6 Months later...a Pittsburgh House Tour

Last week was a huge sigh of relief because we finally got our security deposit back on our Pittsburgh rental. It was a relief because the agency made us jump through dozens of hoops just to rent the place...$35 application fee each, $30 to register our dogs on a database each year we were there + provide vet records, have every utility switched in our names with account numbers written down for the agency's records before we could move in...I could go on and on. The biggest issue was that, not only did we have to put down a full month's rent as a security deposit, but we had to put down a duplicate amount as a pet deposit...and still pay per month, per pet. 

My head aches just thinking about it and remembering the stress of it all, frankly. We always felt like we were being taken advantage of during that process. 

In the end, we did everything they asked because we needed a place to live and had no other options. 

Two weeks ago, they told us they were giving us the entire deposit plus the entire pet deposit back because we'd done such a good job taking care of the place and cleaning it before we left. They were originally supposed to charge us for carpet-cleaning and they didn't. Woo-hoo. 

We didn't ask questions. We just deposited the check and now we are done with Pittsburgh. 

Everyone has a pre-shutdown story where they just couldn't believe that it had been real life, considering the entire country started shutting down two weeks later. For me, it was when our friends from Denver came to visit us for Presidents' Day weekend and we spent a few days seeing/eating/doing everything in Pittsburgh. (The next week all three of us were sick with chills, fever, body aches, etc...just saying...)

Life was good, right?

I took these pictures with the intent of sharing them once we were long gone from Pittsburgh. I took them right before our friends arrived from the airport because I was thinking This might be the last time this place looks fully put-together because I'm going to start packing next month because we're moving in May. bahahaha, right? We ended up ending our lease July 15th, due to Covid pushing our moving date and start date in Kansas.

But I do try to take pictures of our houses once they're "done". 

The bane of my existence: the front door just opening into the living room. The fixation I have on entryways now is unreal. 

Not our curtains. 

They were pretty high quality, up on a track. I made them work. I had the fireplace baby-proofed for a bit. Then he kept pulling the foam off so I gave up. 

The dining room. 

This was my only real baby-proofing after Wells could really walk. It was the only thing I was afraid of him getting into. He almost never did, though.

The kitchen, if I had to pick, would be my favorite room. There was a decent amount of workspace. I mean, the water hookup/icemaker on the fridge didn't work, the garbage disposal was always jamming, the dishwasher was inserted crookedly, and the oven died more than once...but the gas stove was a delight. 

That countertop is not granite. It's a bumpy epoxy paint, most commonly used for garage floors. Which the neighbor helpfully told me she would never eat off of because you'd probably get sick from it.

This kitchen did have a ton of storage but since it was built 50-60 years ago, there weren't many outlets, which gets to you after some time. 

The bathroom was the only professionally remodeled room in the house and it shows. The subway tile was lovely, decent amount of storage, etc. I just wish there had been two bathrooms like this. 

Wells' room. I did a separate post on this. But that purple carpet was interesting. The neighbor told me it was originally installed in the house when there was a little girl living there and now this little girl is 48 years old...so it's an old carpet. 

The guest room/office. There was nothing that could be done to make this room look good. The walls were dingy white, the blinds were too small for the windows, etc. I tried curtains and that barely worked. The great rug from Wells' first nursery looked terrible on these floors. The point of contention was mainly the floor: they had pulled up carpet and never refinished the wood so it was a mess. 

(Also, that's our dresser mirror up against the wall. It didn't fit in our room.)

And the half bath was in the guest room? Whatever. 

And our room. Same issue with the floor. It had random scratches and paint marks and nail holes everywhere. It was original hardwood but no one had ever refinished it. You could still see the carpet staples, with the occasional carpet fiber along the wall. It reminded me of this experience in Colorado and I was surprised we didn't come across a tack strip. 

Do you remember on Father of the Bride where George describes their house as "warm in the winter and cool in the summer". This house was the opposite: even with central air, it was warm in the summer and cool in the winter. In fact, it was downright drafty. I had to put blankets in the windows of our bedrooms. Our room stayed the coldest, so I had a space heater I'd fire up on really cold nights. Scott swore that sleeping in there gave him a sore throat and he blamed more than one cold on that room. So he slept on the couch a lot. 

In the summer, the bedroom was so hot that Scott couldn't stand it either. 

The windows were either poorly installed, the insulation was non-existent, or (most likely) both. 

My dad also mentioned the A/C return vents were in the wrong spot; if you look at the picture up there of the guest room, you can see that the return is on the wall, under the window. They're not supposed to be on exterior walls. The actual heat/air vents were on the interior walls (they were wall vents, not floor registers). 

So, essentially, the air and the heat were circulating backward, meaning....no wonder if was always warm when it was supposed to be cold and cold when it was supposed to be warm. 

Clearly, I've spent A LOT of time fixated on this. 

Anyway. House #6 is done and gone. Finally. House #7 seems to be much more promising. 

(Our a/c return vents are properly positioned. I checked as soon as we moved in.)

I hate Zillow.

Thank goodness we found Jett a place to sit and watch the squirrels. 

+I called about a property that was ideal for us. Just perfect. I left a message. The guy called me back. He asked if I'd seen the house. I said no because we were military and living out of state but I'd love to apply for it. He said it wasn't available until July. JULY.
He had listed it on Zillow in OCTOBER. That should be illegal. What purpose is possibly served by listing something 9-10 months in advance. He said he wanted to see if anyone would be interested. Well, all he's really getting, I'm sure, is the opportunity to field calls from people who need a house within a month or two. He even sounded like a jackhole and I kind of want to link to his listing for you.

+Zillow doesn't take properties down right away after they're leased and they certainly don't make any notations if there's multiple applications/leases getting ready to go through. I called more than one property manager/owner who said there was a lease going through and it would "probably" work out. One lady had a showing scheduled with me and, when I texted to confirm, she said Yeah, we can meet, but I have a lease getting ready to go through on it. She wasn't even going to tell me this. I have a special word for her too and want to link to her profile.

+In military towns, it's common to find a house online, work with the rental agency over the phone, and rent site-unseen. We've done it. It worked out just fine. This is also the benefit of the Automated Housing Referral Network. They know they're working with military families. Pittsburgh doesn't use the AHRN because they don't have a military installation. Trying to explain to people/owners/agents what we're looking for and why we're moving is headache-inducing. At least, at Ft. Leonard-Wood, I could say I need a house and they knew what I meant.

+Houses in Pittsburgh for rent are actually few and far between...all of them mostly being really in the city. Every one I looked at generally had something big wrong with it that was a no-go. One was on a hill comparable to the Manitou Incline. One was "renovated" and all they had done was put in new countertops. One was perfect...and then I realized there was no driveway/garage/shed and only on-street parking. Also, Pittsburgh is comparable to the hills of San Francisco...it's actually one of the countries hilliest cities. We're coming from the Great Plains. It's unsettling.

+When listing our Laramie house to rent, we realized very quickly that saying "no dogs" when you have nothing to lose by letting a tenant have a dog is a stupid move. It takes so many houses out of contention. MOST people have pets, you know? However, in my experience, a lot of places take a $500 pet deposit. Not in Pittsburgh. Every place I looked at wanted an additional month's rent as a pet deposit. UGH. I felt like I was being swindled. And they acted like it was the norm. It's not the norm.

+Also, speaking of pets, as an agent, when you ask me who will be living in the house and I say "...and two dogs", don't let your face fall and look disgusted for a second WHEN THE LISTING SAYS PETS ALLOWED. What is wrong with you? At least know your property a little better than that.

+And, also...pictures, Zillow. There were a few houses where I actually wanted to volunteer to do new pictures for the person and put them up for the listing. If you use blurry flip-phone pictures, you're not helping yourself. At least make the place look good and let a potential renter judge for themselves. Isn't the idea to get people to the property? If your agent doesn't offer professional photos, find a new agent.

+I was semi-interested in a property and thought it'd be a last resort for me to go look at (nice place, just far from work for Scott). When the agent called me back (after 3 days), she said that the bank that has the loan out on the house has to vet any potential tenants and no one has passed the vetting process so far. I've never heard about such a thing.

+Trying to rent in Pittsburgh was a nightmare, especially because I was looking for a place on my own (and to the lady who gave me the disgusted look when I said there would be two dogs and who assumed it was just me renting the house, I wanted to punch her in the throat...just because I'm looking by myself doesn't mean I'm living in a place by myself, moron...also, lady, leggings aren't pants). We're lucky we got into a place that has more "right" than "wrong", to be honest. It'll be fine for the amount of time we'll be here and eventually I'll do a quick overview of the pros/cons of the house (the biggest con being the additional month's rent as a pet deposit and the yellow front door...spoiler alert).

The weekend of manual labor.

My whole body (especially my fingers) hurts after a weekend of carrying, raking, shoveling, and piling.

We spread mulch, paid for a trailer full of stone, shoveled the stone, and then pick up all the trimmed branches and trees that Scott has chopped down this winter (in the dark..see last picture).

Wait, is winter the right word? 

I put away all of my winter decorations this weekend because I do believe winter is over and we've hit 60 degrees (a most uncomfortable temperature because you never know what to wear) for the next 2 months. After that, it'll be 95 each day. That was a short winter indeed.

I'm saying all of this now in hopes of jinxing myself and forcing a snowstorm or two out of the universe. 

A snowstorm or two would certainly be appreciated. 

Linking up with Biana!

Motivating(ish) on Monday

We got our new furniture delivered on Saturday. The only hitch was getting the old furniture out. We have a plan (okay, I had a plan) to store it until later this spring when it will have a yet-to-be-determined purpose and/or we'll sell it. The old furniture is annoyingly large and my biceps and back still hurt from carrying it and wedging it through doorways. 

American Furniture Warehouse showed up at 9:15am which was not in the "9:30 to 11:30am" window. Of course, we were ready and prepared because that's always how we are. I didn't have to chase a dog across the yard as he tried to be overly friendly and lock him in a bedroom or anything. 

The new furniture actually takes up less space than the old couches. 

This means that it's more obvious than ever than I need a chair. There was a recliner that went with it, but that seemed like too much brown (with the brown floors and all) and I'm realllllly holding out for a print...maybe a blue/gray/green? With an ottoman? That doesn't cost $600? I don't think such a thing exists. 

So I totally didn't solve my problem of "I want a chair" at all. That was the original purpose of furniture shopping. I'd seen this sectional over a year ago and loved it and have been thinking of it ever since. 

8 years (and 4 houses) was a good run with the other couches, right?

Anyway, I've seen lots of great prints online lately and I wanted to print a few of them. Like this one:

This is your embedded bit of motivation in the post. 

I thought I should print that. Then I brought up the subject of the wireless printer to Scott and he said he wanted it for his own (that was its original purpose and then it became mine when it didn't fit in his bag for this last deployment). I said it was now mine and he could use it because I needed it. He said to use the printer (the non-wireless one) that's in the basement. I said I couldn't because there wasn't room for it to be properly hooked up to my computer which is upstairs. He asked why not. I said BECAUSE WE HAVE TOO MUCH FURNITURE.

And he said, Oh there. You admit it. Finally. 

But the lesson learned this weekend is that EVERYONE should have a sectional. That L-shaped portion is priceless and we're bickering over it already. 

Linking up with Biana!

Updates and Such

Sometimes I feel like I keep a lot to myself. I didn't used to, but I just kind of do now. I'm not sure where this has come from. I share a lot on this blog, but not as much as I used to, say, four years ago.

Here are some things I thought of sharing, didn't, and then wanted to share before I forgot.

-----------------------------------------------------

Scott lost his wedding ring. He told me via Skype one day I was going to kill him and I thought it meant his stock crashed in the market (he likes to play the market). He said he lost his ring at the gym. Which is sad and depressing and it wasn't an expensive ring but obviously has a lot of sentimental value. 7 years, 4 deployments, etc. He said he was going to order some of the rubber rings (more than one because he does tend to lose things) and we'd just get him a new one when he got home.

Then he said he found his ring, almost two weeks later. I asked where and he said he asked the attendant at the gym one more time and the guy said Yeah! I just found this! and pulled it out of his pocket. I asked Scott if he was sure it was his and he was like Yeah, it is because it is so scratched and nicked and bent that, seriously now, it couldn't be anyone else's.

I think he might be getting a new ring for Christmas anyway.

----------------------------------------------------------

The township we own a house in in Pennsylvania...sorry, that sentence sounds weird. Scott owns a house in Pennsylvania and the township sent me a letter saying that ordinance something-or-other was being violated because there were weeds over 8 inches high. They sent me a picture of the violation.

I gave this major side-eye because, if you knew the neighborhood, weeds 8 inches high are the least of the problems. However, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt (as my mom told me to do) and assume they're trying to clean up the area. My parents graciously went over to the house and cut down all the weeds and then I took the new pictures and watermarked them with the address and date and passive-aggressively sent them to the township.

After all of this was dealt with, I told Scott about it. Because that's how deployment works: you keep a lot of things to yourself so as not to stress out the soldier and you attempt to deal with everything you possibly can without having a discussion about it. He doesn't need my questions because I'm an adult (sort of) and my power of attorney proves it.

Anyway, I was not very nice to the township about it. I have 18 million things to worry about right now and they're not one of them. They had addressed the notice to him and I responded back with He is currently deployed to Afghanistan and will not be receiving your letters. Address your notices to me. I don't think my bitterness snuck in too much, right?

When I eventually told Scott about it, he said I've got 99 problems and Decatur Township ain't one. I agree.

-----------------------------------------------------------

I was looking around the house the other day, wondering what I could do with my time and I decided I didn't like the yellow bathroom anymore. I painted this bathroom yellow less than two years ago. I really wanted a yellow bathroom. I still like the idea of a yellow bathroom but not in this house. In fact, at this moment, I want this bathroom to be not-yellow. And I like gray. Most of our rooms are painted gray, and I particularly like the shade Valspar Rocky Bluffs that's in the kitchen. So I found the leftover paint and went to work.

-------------------------------------------------------------

I adore this new chair from Homegoods and just wish, so badly, that I had new carpeting in this guest bedroom. Every time Scott asks me what I want for a birthday or anniversary or something, I say new carpeting in the guest room. He offers up anything else (even tiling the bathrooms) because he doesn't want to do the carpeting because it's an annoying task.

The other day Scott asked me what I would do with a windfall, should we come into one (again, he plays the market).

I told him I would hire someone to put in a carpet.

Hot water heater "problems"

The other day, I noticed that the brand-new, very expensive hot water heater seemed to be leaking. This is what had happened with the old one and was what prompted us to replace it. The neighbors' hot water heater had actually exploded a few months ago and all of these houses were built at the same time. A hot water heater certainly needs to be replaced every 10-15 years and ours was about 14 years old.

So anyway. I ignored the leak and hoped it would stop. Avoidance is my go-to strategy, always.
Eight hours later, it leaked again. I ignored it one more time.  Later that night, it leaked again and so I finally took a few pictures and emailed them to Scott, trying not to panic. All I could really think was all the ramifications that would occur if the hot water heater stopped working. I won't bore you with that stream of consciousness.

Scott emailed me back right away.

It's supposed to drip from there (the white pvc pipe). It uses an air exchanger in hybrid mode, meaning it runs air across coils to heat the water. If there is humidity in the air, it will naturally drip water. This will get worse as it gets hotter and will also be worse on days when the air is more humid. Nothing to worry about. Love you.

Therefore, this was not a problem. One less thing, right?

How to fix a four-wheeler tire

I had put this off for over a month. The dog probably could've done it.

Here's the tutorial that I totally "needed".

Kind of capable

By nature, I'm pretty helpless.

My weekend outfit: cleanest hat of Scott's I can adopt as my own, awesome vest (similar) with zip pockets to keep my phone secure as I work outside, and remote for dog collars.

I feel like my weekends are verrrry different from most military wives'.

When Scott's here, I default to him.  I don't know if this is because we got married before I had a chance to really adult things on my own or what. It's a possibility.

(Side note: I realize that many women are single and independent. I think I'm just drawing the comparison to Hey, I married you, so I thought you'd be around being how it works when a couple gets married. It's not that we all aren't capable of doing many of the tasks I default on. We're all definitely are as capable as we choose to be :)

But from the day we got married, I've been semi-on my own. I never know when he's going to be here and when he's not going to be here. The classic military wife story, right?  I've obviously learned how to adapt in one way or another.

But once in a while, I make a strong showing of my capability. I don't want to (ever) do things by myself because I'm bad at things. I haven't properly learned how to work a drill, for example. But necessity is the mother of invention, so needs must and all that (I feel like that's likely an Ingalls or Wilder quote).

I found myself at Lowe's one Monday afternoon buying liquid nail because the rubber seal had come off the bottom of the new door and needed to be reattached. I knew Scott had used liquid nail the first time to put it on, and I also realized that was the last of the liquid nail. I spent $2.48 on another tube and managed to open it without destroying it (you'd be surprised how many tubes of sealants I've destroyed because I couldn't quite get them open....) and then put it in the dispenser (something I've never done) and then put it on the rubber seal, and then reattached the seal, and then propped a bunch of wood scraps underneath the door to press it tight and then left the door open for half an hour so it could dry...

You get the idea.

This is just an example of how I'm capable when I want to be. But I always default to having someone else do things for me because it's out of my comfort zone and I'm really bad at figuring things out on my own. If Scott had been here, I would've sent him a text that might've said Get more liquid nail. Seal fell off door. Also, stop for Culver's please.

But that totally wasn't an option and I'm saving my I need your husband to help me emergency text to my friend for an actual emergency. I do default to the neighbors when there's a dog emergency or something. And if something serious happened I know they would help in a heartbeat. Living next to southerners is wonderful.

In reality, I try to be as careful as possible so things don't break and I don't have to worry about fixing them. That's always been my strategy during deployments.

Stuff and Things 9/3

+We are acid-staining the basement floor.  Okay, Scott is acid-staining the basement floor.  We tried to do laminate but didn't like it and it was too hard to keep clean so we're moving the laminate up to the guest bedroom.  The reason why we're going the acid-stain route is because it's a basement and because it's the lowest possible maintenance.  It's not super labor-intensive (not that I would know...); it's just about 4 to 5 steps over a 48 hour period and then it's done and you can just mop it with whatever to clean it and it's sealed forever and ever.  Before the stain was applied, it was just regular old concrete.  

A lot of bars and restaurants use this method and we actually saw it in a winery in Missouri and loved it.  This particular part of the basement will be the living-room/movie-theater area. We do plan on dry-walling over the cinderblock.

+The water in Colorado Springs tastes awful.  We have a well, so I'm always unpleasantly surprised when I have to drink the water at school.  I can't do it. This is me, talking to my fellow teacher friend, about my plan to take in my own water.

This may seem simple, but it's a struggle.

+Did you read this article about Anna Duggar?  My personal opinion: The absolute failure of these sects of Christianity is the way they treat their girls like less-than.  That's all I can use to describe it: less-than.  Less-than what?  I don't know. Just less-than.  Even the pioneer families didn't treat their girls like this; they had just as much value as boys, though for different reasons. Look at the Ingalls family. They sent their blind daughter to college! 

If they'd have the technological advances and knowledge of today back then, I'm guessing the girls would've been treated in a rather equal way.  Also, I'm aware that I'm in the least-feminist profession that exists. But the idea that girls can't do anything really bothers me.  For reasons like this, I think STEM programs should be in all the schools (not that these Duggar girls would ever get to go to school...that makes me really sad).  Also, I'm hoping to coach with Girls on the Run this fall because it's a program that encourages girls to be intelligent, thinking individuals. 

+When I think about how many things are on my to-do list, I realize that writing this blog post is the absolute last thing I should be doing (literally, the last).  And on Tuesday, as I was getting ready to leave the lounge and head back to the world of teaching reading comprehension, I got a picture message from Scott:

That just about pushed my fried nerves over the edge. And that is Scott's friend obviously taking a picture to share photo documentation with others. 

+But then, when I got home yesterday, I saw Scott had cleaned the entire house before he left to go hunting. That made me happier than just about anything, and there may have been happy tears. 

+And again, this blog post is the absolute last thing I should be doing right now (literally).

Tiny Houses

Have you seen the documentary Tiny on Netflix?

We first watched it well over a year ago but, when we had a friend visiting over Christmas break, Scott told him about it and we watched it again.

The idea is that we don't need STUFF.  Of course, many of us subscribe to this theory and we don't like excess stuff everywhere and purging old clothes, toys, and books feels good.  However, the point of this documentary is not only that we don't need excess stuff, we don't need excess space.  Imagine what you could do if you don't need to maintain, decorate, furnish, and pay the utilities for a 2,000 square foot house.  The documentary is about why we can become happier and more fulfilled if we focus on aspects of life other than having a big house, with lots of stuff, and the high-stress job that pays for it all.  

Now.  Scott would love to build a tiny house.  I would think it could be a fun experiment and would like to try a year of living that way.  We think the business model of, perhaps, manufacturing tiny houses could be pretty profitable.  Especially since we've lived in those crunchy states of Alaska and Colorado.  There's a market for it.  

This got me thinking about the comparison trap, why we insist on big houses, why we feel the need to fill them with stuff, etc.  

Bear with me.  This is a long post.  But I can't get these thoughts out of my head, so here we are. 

Our first house in Alaska was about 1300 square feet and that included the garage.  3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, open living-room/dining room/kitchen, and the garage was only one of those 1.5 car varieties.  It was pretty perfect when we first moved in, but as we amassed army gear and hunting stuff and some tools, we quickly ran out of space.  

17 months later, we moved into a 2600 square foot house.  

House #2 (pictures taken from an old camera phone)

Like this space was kinda wasted, right?

Extra living room we NEVER used.

Let me explain why we had such a house. Pickings were slim in the rental market that winter, and I liked the layout and Scott liked the 3 car garage.  Because we moved to a new town, the house was the same rent price as the former much smaller one.  It wasn't really an adjustment in that sense.  We just could finally spread out.  Well, what happens when you have more space?  You get more stuff.  While we didn't buy new furniture, we did end up with more tools, hunting stuff, a snowmobile, a cataraft, etc.  

The house had an eat-in kitchen, dining room, two living rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and a loft.  It was way too big for us.  It was also basic builder-grade, so there was nothing special or unique about it.  It fit our needs though and we were more or less happy there.  We totally were aware the entire time that it was ridiculously big.  We needed that garage though.  The driveway was a pain to shovel and yard annoying to mow, but hey.  It worked for 2+ years. 

We intentionally downsized when we moved to Missouri for these reasons.  We also rented there sight-unseen.  They weren't sure how many square feet it was (ugh, Realty Executives), but it was a ranch with a full-sized basement/foundation.  The basement was unfinished, but it was perfect for a storage area and workspace.  The upstairs was the perfect size for the two of us.  We had a guest room, a room for Scott's army stuff, and 2 bathrooms.  My biggest issue with that place was the white carpet.  Also, we didn't like the street we were on (a hill) and the smallish driveway.  The 2-car garage was quickly overrun because, again, we didn't have room to spread out.  The rent was cheaper than it was in Alaska, but that's to be expected.  It was Missouri. 

So.  Then it came time to buy a house.  This is where ideals clashed.  Scott wanted a house with good bones that he could improve upon and I was secretly craving "the American dream".  

Source

However, I knew that a basic, builder-grade house wasn't something I really wanted.  We'd lived in that from 2011-2013 and it was annoyingly…basic.  Also, land. Owning land was a priority.  Here's the post on why we bought below our means.  It sums up things.

Sometimes I selfishly feel like this house is too small.  I mean, I don't have two living rooms anymore.  And then I look at sense:  We have 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (one unfinished), a full basement with 12 foot ceilings, and who ever told me I needed to live in the kind of houses I see all over this town?  We've spent more time adding the finishes we want to this house and making it feel like our home, compared to worrying about how many square feet it is.  Let it be known that I only feel like this house is too small after I visit someone else's cavernous (well-decorated) home. I've been in some houses that are just big and new and not necessarily well-decorated or special in any way, and that makes me happy with what I have. (I'm tracking how vain and ridiculous this sounds.) 

This could be something we picked up in Alaska too.  Most people I knew there loved and appreciated their homes (bought or rented) and weren't concerned about having the biggest or the best.  People in Alaska were like that.  They were more into being outside and stuff.  Plus, houses there were expensive.  Prime locations in Anchorage were millions of dollars.  

I think the comparison trap told us we need big houses.  Why are people spending $350,000-400,000 on houses that are 22 feet away from their neighbors?  Why is that considered the ideal?  Why is that the American dream?  The American dream used to be known as manifest destiny.  Expanding over the land, not expanding our square footage.  Why is it that many people believe they've "made it" when they have a $2,000 a month mortgage and 2.5 kids and must work at jobs that run them ragged in order to afford it all?  

I don't know the answer to any of this, so I'm just throwing those questions out there.  Obviously, living  in a housing development isn't a bad thing.  I mean, I did it for 5 years.  (The housing developments around Colorado Springs are fascinating microcosms if you look at how they're set up though.  I'm never seen expensive houses so close together.) I'm asking why is the end game a giant house in a housing development? What tells us we, as a human being, need to accomplish that in order to be a grown-up?  Why can't we be happy in an apartment building? The author of The Happiness Project is.  Is it because House Hunters and My First Place tell us that we need to move "up" in the world by expanding our space into what we can barely afford? Again, I don't know the answers.  I'm asking the question.  

We've watched a lot of foreign t.v. shows lately and I'm always startled by how seemingly small and cramped their homes appear compared to ours.  It's all relative and we're just used to the American ideal, I suppose.  Look at the Home Alone house.  Those were rich people. Of course their house was big.  Why do we assume we all need one too?

Anywho.  As someone who has lived in, paid the rent for, and tried to decorate several houses over the last few years, I find myself pondering these things as I watched Tiny.  I highly recommend it if you have Netflix.  

Stuff and Things 12/18

+I feel for the people who have to move during the holiday season.  We've been lucky in this regard so far.  Our moves have been in September, February, April, and May. I was just thinking the other day how glad I am that we got here in May.  Because if we'd moved in the winter, I have no idea how this remodel would've gotten off the ground.

+However, with every move, I admit that being without a washer and dryer is the hardest part.  I always tracked down a laundry mat.  I don't think it's appropriate to say "who wants to let me use their washer and dryer?" on Facebook.  Like it's some kind of honor to allow that.  I would NEVER ask social media such a question.  Perhaps I would text message a friend.  But more than likely, I would resign myself to a couple of hours at a laundromat.  Suck it up.  Egocentricity is the word that comes to mind.

+That's why I deactivate my Facebook every once in awhile.  I can't stand looking at that stuff.

+Speaking of the military, enlighten me, civilians*:  What kind of healthcare do you have/like?  I mean, the military has this system of bars and brick walls (metaphorically and literally) that prevent you from having access to your doctor and/or nurse and/or information.  I mean, can you call your doctor's office and talk to someone?  I can't.  I have to call this outside agency, leave a message with an operator, and hope they call me back.  It's kind of barbaric because they almost never call back until I leave several messages.  And I don't think 2 messages over the course of a week is too crazy.  I called on Wednesday.  Then I called again on Monday. Yet, I've heard nothing back.

*I'm technically a civilian because I have not signed up to serve my country.  I'm just using the broader definition here.

+Blog friends are the best kind of friends.  They're with you no matter where you go.  I've met and moved away from more people than I can count in the last few years.  While we keep in touch on Facebook (why I try to keep it activated) and the occasional text, the blog friends I've made are the only constant.  Isn't that kind of crazy to think about?

Angi sent me this sweet Christmas package from Alaska.

+This is a really weak post. I apologize.  Two more days and then Christmas vacation. My quality of life with the cold weather, sickness, and darkness has been low lately. Inspiration is hard to find.

+Yesterday was bookended with two highlights:  a latte at 7am and a naan pizza at 7pm.  Like I said, inspiration is hiding these days.

+ This weekend I plan on finishing the painting of the kitchen walls and making good dent in the painting of the cupboards.  Most of the cupboards are painted already but there's one wall that's not.  Here's your before picture.

It's everything a "before picture" should be:  cluttered with bad lighting.  Can only get better, right?

Stay tuned for progress.  

Neatness is a virtue

I want things neat.  Messiness doesn't bother Scott in the same way it bothers me.  He likes to know where things are and gets a kick out of organizing all his stuff, but it doesn't scrape at his soul when there's a mess lying about.  I don't deal well with messes.

However, one day a few weeks ago, Scott went pheasant hunting with some coworkers.  He took them out and they came back here to clean the pheasants.  I should tell you that we have a rule:  no dead animals in the kitchen.  You see, there was an incident once in which 15 snowshoe hare were skinned and gutted in the kitchen sink and I ended up finding clumps of gray fur on the floor and in the dishwasher.  I completely lost it. It was one of those moments that would go down in the history of our marriage.  Like, it would get a special subheading in a book:  Snowshoe Hare Incident. Scott's friend's house served as the gutting/skinning/shelling/cleaning/plucking station from that day forward.  It was sort of a legendary moment that set forth a proclamation of "Let's go to Taylor's house. We know we can't do that stuff here anymore". That was in March of 2011.  Scott knows that the fish and birds and carcasses must be dealt with outside.  Of course, on this day a few weeks back, it was only 10 degrees out and they had a lot of birds to ...clean.  So I granted access to the kitchen.  But first, I suggested the sink in the basement.  Weren't we thrilled to have that thing down there for this very purpose?  Why yes.  Would Scott escort his buddies through the basement and into the laundry room before the plucking and de-feathering could begin?  No.  He could not.  Because "it's kinda messy in the basement".  At least he had the good sense to look sheepish when he said it.  You see!  He does care.  While it doesn't shake him to the very fiber of his being like it does for me, messes DO bother him.  This felt like a small victory.

Birds were cleaned in my copper sink.

He also had the good sense to clean and sanitize the space.  And then I went over it again with more Lysol because that's just what I do.  It's a trust thing.

Anyway.

Last week, I continued my mission of get-rid-of-all-the-cardboard-boxes.  We still have a lot of things packed up in boxes that came from Alaska and we've spent hundreds on Rubbermaid tubs in the last few months but organization isn't cheap.

Basement before picture:

After:

Those are boxes full of my teaching stuff and all of our books that cannot go on the living room bookshelves (because I'm picky about that too).

Starting to feel like home

Our kitchen is not quite finished.  We need to install more cabinets on the wall by the oven.  We need to paint a few of those cabinets still.  We need to order a few custom-made cabinet doors.  We will eventually get a new dishwasher (though this one works so well that I see no rush there).  We need to paint the walls and we still haven't decided on a color.  We also need to finish the trim around the bar and paint it.

But it is 100% functional as a kitchen and dining area.  And for the first time, it feels like it belongs to Kristin and Scott.  For the first few months we were here, it was just a demolition zone (see pictures at the end of this post).  We've now been in this house for 6 months and now that the heavy duty work is out of the way (eh, most of it), I don't have to curl up in the corner with my glass of moscato and just wait for it to be over.  

That's a swamp cooler on the wall, by the way.  I meant to do a separate post on that back in June when we installed it.  It's like an air conditioner for the desert climate.  Keeps that house at 70 degrees or cooler during the summer, using evaporated water in an energy-efficient way.  We realized we needed it when we were ripping up carpet and it was 90 degrees inside and that's not a motivating temperature.  Without this $500 investment (installed by Scott), we'd have not gotten very far on this place.  I have no idea how the previous owner got by without it.  

In case you've forgotten….June 2014.

And here's the in-between phase…which has been most of the last six months.  

These are in no particular order.  Just a sampling.

Oh, you'd do it too if you had a puppy and hole in the countertop. 

I desperately tried to keep up normalcy by crock-potting dinner.

Progress is progress, right?  Goal for December:  paint the kitchen walls and cabinets that are left.