Thrift and Observations- Dec 9 - 15

 

Dec. 9:  I slept in rather late this morning, almost to 9:30.  It was lovely to have a lie in and to wake feeling rested enough.  Last week was not a harsh one but it was draining.   I really felt I needed that extra sleep. I say 'extra' but it was gone 2am before I finally started to doze off.  It was the fact of getting to lie in bed beyond 7am that was the luxury.

The contractor left last night after 6pm.  He'd promised me a functioning kitchen before he left for the week, and he was a man of his word.  He'd let his help go earlier in the afternoon, first one then the other but he stayed, and he worked steadily until every last task was done.  I have a temporary sink; the dishwasher and the stove are both hooked up and working.  They laid scrap pieces of plywood over the cabinets to act as counters until the new countertops arrive.

I questioned if I could load up the cabinets and he told me he'd need to get into each of the work cabinets to attach the new countertops from the underside, but he could just 'remove stuff and put it back.'  I won't do that to any workman.  It seems mighty unfair.  I can function just fine with what he's left me and what I've been using for months on end anyway.  Not a problem and one less aggravation for the men to deal with.

On Monday they start on our bathroom renovation. Truly they have made all of this as painless as possible, were meticulous about picking up and sweeping up and leaving their tools neatly in place and out of the main traffic flow of the kitchen, etc.  They were quiet enough and polite and kind.  For all the frustration of waiting all these months the crew and the contractor certainly have made the whole thing absolutely pleasant.  

Because I knew they'd be starting on the bath on Monday, I've been slowly moving stuff out.  It occurred to me that I could simply load up the wall of cabinets that haven't got counters going on them with all the bathroom stuff and that would have it out of the way.   I'm not quite done.  I need John to remove a laundry basket filled with paint cans and paint supplies, and I need to move the towels, rugs, and pictures and the stuff we typically have on our bathroom counter.  Not such a lot to do now, but I've made so many trips back and forth between the bathroom and the kitchen thus far that it's a wonder there isn't a track worn in the carpet.

John put together the second kitchen island and now that is placed on the wall next to the other one filling up the whole wall with another set of cabinets.  He commented last night that we ought to have gone on and gotten a proper cabinet built to go there and it was my initial desire, but we didn't in order to save that bit of money.  I refuse to regret it now, even if he does.  I pointed out the practicality of having the two islands, how I might use them, etc.  All of which I could never do with a stationery cabinet.  

Small victory that our kitchen renovation came in a bit under budget where labor was concerned and for that I am grateful.  It all went well enough.  There were no major issues except one water pipe splitting and that wasn't a hard fix, or so I was told.  

I was going to say we had a lazy day at home, lol, but we weren't lazy at all.  We worked!  John had been working on the island a good three hours.  He looked up in surprise and said, "It's after 2pm!"  He sent me to get Chinese take away for a late lunch/early supper.  I went by Dollar General, too because we think the three children across the field will be here for lunch tomorrow.  I wanted to get buns and sliced cheese for the burgers we plan to grill.  

The evening at home passed quietly, with the Christmas tree glowing softly, John playing guitar, me napping (not planned I was meant to be reading, lol).  It was very relaxed and lovely and a nice ending to a busy day.

Dec 11.  I was so conflicted last night when the day ended.  We'd had such an up and down sort of day!

We were up early to go to church and left as soon as a heavy downpour had passed over us. We drove right along the path the clouds were moving and got to church in the same downpour we'd waited to avoid here at home.  A big flash of lightning took down the live feed and they had to wait to get it up and running again before they started service.  The sermon was worth the little wait we had.  

We went by the grocery.  John had given me some cash to buy groceries with on Friday and I'd opted NOT to spend it when I ran into the local grocery on Friday.  I did spend most of it today though, buying necessary items to give Caleb some lunch time variety in his lunch.  I picked up a package of hamburger meat and a semi-boneless ham half.  

When we got home, I made up burgers to go on the grill for the kids across the field.  Isaac is especially fond of cheeseburgers and often asks for them, so I decided to surprise him with a lunch of his liking.  His little face lit up with a huge grin when I told him what we were having.

Before they arrived, I cut up the ham into chunks.  One section with the bone, two that were boneless. I broke the hamburger meat up into serving sized packages for us and set one portion aside to make chili for today.

The kids were wild yesterday.  They needed to be outdoors, but it continued to rain and be messy all day long, so I just let them run wild indoors.  Rules are simple: No screaming, no jumping on beds or furniture (added a new rule, no sitting ON the dining room table), keep a clear path if you're going to run.  Mind you, they do know better and wouldn't even look like they thought they might be going to do any of those things at home.  Why they think it's different here is beyond me.  They ought to know by now my rules have never changed.  But running is allowed.  They live in a smaller home than mine and don't have the luxury of running in the house where I have what must look like a bowling alley sized space, they can run in from the kitchen sitting to the back hallway.

Why did I feel the day was up and down?  The person I had the upset with came in and gave me a long hug.  Another stopped by and gave me info I'd rather not have had and wasn't seeking, but the knowledge is now mine sadly, wanted or not.  Also told us something that broke our hearts for our family.  Then Katie came home early which was a surprise and surprised us further by saying she was moving out.   Not that we weren't aware that things were moving in that direction, but we weren't expecting her to move last night.  

What I needed to be doing all the afternoon long while I was dealing with grandchildren, heartaches and unexpected packing to help someone move, was clearing out the rest of our bathroom and trying to regain control over the messes that were all over the house.  We can now add one more room to those messed up, because it looked like a hurricane had gone through the guest room when Katie had her And Caleb's stuff (most of it) packed.  

We ended the evening minding Caleb and Bella while Cody and Katie packed his truck and her car.  I think somewhere in there we got supper...maybe.

Today we were up early to get the last moving done in the bathroom and then Katie arrived with Caleb who was sick and couldn't go to school.  He did feel bad, too.  He stayed in bed until around 11:30 and then declared he felt better but there was a lot of sitting on my lap and lying on a pallet on the floor before he finally decided to go outdoors to play.  And then he complained that his legs hurt, and he walked about with a limp.  I'm thinking this virus he has had given him some muscle aches.

And during all of this the bathroom was being demolished.   It was cold as could be outdoors and the men were out as much as they were in.  I started that pot of chili I'd determined I'd make today and at one point, one of the guys mentioned how good it smelled.  I had told John we'd have chili for supper tonight but when they said how good it smelled, I came to tell John we'd eat chili at lunch, and I'd offer the guys a bowl to go with their lunches.  When I told them a little later, they were delighted.  I'm glad I did that.  They are both nice men and work very hard while they are here.  

Funny thing: Lately, Caleb has gone around saying he hasn't any money and needs "One Hundred Dollars!"   He's said this repeatedly, but we've no idea why he's fixated on that amount.  This afternoon John and Caleb went down to pick up the mail and take off the trash.  We always give Caleb pieces of junk mail to open as 'his' mail.  Today he said, "Hey!  Someone sent me monies..." and I glanced over at his pile of mail.  Sure enough, he had two $1 bills!   I just laughed and told John I wouldn't take it back from him.  It was junk mail, addressed to 'Resident'.  So, Caleb started his own little piggy bank today.  And he only needs $98 more to make that $100 he's always telling me he needs, lol.

Dec. 12:  Let me just say this right away:  For the first time ever, Caleb had a 100% successfully dry day!  Not once did he fail to go to the bathroom.    I'm so proud of him!!

Now back to the mundane everyday sort of stuff.  Even colder this morning than yesterday.  I started a pot of turkey and rice soup this morning using broth and turkey meat from the freezer (and celery and onions too).  It was super yummy this afternoon for our lunch.  I made the offer of some to the men, but they started work late today and were intent on working right on through lunch.

We ran into our first hiccup in the bathroom reno work.  The shower we ordered is 'special' though it never said so on the website.  It has to have a surround that stabilizes the whole thing or it will fall apart.  So today a trailer full of lumber came with the men.  I sighed a bit when I saw that.  I'm just grateful that lumber isn't quite as dear as it was in 2020...but I'll wager it still costs more than it ought.  Never mind...

Caleb definitely is well now and will be going to school tomorrow morning.  I nearly exulted over the idea of having a whole block of time to work in here in the house...and then John said, "Well, we need to go to Lowe's and get a faucet so we can do that tomorrow while he's in school..."  Phooey!  So close!  I was imagining time to decorate the tree, or really deep cleaning the guest room, moving a few boxes from the bedroom to the kitchen...Instead, I'll be out and about and then caught up with Caleb for the rest of tomorrow and the next two days, as well.  

Dec 13:  We did not go to Lowe's today.  I managed to get the pantry inventoried and emptied one whole section of shelf, moving it into the kitchen.  John is very anxious that I should empty the pantry and retrieve some of that closet space for stuff that is not food. Technically speaking since my storage has grown vertically, I should be able to store a good bit but right now I'm trying to figure out what makes the most sense about placement.  I just don't want to have to move things again and again, you know?  

When John went to get Caleb from school, the Toyota wouldn't start.  He was able to jump it off later, but in the meantime, he had to transfer the car seat from one vehicle to another.   I stayed home to await the arrival of the countertops.  I put together a quick lunch of crackers, cheese, ham and fruit.  

Dec 14:  It's been another hard week.  I would like to just fall into bed and sleep and sleep and sleep. Yes, family issues continue to plague us, though one thing does get cleared up before the next one hits.  Still, it's all very wearing.  It doesn't stop me waking at night to worry how things are going to wind up, what's happening that I'm only partly privy to, how we shall manage, etc.  Hence my desire to sleep, or even be able to take a nap.

 Alas, there's no doing that between childcare and renovation works going on.  This morning we were barely dressed when workmen arrived.  At this point, I've put on my makeup each day as they wander in and out of the rooms.  I no longer care that they're getting too personal a view of me.  I just want to look half nice when I peer into the mirror.

There's nothing of Christmas cheer in the house. John keeps watching WWII movies and I finally said last night, "Please, can't we do something with a bit of Christmas to it?"  My plans for the tree are apparently going to come to naught.  I have half what I thought I had and half of what I need to create my vision.  At this point, I just want to see the house looking like a holiday might possibly be afoot.  

There are no cookies baking, no plans for a family day, no plans for attending the special performance at church, nor driving about to look for lights, etc.  I'm feeling a bit empty, like my tree that remains undecorated at present.

I sat down this morning determined to sort out the 2024 possible budget.  I was shocked at some of the figures I ended up displaying for last year's spending.  Groceries were even higher than I'd planned for when I switched up the budget this summer.  Like a couple of hundred higher.  And yet, in looking back, I can say sincerely that this year I made more from scratch, we ate less variety and more and more hamburger and chicken and that always bought on sale, and we indulged a lot less often in things that had gotten pricey in the produce and dairy departments and more and more on 'make do' in both areas.  I told John that even without feeding two or three extras in the year ahead, I don't really know how we'll reduce costs still further because things are so much more costly than they were.

Another area that surprised me was our medical category.  Chiropractor appointments, more and more supplements for this and that (and aren't they as pricey as prescriptions and sometimes more so?) are the real culprits there.  Not sorry we had the chiropractor charges.  Neither of us is in the pain we were previously.  I am grateful for the relief for us both. 

Anyway, I worked with figures for roughly four hours before getting them to swing into the budget we should have for this next year.  I compromised on the grocery budget and allotted myself almost as much as I'd determined mid-year this year, I'd needed for four people.  If I can possibly manage to come in under, I most certainly shall.  In the meantime, I've given myself enough room to figure it out.  

In the meantime, while the bathroom reno is ongoing they found a rather major leak (and a minor one)...and for good measure the faucet in the guest bath has decided to start dripping.  And so it goes. 

Dec 15:  Last night we drove to Lowe's and picked up cabinetry knobs and faucets for the bathroom vanity.  We realized that we'd completely forgotten to get the faucet set for that vanity.  John lamented he'd forgotten to tell them to save our old one which we might have used.  I'm not sorry.  The blamed thing leaked from day one and I'm just ready to have things work right.  We didn't spend much on those things at all.  I guesstimated what I might need for cabinetry knobs because I had no recall at all what the vanity looked like.  As it turns out I have twice as many knobs as needed, but I expect I can return the others. 

Apparently, we are somehow coming in under budget in the bathroom as well.  I've no idea how except for blessings from God.  Yesterday the contractor said he had to repair/replace several pipes, because each one he touched while under the house leaked.  They removed the vanity and had to keep a bucket under those pipes due to a constant leak.  Where mirrors came down the wall board was torn.  They've had to build a whole framework to install the shower though we were meant to build only one end wall. 

John had been intent on keeping the old shower, with capped off water pipes, but the contractor insisted on pulling it out.  John's plan had been to simply put a shelfing unit inside the old shower.  I personally quietly thanked the contractor when he insisted on taking it out.  When they removed the old shower unit, they found a foot sized hole under the drain pan and that the drain had never been glued to the pipe so has been steadily leaking these past 27 years.  Now that space will be turned into a storage area.  I'm not sure how finished it will end being, but I think they will do a nice job of it.

To be honest, I thought for sure we were already nearing our final total and moving above it but no, the contractor told me today that we had enough 'savings' on work done thus far that I should go on and get a shower door and let them get it installed as well.  He also said they will paint the bathroom (what part isn't white beadboard) and asked about matching the paint.  I was so pleased to produce my 3/4 gallon of paint and a can of primer as well, which he said would be enough to do the work.

We're using beadboard on the lower half of the walls and above the shower and on the new walls.   Ages ago, John installed a single wall of chair rail height beadboard along the longest section of wall, and our plan had always been to finish that off.  We intended to do so when this work was done.  I pulled out 10 panels we'd had leftover which measured a bit more than was needed to finish off the wall that abuts the one we'd already done, some quarter round molding and a bit of the Ogee molding so they can match that.  I think the contractor was pleasantly surprised at me for having those things right at hand. 

Getting shower doors proved a little more problematic.  If you look only at items on hand in the stores, you are very limited in selection.  I recall that we'd looked for months before the shower panels became available and then we had to order them, and it was weeks before they came in.  I found two shower doors in the entire metro area with three stores to choose from, that were available right now.  Everything else was available only by shipping from manufacturers to the store and they wouldn't come in until the week after Christmas, sometime in January or even March!  Those displays in the store are there just to give you an idea of what you might find.  I ordered the only one available at our usual store and it will be delivered on Monday.

The kitchen isn't finished.  The counters will go in next week, but I'm not referring to them when I say not it's not finished.  I mean that I will still need to clean, patch and paint walls.  Since I am still uncertain of color at the moment, especially as I'm waiting to see the countertops installed before making a final decision that will be work that we will do.   I am leaning hard on the Sherwin Williams Sea Salt collection of paints.

I'm thinking I'd like the last on the first row, or first one on the second row.  I want something that reads less grey all by itself and has a blue green sort of tint.  Because oddly enough I really want to keep my curtains that I made years ago.  They still please me and look good.  I don't want to change them out at this point.  

I'm tired, y'all.  This weekend is a busy one for us and we were asked if the crew might work tomorrow morning.   They'll be laying floors tomorrow.  John is playing for the Homeless Outreach program.  I'd thought I'd stay home since workmen will be here, but John really wants me to go with him.  I have no issue leaving the men in the house.  We've spent 8 hours a day for the past two weeks together and I know they are trustworthy to work.  

I've conceded that this year everything I do is a compromise.  I just don't have the ability to work out my visions for Christmas decor.  I've done the best I could. I can't even tell what the tree looks like at the moment because the sun is shining so brightly that I'm blinded each time I look at the tree.  I remind myself that only I will be critical.  And possibly Katie.  Katie has the artist's eye and will be bothered by any lack of symmetry.  I'm just calling it well and good at the moment.  Furniture is shoved up so tightly to the table at the moment, I can't work on it very well.  Yes, I am full of excuses.  I am, indeed.

I'm not sure there will be much baking done if any.  At this point, I'm just giving in to the inevitable.  As John said, "It's not like there haven't been a dozen curveballs," and that's truth.  Not to mention the renovation work which I might have worked around.  It's all the rest of it that has tossed monkeys in the works: unexpected move outs, family crisis's, illness, unexpected events, planned events...It's all become a bit much.

I shall end here.  I've absolutely no clue what we might have for supper.  I've thawed nothing out.  I've gone to the freezer and stood before it so many times today already.  At this point, I don't CARE what we eat.  

Amazon Associate Affiliate Link:  

I may earn a small commission if you shop through my Amazon Associate Affiliate links.  Thank you!