The One Where We Spend $721.15

So. The plumbers came today. And despite the fact that we rescheduled with them so they could come fix our problems on Monday and not go into overtime, they didn't actually do any work on Monday. Instead, they scheduled an appointment for today. But they charged us a transportation fee for coming to check it out. We're 10 minutes away from their home base. TEN minutes. They charge almost as much for driving here as they do per hour. $1/minute = $60/hour. We spent $120/hour for two people to work, so I guess it absolutely is the same. I think I'm in the wrong field... not that I'd like being a plumber, but still...

To add insult to injury all I can say is that the home inspector for this house must have been hallucinating. Really. Standing water in the basement? Rotten, rusty cast iron waste pipes? They very nearly crumbled in the plumbers' hands when they went to remove them. How, oh, how did the inspector not notice those things?

So I'm going to think about the new coverlet/quilt/bed spread we're getting next week. I need to preface this by saying that I am not a Kohl's girl. Not sure why... I've been in there. I've seen some cute stuff from time to time, but it's got a little of the TJ Maxx feel to me. I know cute things are there, but I'm not sure I'm into looking through racks and racks of mediocre things to find a few cute things. Anyhow, we've been looking for new bedding for ages and ages and ages. Just when we thought we'd found something we liked, my grandmother offered us a fabulous shaggy greenish-yellowish rug. I'm a sucker for a freebie, so we're going to try to make it work... That meant the buttery yellow that we had picked out has gone by the wayside. We've had to shift to a different and as yet undecided shade of yellow to go with the grayish, silvery color that Todd wants. Anyhow, after looking at the usuals (West Elm, Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, CB, CB2, LaylaGrace, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Target, DWR, etc.), I'd just about given up hope until I saw BrooklynLimestone reference her 4th bedding set. It made me feel better, but it also made me check the comments to see if anyone had suggested alternatives. Someone suggested some godawful number at Kohl's, but it got me looking... and I think I've finally found something to satisfy Todd's architectural aesthetic while having a little pseudosophistication for me. I tried to do a print screen and paste the picture here, but it ain't happening. If you (translation: If *I* whilst rereading this years from now) want to check it out, here's the link. Scroll down to the platinum coverlet. I'm optimistic that it'll work. And if it doesn't? Well, I guess I'll just wait until we've saved up another $721.15 to buy the super fancy duvets I covet on LaylaGrace... :)

The One Where Marley Is Asleep

Our dog sleeps. Often. And well. He gets almost an inordinate amount of sleep. He has obviously moved to the right house 'cause that's about all I'd like to be doing right now. Because no one actually reads this blog, I feel like I can jump around and discuss things in any ol' sequence. Audience and purpose are two of the most important things for writers to consider, but as I have neither AND as I'm not a writer... what does it matter?

In addition to all of the little things that we've done to the house, we're about to undergo another huge transition: new windows. For 1200 square feet, we've got a ton of windows. We're replacing 16 of them, but we actually have 24. Who has 24 windows? And five that we're not replacing? They're five feet tall and and each one is about 2.5 feet wide. I'm thinking we probably have a corner on the heat loss market. It probably doesn't help that we have nary a patch of insulation in our walls either. Anyhow, just as we traded up with Cash for Clunkers, we're trading up (and selling our souls) for new windows and a measly $1500 "rebate" that we'll hopefully be able to get.

Getting new windows is a bit like the book _If You Give a Mouse a Cookie_. New windows means new window coverings. New window coverings means new window treatments. New window treatments means new bedding. And so it goes... So our venture that will cost us the same montly payment as our house payment will also yield complete disatisfaction with the decor (or lack thereof) in our two bedrooms. I know. Our world is really pretty happy, and window coverings? Is that really a problem. Nope. I guess it's just something I think about. I recognize that world peace is important... and feeding the nations... and educating the children... I know that. I just see our windows. And I wonder. And then I get thrown off by the visual insanity that I know will come in the weeks ahead. And I think that Marley has the right idea. Sleeeeep. And worry not 'cause we have no audience. I'm just sounding my barbaric yawp.

Yawp.

Yawn.

The One without a Title

So... There's no good reason not to have blogged 'cepting life just happened. Work on the house slowed down, and we started working on major repairs. Our plans to bring new plumbing to bring water INTO the house have been turned topsy-turvy by our need to get new exit pipes installed. On Thursday. Our neighbors (the ones with the father who was an on-again-off-again resident and was the scourge of the neighborhood for being on the FamilyWatchdog list) moved out. Ten days after their departure their house burned... badly. We didn't even realize it was happening. The blue lights of the police car in our front yard alerted us to the fact that something was amiss. What was amiss was the fact that 40-foot flames were leaping up out of the neighboring domicile. Not good. We've done a few things here and there, but most of our time for the last two months has been filled up with this guy.

Marley. No we didn't see the movie and get all sentimental and name him that. Nope. We read the book... Just kidding. English teacher bad joke. He came to us with that name. I'm so ignorant to dogparenting that I didn't know you could change a dog's name... oh well. C'est la vie, right? Marley it is. And I couldn't love him any more. He's perfect. He's quiet, patient, cuddly, attentive, smart... y'know, all the things dogs should be. And right now? He's got his head on my lap while I type. Really. Just that cute. Almost as cute as my grandmother shushing me in order to sneak him some table scraps. "No, Mama Jean. Don't feed him. He'll learn that begging is ok." Her reply came quickly, "Shush. I'm just going to throw it over there on the floor. If he doesn't know where it came from, he won't start begging." Really. That's what she said. And then my grandfather confessed to feeding him a smidgen of a cookie while Todd napped. Those grandparents of mine... they're suckers for a cute dog! And their granddaughters and grandson-in-laws...

So the Race for the Cure day will 'most always be Marley's homecoming day. And that's where we've been. I'm guessing I'll try to keep up with blogging more often. I want to remember these little moments...