Settling In

We are trying our best to settle in to the new house. However, it seems to be one thing after another slowing us down! Pardon me while I vent, and then I promise I will take a more positive spin on things.

- We live in a split level with 1 AC unit, which means that the upstairs is always about 10 degrees warmer than the downstairs.

- The first day I tried to give Isabella a bath, I found out that the stopper doesn't work. So I had to tape plastic over the drain.

- The cable. doesn't. work. The guy is here 2 hours and can't get it to work. The next day, he comes back with another guy and after awhile, they get cable but not Internet. Internet mysteriously comes on sometime later that night but is still prone to going out.

- On Friday, I was in the shower (after Nick had showered) and he came running upstairs screaming "turn off the shower!". Why? Because our laundry room had flooded. Yes. Any water coming from the kitchen or upstairs bathroom was ending up on our laundry room floor. Good news - our laundry room has a concrete floor and it didn't get into the actual house. Bad news, well, there is a toilet in the upstairs bathroom, and yes, it had been flushed.

- So we call the plumber. No, he says, call the drain guys. So we call the drain guys. Two snakes and a camera later and they find a piece of metal stuck in the pipe. Can they remove it? No, that is a job for the plumber, who can't come out until Monday (this was Friday).

- Luckily, we have a downstairs bathroom that connects below the clog, so we can at least use the bathroom.

- Saturday, Nick is putting up blinds and we think we smell gas. So of course we call the gas company. Well, what we smelled wasn't gas but since the gas guy was there he had to check everywhere and finds a small leak (outside). By law, he has to turn off the gas.

- So now, even though we could shower, we have no hot water. And cannot wash dishes either.

- Monday rolls around. Our plumber shows up. This problem is beyond his abilities. He tells us to call the drain guys. We already called the drain guys, so we call another drain guy. He runs his snake and there is nothing else we can do.

- We call another plumber. He cannot come out until Wednesday.

- After much consultation, they (thankfully) figure out how to fix the problem. They will be back tomorrow.

- This morning, the plumbers arrive and end up tearing up the new tile floor and jackhammering the six inches of concrete that makes up the slab foundation. But they fixed the problem. Are you curious as to what was in the pipe? A 3 inch pipe cap. WTH??

- Yes we are trying to get the seller to pay for some of this. It was not a new problem.

- Tonight Nick is working late for the first time in forever. I have a fussy toddler on my hands because she only took a 45 minute nap. 45 minute naps are the devil around here. She either needs no sleep or 1.5 - 2 hours. All or none and she's golden. Anything in between and she is major cranky-pants. So I am trying to make dinner in the oven and the stupid oven is not working correctly. I turn it on. It preheats. I put in the potatoes. They are cooking fine at 350. Later, I want to turn up the heat for the roasted broccoli and sweet potato fries. After my 10 minute timer goes off on those items, they are not cooked. Why? The oven was off. So I turn it back on to 450 and it only ever gets up to 415. So I try to turn it up again and it says it is only at about 365. Looks like we need a new oven. Our small profit on selling the house is being eaten away QUICKLY!!!

OK. Deep breath. I am ready to be positive now, I promise. PollyAnna, right Covell? The glass is half full. Yes. It is working.

Anyway, we really do like our new house. Isabella LOVES it. She has adjusted so well. She is such an outside girl and hasn't wanted to play outside (or leave the house for any reason). Part of it is the toys and books that have sort of resurfaced. But part of it is just the newness of it all I think. We have 3 bedrooms upstairs, the master, Isabella's room, and the other bedroom, which will be used for a bedroom for the 2nd kid at some point, but is now a playroom. The room that will be the playroom once that is turned into a nursery is right now filled with boxes. It is serving as our "attic" for the moment. Well, longer than a moment.




So here are some pictures of the house. These were taken during the inspection so that's why it is completely empty. At some point I will take some pictures of us as we've moved in. We have a cool new fridge! We got a nice fan put up in our bedroom! We have an awesome deck and private, fenced in backyard! We live in a cul-de-sac! We live in a nice neighborhood that is so convenient!

I told you I was going to be more positive!