub Zero model!
I wouldn't mind a little apartment size deep freeze but it's not necessary by any means. When I had one years ago it was often half empty or full of bread! In my current kitchen I'd like to rip all the cabinets out and replace them with IKEA ones. I like solid surface countertops or ones made out of granite or soapstone but I'd take Formica. I have my eye on a stainless farm style sink and a nice gooseneck faucet. Speaking of water, you couldn't pay me to have one of those pot-fillers by the stove since I won't cook with tap water. I like white subway tile for a backsplash and I love islands and breakfast bars (although they're not even possible in my current kitchen). And I'd like to put in a microwave/range hood combination because it's a great space saver.
First of all, it's very nice to have 2 dishwashers, 2 sinks, 2 wall ovens, a warming drawer, Sub Zero fridge, etc. etc. ad infinitum but it's not necessary in order to keep kosher. You don't even need a very big kitchen, although it's nice to actually have counter space (something I usually don't have enough of).
What do I consider essential? Now that they're readily available and not overly expensive, I wouldn't want to have to do without a stove with both Sabbath mode and a self clean oven. I have 2 identical stoves. One is in my rural home. The other one is here. So, obviously, I can't designate one for dairy and one for meat. What do I do? The 2 left hand burners are meat and the 2 right hand ones are dairy. The oven is dairy and I have a convection oven that's about 15 or 20 years old and the size of a big old microwave oven that I use for meat. I also have a microwave that's dairy (mostly used for popping microwave popcorn and baking potatoes).
Most of the sinks I've had over the past 20 years have been double sinks but the critical aspect has been that they're stainless steel and can therefore be kashered (unlike porcelain or enamel). I don't wash the dishes in them directly anyway. I have plastic dishpans that fit inside (a blue one for dairy and a green one for meat) and the dishracks sit on opposite sides of the sink, although the dairy one is the only one that stays out pretty well all the time.
I probably couldn't manage without my dairy toaster oven. It's extra large, big enough for 6 slices of bread at once. Toast is a lunchtime favorite around here with the little girls and it's great to be able to do everybody's at once. I can also fit in 2 or 3 pita pizzas or make a big tray of fries. And I use my meat crock pot pretty well every Shabbos.
You don't need a warming drawer to keep food hot on Shabbos. I have a Salton hot tray that works like a charm. It's about the size of a cookie sheet, keeps 2 different constant heats all the time and the hot spot on it keeps soup really hot. I bought a big Israeli style plata (the same idea only all metal surface and only one temperature) for Passover this year but it's too big for the counter. I didn't use it and I'm thinking about trying to take it back.
Two dishwashers would be quite the luxury but right now I'd happily settle for one (which I'd use for dairy because that's what we generally eat 6 days a week). Besides, my meat dishes have gold or platinum trim and that sort of thing gets worn off in a dishwasher over time.
I didn't spend $10k on a Sub Zero fridge with Sabbath mode. I just unscrew the light bulbs so they don't come on when you open the fridge on Shabbos! Some people are very careful to only open the fridge on Shabbos if the motor is already running (so they don't risk making it come on) but I'm just quick with the in and out. I don't leave the door open for long enough that it comes on. And look, I saved $9,000 over the Sub Zero model!
I wouldn't mind a little apartment size deep freeze but it's not necessary by any means. When I had one years ago it was often half empty or full of bread! In my current kitchen I'd like to rip all the cabinets out and replace them with IKEA ones. I like solid surface countertops or ones made out of granite or soapstone but I'd take Formica. I have my eye on a stainless farm style sink and a nice gooseneck faucet. Speaking of water, you couldn't pay me to have one of those pot-fillers by the stove since I won't cook with tap water. I like white subway tile for a backsplash and I love islands and breakfast bars (although they're not even possible in my current kitchen). And I'd like to put in a microwave/range hood combination because it's a great space saver.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Turning the Kitchen Over Part One
Well, I'm still massively behind on my Pesach cleaning but I'm on track with the kitchen!
On Thursday I received my dairy order, which meant that I had to clean most of my fridge. I still have to clean the big bottom glass shelf that covers the vegetable bins and the bottom shelf on the door (where the last of the chametz has been hanging out) but I'll do that tomorrow. Upstairs. In Eldest Daughter's bathtub, seeing as I still don't have a functional one of my own.
I made a point of "using up" food for Shabbat and after Shabbos was over I cleared the counters, scrubbed them, cleaned the stove top, scrubbed the burner pans with steel wool, scrubbed the double sink with steel wool and then self-cleaned the oven (sticking the burner pans in there on the rack). Now everything has to sit for 24 hours and then I can kasher the kitchen. That entails self-cleaning the oven again, pouring boiling water over the counters and sink and turning the burners up to max for at least 10 minutes each. Then I can cover the counters again with transparent contact paper.
I still have to scrub the inside of the pots & pans cupboard and the pantry cupboard and then line them so I can put stuff inside.
Since I can't kasher the kitchen until the middle of the night tomorrow night I am faced with the dilemma of what to do Sunday during the day. I have lots of general cleaning to do but there is also the tiling. Do I clean, or do I tile? If I don't tile I won't have a usable bathroom until a week or two after Pesach ends. If I tile on Sunday and grout on Monday my son-in-law can put in the vanity, countertop, new toilet etc. whenever he can. Well, he'd have to put in the toilet Monday night but the other stuff could go in then or when he's off on the following Sunday and Monday (he has a whole 5 days off at the beginning of Passover). And I could build the wardrobe in my multitudinous spare time (HA!) on Monday or Tuesday and put the coats into it.
But that cuts into my time for doing things like reboxing papers and suchlike and sticking them into the bottom of the closet. Or for reorganizing the storage room to try to get more into there. I have to spend some time on Dear Child's room because it's still full of boxes and I can't even get at her table and chairs, which I need for the kid's table at the seder! I have a bunch of laundry to do and the rooms all need to have floors washed, swept or vacuumed.
What will I do? I honestly don't know yet. I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow. Stay tuned for Part Two!
On Thursday I received my dairy order, which meant that I had to clean most of my fridge. I still have to clean the big bottom glass shelf that covers the vegetable bins and the bottom shelf on the door (where the last of the chametz has been hanging out) but I'll do that tomorrow. Upstairs. In Eldest Daughter's bathtub, seeing as I still don't have a functional one of my own.
I made a point of "using up" food for Shabbat and after Shabbos was over I cleared the counters, scrubbed them, cleaned the stove top, scrubbed the burner pans with steel wool, scrubbed the double sink with steel wool and then self-cleaned the oven (sticking the burner pans in there on the rack). Now everything has to sit for 24 hours and then I can kasher the kitchen. That entails self-cleaning the oven again, pouring boiling water over the counters and sink and turning the burners up to max for at least 10 minutes each. Then I can cover the counters again with transparent contact paper.
I still have to scrub the inside of the pots & pans cupboard and the pantry cupboard and then line them so I can put stuff inside.
Since I can't kasher the kitchen until the middle of the night tomorrow night I am faced with the dilemma of what to do Sunday during the day. I have lots of general cleaning to do but there is also the tiling. Do I clean, or do I tile? If I don't tile I won't have a usable bathroom until a week or two after Pesach ends. If I tile on Sunday and grout on Monday my son-in-law can put in the vanity, countertop, new toilet etc. whenever he can. Well, he'd have to put in the toilet Monday night but the other stuff could go in then or when he's off on the following Sunday and Monday (he has a whole 5 days off at the beginning of Passover). And I could build the wardrobe in my multitudinous spare time (HA!) on Monday or Tuesday and put the coats into it.
But that cuts into my time for doing things like reboxing papers and suchlike and sticking them into the bottom of the closet. Or for reorganizing the storage room to try to get more into there. I have to spend some time on Dear Child's room because it's still full of boxes and I can't even get at her table and chairs, which I need for the kid's table at the seder! I have a bunch of laundry to do and the rooms all need to have floors washed, swept or vacuumed.
What will I do? I honestly don't know yet. I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow. Stay tuned for Part Two!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Lots O' Progress and a No Spend Day
Wow. I was really busy today.
I donated 6 boxes of books (about 1/2 of them hard cover) to charity (and still have 2 more small boxes, 1 of non-English books to give to the nursing home and 1 of Jewish books in English to give to the Jewish library).
I took 3 boxes of household items to Value Village.
I donated 2 bags of clothes (one was a bag Eldest Daughter packed but it was mostly things I'd passed along to her to take what she wanted first).
The front foyer is not tiled but it is basically empty and it's clean for Pesach! All that remains in it are 2 boxes containing an IKEA wardrobe (to be built as soon as the tiling is done), a small stack of the floor tiles I'm putting down there, the bags of thinset and grout, the 5 gallon bucket for mixing the thinset and the trowels.
I also cleaned out my clothes from the master bedroom closet and went through all the boxes on the closet floor!
And I washed, dried and put away 2 loads of laundry. I'm exhausted, but I feel like I did a lot. I'm still disappointed that I didn't get the tiling done. I really want to do it before Pesach so I can get the bathroom finished. It would really be nice to have a sink back in there and to be able to use the new tub. I just don't know when I can do it though. It will take me the better part of a day to tile, the next day is for grouting and then things can go back into place. A Sunday is clearly the best time for the actual tiling but next Sunday is when I'm supposed to turn the kitchen over, which is pretty much an all day thing in and of itself. I don't want to put myself in the position of turning the kitchen over late and not leaving myself enough time to cook for the seders and Shabbos (which follow each other 1, 2, 3 this year so I really need to have cooking done in advance).
At least all of this work today has freed up enough good boxes (along with some I'd already accumulated) that I can start boxing up the kitchen now. Well, not right now. Maybe tomorrow.
Right now I'm planning on going to bed and to sleep. I slept a lot on Shabbos but I'm still on the mend from what turned out to be strep throat and I need more rest. But today was a very successful day and I didn't spend a cent!
I donated 6 boxes of books (about 1/2 of them hard cover) to charity (and still have 2 more small boxes, 1 of non-English books to give to the nursing home and 1 of Jewish books in English to give to the Jewish library).
I took 3 boxes of household items to Value Village.
I donated 2 bags of clothes (one was a bag Eldest Daughter packed but it was mostly things I'd passed along to her to take what she wanted first).
The front foyer is not tiled but it is basically empty and it's clean for Pesach! All that remains in it are 2 boxes containing an IKEA wardrobe (to be built as soon as the tiling is done), a small stack of the floor tiles I'm putting down there, the bags of thinset and grout, the 5 gallon bucket for mixing the thinset and the trowels.
I also cleaned out my clothes from the master bedroom closet and went through all the boxes on the closet floor!
And I washed, dried and put away 2 loads of laundry. I'm exhausted, but I feel like I did a lot. I'm still disappointed that I didn't get the tiling done. I really want to do it before Pesach so I can get the bathroom finished. It would really be nice to have a sink back in there and to be able to use the new tub. I just don't know when I can do it though. It will take me the better part of a day to tile, the next day is for grouting and then things can go back into place. A Sunday is clearly the best time for the actual tiling but next Sunday is when I'm supposed to turn the kitchen over, which is pretty much an all day thing in and of itself. I don't want to put myself in the position of turning the kitchen over late and not leaving myself enough time to cook for the seders and Shabbos (which follow each other 1, 2, 3 this year so I really need to have cooking done in advance).
At least all of this work today has freed up enough good boxes (along with some I'd already accumulated) that I can start boxing up the kitchen now. Well, not right now. Maybe tomorrow.
Right now I'm planning on going to bed and to sleep. I slept a lot on Shabbos but I'm still on the mend from what turned out to be strep throat and I need more rest. But today was a very successful day and I didn't spend a cent!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Payday Wednesday and Some Progress
I got paid today and received the pay advice while I was at work (usually it's sent to my home). I opened it and just about had a heart attack when I looked at the amount. I knew the cheque was going to be a little smaller than my past few cheques because I didn't work quite as many hours as usual but I wasn't expecting it to be around $250 smaller!
I pulled up my time sheet and compared it to my pay advice and discovered it was 9 hours short, compared to what I'd actually worked. That'll do it. I called the accountant at our Head Office back east and she promised to correct it tomorrow. So I'll have a cheque for roughly the net difference in my hands sometime on Friday (G-d willing).
Regardless, I still needed to take care of some business today. My son-in-law was off, so I was able to work until 2:30 pm. Dear Child was having early dismissal again today, so I picked her up and went to update my passbook. We went to Pini's Pizza on the way home (our local kosher pizza place) but not for pizza. They also stock groceries and I wanted a few very specific things for Passover before they disappeared from the store.
When I went through my menus from last Pesach and the notes I wrote just afterwards I saw that we had bought and enjoyed fish sticks with a potato coating twice last year. So I bought another 2 boxes, double bagged them and stuck them in the freezer. I also bought shmurah matzo meal, a special (stricter) form of matzo meal where the grain used to make the matzos was watched from the time it was harvested to make sure it couldn't have gotten wet (which would disqualify it from being used for Passover). And I bought us each a small package of cheese puffs, which are almost never available (at least not kosher). Those we ate in the car before we ever got home! Hey, everybody needs a treat now and then.
When we got home I made chocolate chunk cookies with DC and my 4 year old granddaughter because I'd promised we'd do it today before I got so sick. After that I went to bed for a while and Hubby took the girls to Play Dome (a spring break midway under the dome at BC Place). I lay around with the TV off, read some blogs, had a cup of chai tea and just generally tried to get a bit of rest. Well, I started a load of laundry too, but that just takes a couple of minutes.
When they came home I got dinner started (veggie cheeseburgers with mushrooms on challah buns) but turned the final part over to Hubby and went back to bed until it was ready. After we ate I rebooted the laundry and did a bit of work in DC's room. I got 3 or 4 more boxes into her closet, verified that 6 other boxes in her room contain fragile items that are supposed to go in the glass front cabinet (assuming it ever gets attached to the wall) and went through part of a box of clothes. Her room still isn't done but it's looking a little emptier every day. As for working on my bedroom, that was kind of what the load of laundry was all about. The clothes were all scattered about and now they're a) clean and b) not lying on the floor.
I paid the overdue portion of my cell bill and wrote cheques for Dog's upcoming boarding (or as we like to think of it, his vacation). Oh yes, and I cleaned out most of the fridge. When you consider how sick I am, I really accomplished a lot. Too bad there's still so much more to do.
I pulled up my time sheet and compared it to my pay advice and discovered it was 9 hours short, compared to what I'd actually worked. That'll do it. I called the accountant at our Head Office back east and she promised to correct it tomorrow. So I'll have a cheque for roughly the net difference in my hands sometime on Friday (G-d willing).
Regardless, I still needed to take care of some business today. My son-in-law was off, so I was able to work until 2:30 pm. Dear Child was having early dismissal again today, so I picked her up and went to update my passbook. We went to Pini's Pizza on the way home (our local kosher pizza place) but not for pizza. They also stock groceries and I wanted a few very specific things for Passover before they disappeared from the store.
When I went through my menus from last Pesach and the notes I wrote just afterwards I saw that we had bought and enjoyed fish sticks with a potato coating twice last year. So I bought another 2 boxes, double bagged them and stuck them in the freezer. I also bought shmurah matzo meal, a special (stricter) form of matzo meal where the grain used to make the matzos was watched from the time it was harvested to make sure it couldn't have gotten wet (which would disqualify it from being used for Passover). And I bought us each a small package of cheese puffs, which are almost never available (at least not kosher). Those we ate in the car before we ever got home! Hey, everybody needs a treat now and then.
When we got home I made chocolate chunk cookies with DC and my 4 year old granddaughter because I'd promised we'd do it today before I got so sick. After that I went to bed for a while and Hubby took the girls to Play Dome (a spring break midway under the dome at BC Place). I lay around with the TV off, read some blogs, had a cup of chai tea and just generally tried to get a bit of rest. Well, I started a load of laundry too, but that just takes a couple of minutes.
When they came home I got dinner started (veggie cheeseburgers with mushrooms on challah buns) but turned the final part over to Hubby and went back to bed until it was ready. After we ate I rebooted the laundry and did a bit of work in DC's room. I got 3 or 4 more boxes into her closet, verified that 6 other boxes in her room contain fragile items that are supposed to go in the glass front cabinet (assuming it ever gets attached to the wall) and went through part of a box of clothes. Her room still isn't done but it's looking a little emptier every day. As for working on my bedroom, that was kind of what the load of laundry was all about. The clothes were all scattered about and now they're a) clean and b) not lying on the floor.
I paid the overdue portion of my cell bill and wrote cheques for Dog's upcoming boarding (or as we like to think of it, his vacation). Oh yes, and I cleaned out most of the fridge. When you consider how sick I am, I really accomplished a lot. Too bad there's still so much more to do.
Monday, March 16, 2009
To Dos and Ta Das
Here is my To Do List for today, with what I accomplished marked off on it.
Go to IKEA
Buy pink and white bins for Dear Child’s room DONE
Ask about white cover to fit sofa bed NO
Look at quilt covers DONE
Look at kitchen cabinets NO
Go through big toy box and weed out DONE
Go through non-fragile boxes in DC’s room, eliminate, consolidate & put in DC’s closet IN PROG
Do laundry, get it all off DC’s bed IN PROG
Buy new frying pan DONE
Take clothes for donation DONE
Take books for donation NO
Take other household items for donation NO
This week I've been concentrating on my Dear Child's room. I went to IKEA because there was no way I could organize her room without some more bins. Every time I look her Barbie dolls and Webkinz have multiplied again. I can barely find her bed under all the stuffed animals (okay and laundry too, because the laundry equipment is on the other side of the door in her room that leads to the other half of the house). Clean, unfolded laundry tends to end up at the foot of her bed.
I did 2 loads of laundry and still need to do more, especially white laundry. I also went through 3 boxes in her room and got rid of 2. No, I didn't get rid of everything in 2 boxes. I repacked the biggest box, took things out I need to use, threw away some junk, recycled a phone book, etc. And some things are still lying around, waiting for a more appropriate box to go into.
I got rid of a huge box from the restoration company that was mostly junk in the form of baby toys (rattles, anyone?), stuffed animals she never played with and sadly deflated balls and balloons. Cleverly, I did this while she was at a play date because (like her mother) DC refuses to part with the smallest scrap of paper, gift from strangers holding yard sales, etc. This was all stuff she hadn't seen or played with in at least 2 and a half years and I kept toys that actually held meaning (like the crocheted Beatrix Potter character) or that I knew she'd really play with (like a Ken to go with all those Barbies). But it wasn't in her room. No, it was in the living room.
I also took Eldest Daughter to Wal-Mart for something she wanted and managed to get a replacement for my frying pan, which met a burnt and sticky end the other week when Hubby left the heat on under it after dinner was done. And I dropped off 2 bags of outgrown kiddy clothes and toys in good shape in one of those big metal bins. I meant to go back with some of the books I'm getting rid of because they have a book bin beside the clothing one but it started to snow again so I didn't. It looks like you have to feed the bin one book at a time and I have a big box. I'd rather do it on a decent day. And I'm still not sure where to take the miscellaneous household items. Is there a place to drop things off at Value Village?
Yes, I said it was snowing. This is just ridiculous. All the spring flowers are out and I saw pussy willows on the trees a few days ago. It isn't supposed to snow here, period. And certainly not during Spring Break. Luckily, it was very wet snow and has totally disappeared already. Of course, it may start again in the middle of the night but I sincerely hope not.
Anyway, what does any of this have to do with my financial situation? Well, I must admit, I put the stuff from IKEA (about $45 worth) on my IKEA card. It has a horrible interest rate (28%) but I haven't been carrying a balance and I do hope to pay off the card in a timely manner. I'm afraid Pesach is usually a time when there's a fair bit of juggling in order to pay for everything but at least I get 3 paycheques next month.
Go to IKEA
Buy pink and white bins for Dear Child’s room DONE
Ask about white cover to fit sofa bed NO
Look at quilt covers DONE
Look at kitchen cabinets NO
Go through big toy box and weed out DONE
Go through non-fragile boxes in DC’s room, eliminate, consolidate & put in DC’s closet IN PROG
Do laundry, get it all off DC’s bed IN PROG
Buy new frying pan DONE
Take clothes for donation DONE
Take books for donation NO
Take other household items for donation NO
This week I've been concentrating on my Dear Child's room. I went to IKEA because there was no way I could organize her room without some more bins. Every time I look her Barbie dolls and Webkinz have multiplied again. I can barely find her bed under all the stuffed animals (okay and laundry too, because the laundry equipment is on the other side of the door in her room that leads to the other half of the house). Clean, unfolded laundry tends to end up at the foot of her bed.
I did 2 loads of laundry and still need to do more, especially white laundry. I also went through 3 boxes in her room and got rid of 2. No, I didn't get rid of everything in 2 boxes. I repacked the biggest box, took things out I need to use, threw away some junk, recycled a phone book, etc. And some things are still lying around, waiting for a more appropriate box to go into.
I got rid of a huge box from the restoration company that was mostly junk in the form of baby toys (rattles, anyone?), stuffed animals she never played with and sadly deflated balls and balloons. Cleverly, I did this while she was at a play date because (like her mother) DC refuses to part with the smallest scrap of paper, gift from strangers holding yard sales, etc. This was all stuff she hadn't seen or played with in at least 2 and a half years and I kept toys that actually held meaning (like the crocheted Beatrix Potter character) or that I knew she'd really play with (like a Ken to go with all those Barbies). But it wasn't in her room. No, it was in the living room.
I also took Eldest Daughter to Wal-Mart for something she wanted and managed to get a replacement for my frying pan, which met a burnt and sticky end the other week when Hubby left the heat on under it after dinner was done. And I dropped off 2 bags of outgrown kiddy clothes and toys in good shape in one of those big metal bins. I meant to go back with some of the books I'm getting rid of because they have a book bin beside the clothing one but it started to snow again so I didn't. It looks like you have to feed the bin one book at a time and I have a big box. I'd rather do it on a decent day. And I'm still not sure where to take the miscellaneous household items. Is there a place to drop things off at Value Village?
Yes, I said it was snowing. This is just ridiculous. All the spring flowers are out and I saw pussy willows on the trees a few days ago. It isn't supposed to snow here, period. And certainly not during Spring Break. Luckily, it was very wet snow and has totally disappeared already. Of course, it may start again in the middle of the night but I sincerely hope not.
Anyway, what does any of this have to do with my financial situation? Well, I must admit, I put the stuff from IKEA (about $45 worth) on my IKEA card. It has a horrible interest rate (28%) but I haven't been carrying a balance and I do hope to pay off the card in a timely manner. I'm afraid Pesach is usually a time when there's a fair bit of juggling in order to pay for everything but at least I get 3 paycheques next month.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Still Having Posting Issues and I'm FRUSTRATED
Okay, every day it seems to get more and more difficult to get in here to write a post. I don't have time to spend a half hour just trying to get into a new post. Even the trick I used last time wasn't working and I've signed in and out several times. This time I got here eventually using "Edit Posts" on the dashboard.
I know Dolly has been having problems too but is it just us or is anybody else on Blogger having a hard time?
Anyway, I wanted to post an update about my bathroom renovation and my progress (or lack thereof) in getting ready for Passover.
The bathroom is definitely "in progress". I have a new tub and surround. The faucet for the tub is in but not the showerhead or the tap that controls the water and the silicone seal around the tub still needs to be done. The vanity is out and primed (except for the doors and drawers). Once it's painted the new ceramic top and fixtures can be attached and it can go back into the room. The drywall is done, mudded and sanded 3 times and is now ready to be primed. The light fixture is out and there's a worklight plugged into the GFI plug. There is a fine layer of drywall dust over everything. The old toilet is still in and the floor needs to be done once that comes out.
My son-in-law's dad goes back home tomorrow and won't be back for 2 or 3 weeks as I understand it. I guess we'll see how much we can get through without him. Washing in the kitchen sink and using the mirror over the fireplace is a hassle and I really don't want to be doing it from now until Pesach. I need a full day to lay floor tile though, so that probably won't happen until next Sunday at the earliest. Besides, I want the room fully painted first so I don't have to kill the first person who drips paint all over the new floor tiles!
I'm still way behind on the Passover cleaning and having the reno incomplete means I'm even further behind. Sigh. Tomorrow is the Fast of Esther, followed by Purim tomorrow night and all day Tuesday. I'll be really busy until it's over but then I really have to get it in gear or I'll be pulling the dreaded all-nighters before the end!
Pesach food is starting to appear in the stores and I've bought a couple of things, knowing that they wouldn't be around if I wait. I still have to order the special matzo that we use though and all our dairy products. And the meat. And figure out how to get wine this year. It used to be much easier but the BC Liquor Control Board is a giant pain and has made our lives much more difficult for the past year or so. I bought stuff from their very limited selection last year and it really wasn't good for drinking at the seder when you're having 4 cups each within a period of a couple of hours. Plus it's incredibly expensive and I need about a case. At $19 to $25 per bottle, that's painful. I used to be able to get exactly what I needed for about half the price or a little less.
But that's a whole other rant and one I probably shouldn't start at all, since I'm eventually going to want to be on their good side in order to get my longed-for winery up and running at some point a few years from now. There are enough hoops to jump through in the licensing process (and a whole other set of hoops for kosher certification) that I don't need to borrow trouble.
This is just a busy, busy time of the year and probably wasn't the best time to do the bathroom but I've been waiting a long time for this and this was when the guys were available to do it. Of course, if this wasn't the day of the Purim Carnival at the JCC and the big birthday party for my granddaughters we might have actually gotten a bunch of work done today. As we say in Hebrew, gam zu le tova [this too will be for the good].
The party was fun and wasn't nearly as hectic as some I've been to recently, although I was baking cupcakes for the party about an hour before it started. I think the girls all had a good time and my oldest granddaughter (now 6, just like Dear Child) got to stay for a bit extra while her folks went to look at apartments (to rent, not buy). They have to move in the next month or so and are having a hard time finding anything decent that works for her school, their work and will take both a child and a cat. Oh, and doesn't cost a couple of thousand dollars per month. Gotta love that Vancouver housing market.
Happy Purim everybody! I'll be back as long as Blogger lets me in!
I know Dolly has been having problems too but is it just us or is anybody else on Blogger having a hard time?
Anyway, I wanted to post an update about my bathroom renovation and my progress (or lack thereof) in getting ready for Passover.
The bathroom is definitely "in progress". I have a new tub and surround. The faucet for the tub is in but not the showerhead or the tap that controls the water and the silicone seal around the tub still needs to be done. The vanity is out and primed (except for the doors and drawers). Once it's painted the new ceramic top and fixtures can be attached and it can go back into the room. The drywall is done, mudded and sanded 3 times and is now ready to be primed. The light fixture is out and there's a worklight plugged into the GFI plug. There is a fine layer of drywall dust over everything. The old toilet is still in and the floor needs to be done once that comes out.
My son-in-law's dad goes back home tomorrow and won't be back for 2 or 3 weeks as I understand it. I guess we'll see how much we can get through without him. Washing in the kitchen sink and using the mirror over the fireplace is a hassle and I really don't want to be doing it from now until Pesach. I need a full day to lay floor tile though, so that probably won't happen until next Sunday at the earliest. Besides, I want the room fully painted first so I don't have to kill the first person who drips paint all over the new floor tiles!
I'm still way behind on the Passover cleaning and having the reno incomplete means I'm even further behind. Sigh. Tomorrow is the Fast of Esther, followed by Purim tomorrow night and all day Tuesday. I'll be really busy until it's over but then I really have to get it in gear or I'll be pulling the dreaded all-nighters before the end!
Pesach food is starting to appear in the stores and I've bought a couple of things, knowing that they wouldn't be around if I wait. I still have to order the special matzo that we use though and all our dairy products. And the meat. And figure out how to get wine this year. It used to be much easier but the BC Liquor Control Board is a giant pain and has made our lives much more difficult for the past year or so. I bought stuff from their very limited selection last year and it really wasn't good for drinking at the seder when you're having 4 cups each within a period of a couple of hours. Plus it's incredibly expensive and I need about a case. At $19 to $25 per bottle, that's painful. I used to be able to get exactly what I needed for about half the price or a little less.
But that's a whole other rant and one I probably shouldn't start at all, since I'm eventually going to want to be on their good side in order to get my longed-for winery up and running at some point a few years from now. There are enough hoops to jump through in the licensing process (and a whole other set of hoops for kosher certification) that I don't need to borrow trouble.
This is just a busy, busy time of the year and probably wasn't the best time to do the bathroom but I've been waiting a long time for this and this was when the guys were available to do it. Of course, if this wasn't the day of the Purim Carnival at the JCC and the big birthday party for my granddaughters we might have actually gotten a bunch of work done today. As we say in Hebrew, gam zu le tova [this too will be for the good].
The party was fun and wasn't nearly as hectic as some I've been to recently, although I was baking cupcakes for the party about an hour before it started. I think the girls all had a good time and my oldest granddaughter (now 6, just like Dear Child) got to stay for a bit extra while her folks went to look at apartments (to rent, not buy). They have to move in the next month or so and are having a hard time finding anything decent that works for her school, their work and will take both a child and a cat. Oh, and doesn't cost a couple of thousand dollars per month. Gotta love that Vancouver housing market.
Happy Purim everybody! I'll be back as long as Blogger lets me in!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Problems Posting
For the past couple of days I've been having problems with Blogger. I get the blank form for a new post but can only write a title and labels, no content because the cursor won't go there! Usually logging out and back in seems to fix the problem but it didn't work tonight. I ended up posting an empty post with the title (above) and labeled "rant". Then I viewed my blog and clicked on the pencil at the bottom of the post to edit it and here I am!
Anyway, today I did a bit of this and a bit of that. I worked until my granddaughter finished preschool at 11:30 am, then came home. But I didn't really have the girls today so I did some laundry, shredded some more paper and emptied the bathroom before I went to pick up Dear Child. Part of the ceiling is down now but the real work starts tomorrow.
I went back to the office for a couple of hours this evening and now I'm hoping to go to sleep.
Anyway, today I did a bit of this and a bit of that. I worked until my granddaughter finished preschool at 11:30 am, then came home. But I didn't really have the girls today so I did some laundry, shredded some more paper and emptied the bathroom before I went to pick up Dear Child. Part of the ceiling is down now but the real work starts tomorrow.
I went back to the office for a couple of hours this evening and now I'm hoping to go to sleep.
A Bit of Progress
As usual when I start really cleaning, sorting or organizing, everything looks worse than when I started. However, I did get some work done today. I'm adding to the pile of boxes by the front door, the ones that are supposed to be given away. Today it was a box full of our old fleishig dishes.
I also went through 2 boxes of papers, reducing them to one box. I have a paper shopping bag full of recycle papers to go out with tomorrow's garbage and a stack of shredding paper. Both hubby and I did some shredding today but there's more to do. And I combined 2 boxes of cleaning products into one, as well as doing some more laundry. He washed the car.
All this while taking care of the little girls because Eldest Daughter was at a trade show here in town all day. I also drove her there and picked her up. The toughest thing is that the bathroom reno is supposed to start tomorrow sometime and the trade show runs for 2 more days. That means I need to be at home with the baby pretty much all day (she's been going to work until noon with her mother since January sometime). Her dad is off work this week but can't demolish drywall too well with a 2 year old underfoot. But I can't do any of my Pesach cleaning during the day when I'm home because I was asked to keep the girls upstairs while the work is going on and I have to go to work in the evening to make up for the hours I'm missing. I think Eldest Daughter is taking Thursday and Friday off, so that's probably when I'm tiling. Either that or the guys will get to watch the little girls while I tile if it has to be another day.
Any way you look at it, this is shaping up to be an interesting week.
I also went through 2 boxes of papers, reducing them to one box. I have a paper shopping bag full of recycle papers to go out with tomorrow's garbage and a stack of shredding paper. Both hubby and I did some shredding today but there's more to do. And I combined 2 boxes of cleaning products into one, as well as doing some more laundry. He washed the car.
All this while taking care of the little girls because Eldest Daughter was at a trade show here in town all day. I also drove her there and picked her up. The toughest thing is that the bathroom reno is supposed to start tomorrow sometime and the trade show runs for 2 more days. That means I need to be at home with the baby pretty much all day (she's been going to work until noon with her mother since January sometime). Her dad is off work this week but can't demolish drywall too well with a 2 year old underfoot. But I can't do any of my Pesach cleaning during the day when I'm home because I was asked to keep the girls upstairs while the work is going on and I have to go to work in the evening to make up for the hours I'm missing. I think Eldest Daughter is taking Thursday and Friday off, so that's probably when I'm tiling. Either that or the guys will get to watch the little girls while I tile if it has to be another day.
Any way you look at it, this is shaping up to be an interesting week.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Well I Tried
I set a goal to post at least 16 times in the month of February but this is only my 15th post. At least I came close and February is a short month. This month I posted, on average, every other day. I want to do even better in March, even though I'm getting busier every day as we move closer to Pesach.
Speaking of goals, I really haven't been keeping up with either setting or achieving much in the way of goals since the beginning of this year. I know I set a few goals for 2009, but I'm talking about shorter term, more manageable goals. I haven't even been keeping up with the microgoals toward my long term goals recently.
That's kind of sad. I'm just not sure I'll be able to do much better until after Pesach, say mid-April or even May. Right now I think I'll be pleased if I just keep on taking baby steps towards getting ready for Pesach, whether that means cleaning something, buying things, planning, etc.
On Friday I actually spent $10 on 10 new terry tea towels that I'll begin using at Pesach. It's not that the price was so good (it's always $10 for 10 at this particular place) but the selection of patterns varies constantly and it's hard to find 2 different patterns I like at one time that are appropriate for assigning to meat and milk. I got 5 towels with a bluish flower on them and 5 others with green olives and olive branches. The blue ones will be for dairy; the green will be for meat.
Then tonight, after Shabbos ended, I got started on clearing out the bathroom before the reno starts. I've had 3 boxes sitting in the (unusable) tub ever since we moved in. Two of them were packed by the restoration company a couple of years ago, the other I was actually using at our last place. Whenever I've needed something I had to go poking through the lot to find it. I went through all three boxes tonight and got it down to one box! There were some things in the restoration company boxes I've been missing and wanted to keep but a lot of other things were simply too old. Dried up or totally separated nail polish, old tooth brushes, very old liquid soap, etc. All those went into a garbage bag. There were some good finds though. I have enough brand new (still sealed in their packaging) toothbrushes to use for Pesach. And I found a never-used powder eye shadow I got at MAC, plus my new brushes (still in their case). There was also a pink rubber ducky DC was happy to see.
I'm feeling the urge to make some goals for the month of March, but I think I'm going to sleep on it.
Speaking of goals, I really haven't been keeping up with either setting or achieving much in the way of goals since the beginning of this year. I know I set a few goals for 2009, but I'm talking about shorter term, more manageable goals. I haven't even been keeping up with the microgoals toward my long term goals recently.
That's kind of sad. I'm just not sure I'll be able to do much better until after Pesach, say mid-April or even May. Right now I think I'll be pleased if I just keep on taking baby steps towards getting ready for Pesach, whether that means cleaning something, buying things, planning, etc.
On Friday I actually spent $10 on 10 new terry tea towels that I'll begin using at Pesach. It's not that the price was so good (it's always $10 for 10 at this particular place) but the selection of patterns varies constantly and it's hard to find 2 different patterns I like at one time that are appropriate for assigning to meat and milk. I got 5 towels with a bluish flower on them and 5 others with green olives and olive branches. The blue ones will be for dairy; the green will be for meat.
Then tonight, after Shabbos ended, I got started on clearing out the bathroom before the reno starts. I've had 3 boxes sitting in the (unusable) tub ever since we moved in. Two of them were packed by the restoration company a couple of years ago, the other I was actually using at our last place. Whenever I've needed something I had to go poking through the lot to find it. I went through all three boxes tonight and got it down to one box! There were some things in the restoration company boxes I've been missing and wanted to keep but a lot of other things were simply too old. Dried up or totally separated nail polish, old tooth brushes, very old liquid soap, etc. All those went into a garbage bag. There were some good finds though. I have enough brand new (still sealed in their packaging) toothbrushes to use for Pesach. And I found a never-used powder eye shadow I got at MAC, plus my new brushes (still in their case). There was also a pink rubber ducky DC was happy to see.
I'm feeling the urge to make some goals for the month of March, but I think I'm going to sleep on it.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
How Can it be Wednesday Again?
I feel like everything around me is going faster than normal and I'm in slow motion. I can't believe how fast time is flying by. The good news is, Son-in-Law's dad is due to arrive on Sunday for a week to do our bathroom reno. The bad news is, I am so not ready.
I made a beautiful Pesach cleaning plan that even took the bathroom reno into consideration. The thing with the plan is that you actually have to do all the things you write down in order for it to work. Amazing but true.
Today should have been the first day of my 3rd week of cleaning, beginning to work on the part of the kitchen that is right by the bathroom door, clearing the foyer, etc. I have a number of things to do in order to be able to lay tile in these areas. Instead, I'm still somewhere in the middle of week one, going through boxes of clothes that were stacked in Dear Child's room. I keep washing, folding, putting away, bagging for donation, etc. but I'm not finished with all the clothes in her room yet. It's not that there are so many (5 or 6 boxes), it's that I'm only getting through maybe one load per day. And I'm not doing something every day.
Well, I'm doing plenty, but just not plenty of cleaning and organizing. Today I drove DC to school, worked for 4.5 hours, went to the bank, came home, washed a load, had maybe 20 minutes to myself, got the little girls, drove with them to pick up DC, went to gymnastics for an hour, drove with everybody to pick up Eldest Daughter and stopped at Safeway on the way home. I had dinner and some computer time (less than an hour), went back to work and came home after 10:30 pm. The clean load is sitting in a basket at the foot of my bed.
This past week was supposed to be the master bedroom. It. Didn't. Get. Touched. I'm not making things easy for myself by putting things off. It still all has to get done and I'm getting a little too old and a lot too tired to be pulling a series of all-nighters.
The problem is that I need at least 2 or 3 hours of cleaning and organizing time per day and I can't do it. I often don't have the time because I really can't get much done with the 2 little girls down here and I'm also very tired. I can't work for an hour or 2 or 3 straight just because I don't have other committments for that period of time. When my big kids were little I used to do an amazing amount, plus they were expected to pitch in. I remember scrubbing ceilings and the window tracks. I don't have the strength for that sort of thing now. Luckily, I don't have anybody currently at home who feels the need to put greasy hand prints on the ceiling in their bedroom!
So, what am I going to do? Well, I have to get ready for the bathroom reno. I have to start on my week 3 list tomorrow. The reno starts Monday. I have until then to clear out the bathroom, clear the area in the kitchen around the bathroom and clear the foyer. I just have no clue where most of the things that are currently in those areas are going to go. I'll have one day where I'll be laying floor tile and the next day where I have to grout it, maybe Wednesday and Thursday, depending on how the guys progress. Then I have a wardrobe to assemble and place in the foyer, the secretary desk to move in from the playroom and some other furniture to move. Once the bathroom is done there are 3 boxes of stuff to go into the medicine cabinet and the drawers of the vanity. Or not. Most of it isn't kosher for Passover and therefore has to be boxed up and sold for the duration of the holiday. If I put it all in the drawers I'd have to tape them shut and sell the contents. I'll have to think about that. I also need to go through those boxes and decide how much of the contents to keep when you consider that they've been boxed since we moved in last year at this time.
I made a beautiful Pesach cleaning plan that even took the bathroom reno into consideration. The thing with the plan is that you actually have to do all the things you write down in order for it to work. Amazing but true.
Today should have been the first day of my 3rd week of cleaning, beginning to work on the part of the kitchen that is right by the bathroom door, clearing the foyer, etc. I have a number of things to do in order to be able to lay tile in these areas. Instead, I'm still somewhere in the middle of week one, going through boxes of clothes that were stacked in Dear Child's room. I keep washing, folding, putting away, bagging for donation, etc. but I'm not finished with all the clothes in her room yet. It's not that there are so many (5 or 6 boxes), it's that I'm only getting through maybe one load per day. And I'm not doing something every day.
Well, I'm doing plenty, but just not plenty of cleaning and organizing. Today I drove DC to school, worked for 4.5 hours, went to the bank, came home, washed a load, had maybe 20 minutes to myself, got the little girls, drove with them to pick up DC, went to gymnastics for an hour, drove with everybody to pick up Eldest Daughter and stopped at Safeway on the way home. I had dinner and some computer time (less than an hour), went back to work and came home after 10:30 pm. The clean load is sitting in a basket at the foot of my bed.
This past week was supposed to be the master bedroom. It. Didn't. Get. Touched. I'm not making things easy for myself by putting things off. It still all has to get done and I'm getting a little too old and a lot too tired to be pulling a series of all-nighters.
The problem is that I need at least 2 or 3 hours of cleaning and organizing time per day and I can't do it. I often don't have the time because I really can't get much done with the 2 little girls down here and I'm also very tired. I can't work for an hour or 2 or 3 straight just because I don't have other committments for that period of time. When my big kids were little I used to do an amazing amount, plus they were expected to pitch in. I remember scrubbing ceilings and the window tracks. I don't have the strength for that sort of thing now. Luckily, I don't have anybody currently at home who feels the need to put greasy hand prints on the ceiling in their bedroom!
So, what am I going to do? Well, I have to get ready for the bathroom reno. I have to start on my week 3 list tomorrow. The reno starts Monday. I have until then to clear out the bathroom, clear the area in the kitchen around the bathroom and clear the foyer. I just have no clue where most of the things that are currently in those areas are going to go. I'll have one day where I'll be laying floor tile and the next day where I have to grout it, maybe Wednesday and Thursday, depending on how the guys progress. Then I have a wardrobe to assemble and place in the foyer, the secretary desk to move in from the playroom and some other furniture to move. Once the bathroom is done there are 3 boxes of stuff to go into the medicine cabinet and the drawers of the vanity. Or not. Most of it isn't kosher for Passover and therefore has to be boxed up and sold for the duration of the holiday. If I put it all in the drawers I'd have to tape them shut and sell the contents. I'll have to think about that. I also need to go through those boxes and decide how much of the contents to keep when you consider that they've been boxed since we moved in last year at this time.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Shevy, Rationalizing
Okay, you remember when I said I wasn't going to charge anything this month? You know, what I really meant to say was that I wasn't going to charge anything on either of my credit cards (MasterCard and IKEA). I wasn't establishing this as a goal for my hubby to refrain from charging, mostly because he has at least one automatic charge to his Visa card that happens monthly.
But we actually charged our new bathroom on his Home Depot card this evening. You see, it's like this. I may have mentioned that we've been waiting for our bathroom reno since about the fifth of forever. Some of it is to be paid for and done by us; some by Eldest Daughter, our son-in-law and his dad.
It got started once, when we first moved in very early this year but got hung up and has been on hold for something like 9 or 10 months. This has left us with a barely usable washroom and required us to go upstairs for baths and showers. Let's just say it has been inconvenient for everybody.
This weekend Home Depot had one of their occasional "do not pay for a year" events ending tonight, so we went and bought a new bathtub, tub surround, toilet and vanity top (which includes the sink). All of that cost $538 and isn't due until January 2010 (with no interest so long as we pay by the due date). Months ago we already bought new tub and sink faucets, a light fixture and a vent, as well as floor tile, thinset, grout and Ditra. My son-in-law and his dad have bought cement board, drywall and insulation and will do all the work at the same time as they install the new laundry room on the opposite side of our bathroom wall. Well, I'm doing the bathroom floor but they're doing the rest.
I'm not thrilled that either of us charged anything but the reality is that the bathroom isn't getting done otherwise and we are really, really ready to have a functional bathroom! And this wasn't a spur of the moment decision. We've been waiting for one of these year-long events and just didn't know when it would happen.
Remember I mentioned a new car problem last night? The problem is pretty simple. The brand new power steering belt has come off! It's in perfect condition, so Hubby will take it in along with the car tomorrow and get the dealership to fix it for free.
On a totally different topic, Hubby and I went out to the Giants game tonight and watched the Giants beat Portland 5 to 2! We haven't been out on any kind of date night for ages and the best part of this was that the evening was totally free. He was given the tickets, we parked on the street several blocks from the Coliseum and didn't buy anything there (although he looked at hats and jerseys). It was a lot of fun!
But we actually charged our new bathroom on his Home Depot card this evening. You see, it's like this. I may have mentioned that we've been waiting for our bathroom reno since about the fifth of forever. Some of it is to be paid for and done by us; some by Eldest Daughter, our son-in-law and his dad.
It got started once, when we first moved in very early this year but got hung up and has been on hold for something like 9 or 10 months. This has left us with a barely usable washroom and required us to go upstairs for baths and showers. Let's just say it has been inconvenient for everybody.
This weekend Home Depot had one of their occasional "do not pay for a year" events ending tonight, so we went and bought a new bathtub, tub surround, toilet and vanity top (which includes the sink). All of that cost $538 and isn't due until January 2010 (with no interest so long as we pay by the due date). Months ago we already bought new tub and sink faucets, a light fixture and a vent, as well as floor tile, thinset, grout and Ditra. My son-in-law and his dad have bought cement board, drywall and insulation and will do all the work at the same time as they install the new laundry room on the opposite side of our bathroom wall. Well, I'm doing the bathroom floor but they're doing the rest.
I'm not thrilled that either of us charged anything but the reality is that the bathroom isn't getting done otherwise and we are really, really ready to have a functional bathroom! And this wasn't a spur of the moment decision. We've been waiting for one of these year-long events and just didn't know when it would happen.
Remember I mentioned a new car problem last night? The problem is pretty simple. The brand new power steering belt has come off! It's in perfect condition, so Hubby will take it in along with the car tomorrow and get the dealership to fix it for free.
On a totally different topic, Hubby and I went out to the Giants game tonight and watched the Giants beat Portland 5 to 2! We haven't been out on any kind of date night for ages and the best part of this was that the evening was totally free. He was given the tickets, we parked on the street several blocks from the Coliseum and didn't buy anything there (although he looked at hats and jerseys). It was a lot of fun!
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