home ownership

Whew!  I  need to chill out.
I had thought I was a pretty chill person.  about most things.  My kids can get bloody and broken and I can convince myself to remain calm.

But tonight, when we came home from skating... I just happened to notice a box, in the corner of my unfinished basement room, looked wet.  I thank God that I noticed.   It's rare that I notice anything in that room. 

I then noticed that there was a puddle of water behind the box, and all along the wall that adjoins to my finished basement!!!    The carpet in the other room was wet too!!!
And  many of you know that our basement is NEW, as of last year.   I went into panic mode to determine what could be leaking!  I ran up to check the outside faucet... thinking that the hose may have been left running.  

By then, the kids noticed my panic and joined in.  

I ran back downstairs to check on the emergency cut-off valve for the same outside faucet.   Had to get a ladder and pry a little cover thingy open.   Upon inspection of the insulation and the pipe (that I could feel) there was no water leaking.  I still had worries that a pipe was leaking from above, or something was seeping up through the floor.
I called a neighbor to see if he could come help me with finding the valve, but he was sick in bed.   I then called my Dad.

Then it hit me! 
The AC unit!! 
I opened the closet door and indeed the water had been leaking from the indoor unit!  
My Dad came on the scene and confirmed that either the pump wasn't working or there was a clog.

Instant relief.   I was so glad to know the source of the water. 

I immediately contacted my favorite..... Maddox Air and Electrical, Inc.   I just wanted extra confirmation that the problem seemed fixable, and that it could be promptly attended to.
(I've got help coming in the morning!!  Thank you Andy!!)

(for the record, my Dad was willing to work on it... but I insisted that he go back home and go to bed.)

In the meantime water is collecting on beach towels and blankets and I will need to do a clean up tomorrow.    The saddest part of all is that the new carpet is wet.    I've had enough of flooding and moldy carpet.   I just pray that the clean up is easy and that my basement can avoid this type of thing in the future.

Owning a home is full of surprises.  I am super thankful for all of the men that I can call at the drop of a dime.
Usually my Dad :)   
I am so clueless about most things and I am thankful to have the appropriate resources at hand for household emergencies.

Ideally, I'd love to have a man, living here, for these type of situations.  Must also love kids.
Currently taking applications.

random...

Fathers Day came and went without much ado.   The boys said that they did not want to do anything special in memory of Thayer.   My mention of releasing balloons was shot down.... so we basically focused on my Dad/ their Papa.  
My Dad had spent the last two days at our house tending to the yard and building furniture with the boys.   He has been a great help with the guy stuff. :)

I tried not to be too down about the absence of Thayer yesterday but the lack of a father for my kids is pretty obvious on such a day.   I was doing okay until the pastor made a small remark about the importance of having a father in the home.   People always like to point out that children with a loving/active father in the home are 99.999999 times more likely to become productive members of society.  Or something along those lines.  :/
Those statistics that stack against my boys are always a mood killer.

On a cheerier note-
Yesterday afternoon we played kickball with our lifegroup.  It was confirmed that I am out of shape, afraid of airborne balls, and ultimately not too graceful when I fall.   I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to walk today, following my tumble, but only a hefty bruise and a slight soreness remains.

Today, something possessed me... well... maybe the reality that my boys are having a yard sale....made me suddenly motivated to clean out the junk side of our basement.   We went to purchase sturdy shelving so that I could get some of Thayer's tools a bit more organized.    When we got home the boys put the shelves together while I took a NAP!!    Unheard of!!   I am SO thankful that I have two aging kids that are capable of such tasks... completely on their own!  I'm so proud!
Upon waking... the kids insisted upon making their own dinner which consisted of Chef Boyardee, Cheetos, and Cream of Wheat.  I proceeded to make a bag of popcorn for myself.  (dinner of champions!)
I then dove-in to the basement cleaning/organizing.  
Four hours later, I am proud to say that the junk room looks amazing!!  I now have shelving full of things that I still don't have a clue as to what they are.  But atleast it's all displayed nicely :)
I also managed to drop Thayer's skimboard on my foot which will be a nice addition to my bruised knee.  ow!
While I was task oriented my boys managed to watch 5 straight hours of Myth Busters on Netflix.  I'm 99.9% sure that they learned alot about science.     
They might turn out better than expected ;)

speechless

I've lost my voice again.  It's usually an ending result of having some type of cold or allergy thing.  And it's frustrating. 
I'm used to being heard.  I'm used to being loud and obnoxious.  
I'm used to getting my point across, or asking for help, or being able to yell across the street to my neighbor.
But today, I'm whispering to everyone.
And I'm sure that some people have enjoyed my silence!
Tonight, we go to a cookout... where I will meet new people... in my silence.  I'm expecting that to be awkward.     And the first impression I will leave is, "she's a nice quiet girl".
ha.

anywho.
I feel like I've been out of commission for a while.  Atleast in the blogger world.
We've been busy with baseball ... and other things, I think.  I'm not really quite sure where my time has gone.

Lots of my mental capabilities have been overwhelmed with thinking about this basement remodel. 
Today I looked at carpet and paint colors.    It's hard to make decisions on my own, but I plan to do it.  And I plan to rock my own style.... as soon as I discover what it is.

We are getting really close to the end of school and I am psyched.     I am SO looking forward to my summer sleep schedule.  :-)

spring break

Spring Break started off with a blast.  literally.
On the way to a much anticipated field trip to the NC Zoo.... it all began with what I thought was car-sickness.   My rush to the bus bathroom was humbling and gross.
Turns out that the sickness was a stomach bug that lasted the entire day at the zoo and throughout friday night.   I was  b e a t.  
I stayed in bed yesterday until 5pm.   It was a do-nothing day of recovery.  The kids took care of themselves and also took care of me in the process. 
I received lunch in bed-- I asked for peanut butter toast and I received PB toast AND an egg sandwich.  :-) 

They love to cook...

Thankfully, I am much better today!  And we enjoyed a full day on our friends' farm.  Potluck, Easter egg hunt, lots of socializing, lots of play.  good times :)

Upon our return home tonight, I noticed that a house manned by children for a day leaves a bit of chaos.   I was hell bent on getting things in order, tonight, before our official 'break' starts tomorrow.    We cleaned up a bit and emptied out more things from the basement.

(The washing machine flood required me to rip out the carpet... and has turned into a basement remodeling project.   The contractor is coming tomorrow to tear out everything else and get things dried out before starting fresh.   This is a big deal... but I'm excited to finally have some home improvement projects in the mix.)

We've got a fun week planned.  Looking forward to spending time with family and friends!!

when it's cloudy, it floods

Yesterday, I was visiting Jamestown with the fourth grade when I received a call informing me that a friend's son AND daughter-in-law were killed in a fire.   They were 24 and 26 years old. 
I was shocked and horrified by the news.

I was also chaperoning a bunch of 10 year olds so I managed to keep my composure throughout the day.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about my friend, her family, and her daughter-in-law's family.    My heart breaks for my friend, who I have always recognized for her extreme devotion and love for her children.   Why would this happen to THIS particular family!?
 What a tragedy.   And a tragedy that has no easy answers. 
There are no pat answers to explain why God would have allowed such a thing.
 I grieve with this family.

Thinking about this family has also brought back memories of those first days following Thayer's death.  And I grieve, in my own way, over that.  
Today, I listened to the audio from Thayer's memorial service.  (I know... that is totally morbid... but I do listen once in a while) :)

Added to the thoughts of death and dying.... tomorrow would have been our 12th wedding anniversary. 
yeah, that sucks too.

And... to top it off... my washing machine decided to die... and totally flooded my basement.  
By this point of my day, all I could do was laugh as I stepped from the bottom step into a pool of water.
My parents showed up and helped out with the shop vac.     My Dad said that it was "only about 65 gallons" that he sucked up from the cement and I managed to suck atleast 10 more gallons out of the carpet.  (and it's still wet!) 
(yep.  The machine was filling with water... and overflowing for quite a while before I noticed it.)  ;p

bummer.

I'm thankful that tomorrow is a new day!!  And I intend to take a nap!  (right after I shop for a new washing machine! )