A Million Bucks

I'm home today with my silly Monkey who thought it was a good idea to get the flu....  :(  Actually, yesterday was her worst day.  She couldn't keep a thing in her stomach all day long.  Fortunately, her stomach settled last night and today we're just trying to get her back on track.  

I can deal with Chris getting sick and of course other adults in my life being ill.  I can tolerate Pumpkin getting sick.  I mean, it's certainly not pleasant and I worry about her, however I deal okay with it.  If either of the twinadoes get sick...  I have the hardest time dealing with it.  I get very worried and have a hard time calming my feelings so I can do what I have to in a way that won't make them see I'm worried.  I was trying to figure it out yesterday as I kept myself busy with silly little things.  (My sock drawer is now color coordinated!!!)  I wonder if it's because even though they are 7, they are still my youngest, my "babies"....

This weather... this weather is driving me crazy.  Lets see....  Sunday afternoon we had partial to mostly sun.  It was the first sun we'd seen in over 10 days.  An afternoon of sun and then it's back to cold and raw and dampness.  This house is SO cold... In the evening after the girls go to bed, Chris and I wrap blankets around us if we are going to relax and watch TV or read a book or whatnot.   I'm still wearing long sleeve shirts and winter sweaters.  I haven't a clue as to what I'm going to do when winter actually gets here....  We've all ready agreed that we have to put plastic over the windows.  Since the ell isn't insulated at all, the wall that attaches it to the house ... we'll be taking the plaster down out there, fixing the wiring, putting in heavy duty insulation there and then redoing the wall.  We have to do the same with the ceiling because part of Pumpkin's room is above the ell.  


The furnace really isn't that old...  Replaced in 2003 I think???  Although the listing for this place said the house was insulated, I wonder how old the insulation is....  as in.. perhaps the mice have all carried it all off and have nice warm homes of their own???  :)  Either that or the furnace is REALLY inefficient...  It stinks that our home owners insurance won't provide said insurance if we put in a wood stove.  Too much of a fire hazard, they say.  :| boo hoo!!! As far as we can tell, a pellet stove is our next best option.  That's all some people use around here to heat their entire house.  We are doing our best to save for one, however.... vehicle registration, new brakes for the car, tires for the van, something as simple as a lawn mower, unexpected surprises during renovation, and the fact that oil IS so very expensive and we are having such cold weather keeps the "pellet stove fund" small. 

I suppose I could look at the weather this way:  Although the roof was redone in 2006, they must have used super cheap shingles.  This rainy weather has given us the opportunity to know exactly where the leaks are in the house.  ...  grumble, grumble....  


Okay...  I know, I know.  I really do understand that when you buy an old house, things like this happen.  I've never heard of anyone buying an older fixer upper house and having it be perfect within 4 months....  :)  We went from a 10 year old house to a 100+ one.  I think the other house spoiled us horribly.  Warmth ACTUALLY STAYED IN that house!!!  We really are trying to focus first on what needs to be done for comfort, etc.  rather than decor and whatnot...  It's so hard for me though!  I want curtains and flower gardens and braided rugs and a small wooden bench to put the phone on instead of a plastic tote, new bedding,  and 2 working light fixtures one in the front hallway and the other in the back side of the living room and... hmmm...  you get the idea. 

Because I can't do as I want in the house, I was hoping to put some of my energy into starting a garden.  Even people from the area have mentioned that the previous owners had good success with one.  I admit, when Chris first told me where the garden was, I said, "THAT'S the garden???  I thought they were slowly building a rocky road towards the back of the property..."  :)    ummm... yeah.  Okay, well...  I was hoping that I wouldn't have to do too much money wise to start the garden.  (eventually I would love all raised beds...)  Because of the weather, we have standing puddles still in the garden.  It's a mucky mess, rocks and all.  From what other gardeners in the area says, the season can still be saved, but we really need some sun to dry things out so seeds and plants won't rot in the ground.  Many people around here have green houses and start seeds in there and once the June full moon has passed (a near sign that there won't be any more frosts for a few months) put the seedlings in the ground.  

Papa told us that we could have his greenhouse kit!!!  The plastic blew off during a winter storm this past year, but if we still wanted it, he'd give it to us.  He doesn't have any time this year or even the next to devote to gardening.  We don't have the greenhouse yet this year.  Probably won't be starting seeds in there... but I wonder if we got some late producing veggies if the greenhouse would work for that....  doesn't hurt to dream.  

anyway...  will all that has to happen, that I wish COULD happen, we'd need a million bucks.  Again...  sigh... it doesn't hurt to dream....  :)