More on life

A couple of questions were brought up and I thought that I would just continue my previous post!
Our roommate DID move out. She did not stay here much in August, (she does home health care), she was gone on vacation for a good bit of September and she had all of her stuff moved out by the end of September. (She did pay rent through November, though) The original agreement would have had her here through January, then we changed it to May/June 09. With student teaching coming up, we were talking about asking her to stay even longer, though. I think that this house was a pretty stressful place to be last summer and I know I was certainly no jewel to live with, plus a friend of hers offered free rent in exchange for helping to clean out and organize the entire house. It was an offer she couldn't refuse. We are having a challenge dealing without the extra income, but we are doing o.k. The extra room is much needed, appreciated and being enjoyed.
The kids have been sharing a room since we moved in and Gavin is moving into the smaller, front bedroom. We (um.. actually.. Andy) painted the trim and replaced the handles on doors, and we have installed a closet system in there too! This weekend, Andy is going to paint the walls and then we are going to order a loft bed (like a bunk, but with nothing underneath). We will be moving the carpet from the shared bedroom into there and then we will decorate and get him settled in. Most of his stuff is already in there and he does his homework in that room, but he is sleeping in the old room. The kids are really excited for all of this to "really" happen, with the holidays, we really did not work on that project much at all. Another question was about the cake for Ella, the doll? That IS the cake. It was really fun to make, Andy's mom and I did it together and it was more fun that usual because I wasn't worried about the outcome. It was just for us and I knew Ella would love it anyway that it came out! I would make that again, if anyone ever needs a doll cake!

Another question was about baseball. Gavin is going to be in his 3rd year at Murphy Ranch and he loves it (so do we...it is a legacy thing now since my brothers and Andy and his brother all played up there). Gavin started out with YMCA ball, it was very fun and the kids really learned the rules and how to play. Each child has a parent with him/her while playing each position so that they have help and support. Ella asked to play and the scheduling seemed to work out well for us, so we are going for it! I have NO idea if she will like it, we will wait and see.

Lastly, the water heater... it was NOT the water heater, it was the main hot water pipe coming out of the hot water heater and supplying the rest of the house. It had several pinhole leaks for an undetermined amount of time (I am guessing for the last month or two) and then it blew 2 big holes in it the other night. There is a considerable amount of mud under the house (brave husband went under and looked) but no standing water. The wall is soaked and very damaged as is the cupboard and all of the subflooring. The plumber couldn't do anything today, except tear a big hole in the wall and figure out what supplies he needs to do the job.

The plumbing work IS covered by our Home Warranty insurance and we made a claim to our Home Owners insurance to cover the other damages. We can't do anything until the insurance adjuster assesses the damage. We are hoping that he/she will be here tomorrow. We are also getting an estimate for a tankless water heater, but it may be way beyond our price range. Relocating the hot water heater to outside might be another option, but right now.. we know nothing, have no estimates and are thankful that water boils quickly on our stove. Andy also made sure that the motorhome is hooked up to water and that the propane tank is full, so that we can get a quick rinse off in there if we need it.

Tomorrow, Ella has her 4 year check up and will get FOUR shots...pray that she remains calm and that the promise of an ice cream cone afterwards will keep her in good spirits!

Until later....