It's really difficult to believe that it has been over a year since that chilly March evening when we rushed to the hospital in Longmont to meet our little boy at long last, and almost two years since we started down this path in the first place. I've had a really good time writing here and sharing our lives, and I'm grateful to everyone who has read and commented on the blog, not to mention the incredible support and love we've received from family and friends. You guys are wonderful. Thank you.
As I mentioned recently, we've decided to sell our house in Berthoud. In the end it was not a hard decision for me. The house is old and constantly needs a lot of work. My personality does not allow me to simply overlook the problems and shortcomings of the building. The list of projects seems to grow daily, and so does the amount of stress and the demands on my time. So it's time to shelve the home improvement projects for a time, and focus on my family. Alex soaks up every ounce of attention I give him, and I want to give him a lot. Dana is so busy with school right now and I know I can offer her more support and help -- what she needs is a full-time administrative assistant and paralegal, but I'll have to do for now. And of course there's work, where I've been taking on more and more project management duties and responsibility.
Packing up the house is going OK. I have been focusing on setting up little "vignettes" throughout the house to showcase the different rooms. So for example, we have set up a little wine cellar in the coal room, with several wine racks, a little folding table with a dish full of corks, and some maps of Italy, France, and New Zealand. In the living room, I've moved the sofa and bookshelves around to create a cozy little reading room. This was a suggestion from our realtor Troy, to help prospective buyers see the potential in the house. I just wish I'd done some of this stuff a few years ago!
On the projects side -- BIG NEWS!! Yesterday Pat, the town's building official, came by and closed out our permit for the bedroom. WE'RE DONE! (at least with the permit stuff). The heating circuit has been pressurized with air to 100psi for the last 4 days and has not dropped at all. So tonight our plumber should be back over to bleed the system and turn the valves on. But of f course -- and this is so "par for the course" with our house -- when I went to cut out part of the wall to make room for replacing some of the fittings last week I cut through the thermostat wire!! Fortunately there is enough slack in it to pull it up a couple of inches and splice it back together.
In the kitchen I have a guy out this week to remove all of the old pink wallpaper. This was one of the few "musts" we decided we just had to do before showing. Not only was the wallpaper hideous, but it was peeling off in many locations. The wallboard under the paper is not in great shape, but my handyman says he can patch it up pretty well with spackle. Then we'll paint over some neutral off-white color and be done with it. It should really brighten up the kitchen.
I have been finishing the garage now. Last night I moved the two displaced shop lights that we had to shift over to make room for the door. Tonight if I have time I'll put the rest of the cosmetic parts on the door (faux hinges and so on), and bolt on the 4x4s to the front to close off the gaps between the door and the door jamb. If I have time after that I'll prime the 4x4s for painting.
We sold the old chain-link dog run on Craigslist for $50. I also got rid of the two big 19" CRT computer monitors. We bought a new video projector that I'm excited about. I can use it to project a very large view of my computer screen on the wall. I think it will make working at home a lot nicer, so I don't have to squint at tiny spreadsheets. As an added bonus we can use it to watch movies and TV downstairs.
I got a 10x10 storage room at a U-store-it place up the street. I set up a few shelves in it, but haven't moved anything yet. I'll probably get a jump on that tonight too.
Ryanne's sister has been in town this week so Alex has had two energetic young women to keep him busy all day. They seem to be having a good time. Today they're going up to Estes Park. Last night we had our friend Jane watch him, and tonight our friends Robin and Anne are going to watch him. This gives Dana some free time to study and write her 20-page International Law paper, and me time to work on the house. Still, it hardly seems like enough.
We're desperate for help - so if anybody wants to come watch Alex and/or pick up a paint roller, you will be welcomed with open arms and free beer. I'm hoping to list the house by 4/1, but it is going to be close.
Meanwhile this week I've been fielding phone calls and doing showings of the CSU rental house to pre-lease it for the summer. The reactions from showings have been about a 50-50 mix of "ewww, gross" and "wow, this place is so awesome!". So I'm cautiously optimistic we'll get it leased in the next couple of weeks. The current tenants definitely have got to go. They aren't bad kids; they try to do the right thing, but it's their first time away from home and they're not used to being responsible. Alas, you just can't always trust your "gut feelings" about people -- it pays to have a credit check. At least we have a nice big security deposit we can use to fix up the place!
Sorry I haven't been taking any cute pictures this week. I'll try to post some more here in short order. Dana's Mom Susan will be out on Friday for a visit; she will help watch Alex and/or help pack and straighten up the house. I think she enjoys doing both activities.
Happy New Year
3 months ago
