finally finished cleaning the old house. It is spic ‘n’ span - probably cleaner than when we moved in. My daughter in particular was a big help. I think she was a little taken aback by how much work really cleaning a house is. I don’t usually do the boring bits when they’re around … I’m quite sure she hadn’t dusted a baseboard or wiped fingerprint smudges before! (more…)

I got up extra early and laid in bed for twenty minutes, fully realizing that this was the last time I would be taking it easy until nightfall. Well, I was right. (more…)

… that’s the day before D-Day, right? I had planned to have several friends come over with a van and a truck to help move the lighter and more fragile things. I’ve been up to 2 a.m. the past two nights packing, and this morning all the stress (probably from when I first started to buy the house) has caught up, and I am developing a splendid head cold. Yet I did not have the luxury of delaying today; I got up early to go get pastries and return before the first group came a little after 8. (more…)

Ugh - these painted floors are so much work. It would be easier to capitulate and just have carpet installed (I absolutely refuse to consider fake wood laminate: it just doesn’t feel like real wood), but if I can’t refinish the floors, I’d prefer painted floorboards. The trouble is that the prep work is enormous. (more…)

Took a couple days off from work - worked Thursday until just before midnight, Friday until after 11:30 - uhn! It was pretty companionable on Friday - Joe was back painting the bathroom (10 foot ceilings … nice to have, a b*tch to paint!), Dad was hammering in the bathroom, I was priming the hallways walls … it made a nice noise, like a children’s book or a John Cage piece … “swish, swish … rrRRrrrrRRRrr … bm bam BAM … gurgle plop … swish swish swish!” (more…)

Wow, I come home so tired! The kids aren’t as in to fixing up the place as I had thought they would be - they’ll help a little, then want to take a break - even do their homework! - rather than keep priming, painting, whatever. (more…)

After going over to the house every day after work and most of the day on the weekend, patching, patching, patching, sanding, sanding, sanding, priming, priming, priming, painting, painting … you get the idea - I called Joe again to see if he could come with his sprayer to finish the last bedroom and do the bathroom. The bedroom was a moral victory: we actually did get one wall painted after the incessant priming (this house is quite old and had oil-based paint: it required priming to make the latex paint stick) - turquoise … my daughter chose turquoise … oh well, it’s her room and not mine! (more…)

we move out of the trauma of purchasing a home and into the trauma of renovating a home. Problem is that I had to pony up the extra $2000 for escrow, so I am stony and have no cash. Guess I have to exercise the credit card, as distasteful as I find that after getting the balance down. (more…)

and gratitude: I wrote the check, I deposited it into escrow - I have to wait the obligatory 3 days for any recission (as though, with all that I - or anyone - has to go through to get a mortgage, I’m really going to change my mind right now!) - and then it’s (gulp) mine.

… the night before the escrow check was due, my mortgage broker called and informed me that my HUD statement (whatever that is) had come in about $2000 more than we had been quoted. Gah! I could only come up with an extra $2000 on one evening’s notice by scraping all my accounts to the double digits, pretty much wiping out all the cash I was hoping to apply to the immediate repairs the house needs. (more…)