We Got the KEYS!!!!!

And inherited a mess!  The prior owners were 2 days late moving out (we closed Thursday morning)… sent her daughter to drop the keys off and took off.. We quickly sent Erika a text with a photo of the keys…. she was there before we had the door unlocked  Since she currently lives 1.5 miles away and the little house is less than 200 feet from our back door…that was quick!

When we unlocked the door, we quickly realized why they left so fast…the place was a MESS!

We cleaned cat hair 2 inches thick out of one room & the smell was as bad as you are imagining  GROSS! Curtains we thought were gold-ish beige were actually white…at the top. the rest was covered with cat hair.  We were worried there was urine in the floors  and they would need to be replaced but, cleaned and emptied it was fine

We’d agreed to purchase some furniture which was left but so was e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. else they couldn’t take in 6 carloads.  Yes, 6 carloads of personal items is all they took. The prior owner had made arrangements to have help moving with a truck but, upon confirming her help was still good to go…. the folks all backed out.  Seems she neglected to tell them she was moving to Tennessee !!SERIOUSLY..she was upset they backed out!

Goodwill was our friend today.  We didn’t even free-cycle this time. Years of “stuff”.  It all just needed to be gone fast.

6pm Saturday we got the keys & worked till 9-10 pm and all day today with the help of some awesome family Mike and Jessie and Mr. Fix-It’s cousin Mike.  They worked their rear ends off and we really appreciated the help.

.  We need to wash the windows again but it’s clean & Erika can start moving in now.  The bathroom needs a bit of work so that will hold up them actually living here for a few days yet. With the delay in getting the keys it shot having the repairs finished over the weekend.

All things left behind

Standing in the dining room looking into the living room

I seriously doubt the windows have been opened for 10 years or more.  We’ve never seen them open...  The blinds? NEVER!  The first thing I did was open them all over the entire house.  The windows have been washed no less than 3 times and I’m not sure they are clean yet.  They looked as if they had a tinted film (UGH).

It’s a sweet little house with an open floor plan on the entire front of the house & It’s now warm, clean and inviting!

2 huge bedrooms and a bathroom take up the back of the house.  We will be adding an addition of a 3rd bedroom (this summer) on the end of the living-room area.  The door way to it, will be on the end wall (closest to the inside wall) and unfortunately,  she will loose that window. 

Tomorrow we’ll start moving her things in and finding homes for everything.  Since most of her household was ruined when the city sewer backed up it will be a pretty easy move.  Other than a truck for a few bits of furniture, most we can move in her van or my Santa Fe.  On the positive side they can start out pretty  much clutter free!

Oh, and the bushes got trimmed hehehehe, have to show you photos of those tomorrow.  It’s 1 am & I’m crawling off to bed

Hope your weekend was as good as ours!

Katie

Technorati Tags: Katidids,Little House,Property,family,cleaning out

Cleaning Up & Quilting

What a tease Mother Nature continues to be.

I woke this morning to nice bright sunshine …..and it was a whole 33 degrees.  I think we topped out to the mid 50’s for the day.

I got a few errands run dropping off Isaiah’s shorts from last year at the kids resale shop.While I was there I found a few tops for Evie.  We have plans for sewing a bunch of skirts so it’s nice having the tops to start with.  She’s at the “girly” stage where she wants skirts skirts skirts…..and I’m happy to oblige.  Besides, I can call sewing a form of  physical therapy right? 

I’ve gotten some quilting done, everything was on hold through the Easter Holiday

Right now I nearly have the top of this one nearly complete.  I’m working on adding the borders

I was laying out the blocks deciding placement

Saturday

The clean up at the girls is nearly completed…well, I should say the sorting of damaged items & determining what can be salvaged.  We had to tease Erika as she has clothes & shoes coming out the wazoo.  She has not changed size since high school.  3 kids & still the same size.  (Makes me want to stuff a twinkie in her!)  She just text me and said there was a box of her shoes destroyed….she paired them up for a photo & there was 29 pair!!!!  Yes some from high school! Told her she better not claim them all or they would doubt the entire claim LOL!  Luckly we took a ton of photos & the clean up crew teased her a bit. The good thing is it’s forcing her to clean out some of those clothes!   We’re all actually glad we don’t have to haul them out to the new house.

A major loss is all of Alixandrea’s clothing.  We had a change or 2 here but she only had 2 changes upstairs.  Guess it’s a good thing the weather is finally warming up so she won’t need to pick up but 2-3 long sleeve tops for her.

The new house, we close this coming Thursday.  5 days. Moving her will be pretty easy now.  There are only a few pieces of furniture salvaged and a few kitchen things but that’s it.

Her bed and the new crib mattress were ok but the crew thought they were wet and started piling damaged/wet things on them and ….they were soaked with sewage along with the carpeting.

Needless to say it will only take a few truck loads to get her moved now.

Tomorrow will be organizing and packing the items we were able to salvage for the clean up team. 

Time to get off here and sew those boarders on!

Have a great weekend!

Katie

Technorati Tags: Katidids,poop happens,quilting,cleaning out

Poop Happens

Yesterday afternoon our daughter Danielle came home (her home) from work and smelled *That smell*  Anyone with pets knows what I mean by that smell  one of the 2 dogs or cats left her a pretty pile.   After searching the main floor, she didn’t find any piles.  But still smelled that smell..

Heading downstairs…..this is what she found.About a third of the basement underwater.  By the time we got there more had come in and this is what we found.

Now, keep in mind they have been married less than a year, a lot of the household items Danielle moved in with are still waiting to be unpacked and blended into the household. BOXES of books waiting for book shelves, pool table, etc. in the back section.  The basement also holds Erika’s household goods, kids clothes, their bedroom and sitting room….other than those few items stored here at our house.

Over 1500 sq ft of basement….3/4 of which is under water.  Poopy water. The sewer backed up

Thank goodness for rubber gardening boots!

And to make it worse, it’s the city sewer backing up!!! INTO THEIR HOUSE!

Every time a neighbor flushed or ran water more came in.

We were afraid one of the kids flushed something that broke a line, after snaking the outside lines (backed up) they checked the actual city sewer man holes…. and they were overflowing the actual sewer pipe and were at the second step down in the access pipe….for 3/4 of a mile away!  The city had been working on the main sewer line 3/4 a mile away on Tuesday and must have accidently created a blockage.  Their house happened to be the first in the line with a basement….gravity wins out…ding ding ding…they won the prize!!

After calling the city emergency number they were on site working within an hour and, within 2 hours we could turn the water on. 

Restoration company was onsite first and started sucking up the water, spraying decontaminate stuff, blowers dehumidifiers, dryers all going full tilt.

Any furniture that was dry they quickly hauled upstairs which was a good thing…because as soon as they did more *stuff* flowed out of the pipes flooding even more.  We joked that half the work of Erika’s moving would be hauling things out of the basement & we appreciated the heavy lifting help,

Now, the clean out begins

The city has said they will cover the damage, (I think our photos of the actual man holes opened showing raw sewage in backed up sewers helped LOL) clean up (also providing a dumpster) and replacement of materials and personal items.  The great photo inventory begins

.

Trying to keep dry things dry

It should be interesting how much they will actually cover…I called the carpet company where were purchased the carpet a year ago & the same carpet is $2. a yard more.  We need to do this with EACH item in the basement.  Erika was in process of sorting kids clothing, out grown to send to the children's resale, items to save for Alix…..everything is soaked with poop.

Well, Danielle wanted to clean the basement out after Erika moved….it’s just happening a bit sooner

Katie

Technorati Tags: Katidids,poop happens,flood,cleaning out

Just Puttering Around

We’ve had bits of snow over the past few days

no huge amounts just enough to make the roads slushy and slippery. It was the right amount to cover all the brown and grey winter grass and make everything look fresh and clean

.   Erika and I spent Saturday helping my brother in-law moving…ok… I helped unpacking, she helped in the blowing snow with the others loading and unloading.

Other than that it’s been pretty quiet around here & that’s fine with me.

I’ve been reorganizing, cleaning out kitchen cabinets and puttering around de-cluttering a bit here and there.   We made a good dent in the basement a few weeks ago but, the main floor needs more cleaning out.   I need to ramp it up and get-r-done as spring is just around the corner

But other things like this keep distracting me!

 

Playing with a pattern for a very simple baby quilt.  I’m going with a combination of 2 patterns I liked….we’ll see how it turns out

 

Since I started this post Monday, I think I’d better just stop now or it will be next month before I’m done.  The doors & windows are open!  Cant believe it but it’s 71 today!!! Mark it on the calendar!   Snow called for tonight LOL!

Have a great day

Katie

Technorati Tags: Katidids,cleaning out,decluttering,sewing,quilting

Sunday Activities

Debbie’s Sunday Activity Tag

This morning I was tagged by Debbie over at Our Old Homestead for a "Sunday's Activity Tag". She wanted to know what I did to pass my time on Sunday.

I woke to a steady downpour of rain which turned into nearly 3 inches by the end of the day

 

& spent a bit of time with a coffee cup and reading e mail

Some of the activities are more of a royal we as my arm wont tolerate a lot of activity yet

We’ve been working on cleaning out and rearranging the basement & worked on that a bit more.  It’s a bit overwhelming down there with 25 years accumulation of “someday we may use that” I’ve been taking chunks of time a week to work on it but Mr. Fix~It’s input was needed.  So a bunch of junk was sorted out & the “hall way” was rearranged. A new light was hung over shelves helves he built to help organize some of the excess yarn. 

O HAPPY DAY!  I can access the fabric room now! 

I found my bins of Christmas fabric!

!

Last spring I’d sorted and stored it in a bin….and lost it down there.  Yes it’s that bad.  We were nearly at hoarder level.

No more, we have a dumpster load sorted to haul out on trash day.  When it’s gone I’ll have room to sort out this mess

Supper was leftover pork roast chunks pulled from the freezer.  Cooked down to a thick meaty gravy and served over rice with a side of the corn from the freezer we processed this summer.

In the evening while Mr. Fix It enjoyed his well earned rest,  I did the dishes & knit for a bit.

I was able to finish a doll romper for a customer

and knit up a few dish cloths

All in all a very productive day!

Thanks Debbie for inviting me to play!

Katie

Technorati Tags: Katidids,cleaning out,knitting,Sunday Activity Tag

What a wonderful week

And random thoughts…

We had a great time with family this past week.  We had a house full and I loved every minute of it.  Midnight mass together, up early with the little's for gifts and family breakfast.  Christmas afternoon with Mr.Fix-Its family, supper and a dirty Santa gift exchange.  When the immediate family grows to over 30 it’s the safest way to exchange a gift and have fun without breaking the bank!

The family room is still full of toys, little cars, Legos & baby dolls…The quilt was a hit. 

Isaiah sharing with his mama

and I need to make Evelyn & Hayden each one now or, something similar.

**************************

A few weeks ago I started de-crap-afying cleaning out the basement more & was focusing in the old sewing room area.  I found 4 quilts in various stages & it’s given me the sewing itch again.   Baking through Christmas I realized I’m out of hot pads.  Mine had worn out & I’ve just been using hand towels.  I found a tub full of drapery fabric samples that will be perfect for hot pads.  Yes, the basement is that full I’d lost & forgotten about that big tub.  Shameful I know.  Knitters talk about reaching SABLE “Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy”  It’s time to admit I’ve reached that point in fabric and wool…. I’ve decided to dive back in to sewing and use it up…or attempt to at least.

  I started looking and mentally listing out projects..

Aprons, Mine are rags and Erika has asked for a few which means Evie will want one like her mama.

Hot pads and pot holders

quilts….we need 3-4 bed spread size to replace those wearing out

Curtains….for the guest room

Crib sheets for little Alix

Table runners and napkins for the dining room

Summer dresses for Evelyn and Alix

I have a list of Mama’s asking for little girls skirts in the Etsy Shop

a few baby and doll quilts

Plenty down there to keep me busy for a long while!

What do you have lined up for winter projects?

Katie

Technorati Tags: Katidids,crafting,cleaning out,sewing,using what you have

Are you “Fall Cleaning”?

 

One of my last post I made comment I was cleaning out “stuff” and commenced a fall clean out….

Mama Pea,  who writes one of my favorite blogs “A Home Grown Journal” (If you haven’t done so,  yet check out her blog… you wont be disappointed) left me this comment…         “  I always thought spring was the time for old-fashioned "spring cleaning" but it seems so many of us are hitting it hard this fall for some reason. Not sure we're very wise as we also seem to still have canning and preserving going on at the same time! I really, really don't want to fill every single minute of every day with "work" type tasks . . . it just seems to happen! Fall is supposed to be a time for thinking about knitting, quilting, reading . . . or will we have to wait for the dead of winter for that? “

Well she got me to thinking. I realized in the past few years  fall is when I’ve done these clean outs.  What happened to spring cleaning?  Opening the doors and windows to let the house breathe in fresh air after being tightly shuttered for months.

I think for me the change over came with staying home and gardening.  Spring we’re all out wallowing in the soil, praying over the seedlings, hoeing and raking. Watching trees & fruit vines bud. Busy planting and working gardens, herb and flower beds…..anything to be outside and out of the house in the sunshine. 

Summer we are to busy weeding and preserving which carries over in to fall….and then the winter prep work ..

Fall, we start thinking about staying inside…a l l   w I n t e r…..& begin looking around and realize although we’ve maintained our homes though the busy times..“stuff” has crept in.  You know what I mean, like that pile of books that is stacked next to the couch, the stack towels in the linen closet that have fallen over. How about the ironing pile that is now large enough that could be declared a state.  OK so I may have exaggerated a bit, not a state but at least a county!  The dust and drips that have gathered in cabinets and drawers in the kitchen from canning.  All those little minor tasks we started (do we have to talk about the mending pile?) and gotten side tracked.  Leftover home improvement project pieces and parts…..the desk that is beginning to look like a trash heap paper mill exploded.  Cleaning out spare rooms of all the stuff or tasks we set aside to do later when we aren’t so busy…….and then  realized I don’t want to be stuck inside with all this stuff all winter! 

I admit I’m not an organized person ( my family would be standing shouting “Can I hear an Amen!”)…I want to be, I try to be…but it doesn’t work.  So yeah, there are things that need done, blinds & walls that need washed, closets & cabinets that need cleaned out.  I’ve never been able stay in one room to start/finish it so I do little bits in each room, keep a donate box on hand & at least 5 things have to go in it a day.  When the box or bag is full it goes in the SUV.  I’m still cleaning out the empty kids rooms so 5 things is cake I tell you (think wedding cake).  It should be done already but…as you can tell I get side tracked easily.

Anyway, cleaning it out, clearing the clutter and organizing now in the fall makes the house feel open and spacious during the “inside times” of winter.  And….lets me do all the fun stuff like quilting and sewing guilt free.

How about you?  Spring cleaner or fall?

Technorati Tags: Katidids,cleaning out,Fall Cleanup,clutter

Canning and Cleaning

Ahh! Last night I slept like a rock.  Mr. Fix-It had been out of town all week and I never sleep well while he’s gone. Every house has night time noises as it ”settles” at night. The sounds which generally are a comfort & let me nod right off …well, when he’s gone they sound ominous.  So, there was a few nights I was still awake at 3 am. 

Sleep depravation = low productivity. Took me 2 days to can 47 pints of pumpkin..and I’m still not done.  There are 2 more waiting for processing.  I didn’t realize just how much pumpkin you get. I see a lot of bread, muffins & pumpkin pies for dessert this winter!

The peppers all got sliced, diced & loaded in the Excalibur

Mmm, such a fresh aroma that lasts for hours!

The past 2 days I’ve been on another de-cluttering/de-crap-afying mission.  Where does all this stuff come from? I told Mr. Fix-It we need to check for trail cameras on sale and mount them in the closets.  I tell you I think after the last clean out, anything that was left in the closets expanded and multiplied on their own.

Isaiah’s room became the upstairs storage room while we worked on the remodel.  I’d kinda burnt out by the time we were done & wasn’t sure what to do with all the stuff we’d crammed in there. Honestly, when I opened the door I was flat overwhelmed with everything that had accumulated.   I got in there yesterday and found the floor, pulled the curtains to launder and reorganized quite a bit of it.  There’s still a bunch of little boy clutter to clean and sort but, it felt so good to see the progress. Thankfully the toss and giveaway piles were much larger than the keep this time around.   I gotta tell you, it feels really good looking in there and actually seeing carpet!

Tomorrow, the Pantry…..maybe.

Have a great weekend

Katie

Technorati Tags: Katidids,canning,dehydrating,preserving,cleaning out

 

Empty Nesting & Cleaning Out

There have been a lot of changes in our house this past month! We are, (Drum Roll Please) officially Empty-Nesters! Right now with beautiful weather, we have been pretty building the rock wall, gardening and other summer activities so its not so hard. Come winter months I know it will be tough.
What amazed me is what they did not take with them. Looking around & finding all the “important stuff” they couldn't’t toss out thru the years. On the back of one closet shelf I found a” trick or treat” pumpkin basket… stuffed full of high school notes. After reading one I tossed the rest. Some things a Mom just does not need to know! How about dance recital costumes and butterfly wings from another, 7 curling irons? My kids were pack rats! Gee, I wonder where they got it…Really made me look around and see what I have collected. There will be one Big yard sale soon. Why did I keep a broken VCR? Passed the book shelf, cleared out 4 bags of paperbacks, and you can’t tell! I went down to the basement, or “The Pit” . People have been known to go down there and never be seen again. More costumes, athletic gear, boxes we moved here 15 yrs ago! Cases of canning jars I forgot about…I’m on a mission to clean it out and organize, room by room, closet by closet, cabinet by cabinet. I’m only about a quarter of the way thru the house but it has been freeing. This is a big house but it’s stuffed like a Christmas Turkey, for just a little bit longer. What did your kids leave behind? One positive thing..I can park where I want to!!