Flying by the seat of my pants...

New House Round-up

Wed, 13 May 2009 03:09:35 GMT

Okee, I feel a little better now that I updated a few of the items on my last "list post", but I think I need a new list. I've decided that I'll give this recluse-infested house until my birthday to rid itself of spiders. If not, to market, to market this little piggy will go..and I will sell this house and move to a region where there are no tornados or poisonous insects. So there!

1.Purchase a home warranty
2. Have the house re-treated for pests( Yayee, poisonous spiders!)
3.Finish painting the foyer and clear out the remaining plastic drop cloths
4. Paint the kids' rooms
5. Install curtain rods in the living room and bedrooms(I feel like we're living in a fish bowl!)
6.unpack the rest of the crap in the family room (or store it all in sealed, plastic containers)
7.Weather strip the exterior door in my bedroom (bug central!)
8. Call an arborist and get a quote for treating my trees (I think they're sick and may need to be cut down, unfortunately)
9.Finish caulking and sealing the cracks.
10. Shop HELOCs in the event I lose my job or the roof caves in
11. Call for a quote on rain gutter cleaning

That's all I can come up with for now. I'm sure there are a billion other things that need to be done...

This is the list of regularly scheduled self-imposed chores that will be vital to our existence:

1. Mow the lawn (weekly)
2. Sweep the front walk way and driveway (weekly)
3.Spray for spiders (monthly, and bi-monthly with the strong stuff)
4. Sweep up other dead insects, including the window sills(daily)
5. Clean the windows and eaves (weekly)
6.Do laundry (daily)

Don't Operate Craftsman Machinery Under the Influence of Illness-Induced Stupidity

Tue, 12 May 2009 01:41:31 GMT

So what do I decide to do when I'm feverish with a runny nose and sore throat? I decide it would be a great idea to mow a quarter acre of lawn in the early evening air. Nothing better for the bronchioles than freshly cut grass, flying pollen and gasoline fumes. Ah, I feel much better.

But wait, did I mention that I fell on my ass in a puddle of mud while mowing along a downward slope in my front yard? Yep, good times. I'm just glad to be an endless source of entertainment for my new neighbors.

Bring out your dead!

Tue, 05 May 2009 05:14:23 GMT

The death toll is up to 14 today. *le sigh*

One day I'm gonna learn

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 05:48:27 GMT

I'm kinda freaking out. Illness and other issues beyond my control have totally kicked me in the ass, moving-wise, and I am now three days away from move day with almost nothing packed. I love it! Fear not, though, because somehow, I'll manage to pull it off. I may be a raving lunatic by the end of it all, but it'll get done. It just won't be as pretty and organized as I had hoped for.

Ah, life.

Turn this way up...

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:18:43 GMT

Think Before You Speak

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:47:36 GMT

For those that may not be aware, it is in fact possible to be a non-English speaking, legal resident of the U.S. That being said, it is also possible for non-English speaking residents to work legally, pay taxes legally, and therefore be eligible for Medicare, SSI and other tax-related benefits just as English speaking, legally working individuals are.

Thank you.

Um, was that supposed to be funny?

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 05:21:36 GMT

I'm tired of using this journal as a venting space. I really can't wait until I can somehow regain my sense of humor, but until then I'll continue on with my whining and self-pity. You have been forewarned. :)

So my house is a spider palace. Lucky me, my gift with first home purchase was an infestation of brown recluses. *sigh*
I don't know how bad it is, but after having the house treated, three have been caught in glue traps. Including the remains of the one in and above the garage door and the first one in the master bath that tipped me off to a potential spider soiree, there have been a total of six. That's six too many, if you ask me. Sooo anyhoo, I have been caulking the crevices and gaps in the drywall and will continue on with that until all visible dead spaces have been eliminated. I'll continue to have the house treated and I'll keep my fingers crossed that they all die. I was really looking forward to being a homeowner, but this problem has somewhat soured the experience.

On a positive note, I am on the way to becoming Handy Mandy as I learn all about DIY home improvements. My friend let me borrow her miter saw to cut the pieces of casing,moulding and basboard that I'm putting up myself, and I have learned more than I ever wanted to know about caulk and best application practices. I hope the girls (and my son) are benefitting from seeing me do all this without a man's help. I must admit, there's something pretty awesome about strapping on my work goggles and firin' up the ol' saw. Once I get all the trim up, I think I'll build myself some built-ins for the family room. Tool belt, here I come!

Life in all other aspects is completely crazy, as usual. M's been sick, we've had run-ins with lice (eeeeew), my job's insane.....blah blah blah. Oh, and I somehow developed runner's knee....even though I don't run. You get the picture.

Busy, Busy Bee

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 06:14:09 GMT

Now that I've closed and the house is mine, the real work begins. This circa 1965 house has, for the most part, been renovated but there are still some small items that need to be addressed. The seller came down $15k from her original asking price, plus she paid my closing costs, so she was NOT in the mood to, as she put it "be nickeled and dimed" for small repairs. Fair enough. As it is, I'm walking into equity since the house appraised above my purchase price. Plus, there's an unfinished room above the garage that when completed will expand the square footage (and value) by about 20%.

So anyway, I have four weeks to move out of my apartment, so I should have enough time to finish everything I need to. However, I can't be Ms. Procrastinator, which I normally excel at or this whole thing will blow up in my face.

So far, I have:

-Scheduled the roofers to come this weekend for minor repairs
-Obtained an estimate from the electrician to re-wire and add some GFCI outlets, etc.
-Purchased an oven range
-Scheduled pest control (the house has been vacant for almost three years, and I saw a dead recluse in my master bath...*shudders*)
-Had the electricity and water turned on

I still need to:

-~~Schedule the electrician~~
-~~Schedule an estimate to put in a driveway gate and inside railings~~
-Add trim to some areas and ~~caulk the~~ crap out of every gap (spider-proofing)
-Finish painting some interior doors and add door knobs
-Re-key the locks (~~bought a front door lock~~, need to install it and but three others exterior door locks).
-~~Finalize paint colors~~ ~~and paint~~ (this one's gonna take awhile since I have 2,200 sq. ft. of living space to cover)
~~-Pack up my apartment~~
-~~Do a final cleaning of my apartment (although I'm sure I'll be out my security deposit anyway since the dog chewed a nice hole in the carpet...Can't wait to enjoy my hardwood floors!)~~
-~~Rent a U-Haul and possibly hire movers~~
-~~Measure and purchase blinds~~/window treatments
-Schedule the grass to be cut regularly (the lot is half an acre) or purchase a mower and do it myself
-Put up a mirror in the guest bath

I'd like to:

-Add crown moulding to most of the house
-Install a chair rail and bead board in the girls' rooms.
-Install closet organizers in my room
-Add some cabinetry and organizers to the laundry room
-Tile the laundry room (currently painted concrete)
-Add a cabinet around the water heater in the laundry room
-Drylock the walls of the garage
-Add some shelving to the garage
-Install a garage door opener
-Add a door knocker
-Buy two potted topiaries for my front porch
-Re-seed the grass and plant the flower beds

Hmm, I feel like I'm forgetting something? I'm tired just reading over this list. It's time for me to go to sleep.

Spiders from Mars

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:51:05 GMT

So where were the spiders while the fly tried to break our balls? Hmmmmm, I think I might have a good idea. ;)

...GO!!

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:35:15 GMT

It's official! I'm a homeowner! It's been a crazy, exhausting experience, and I'll save your the details because they give me a headache, but at the end of the day the part that matters the most is that I actually purchased a house without any help. It's all mine. Just mine.

And it's pretty damn awesome that I, stargazerbaby, unmarried, purchased this home from Seller, single woman, as it was so stated on the docs. Yep, the house changed hands from one single mom to another (and I asked why she's single and I'm unmarried, but I couldn't get a straight answer...).

Wooo hooooo!

....get set....

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 02:26:14 GMT

My loan is in closing and should fund tomorrow. Closing on Friday. The electric and water is on and I do the final walk-through tomorrow. I CAN'T WAIT!!

Deep Breaths

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 01:52:04 GMT

I keep telling myself that if I survive buying this house, everything will calm down and life will slow down to a "normal" pace. But really, what the heck is normal? Am I setting myself up for unavoidable disappointment as life continues to hurl curveballs at me well after the title is in my name? I'm sure I am, but for right now it sounds like a believable story, or least believable enough to get me through to the next day.

I've decided that I will not be creating a lofty list of goals for myself this year. I will not be a Daisy Scout leader (even though I love walking into school and getting spontaneous hugs from my little daisies) after the school year ends. There will no soccer, no ballet lessons, nothing that will require a scheduled commitment from me. The only promise I'm up to keeping is to be good to my children. I'm not willing to sacrifice home-cooked meals, sleep and sanity any more, or at least not now. I'll be thirty at the end of this year, and I'd like to arrive at the eave of my birthday feeling as well-rested and clear-headed as possible. I need to assess where I've been, who I've become and where I'd like to go next...but not before I take a break of sorts.

So, as soon as the school year ends, I plan to put it in neutral and coast until the end of the year.

Watt from Pedro

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 01:19:49 GMT

Waiting

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:51:11 GMT

I feel like I'm waiting for someone to show up. I'm having weird dreams that I don't quite remember, but when I wake up I feel like I've been visiting with an old friend. I'm checking my inbox and my mailbox more frequently as if good news is on the way. Hmmm.

It's aliiiiiiive!!!

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 17:55:43 GMT

Thanks, lilhlfpint , for fixing my internet issues! I can now post away!

Get ready, get set............

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:04:59 GMT

I'm in escrow..... I won't allow myself to get excited until it's a done deal, which won't be for another 20 days.

Aaaahhh!

Blah blah blah

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 06:08:02 GMT

PMI...ARM....FHA...PITI...HOA...APR...FICO...HELOC....AGGHH!

But, no JTWROS or TIC for me, baby! All mine!!!

Karaoke Time!

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 06:18:15 GMT

We caaaan't go on together....with suspicious minds (with suspicious minds) and we can't build our dreaaams, with suspicious maainds.

We're caught in a trap, I can't walk out...because I love you too much baaaaby!!

(I've been singing this song for two days, and I do a pretty darn good Elvis impression if I do say so myself.)

Ahhh, thank you, ah thank you very much. *stargazerbaby takes a bow*

Let it snow....

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:19:28 GMT

Obama is my hero.

I wanna live in Los Angeles...

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 07:07:57 GMT

May be unemployed soon....

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 13:48:44 GMT

So I missed work on Thursday because M was throwing up. I missed work Friday because schools were closed due extremely cold temperatures. Today, it looks like I'm going to miss again. School and daycare( at the last minute) are closed once again today due to the holiday, and I struggled to find a babysitter all weekend that would watch the kids today. I finally found someone last night that was willing to come over, but the poor girl slid on some ice and ran her car into a ditch on the way here this morning. Luckily, she's just shaken and was not hurt.

I don't know what to do. My boss was not happy that I had to miss two days last week, and I can only imagine what might happen if I have to miss today as well. I'm trying to find someone else to watch the kids, but the outlook is not good.

Karma's a Bitch

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 01:54:34 GMT

Twice in the last month I've gone through checkout at a major chain store and the cashier has neglected to charge me for a big-ticket item. I was even stopped by one of those annoying receipt checkers and was let through with a bicycle (yes, a completely assembled bicycle hanging out of my cart!) that I had not paid for. Not until I reached my car with the nagging feeling that my total was wrong did I realize what had happened.

So, as any of us struggling to make ends meet would have done, I had to think twice about what to do. On both occasions, though, my conscience got the better of me and I went back into the store and "turned myself in" to customer service and paid for the item.

I've been less than honest many times in my life, especially in my teens ( a little shoplifting here, a reckless disregard for personal property there) but without fail, I ended up paying for it later.

I now try to be completely honest even when the immediate outcome may be less than desirable , but it can be difficult to do sometimes, especially when some people seem to benefit from or go unpunished for dishonesty...but I have to remind myself that karma has a way of working itself out in the end, and it's just not worth it...and it's just not right.

Party Time

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 07:28:02 GMT

Wish me luck. Tomorrow (er, later this morning) I'll be hosting my first real birthday party for one of my children. I've always done family parties, and I used to rent jumpers and order pizza for mini parties at their daycare, but this is the first real party we've done.

I invited 21 kids to the roller rink for a Star Wars-themed party (A's completely obsessed with SW, and rightfully so). Should be fun. It's a little intimidating, though, since I'm doing it on my own with no addtional adult help...but I'm sure some of the parents will pitch in if I need some extra hands.

I guess this means we have to have parties from here on out.

Extreme Cold

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:12:13 GMT

Local schools and daycare facilities are closed today In Nashville due to extreme cold. WTF. I think kids in N.Y. and in Wisconsin manage to make to school in the snow and in the cold!! As soon as a snowflake falls here, the world shuts down. Single digit temperatures? Oh no, we must close schools. C'mon, people! Wear a jacket and gloves and keep it movin'!

How low can you go?

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:06:05 GMT

It's decided-I'm buying a less expensive starter home so I can actually save a few bucks at the end of the month. The whole 'having a house built' thing is just a little too much for me right now. The price is still stellar, but I'm going to be fiscally conservative right now...which is REALLY not my style. My mom will vouch for the fact that I can pick out the most expensive item in a line-up with a blindfold on and two hands tied behind my back. I just seem to gravitate towards pricey things, although money seems to be repelled by me. Weird how that works.

Anyway, that decision's out of the way and I can kick back for a month or two before I start looking.