Popping in

Howdy peeps!

I am just popping in to say" hey"

 and let you know I am popping out to a quick vacation.

We are still camping in the drive.

 The house is looking good.

No word on the contents, other than the usual...

"you are a big job."

Excuse me? What the Hello Kitty?

Carpet is to be laid in my master bedroom on June 7th.

 I hope our stuff comes from the restoration company shortly after that.
Until then, I have plans.

Come this Thursday Jackie and I are whisking our  mom, Toots off in a big ol' jet airliner

to the sunny state of Florida. 

We are meeting up with my niece Ellen, her daughter Sophie and my oldest sister, Judy.
(I feel like there should be commas between the person's relationship to me and their name
 but then it just looked like too many commas.
My old English teacher has expired and I have retained nothing of my formal education.
Or the informal.
I do remember Pink Floyd saying we don't need no education...
For now, I rely on Nick Kids to school me.)
Did I lose ya back there?

Unfortunately my sister, Linda who is my fellow decorating machine couldn't make this trip.

We are technically going there to decorate my sis's vacation house.

The place she hangs all winter... like Illinois is cold or something. Pfft

This house is the replacement of her 5th wheel where I currently abide..
She didn't offer the vacay house up for my interim dwelling.
Maybe she didn't think she had room for the cattle.
I'll give her the benefit of the doubt on that.

Luckily, it's not all work ahead.

There's is thrifting in the itinerary, IKEA, and of course, a visit to my mother ship....Home Goods.

However, the grand daddy of it all...we are hitting Magic Kingdom with Toots in tow.

She's 89 and wanting to party like Cinderella.

Well, like a princess on a scooter.

Depending on how hard we all work,

we may be a royal court on scooters.

No doubt there will be some hobbling.

I am famous for wearing flip flops for 12 miles of walking only to

end the day with crying dogs.

So yes,  I am leaving poor Stu here to carry on.

Someone has to batten down the hatches in the camper when the tornados threaten...

which is just about daily.

While I am away, I am hoping it quits raining and he finishes planting.

I have a big to-do list when those contents aka the" big job" come home.

Don't cry for him Argentina.

I am leaving 3 capable daughters here to keep him
in line well fed and cared for properly.
Until I return, keep the home fires burning.
Well not literally, trust me it's a big old mess...
actually the word on the street is
 it's a "big  job".

 

 

 

 

 

Home Sweet Camper

I told you I'd post some pictures of the camper

 we are living in while the house is being restored

from our fire.

It is technically(I have been informed)

a 5th wheel.

It belongs to my sis, Judy and her husband.

It is for sale.

They stay in it in FL in the winter

but have bought a house so it is up for grabs.

If you are in the market...I can hook you up

but only when I am out of it.

So take a peek.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's a pretty sweet deal.

It's right outside the house.

We are able to shower in the downstairs bath

so that cuts down on our "gray"water".

I do a little cooking and I am able to use our grill, of course.

You know the old adage

"if the camper's rocking..."

well, in our case it is because

it's a major thunderstorm and

we may be in the basement.

It has been raining practically daily

since we moved in.

The rain on the tin is soothing.

The wind, not as much.

So there's the tour.

Drop in

or like most days, blow in.

You can help do insurance logs.

I have coffee and satellite.

You know, the necessities.

 

 

 



Checking in

Hello friends,

I decided to jot out a quick blog

rather than respond to all my emails.

Your notes of encouragement and concern

after the fire have been wonderful.

Hearing I am missed in the blogging

 world...I'm not gonna lie...

feels kinda great.

We are still (gl)amping it up in the driveway.

Our restoration crew finished the house clean up yesterday.

The entire joint had to be emptied.

I purged for 4 days before they came.

I have dubbed this experience

The Great Purge of '13.

They loaded it all up in boxes and bags and took it to be cleaned.

Copious amounts of boxes.

 Then they left boxes of nor-restorable(s) and piles of non-restorable(s).

 

 

No baby/children's thing can be restored.

No florals.

And several antiques.

This is a fraction of them.

 

The stove and the dryer need replaced.

Then add in every food item in the cabinets,

the extra paper products ie. toilet paper, napkins, paper towels,

and Kleenex boxes.

I always had extra in storage.

Every bag of beans, pasta, grains.

Every spice tin.

Every cleaning product and every bath product.

Lotions, shampoos etc,.

We have 3 baths and each was stocked.

Every window blind has to be pitched.

Page after page logged for insurance.

All this from smoke damage.

Didn't look bad initially but it has been comprehensive.

 

 

 

 the electrical box was so close to the fire it had to be re-done

and it was re-located to the basement.

 

 

 the filthiness made me ill every time I went into the house

(that is where a rug laid on a white painted floor just outside our bedroom door)

 

So now, the contractors are here.

We opted to put some of our money into the project too.

We took the wall that was on fire out and opened those rooms up to each other.

 

My kitchen will be open to that laundry room.

 

 

The working part of the kitchen will be in there.

My former kitchen will just be for eating and gabbing.

My laundry has been relocated to outside my bedroom which was a nursery...

but I babysit at the girls' houses now, so I don't need a nursery.

They started drywalling yesterday.

And priming with paint in some rooms.

I am spending hours on the computer.

Thank goodness for internet.

I have been able to find replacement values on almost everything.

I still have a short list.

Blessedly, I have had helpers.

My friends and family have sorted and pitched with me.

A couple have shown up with Ipads and laptops and looked up values

beside me at my camper kitchen table

We will be out several weeks yet.

It takes a bit of time to paint every closet, ceiling, wall, and floors must be refinished.

The restoration team is now starting on our contents.

They said we are a big job.

I asked if I am an organized hoarder?

They assured me I am not.

They actually have all said they love my house.

I always feel the need to say well its filthy now. LOL

I blame Toots for my OCD to clean.

I will check in soon with pix of our sweet camper.

It has been a very busy time.

We have had so much rain.

10 inches the first week which made the basement flood.

I was half expecting to break out in boils and have locusts swarm.

Stuart hasn't farmed a lick.

It's good.

He has sanded the floors himself.

They are reading for stain.

He has sorted out and cleaned old tin from my dad's barn

for my kitchen ceiling.

I know God sent that rain because Stu needed to be around here in the evenings.

Our twins died 29 years ago today.

That year it rained and rained until

we were home from the hospital stay and buried them.

We didn't farm until the middle of May

God provided then and he will now.

Today would also have been my dad's birthday.

I choose to spend the day counting my blessings.

I have a wonderful family and many friends who make me feel cherished.

Life is good here in the camper.

God is good all the time.

Be well my sweet friends.

Thanks for showing me such love

xoxo