And this is where we differ...

As a property owner, I'm constantly on the defense. I feel like if I don't watch the walls, carpet, water heater, outlets, etc., the whole place will fall down around me. While in the shower this evening, I noticed just such a thing, as the paint close to the ceiling was bulging with a load of water behind it. I slit the bubble and out poured the water. I moved the curtain rod and the paint behind it mushed away too.

I start trouble shooting about what needs to be done (put a fan on it, dry it out, use a putty knife to peel/scrape away the damaged area, put the fan on it some more, make sure it is super dry, apply new mud (hopefully the drywall doesn't need to be replaced), sand it down, re paint, re caulk the seams, call it a day) and think that this won't be a bid deal (I am still enjoying my shower, mind you.) I go and let D know that the shower curtain will now be hanging about five inches lower so the steam can escape to the exhaust fan in a timely manner, and there will be a small DiY project on Wednesday (the day I'm off from my NEW JOB! more on that some other time) and he looks at me like I'm crazy. I tell him he can go look at the bathroom if he's confused.

He takes one look at it and says,"Why don't we hire someone?" In my head I start my rebuttal: "But this is so simple!", "I don't have money to hire someone!" ,"Hiring someone is such a waste of money!", "Don't you want to do this with me to learn for next time?", "Are you SERIOUS?"

My mom would be so proud of me. I didn't say any of those things. What I said was, "I just figured out what the problem is. I don't know what I want to do yet."

I forget sometimes that I enjoy the fixing process way more than D. Car head light is out? I buy the bulb, pop the hood and do the work. Plug on the dryer blows? I call my dad for the 411 on electrical DiY and go to Lowe's for the part, 10 minutes, and it's done. I want shelves. I put them up. I want a dimmer switch...(ok, my dad did that one, but he was here and he showed me, and I swear I'll do the next one!) Carpet cleaning, tile grouting, light fixture fixing...I like figuring it out. I shouldn't get exasperated or irritated when D helps by offering what any sane person would do - pay someone to make the problem disappear. I'm lucky that he isn't trying to rip it down himself, only to leave a huge hole and a broken pipe!

I will think this through, this hiring of a professional.

Even though I can do it myself, I have such a hard time admitting that someone else would probably be a better choice. Because I'm awesome. At a lot of stuff. Especially stuff in my house that I then get to look at all the time and feel proud that I fixed it. Myself.

The Quiet House

Yes, yes, yes. I just posted about getting the Internet today. Woo hoo for me and all that, but what I wanted to share is something that really makes my day...

Since December 19th (the day we moved in all of Dan's stuff in then drove to Chicago to enjoy the Cookie Party) we've had free TV. Dan hooked the cable into the plug to see what would happen, and it turns out the cable company hadn't turned off the feed. Oops! So, Since then, I've been overwhelmed with things like HGtv, TLC, Discovery Channel, History Channel, and The Food Network. It was amazing. Having not had tv for three years, I was shocked this was in my house.

Tonight though, with the internet came the disconnecting of that old stream and the adding of the one we pay for. No more HGtv. No more Food Network. And this is where I insert my happy dance.

The house has been noisy, not just because there is another human here who is doing his own things, but because of that damned tv living out its free stream glory. With the spare parts of the house being full to the brim, I couldn't get away from it, and for some reason, shutting it off was like killing a child - unthinkable.

But since 3:45, Dan and I are back to our ways in Carbondale, he reading the news and listing to podcasts, me reading my blogs and getting the office in some working order.

I am so happy I have a place to cut and sew and craft. The other side of the room has Dan's desk, but that is still a terror of ugly - he'll get to it when he needs it.

And, to top this happy day of quiet and planning, have a Baxter moment on me:

Internet at the house!

Raise your glass everyone - we have Internet at the house! (My drink selection tonight comes courtesy of Trish. Thanks Trish!) The nice man from Comcast came by at 3:45 and got all of the bits and bytes flying in the appropriate configuration. I spent the next 30 minutes getting all of the wireless stuffs working right, and poof! I'm in the office now, and Dan is in the living room - both using the happy connection to our hearts' delight.



After a few false starts, tonight Dan and I made Swedish meatballs with a yummy glaze and egg noodles. Dan was responsible for making the sauce, seen above sauteing the mushrooms and onions. The kitchen is still trying to figure out how to hold all of the new things that are living there, but for our first meal with more than three steps in its preparation, we did alright. (Dan was happy to get to use his iPad and the Epicurious app to give us not only instruction, but shopping lists too!)

To give you the full view of the kitchen (expansion), here you can see the bookshelf we've turned into out dish rack and dry storage shelves. Next to it on the right, we're saving what little counter space we have by having our microwave, mixer, and toaster on low cart. If I weren't self conscious of the messy counter with things still trying to find a usable home, I would have a better photo. More to come I guess.

PS - our dinner was super good.

I promise, promise we will have Internet soon! More regular posts after the New Year.

The newest addition to life in Bloomington is a pretty big one. Dan and I moved all of his stuff in this last weekend in a marathon of boxes and driving. I took the train from Champaign to Carbondale, we packed it all the next morning and drove it to Bloomington Saturday night, unpacked it all Sunday morning, drove to Champaign to get my car, then drove both the truck and car to Chicago so we didn't miss the wonderful Swift Cookie Party.

Whew! We are still tired!

We have been wading through boxes and moving furniture around to make our lives fit in the apartment. The cats have been loving it - all of the nooks and crannies. And holy cow, we have a lot of cooking utensils!

Happy Christmas all! Enjoy the festivities and those specials people you get to spend it with. And to all of my family I won't get to see, I love you all and wish we were closer!

Happy Hanukkah!

Hello.

I have been negligent in my postings for lack of Internet and well, because there has been a lot going on.

My holiday was lovely and full of wonderful people, as Dan and I were in Chicago with his family and friends. I met Alice for the first time, after hearing plenty of stories of her from Linda, who has been her friend for sometime. Linda also took me to Andersonville, a portion of Chicago I'd never been to before. The shops were fun and the cafe where we had lunch is just the type of place I'm excited to take my mom or my sister if/WHEN they visit me.

Ben Saller turned 27 on the weekend, and he is such a warm hearted person that it was no surprise there were loads of people in his house for his celebration. Near the end, there was a spontaneous walk to to a taco joint a few blocks away. Warm Mexican food at 2am with friends is such a wonderful thing. While we were waiting for our food to be done, we were serenaded by about 20 people singing karaoke in Spanish.

Dan is back in Carbondale going through his finals. I have most of my things moved up, but there will still be a truck load with Dan's things. There is already stuff all over for lack of storage. It will be interesting to get his things in as well.

I'm on the job hunt still here in Bloomington. In the mean time, I'm working part time at Barnes and Noble and sewing all sorts of projects that need to be done for people before Christmas. I'm busy. Word has come back that the Alaska job is a no go. They found someone who will be a better fit for them, possibly one who didn't say openly in the interview that she wants to open a coffee shop with in the next five years. I don't regret being honest. And really, I am happy to not have to make the choice to leave or stay. There is always the fun of working in the summer there. And really, that isn't a bad option.

I hope to have pictures soon, I haven't been carrying my camera in Blono and I don't usually remember to bring it when I come to a cafe for internet. Sorry! I'll try harder! You can see the chaos of my place with the cats and fabric all over.

And tonight marks the beginning of Hanukkah. I hope you are all with loved ones.

Midweek vacation

I got to see my family this week! Josh and Krista rode the train up to Bloomington and from there it was a great two days of family. Wednesday we met up with Miah, Jessie and the kids and enjoyed the afternoon together. I let Ben run about with my camera, and these first shots are his point of view. :)



Josh shared with us the video of the show he and Krista are working on right now. Micky's Talent Show has a huge variety of characters, of which Tigger and Buzz Lightyear are two. The blue shirt Ben is wearing - it's a Buzz shirt, if that tell you anything.






Cecilia is walking all over the place and was very interested in the salad dressings from the fridge. It took her a while to participate as she, like her aunt, does not like to get up after a nap.

We all had dinner together and then Josh, Krista and I went back to Bloomington for the night. We explored some thrift stores and book shops before making the trek to St. Louis, then I drove solo back to Carbondale. Lots of driving but totally worth it. It's so rare that we all get to see each other. In fact, this time last year was the last time Josh made almost the exact trip.

Josh and Krista showed me the inside of the tour bus they live in between cities, and I was impressed with how they were able to convert a 45 ft. coach into a home for 12 people. Sleeping nooks, two lounges, and satellite tv and internet. Not like any bus I've driven!

Renters, movers, eaters...oh my!

I was successful in renting my apartment! I have Simon and James living in my cute little place until November, with the possibility of the month of November being added on if their contract continues.

I spent the weekend running all over, all for happy reasons, but now, sitting at the Coffee Hound in Normal, I'm feeling the tired. Not a good sign when I have four hours of driving a head of me.

Other huge things that happened this weekend: 1. Audrey and Greg got married 2. Trish and Crissy moved into their beautiful new house together.

I got a chance to talk with Audrey and Greg this morning (over coffee!) and heard the whole story of how they decided to tie the know four months before their intended wedding day. The whole thing has a few sad details about issues with health care and irresponsible bosses, but they are happy and are still planning on having a party in September. I'll be making Audrey's bouquet out of cloth flowers, one of which she saw and loved as I was wearing it as a brooch on my sweater. It will be fun to play with how they'll fit together, along with the butterflies (which will be all over everything for her decorations).

After Kristy, Cori, and Linda (Cori's mom) were done yard-saleing in Hudson on Saturday morning, I helped Trish and Crissy move into their lovely house. I am looking forward to seeing how they put it all together, as there are reading nooks and lots of fun corners. They both have a fun style and enjoy hosting get-togethers, so any party they have in the future will be pleasant for multiple reasons. It's been a while since I've been covered in that special kind of sweat that seems to be unique with moving, but it felt good to help friends with a task which is universally despised.

Add a bbq, shampooing carpets, moving a queen bed into the apartment, listening to a band (sort of) and the various emails with the company from England, and my weekend is happy to be over! I have a bag of peaberry beans roasted by Steve to take home to Dan, and some new music from Jessica to listen to in the car. Adios amigos.

Business renters

I think I have a lead on a renter! It's been since the middle of February since I've had anyone in my place in Bloomington, and I was starting to get discouraged. Just when I was starting to talk with a friend about her possibly moving in (with a "something is better than nothing" mantra running through my head), I got an email from Simon.

Simon works for a company that is doing work at the wind mill farms off of Rt. 9. He and some men are staying through October before going back to the UK. Currently, we're in the the fact finding stage: setting up a time to see the place, getting documents sent from his company so they can pay me, determining how long the lease would be for. He is hoping to move out of a hotel and get settled for his time here.

I was hopping off the walls at work after I chatted with him on my lunch break! Not only will it be rented, but if he likes what he sees, I won't have to worry about the legitimacy of a person - there is a business backing him up!

It's not official yet, but here's hopin'!

Home safe

I am home. Ciara is on a plane to Portland, and Violet is safe in the drive way. All is well.

The last 24 hours have been so busy! Driving, cleaning, and driving. The condo was left in wonderful shape, so instead of going over everything, Ciara and I went to work on details that I never seem to get around to like cleaning behind the refrigerator, replacing the furnace filter, deep scrubbing. Ciara tackled a project I've been avoiding since October of '07, when at my house warming party a candle dripped a huge puddle of wax on the carpet. Now it's gone! Ciara is amazing!

But now, I will rest. Getting up this morning and leaving the house at 1:30am to get her to St. Louis for her flight has taken it's toll. I'll post pictures of the kiddos and sister after a nap.

Renters, pies, and pictures. Oh my!

I've done lots of driving this last week. I found a family to rent my condo on a month-to-month basis while they are in the process of buying a home, and that has meant back and forth, and back and forth, between whatever city I have been in. There was a key debacle on Friday and Saturday, but hopefully that is all worked out now. From November 16th to now, I'm at 1211 miles. That would get me to Miami, Providence, El Paso, or almost to Salt Lake City.

This is the last week of Nanny Life. I'm going to be sad not seeing Ben and Cecil so often. Today I went with Jessie to have their pictures taken. It was only a slightly traumatizing event for Cecilia. They are stinkin' adorable, with their winter sweaters and snowy back drops. Jessie and Miah make some cute kids.

Happy Thanksgiving all! I made three pies this weekend in preparation for it. I haven't seen that much butter on the table for a long time. The last was in a professional bakery where croissants were being made by the dozens.

My latest search: Super Feet. They don't exist in Carbondale, so before I leave Champaign I will hopefully have what I need to breathe new life into my running shoes. Wish me luck!

Hopes up, and then right back down

I have a condo I'm trying to rent out. I got lucky this summer and had a great lady living there from March through August. Now, I'm about to start month three of it being unoccupied.

I had someone email me from a posting on craigslist. I drive up from Carbondale on Sunday, do some last minute sprucing and organizing, and it goes great! He says he loves it and wants to go ahead with the paperwork. He has his own furniture and I proceed to jump through big hoops to find room for the couch, chairs, bed, dresser and bench he would like me to remove.

I said I would get back to him in 24-48 hours to sign the lease if his credit check goes through, and all seems fine. I got so excited to have this huge weight taken off my shoulders!

I sign on to my email to give him an update the next morning, only to find a message from him that he wouldn't be needing the apartment.

*sigh*

I shouldn't get so excited. This is just part of the process. I know. I'm still bummed.