CRUNCH. That was the sound of J's car being totalled. Recovery from a motor vehicle collision and the ensuing hunt for a (nu)sed car have kept us very busy lately. Life doesn't stop just because you're renovating your house. There is no courtesy pause in the universe's plan that allows you time to work on priming baseboards until you are done and then let you rejoin your destiny. Grr. In addition to car collisions, Gordita (our cat) had surgery, M. had dental work done, and we are still clutching to strings of a social life with friends and co-workers. Meanwhile, there is a staring competition between us and house. We have set deadlines for ourselves and sadly watched them come and go. We're not quitters, just tired at the end of the day and on weekends...
- DECISIONS: We have decided to get white wide-slat blinds for the windows as this looks the most uniform from outside; we also agreed to splurge on two new TOTO brand toilets (one dual-flush; one high-efficiency) Fancy, huh? We have set a NEW deadline to have the house no less than 85% completed by the Superbowl. Why you ask? Because houses are being rented in Tampa for Superbowl week and we can easily earn a mortgage payment in a few days of renting it out.
- LABOR: Testing and learning how to maintain the swimspa (translation: J. splashes around squealing at the jets and M. gets to play with the little chemistry set that we use to maintain the water sparkly and clean); we had our first yard sale to clear out stuff... it was a lot of work, sorting, pricing, and then we only made $77 bucks all morning (we blew it in one dinner out).
Meanwhile, we are researching options for a solar-powered outdoor shower. Yes, it even gets nippy in Florida ... not much, but enough to want a WARM rinse instead of an icy one before stepping into the hot-tub. Here are some options we are considering:
This one is the econo-version...does the job for under $200 but M. thinks it looks likes an attachment at a car-wash...
This one is mid-range and very TALL. It does the job for under $300 (plus shipping):
This is the SCHMANCY model with extra features ... J. thinks it is too cold and contemporary for our patio and that it looks like a shower designed by NASA...ick. M. likes contemporary and gadget-ridden... At over $500, it is more than twice what other models go for...
What do y'all think?
2 comments:
WE didn't make much at our yardsale for all the work we spent on it, either. We figure we make about $2 an hour for the both of us, after sorting, pricing, sitting, etc!
Yup. The yardsale was a social success if not an economical one - we met several neighbors that strolled by and they gave us history lessons on the "interesting" characters that once inhabited our home :) Anyhoo, gracias for the post. Oh, and luv yer houseblog.
Post a Comment