Welcome to Home Ownership

Welcome to home ownership. Seems the universe put out a giant welcome mat for us, and came bearing housewarming gifts; not the kind that we desired. None of them came in pretty wrapped packages, with sentimental cards. There was no "welcome wagon" basket that was on the front stoop, instead it was all the wonderful non-joyful "gifts" that come along with with ownership of a home. Some expected, and some not so.  The last few days has been filled with such gifts as the latter.  I truly wish that the gifts has been the pretty package kind instead, trust me!!

The past week since I posted here has been filled with appointments. Some all in one day, some spread out. I had mentioned we went to a home show, and like eager new home owners and getting caught up int he hype, we filled out the little forms to get quotes for various jobs. Two biggies, a new driveway and walkways so that we could stop parking in the mud, and also protect our foundation from moisture when it rains, and to have insulation installed in our attic space; my toes are freezing, and our first gas bill was far too high! Back to back, and sometimes overlapping sales people came through our door, and some were thanked and the door forever closed to them and others we signed on the dotted line, eager to get started with the must haves and needs over the desires and as soon as we could. The week was a busy one, deliveries, of needed household items, running errands, learning about our new to us area, taking phone calls and weeding through the few boxes left that had yet to be unpacked. In between I managed to fit in nail and hair appointments, lunch dates with our daughters and even some window shopping. Things were going smoothly and then Saturday hit. 

It started like any other day. I arose early, after already being awake for sometime as Queen Bitty Kitty has decided that she now must holler all day and night, and I brew my cup of tea and made my toast. The contractor that was to install the insulation in our attic, this really cool "space fabric" that was to lower our heating and later on cooling costs by up to 40% was due at 9 a.m.,. I was so excited. I have had ice blocks for feet since the day we moved in. Around 9:25, and the man had not arrived, I was beginning to get a bit vexed. Then hubby called and stated he had been called and the man had the wrong address and would be there shortly... another half hour and finally he arrived. The man greeted me and brought in his ladder and took a look just inside the crawl space. A few minutes later and a bunch of mumbling and he came down and stated we had no crawl space, at least not one he could work in, and that he was refusing to do the job. To prove to me this fact, he made me crawl up a ladder, in my PJS ( no I had not dressed up for the man, but had put a robe on) and made me look. It was tight, but I had seen worse. He stepped outside, and he called his boss, the man who had sold us the magic fabric, and when he returned was rather rude about it all, guess he was upset with his boss and the waste of his time, and he left.  I was not happy, but was was I to do?? I of course called hubby, and tried to explain and he argued a bit that he was not convinced and would take a look once home that evening.  With that appointment said and done, I decided it was time for a light lunch and that is when the next unwelcomed gift was to happen.

I walked to our kitchen and opened the freezer, thinking a diet meal was in my future, and when I reached in, the the air in the freezer was warm, the food was all defrosted and even had started to smell! How could this be? The fridge was only a couple of weeks old!!  I opened the actual fridge portion and same thing. I was flabbergasted! I immediately called my husband and told him what was going on. I hate to bother him and two times in a day with the helpless female role was not something I was relishing. However it had to be done. I am just not the person to yell and scream at people on the phone, and after all the heck we had been through with Home Depot and just getting the appliances,  ironically having an appointment for Monday (today) to have the ice maker finally put in, now the said fridge that it was to be installed in dead, it had to be done.   Luckily hubby found a few minutes in his busy day to make the first call, but after that it was all on me. I spent the whole rest of the day explaining to a voice over the phone what had happened and that we had lost all our cold/frozen groceries that we had JUST bought  and that we needed a solution and now. I shall not tell you how my husbands phone call went, but lucky for me, the man on the other side of the phone was sympathetic and very helpful and went over and above calling the repair men, the warranty company, and fighting for us to get a stand in fridge that day and then saying he would also handle once we did get everything settled RE setting up to have an ice maker put in. Made me no less upset and those that follow me on facebook witnessed such I am afraid to admit.  

Between two very non positive happenings I was very spent by the time hubby came home, thus my diet that I had just started took a dive and it was Taco Bell for supper and cookies for a snack... add in a large glass of wine and finally I was able to breathe. I later found out that one of the contractors had failed to show up, had failed to call and had I known would have added to things, but thank goodness I did not and was saved that adding to my already over flowing plate. I was glad the day was over,  and once settled under my electric blanket, with two pairs of socks on I was able to get some sleep, not much, thanks to the cat, but some. Ready to face Sunday. It too was to be a very busy "home" day. So once again I was to rise early, though this time needing to get dressed and head out the door. Beginning my day with another diet buster, Spudnut doughnuts.  One day I shall explain to you why that was soooo worth it... so much so that being barely awake, facing 20 plus degree temps, and needing to scrape ice off the car windows was not such a big deal. The day was afoot once again. 

Hubby and I spent the whole day with home ownership centered tasks and errands. We had made our way to Spudnuts and left with a very full pink bakery box, and a large steaming cup of coffee and hit the road to our middle daughters home to collect our ladder and push mower that had been on loan since we lost our home. Having spent some chit chat time with them and eating our yummy treasures out of mentioned pink box, we collected our items and hit the hardware store. Lowes was first.  More caulking for drafty windows,   lawn tools, to replace all those given away three years back, bird food and a feeder and a few other minor little things.... like massive amounts of blue paint chips... more on that another day. Then it was off to replace the groceries that had been lost. Off to Super Walmart. Our first time to the one near us. I had recounted going to a Neighborhood Walmart store last week and saying that next time it was not going to be where we would go. Well I have to say this was a completely different experience. This place was huge.... TWO STORIES! They even had a fancy escalator, one for your cart and one for you to make it to the second story, and elevators too! I was in awe. I must have looked like the small town girl I actually still am in my heart and soul as I was all bug eyed and jaw agape at seeing such things!! Next time I will take photos!

We got home and hubby headed up into the attic, now that he had a ladder to climb up, while  I put the groceries away. Well the story was true, and he admitted to such, there was not a lot of crawl space, and it would be a lot of scooching on belly time and scraped knuckles, BUT the insulation sheeting could be put in and he had a mind to do it himself and NOW! Apparently something we were not made aware of during the inspection of the home, there was not a lot of insulation up in that old attic and what there was, was thin enough you could see the drywall of the ceiling! It was no wonder that my feet have felt like they were encased in ice and our gas bill was crazy high.  Hubby called the salesman and told him to get here as soon as he could with enough rolls of the product he was selling and that we would be putting it in.  Lucky for us, he was in the area.  One perk of hubby doing the job himself, we saved a lot of money in labor. So thanks to the Universe/God for that!  I see it as a way that I can get my front entrance way sooner *Wink Wink* . 

Once the salesman had left it was back out to the hardware store... yes we had forgotten items. This time it was Home Depot, as it is down the street and Lowes is a 20 minute drive. I may not be happy with their appliance section, but I am alright with off the shelf purchases. An hour later and more sacks of various little things like weather stripping for the side door, new light switches and even two ceiling lights and we were back home. Hubby began his chore of installing the "space blanket" and I settled in with my magazines and paint chips and caught up on Downton Abby.  Hubby managed to get a quarter of the attic done, and tonight our youngest will be coming over after her shift at work is over and will be helping to get to areas he can not... I am hoping that my feet will soon begin to defrost. Maybe by this time next week is the wish. That brings us to today. Deja Vu ... sitting here, in  my Pjs and sipping my second cup of tea, taking UPS deliveries, and answering emails, the phone rang. It was the chosen landscaping company, hubby had told them to call me. Could they come over in 15-20 minutes? Um sure.  I of course rushed about , got dressed,  woofed down my brunch and brushed my teeth.... thank goodness for track suits and sweater caps because 20 minutes later I was greeting the young front man, the son and his father who where there to have me sign papers, to finalize the work outline and collect a deposit.  They start tomorrow and by weeks end I shall have a drive way and two walk ways where only muddy dirt is now!! 

Saying good bye to the font yard full of sloppy, gooey mud!! 

Now I sit here as I write this waiting on the next appointment, because while I was writing the landscapers that check, the repair man called and he had a cancellation and could be here today instead of Wednesday if that was ok?! Of course it was ok. I have plugged the broken fridge in again, and as the sun starts to dip I am hoping he will be here sooner than later so that I can finally have just a moment to get back to my now icy cold cup of tea and watch last nights Downton Abby episode without interruption before I start to wash my daughters towels ( she has no W&D and no hot water at her apartment .. the latter getting fixed tomorrow) so they are ready for her use once she and hubby cease to crawl around above my head in the attic. And there you have it... our welcome into home ownership for this weeks installment.