Life has been a bit hectic the past few days. Two days ago, I got a phone call from the landlady. It was around 9 am.
Me: Huullloo (imagine a very groggy voice)
Her: Hi! (all chippery and happy)
Me: Yep, how can I be of help?
Her: Well, I have some bad news and some good news.
Me: (Alert now, ready for a bucket of cold water) Ok.
Her: The good news, we will be replacing your carpet.
Me: Ok, great, but the one we have is not really that old and it looks pretty good.
Her: Oh, we decided to sell the house and we want it to look spotless
Me: (laughing inside, yeah! right, spotless with two children, highly doubt it!) Ok, we are game.
Her: The bad news. It is happening tomorrow at 11am. So, we need to move all your stuff out of your living room and children's bedroom so that we can tear up the carpet this afternoon.
Me: (looking around at all my junk! thinking quickly about dinner and breakfast for the next day. If I can't get into the kitchen because of all the furniture, how am I supposed to feed my kids). Phone goes silent
Her: Are you ok?
Me: yeah, I guess.
Her: Is this ok with you?
Me: Do I have an option in the matter? I mean you have already made the arrangements.
Her: Ok, then we'll be at your apartment at 5:00pm to tear the carpet.
Me: Ok. (hang up the phone)
Me: She is freaking NUTS! As I explain the conversation to hubby whom was standing right next to me during the conversation.
Crap--we both wish we owned our own house. This crap never happened to us before at any of the other places we have lived in. Now, we have lived in this apartment for almost 2 years, in those 2 years, we have been flooded 3 times, so we have had to evacuate to either a)Grandma's b)hotel c)work
Since we gave in our notice to move out about a month ago, she has shown our apartment about 8 times, each of those times, I have had to clean the house spotless--and any of you with kids out there can relate--it is a difficult, if not an impossible task!
The cherry on the cake was this evening after waiting at work for them to finish doing the carpeting, we get into our driveway at 7:30pm. Hubby runs downstairs to our apartment to check if the carpet business is finished--guess what--no, it is not!! So, I call the landlady.
Me: Hi, do you know when the apartment will be ready?
Her: Hmmm, we are almost done, we just need to do the coving and then clean up. Why? where are you?
Me: Well, we are right outside our driveway.
Her: Oh--whispers to her husband--"they want to come home, we need to finish".
Me: (blood boiling, almost foaming at the mouth. Bloody heck! it is almost 8pm and she just barely realized that we want to come home!!! Thankfully, my children are asleep in the car.) Ok, we'll be back in 30 minutes.
Her: ok, we'll hurry and clean up for you.
Hubby and I drive around and park and eat our dinner in the car while the kids sleep.
As you can see, life has been a bit troublesome, not badly, but just a triffle troublesome. The adventure at this apartment has been of historic proportions. From all the apartments we have lived in, we will remember this apartment the most. As we sit across each other 40 years from now, we are still going to remember the floods, the super fast cleanings of the house, and the mid-night cries of our little neighbor upstairs. The good thing is that in 40 years from now, we will probably laugh about it--so in the end, let's not sweat the small stuff. At the end of the day, it reallly doesn't matter if the house is in shambles, or if my knitting ended up under the couch with one of my dpns missing for eternity, or that my sketches for my book are all misplaced, we are all together, safe, and toasty under the covers. Life is grand!
But, in all of this, I do have some really neat news. Check out the picture and I will let you spot two things that are new in my house--besides the carpet.
No, it is not knitting related--but pretty neat nonetheless. I got some mad money and I got to spend it whichever way I wanted. We have finally graduated from a little 13" tv to a mega big 32" flat panel! How I wish I had had this little puppy last week during the Olympics. I would have enjoyed watching it in almost life size.
It definitely brings a new meaning to watching action shows. Now, I feel that I have to go and re-rent every video I have seen during the past few months. Although action shows are cool--watching cartoons is kinda of freaky--too much color!
Speaking of Olympics, I have claimed my medal. I really feel great in showing it off, so it will have a little permanent spot on my sidebar.
*Hecktic=Combination of heck + hectic. Heck being the nice way of saying "hell" Most Utahn's say heck as opposed to heck (hehehe) It is more PG rated :)
Your landlady is NUTS!!! I wouldn't worry about the house being spotless when she shows it. It's not your responsibility to get it rented. All that matters is that its clean when you Leave. What an aggravation for you!
Luv your TV, though!!!
Posted by: Debi | March 03, 2006 at 11:14 AM
I can really relate to the busy mom and the crazy landlady. We had one of those when we first moved to MI we rented a house (4 kids and a dog don't fit in an apartment lol) She was insane she wanted to put spanish tile in the kitchen (whatever!) and she did replace the tile in the only shower we had. I love you blog I just found it. I also love to look at your looms I just ordered the infinity and am planning on ordering more in the future as money is avalible.
Posted by: JoAnn H | March 02, 2006 at 05:59 PM
Uggghh, sounds like your landlords are a pain! Hope it all goes well with the cleaning. You know how I feel about cleaning. Where are you guys moving to?
Posted by: Kim | March 02, 2006 at 04:27 PM
Oh no I feel for you! We had to have our house on the market for six months last year and I don't know what I would have done with children if we had them! I worked full-time and we got a puppy on top of it so that was enough for me! Oh my i do feel your pain. Hang in there and love your attitude about the whole thing!!!!!
Posted by: Lee Anne | March 02, 2006 at 07:59 AM
That sucked! I don't blame you for being furious.
Amy
Posted by: Amy | March 02, 2006 at 06:32 AM
I would be furious about the carpet. People don't realize how hard it is with kids to do something like that!
On the upswing, way cool with the TV. I have a 32inch. Could never go back now. Go rent the Lord of the Rings - all three - now you will see things you never saw before! I love having the big tv.
Posted by: Adelle | March 01, 2006 at 09:08 PM
Ugh -- this carpet story totally stressed me out -- and it's not even my house!
Take a DEEP BREATH and relax knowing that you now, hopefully, have a spanking new carpet!
Posted by: Kimberli | March 01, 2006 at 12:42 PM
:( not fun! So now, they are selling their whole house. How crazy. Glad you survived!
Posted by: Tina | March 01, 2006 at 11:35 AM
Congratulations on the new TV. My husband is looking forward to getting one of those one day. Memories of when my kids were little: they fed nickles into the video player thinking it was a vending machine :-)
Posted by: Heartinhand | March 01, 2006 at 08:08 AM
Yikes, some landlords have no consideration for tennants. I remember one time in university, we'd given notice on our apartment, came home at lunch, and they were PAINTING. We still had the place for another month too. Then we lost our damage deposit cause WE didn't clean the mess from THEIR painting! Hope you'll be homeowners soon, I don't miss that crap at all.
Posted by: Brenda | March 01, 2006 at 07:49 AM
Ugh. I had a landlord two years ago who gave me two weeks to move out (illegal, I know) so he could renovate the builgind and turn it into his own home. Renting can be very frustrating.
Posted by: michaele | March 01, 2006 at 07:35 AM
I'm amazed you were able to pull it off. That's just nuts! The new telly though...priceless!
Enjoy the technicolor cartoons ;0)
Posted by: anny | March 01, 2006 at 07:23 AM
I'm glad you survived the hecktic days with your sanity and sense of humor intact.
Posted by: Mary Ann | March 01, 2006 at 06:54 AM
You are awesome, Isela. Hang in there, girl!!!
Posted by: Valerie | March 01, 2006 at 06:31 AM
Wow...putting in carpet at 5pm..yikes. Glad it is done for you and hopefully you are out of there soon too! Tip for beads, use a wire, thick dental floss, not a needle. I did 10 at a time too!
Nice new TV, I love the stand!
Posted by: Zonda | March 01, 2006 at 03:56 AM
I thought my life was hectic,now I feel better, haha,not really, I feel for you. I remember when we were selling our house and I had three kids,my youngest being 2 & 3, AHHh the house was never clean and those last minute,"We'll be over to show the house in thirty minutes calls" we're getting to me! Congrats,you made it though, now you can put your feet up and enjoy the new TV!
Posted by: Carla | March 01, 2006 at 01:46 AM