:: Thursday, June 29, 2006 :: Oh my gosh. I am moved in my house!
The boxes tower over me from every direction, but several hours ago, Alex and I stood in the kitchen with all of our things around us and I suddenly started crying. I couldn't believe that I was in MY house. OUR house. My god. Holy crap.
:: Wednesday, June 28, 2006 :: I decided to take the day off to pack (I actually stayed up super late last night packing and completed most of it this morning) and do some more painting before we move in.
Painted the upstairs bedrooms Jalapeno Pepper. Interesting shade of green. It certainly pops next to the lilac colour that the previous owner favoured (insert gag).
My friend Sara (with no 'h') helped me paint, which was a total godsend as we were able to get 2 coats in both rooms! However, we didn't have any white to finish the other 2 walls in the bedrooms so that they won't be OVERWHELMINGLY diarrhea colour. That will have to wait until after we move in.
We got some plastic over all of the reno refuse in the back before the downpour started so that it wouldn't become a sopping mess or float away before we had a chance to dispose of it.
Painting can be such total fun but it's all the prep and clean-up work that kind of spoils it. Too bad - it's a pleasant mindless activity otherwise.
I'm finishing up my final packing and I actually think I'm going to be OK. Alex, on the other hand, I cannot speak for. You'd never have known that I would be so calm this morning, though. I began the typical Cathy-panic that goes with every move. Alex was typically very good at calming me down.
The big day has arrived and I must turn off my computer so that I can pack it up too. Exciting - tomorrow night I'll be sleeping in my own house!
close on the house 4:30pm, complete with more faxes and emails and phone calls and close calls
6:05pm meet with and receive keys from lawyer
Walk to new house
8pm Alex and his friend, Mike, arrive with ceramic tile remover tool.
remove as much broken tile from the kitchen as possible without the benefit of a receptacle
lock up house around midnight after not being able to find a Home Depot that's open late
in bed at 1am
Saturday:
up at 6am
get crap together to bring to the house
8am, arrive at the house to let the flooring guy, Ed, in
8:15am, get Ed to drive me and the tile removing tool back to the Home Depot
9:15am, back at the house, start stripping the banister
1pm, fall asleep for 20 minutes while Ed is nailing in the subfloor.
1:30pm help Ed remove a layer of plywood and peel-and-stick from the back room so that the hardwood will lie flat when installed.
2:30pm continue stripping banister
More banister stripping
5pm, Alex arrives home from work, drives to Home Depot for more supplies
6pm, eat Dairy Queen Georgia Mud Fudge Blizzard
6:05pm, Cathy and Alex buy whipper snipper from neighbourhood garage sale for $20
6:15pm, Alex takes our first yard tool to the jungle around our fence
7:30pm, Alex goes to his band rehearsal space to load up the van for their show the next day. Cathy continues to strip the banister and sing to the radio.
10:30pm, getting worried, Alex is not back
11:30pm, Alex returns and removes the carpet from 2 of 4 spots in the house in prep for carpet installation the next day. He ran into Pride Weekend traffic.
1:30am, bed
Sunday
Wake up at 7am - late!
Rush around, trying to get all the necessary things together
9am arrive at the house
9:05am, resume banister stripping (the bane of my existence)
10am, carpet installers arrive and banister stripping ends
10:10am, yardwork begins
Pick up garbage from the lawn
Borrow the neighbour's mower, mow my lawn for the first time!
Sweep the porch
Alex's family arrives - suprise! - from Oshawa. Give them the tour.
Walk with Alex's nieces to get pizza for the carpet and hardwood floor guys.
Eat pizza and talk about what we want to do with the house with family.
4pm, thank the family for coming and apologize that Alex isn't home yet.
Weed the garden - do I know what's a weed and what's not?
7pm, Alex arrives back from his show, Ed leaves without taking all of the reno trash with him in the van.
Alex and Cathy clean up and walk over to say hello to neighbours. Get stuck at the neighbours, talking about their renovations and our plans.
9:30pm, finally leave.
10:00pm check out paint colours online and call in our paint order to my mom
11:15pm bed
Monday
go to work
mom and Alex paint
6pm, arrive at the house with dinner for all
go to home depot for supplies
tape the ceiling, kitchen cupboards, baseboards
paint the upper reaches of the staircase, perched precariously on a ridiculous ladder
10pm return stair-ladder to Home Depot
10:30pm return to apartment, mom drives home - thanks Mom!
Cathy packs
11:15pm bed
Tuesday
7am wake up
meetings all day
5pm leave work with boxes; pick up more boxes on way home
