Not much new to report- the rough wiring is in, the ugly panels are pulled down, and we’re waiting for the cavalry to swoop in to help with the next steps next weekend…
Oh, and did I mention that my stomach is starting to eclipse my toes? No? Hmmm…not sure how I missed that.
Sounds a bit like a b-list horror movie, doesn’t it?
Ok, so maybe mayhem is a bit strong- but you should really see the pile of plywood we currently are amassing…
The electrician comes tomorrow to get the baseboard heaters, the outlets and the lighting set up…then it’s on to insulation and drywall.
Who knows- it might actually look like a bedroom BEFORE the baby comes…but with our track record, I wouldn’t bank on it.
I know I promised a renovation blog a few days ago- and it’s coming…all shiny and new…but right now, we’re prepping the house for electrician that will prep us for the renovation which will lead to the blog and pictures…
It’s all very “the house that Jack built”.
That being said, in a nutshell, we’re demo-ing our attic in order to have additional space/a new bedroom. You’d think “Oh, an attic? Not to much demo, right? Just insulation and drywall, right?”
You’d be wrong.
The previous owner was gracious enough NOT to insulate, and instead chose lovely, splintery plywood sheets to cover the studs. And for a little fun? Let’s trim out every joint with a 1″x2″…the llllooooonnnngggesssttt 1″x2″s known to man.
But that’s another story (and set of pictures for another time).
Updates during the weekend while I’m trying to avoid getting in the electrician’s way but fail terribly…
So, this is not really a house renovation entry- and honestly, with everything else going on, the renovation entries might be a bit more sparse over the coming months. If you’re reading this blog for that content- I heartily apologize and recommend skipping this post and coming back in a day or two when I start getting into our attic renovation…
So.
I had my sixth month doctor’s appointment today for the baby- and it was the usual. Pee in a cup. Stand on a scale with an embarrassingly large weight read-out. Wait about 30 minutes to talk to the doctor for 5 minutes.
Things are looking healthy- and the doctor said my ultrasound scans look good. The only glitch was my doctor’s face when I told her the sex. A squishy-notsosure-grimace flashed across her face when I said the technician gave an 80% certainty about the sex.
Of course, when I asked if that was bad, her response was “Well…Take it for what it is- 80%.”
Gee, thanks.
So, there are two sides to this coin…If I were in Vegas and given 80% odds that I would win, I would be mortgaging my house. But if I also feel that if I was told there was a 80% chance my drink was poison-free, I would probably die of thirst.
And while I’m itching to know 100% what the sex of the baby is- I’m also keeping all the “my sister’s friend’s cousin had the exact opposite of what they told her!” stories in the back of my mind…
Gender neutral it is!
Thoughts? Or maybe just the thought that I’m over thinking it?
Does anyone have an extra $650 they could “loan” me?
http://islandgirlsalvage.com/product_detail.aspx?code=FU5817&category=NEWSALVAGE
In other news, the new lock we put on our garage to discourage random thievery proved to be extremely effective…
Our garage is detached from the house, and a new lock was needed as the old lock had disintegrated from 50 years of use….Unfortunately, the new lock was just a bit too sturdy.
I was on my way to work (maybe a little bit late- but as there were no witnesses, who’s to say?), and it was raining (why do things tend to go wonky when you have to stand out in the rain?). But, though I had no issues with it the day before, the key wouldn’t turn, the door wouldn’t open, and my increasingly agitated banging on it with my hip, and jiggling the key in the lock, didn’t phase it at all…
I decided to switch to hammer. You know, just to scare it a little. Maybe it was just stuck and needed some gentle persuasion.
I think the lock smirked a bit at me at that point. No hammer was going to intimidate that lock.
I then decided on a larger hammer. And a rubber mallet for backup.
The lock didn’t smirk that time, instead the key mechanism turned tail and fled- breaking into random metal parts, while the lock remained firmly in place.
So…I was outside in the rain, banging on a door with a hammer at 8am, while my car was securely trapped inside.
Did I mention that our only garage door opener was inside my car?
Yeah…rough morning.
Anyway, the door was pretty old- like the original lock-set- and it finally occurred to me to try and tap out one of the recessed panels next to the door lock.
Two swings and it popped out, letting me reach in and hit the garage door.
So now, we have a lovely old door with a newly formed window…
It’s boarded up now but something else to add to the list for fixing this weekend.
That was the very thought I had the first time I met my husband. Of course, he wasn’t my husband at the time- that happened much later. Like ten months, a year apart, and then another stretch of a year later.
But that specific thought? That happened just about five years ago.
And for once, I’m happy I was wrong.
Happy Birthday, M!
One of my common rants about Wisconsin is the weather…specifically the winter weather. The cold, the snow, the ice. Have I mentioned the snow and the cold and the ice? A common joke is that Wisconsin only has two seasons- winter, and road construction…
But my new reason to hate winter?
Snow-blower thieves!
Now, our snow-blower wasn’t exactly working at this moment in time- so HA HA to those jerks- but still in principle, not a cool thing to do.
Our backyard is fenced in- by a lovely chain-link fence which I hate with the fire of a thousand suns. Ironic in the land of ice and snow, huh? Luckily in the summer we have so many plants/bushes/trees, you can barely even see the fence…in the winter though, bleh. Ugly industrial bleh. I’ve been wanting to replace it with a more attractive option since we moved in, but other more important projects took up our spare time and loose change. And that’s exactly where the scoundrels wanted us.
We’ve had quite a bit of snow this year (not as much as last year, THANK GOD), so because the snow-blower wasn’t working, we stored it in a small shed in the back of our yard, near our alley. This weekend, when my parents were nice enough to come up, and offered to try to get it running, it was gone. Someone (or someones) had let themselves into our yard through our puny chain link fence and helped themselves to the blower.
Only then did M remember about hearing about snow-blower thieves stealing poor defenseless snow-blowers for parts in the city…
Boo.
So, take a wild guess the number one thing on my list to get installed this spring?
If you guessed a tall secure fence you CAN’T SEE THROUGH, you get a gold star for the day.
I hope all the parts they got off our snow-blower were rusted through…
and they got their hands grimy trying to dismantle it…
and…and…yeah.
I’m getting the gardening bug again. Every year, when I start getting all those seed catalogs, I start getting the urge to begin planning my garden. What’s that? There’s seven inches of snow over my garden?
Pshaw…no matter! Let’s plunk down a chunk of change anyway for use in four months!
It’s a bit frustrating.
In other news- today is my mom’s birthday! Happy birthday, Mom! I think I can directly connect my love of gardening and my hatred of dirt under my fingernails to you…we’re complicated women, huh?
Not much else at this point- the baby is regularly kicking now, which is weird/wonderful/alien/awesome all at once. We also had our “big” ultrasound on Friday- and I’m 6 days ahead of my due date! At least something is growing ahead of schedule at this time- even if it’s not my garden.
And, yes, we did find out the sex…but no, we’re not telling. 
If it makes you feel any better, it was only an 80% sure thing anyway- so we still might get a surprise on June 12th.
