The State of Things

When I made the resolution to take on more house projects this year I wasn't actually asking for water leaks under the driveway (hello $350 JEA bill/ tip-off), a smashed fence or dents and holes in the sunroom’s roof due to falling trees from the bank-owned house next door. I don’t know what the Universe is thinking, but this isn’t the best start to 2011, folks.

Almost two weeks ago we came home after work and noticed some tire tracks in the yard next door. It looked like a truck had driven through their yard and then parked in between our two houses. It was fairly dark and we had a car full of kids plus dinner, so Hubby didn’t investigate until the following day. His findings did not exactly please me.

It appears as though someone was hired to remove a dead tree from the back yard next door. We have no idea who, of course, but in the process of doing so they apparently had a large part of the tree fall onto our fence, completely smashing it, and onto the roof of our sunroom. The roof was littered with debris and is now sporting several dents and a large gash, which obviously means it’s going to leak like a sieve. We were under the impression that it is illegal to destroy someone’s property and then walk away without leaving any contact information or anything, but when Hubby tried to file a police report they told him it wasn’t their problem and that it was up to us to contact our homeowner’s insurance to have it fixed. That doesn’t sound right to me, but who are we to argue with the police?

We think we have figured out who the bank is that owns the property (the house is in foreclosure) but they, of course, are not returning our calls. I have a sneaking suspicion that I am going to have to march myself into one of the local branches and make a scene. I can’t decide if I should cry or yell. Which do you think is more effective?

And now, because that isn’t enough stress, we probably have a leak. Under our driveway?! I didn’t even know these things happened. Hubby went to pay our electric/water bill yesterday and the amount was around $200 more than usual. We were expecting it to be high since it has been unusually cold this winter, but that was pretty insane. After looking over the statement a little more, he realized we were being charged for 16000 gallons of water when we usually average around 4000. When he called to see if there may have been a mistake, they told us it was probably a leak. We hoped and prayed it was just a toilet. Hubby could fix that with a trip to Home Depot. But, as luck would have it, it seems to be more complicated than that. Much, much more.

We learned this morning that JEA covers to the meter and our homeowner’s covers anything from the house. It looks as though, if the leak is where we think it is, we’re on our own. Hubby is looking for a plumber as I type.

Goodbye savings, hello ramen!


P.S.
I am still holding onto the hope that Hubby is wrong and everything will turn out juuuuust fine!

Haeden's Room

I have been wanting to share Haeden's room for quite some time. It has definitely been a labour of love for me, and like any other room in the house, is always evolving. I still have a few details in the works, but here are some pictures Dan took over the weekend:

This is the view from the door. Thanks to a tutorial from Young House Love, I was able to make the crib skit and valances myself.  You don't even have to know how to sew! Normally I would consider the Jenny Lind style crib and changing table too girl for a boy's room, however, we were on a budget and the changing table was handed down from a friend. We were able to find the matching crib and mattress on Craigslist and it sealed the deal, feminine or not!

View from the very comfortable rocker, which just so happens to be the most expensive item in the room. Totally worth it though!

This is another DIY favorite. While I was pregnant, Dan, the kids and I each created a watercolor for Haeden's room. It's pretty easy to guess which one is Dan's, but you probably can't tell the difference between mine or Daniel and Patrick's! These are hung up above a small bookcase which created some storage space for small toys, shoes, and books, of course! In the picture above, you can see that there are two pull-out bins that allow hidden storage, which is key in any kid's room, I think!

Here is the top of Haeden's dresser. The ABC print is from Penny People, an adorable shop on Etsy. I love this print, and if he ever thinks he is too old for it, I'm just going to hang it up somewhere else in the house! The fun elephant lamp base came from Pottery Barn and although it was more than I was hoping to spend on a lamp, I think it suits his room perfectly. In the future I will replace the lampshade with something a little more punchy.

I got the idea to frame an article of clothing from another blog a long time ago and decided to pick up an inexpensive shadowbox frame at Michael's. One of Haeden's newborn onesie's fit perfectly and I couldn't resist tacking in his hospital I.D. bracelet and copy of his footprint. Also hung over the crib are two of our favorite newbie shots of Haeden. I love having these little reminders of how small he once was. It still seems like yesterday!

I found a tutorial on how to make your own silhouettes and totally went to town making these for Haeden's Grandmothers. You know I had to keep one for his room! I made the mini dinosaurs out of paper and the larger one is Haeden's first piggy bank, gifted to him by his Grandma. And Dan and I could not resist setting up a few messages for Haeden with the old-fashioned wooden blocks. There is another set on the bookcase that says "Sweet Dreams 2 Haeden".

That just about does it. Hope you've enjoyed our little nursery tour. I absolutely love this room and the fact that it makes me smile every time I enter. Okay, so maybe not every time. Definitely not during those 3am wake-up calls!