Adventures in Old Home Ownership, part 1

Have you ever had to call the Turdologist? I have. What's a Turdologist? Apparently it's someone who can fix your sewer. It started a couple weeks ago; the kitchen drain would gurgle when I flushed the toilet. Hmm. My buddy Google said that it was either a backing up issue or a venting issue. Well, toilet wasn't stopped up so I didn't think much of it.

Until Tom went into the cellar and came back up to say 'I think the sewer has been backing up'. At first he thought the floor was damp from melting snow (we would not be surprised to learn that the walls or floor seeped). But then he saw corn kernels near the drain. Yah. Corn kernels don't seep through walls. They come back up the drain hole from the sewer. Ever wonder why they don't digest? Nevermind, that's another post...

I learned very quickly that even though the yellow pages ad might read '24 hour service', out in the country that means 'well it's gettin' kinda late dar and I haven't had supper so can ya wait til da mornin?' Sure. I can wait. I'll just pee in the yard. (Well, not really. I pee'd in a pop bottle all night, hehehe.)

The Turd men arrived bright and early the next day and got to work. We were scared that they would tell us our line was busted. I had visions of dirty, loud and heavy equipment ripping up my front yard and thousands of dollars leaving my checkbook. And then when he yelled up 'You better get the city out here - I can't get through to the main sewer line', I thought my nightmare was about to become a shitty reality. Just as I was explaining the situation to a city official, he says 'NEVERMIND! We made it through'. Hurray!!! Hurray!!!!

So we dodged the major repair, but then we had to tackle the major cleanup. Though the course of the water jetting or roto-rooting or whatever its called, there was an inch of raw sewage in the cellar. It was the most disgusting cleaning job I have ever done. But I couldn't resist the joke in it all and after we were done I said to Tom:

Well babe, we've really been through some shit together now.

Hardy har har I crack myself up ;)

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Freakin' Cafe Curtains.

*Whew*

I started my little project last night after Jack when to bed. I didn't have a pattern, but I consulted my trusty 1968 McCall's sewing book for guidance. Top hem, 1.75", bottom hem 3", sides .75". Easy. I can do that. And then add a little bit to make nice finished seams and hems - no loose ends for this project! Lots of math and scribbles later I come up with a loose design. I measure, cut and press and sit down at the sewing machine.

How do I thread this thing again? And the bobbin, how does THAT go in?

*big, tired sigh*

Anywhoo, I muddle my way through one panel. It is grueling. I want to hang it on the window and make sure that I like it before I spend more precious time on the second panel. I had picked up a curtain rod at IKEA for $1.49. It's too long, but Tom assured me we could cut it to length. Problem: Tom is at work! But Nina is resourceful. I found the pipe cutter and went to work. Viola! A curtain rod that fits.


And you know what? I'm liking this funky retro kitchen print in my red and yellow kitchen. I did not like the fact that it was already after 11pm. I was pooped and decided to save the rest for the morning.


Jack was a great helper. Surprisingly the second panel went much quicker, even though I had to unplug the sewing machine every time I walked away (see next pic). Jack is very interested in any type of machinery and would have sewn his finger to his pajamas if he had the chance. I did get a fifteen minute 'break' from sewing because Jack decided we should play 'Let's Hide the Presser Foot!' Umm, yeah.


Here's the finished product. Not too bad, huh? I had planned on making an upper panel, but I've run out of steam for this morning. Do people just curtain half a window? We have the perfect amount of light and privacy right now. Do I NEED to make a top tier? Opinions please!

(please excuse the poorly shrunk window film - I still need to trim the excess and hit it with the hairdryer again)

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Damn it smells good in here.

Could it be the lemon pound cake in the oven? Or the Iced Cinnamon Roll candle burning? Or the smell of fresh pizza dough getting tumbled around by the mixer? Or a little bit of everything?

It's the smell of home on a winter day.

lemon pound cake - it's good now,
but will be better topped with real whipped cream and thawed raspberries after dinner

We braved the chill and light snow this morning to run to the grocery store for butter and ketchup (and a few other things). Something possessed me to buy two 5lb bags of sugar. And shortening. I NEVER buy shortening. But I was surfing last night and read dozens of holiday treat recipes. Know what that means? Nina will be baking. Don't worry Mom and Sister, everything I make will be fat free, just for you. *wink wink*

this is where the mixer does it's mixing. it doesn't fit on the counter.
notice the laptop stand (highchair), perfect to follow along with recipes...

I am in full Holiday Season mode now. Yesterday I brought out some decorations. I even decorated Jack (see Christmas Cars PJ pic). There is a wreath on my front door and pine cones in the livingroom. Jack LOVES the snow and is constantly dragging me to the door to go outside. He has been very cooperative about keeping his hat and mittens on outside (very surprising!)

digging in boxes he shouldn't be...

hey ma! put my coat on, now!!

It's kind of cold out here...


...but I don't care, snow is cool!

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Settling In.

Moving sucks. Living among boxes, half opened or stacked four high, is it's own brand of chaos. I still haven't found the silverware and our clothes are in haphazard piles on the bedroom floor. But I must report some progress! The people are demanding pictures, so pictures they will get.

Here is the living room. It's the most 'unpacked' room so far, but still have a few boxes to get through...






Next is the kitchen. It's functional, but not quite pretty yet. Check out the vintage stove to go with our vintage kitchen. This thing is a state-of-the-art Jenn-Air. From the 1960's maybe? My favorite part of the kitchen is the window over the sink. You don't realize just how nice it is to have a view until you don't have one (like at the townhome).



And look - the side of the fridge is the perfect spot for my retro-mama stuff :)



When you use the back burners, the fan turns on. I felt like I was cooking on a runway yesterday. It's pretty loud!


This is the dining room, AKA tool room. It's now properly blocked off and baby proof. At least SO FAR Jack hasn't found a way in.




And last but not least here is my little helper. He is unloading a cabinet that I just organized. *Sigh*


The upstairs is in shambles and no, I won't post pics quite yet. Give me another day or two for organizing...

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Domestic Engineer, Day 1 Recap

November 1st, 2010...

I had set my alarm for 5:30am. Why? Old habits die hard. Anywhoo, 5:30 arrives, alarm beeps, I roll over and shut it off. 'Why am I up? I don't have to get up. But I should get up. I don't want to get up.' You guessed it, I don't get up. I drift in and out of wakefulness and shortly after 6am Tom comes home and crawls in bed. We enjoy some early morning snuggle time as he falls asleep and I think about the day to come.

My daily routine almost always involves 2-3 cups of coffee and yesterday was no different. I had a few minutes to myself before The Captain woke up. He always wakes up happy, just like his Mama. I start on breakfast while he plays with a laundry basket full of Halloween toys, courtesy of Grandma. We eat cream cheese and hummus on toast with a side of orange slices. My goal to get veggies into every meal is starting off well (chickpeas are a vegetable, right? Or are they a bean?) I am able to make several phone calls regarding the move; new phone & internet service set up, change addresses for car insurance, deal with utilities, etc. Jack helps me by scribbling on all my papers and eventually I set up an 'office' on the kitchen counter where he couldn't reach. I also give him his own papers to write on, but apparently he didn't like them because there are a few scribbles on the couch (how in the Hell do I get THAT out?)

By the time I looked at the clock again I realized it was 11am. And I was still braless and in pajamas. Hmm, that was not part of my plan. I want to be showered and dressed early every day - I remember vividly that two months of maternity leave when my hair was rarely washed and I thought wearing flannel pants to the store was fine. I was on a slippery slope to becoming a picture on People Of Walmart. OK, back to the plan. I made a mental note to get dressed ASAP. Noon rolls around, Noon-thirty, and just before 1pm Tom wakes up. AND I'M STILL IN PAJAMA'S! But wait, it gets worse. I had just flippped on Days of Our Lives. He walks downstairs to find Jack in the aftermath of a toy tornado and his lovely bride sittin' on the couch in wrinkled PJ's watching soap operas. Hehehe.

I do end up showering and getting dressed, make lunch and then the Hedin's head out the door. It's a sunny, mild 50 degrees and I am happy, happy, happy. We buy a water heater, stamps and stop at the auto parts store. Jack gets crabby and we're home by 3pm for a late nap. Oh! and Mama is tired too! Since I had kept up on housework throughout the day there was no reason to NOT take a nap. Just never mind the drool on my pillow.

The evening followed suit in a similiar fashion; no crazy stress, no lugging dozens of tires to the shop, no deadlines, no angry parts people, technicians or customers, no month-end insanity. No aching back, tense shoulders or stiff neck. No inbox full of emails that Need To Get Done Asap or voice mails that need followup. Instead I watched Jack walk around grabbing his arm and making garbled noises (trying to copy Daddy and The Claw). I folded laundry and did dishes and surfed the internet when the boy was sleeping. I made breakfast, lunch and dinner. I packed boxes and made plans for the new house and picked up the same toy 15 times. And I loved every minute of it.

*Nina breathes big sigh of relief*

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