Remember how we bought a house that we had never seen?
It turns out that I would highly recommend NOT doing that.
(We actually did get to see the house a few minutes before we bought it, but at that point it would be like backing out of a marriage at the altar. They say it's not too late, but it is far too late.)
And so, here's the Good, the Bad, and Worse News.
The Bad News:
We are living in a house full of black widows. We've caught 4.
The Worse News:
Luke went all spider-hunter on them, took no prisoners, and only managed to spray one child with poison. Yay.
The Bad News:
Our house was filthy. Like horror-movie filthy. Missing blinds, ashy fireplace, dirt-soaked floors, spider-web covered walls, nasty toilets, broken drawers, and the yard from the one place hotter than Highland, California.
The Good News:
My mother.
The Good News:
Our bathtub was really clean.
The Bad News:
It was clean because some idiots painted the dirtiest bathtub ever so it would look clean. Now when we take baths we end up even dirtier and covered in paint chips. Oh, goodie.
The Good News:
Our AC worked for the first 5 minutes.
The Bad News:
Our AC only worked for the first 5 minutes.
The Good News:
We bought a $350 home warranty to cover things like broken AC's.
The Bad News:
The Warranty people have decided they're not going to fix it, which creates a small problem. (That problem being how they are going to pull my foot out of their bums if someone doesn't get my AC fixed!)
The Bad News:
The first time Luke tried taking a shower in our bathroom, water started gushing out of our ceiling and into our kitchen cabinets. Which meant that for a fun little while we all got the privilege of taking baths. Which (as was mentioned above), was not very enjoyable in our paint-peeling bathtub.
The Good News:
Luke wasn't a fan of the bath-time ritual, and he up and fixed it. Thank you, youtube.
The Bad News:
The Neighbors let their dog bark all night. I don't mean until 10:00 all night. I mean ALL NIGHT. (Even when some people yell out their windows at 1am "SHUT YOUR DOG UP!!!!")
The Good News:
After night #2 of no sleep and more stress/work than most people are equipped to handle, we wrote a kind, anonymous letter and haven't heard a peep since.
The Good News:
The kids are loving it. They've already caught a pet lizard (who was named Buddy, but then he bit Aubrey and she renamed him Bitey), built cardboard houses out of moving boxes, had a few play dates, found a real dinosaur fossil in our front yard, and finally stopped asking to play with their old friends every ten minutes.
The Other Good News:
We own a home.
And as frustrating as this process has been (and trust me, this post is just scratching the surface), life is good.
And even if the grass is greener on the other side, at least I have grass.
(... or will have grass... in about 4 weeks after Luke rips it up, kills the weeds, fertilizes it, rolls it flat, plants new grass, aerates it, seeds it and waters it four times a day.)
The Bad News:
The first time Luke tried taking a shower in our bathroom, water started gushing out of our ceiling and into our kitchen cabinets. Which meant that for a fun little while we all got the privilege of taking baths. Which (as was mentioned above), was not very enjoyable in our paint-peeling bathtub.
The Good News:
Luke wasn't a fan of the bath-time ritual, and he up and fixed it. Thank you, youtube.
The Bad News:
The Neighbors let their dog bark all night. I don't mean until 10:00 all night. I mean ALL NIGHT. (Even when some people yell out their windows at 1am "SHUT YOUR DOG UP!!!!")
The Good News:
After night #2 of no sleep and more stress/work than most people are equipped to handle, we wrote a kind, anonymous letter and haven't heard a peep since.
The Good News:
The kids are loving it. They've already caught a pet lizard (who was named Buddy, but then he bit Aubrey and she renamed him Bitey), built cardboard houses out of moving boxes, had a few play dates, found a real dinosaur fossil in our front yard, and finally stopped asking to play with their old friends every ten minutes.
The Other Good News:
We own a home.
And as frustrating as this process has been (and trust me, this post is just scratching the surface), life is good.
And even if the grass is greener on the other side, at least I have grass.
(... or will have grass... in about 4 weeks after Luke rips it up, kills the weeds, fertilizes it, rolls it flat, plants new grass, aerates it, seeds it and waters it four times a day.)
7 comments:
Oh man...I'm sure this is CRAZY for you right now. Sounds like your house was an adventure!
Not sure exactly where you're living but if you feel like getting together for dinner some time let em know and we will have you guys over. I think you're about a half hour away... (ish?)
Hahaha. I can totally relate to many of these things on SO many levels! I wish I was as dedicated as you at taking pictures (maybe it is cuz I hate my camera). We have some "grass" too, but we have LOTS and LOTS of weeds. This house was also vacant for 3 years, so I can relate on the dirty floors and spiderwebs EVERYWHERE too! Sure makes for a fun adventure though, right?.Can't wait to see pictures of your house all put together! :D We miss you guys!
wow Ash, that sounds pretty miserable! I am sure that house is making Maple Grove seem pretty good eh'? Im sure with time and some tenderloving care you guys will have it whipped into shape in no time at all! Just focus on getting those black widows gone!!!
Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. I wonder how people can fail to mention all those things when you are buying their home. Interesting how YOUR pictures of the house/yard look different than THEIR pictures. But I am sure it will be LOVELY when you are through with it. Moving is wretched even under the best of situations (which you, of all people, would know) ... but holy cow, this is amazing. In the meantime, just look at that picture of Cameron whenever you need to cheer up. Adorable.
OH my heart goes out to you! What a mess. :( The house I grew up in was similar in disgusting mess-ness. My dad had looked, my mom did not. LOL. Oh well... just wait a few months when you finally get everything settled and fixed and you'll like it. I hope. Pest control is good. I'm considering it for the nasty cenitpedes we have. Didn't see THOSE when I looked at the house.
Ha ha! Ashley, I love your blog! Your new house sounds like an adventure. I don't know what part is most shocking -- painted bathtub, black widows, or your front yard. Wow! Can't wait to see what your expert eye as an interior design major will do to fix the place. Keep the home posts coming! Good luck!
Buddy to Bitey, hilarious! Good luck getting things put together.
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