Various Stages of Disarray

In the process of purging my life of negativity and replacing it with positive energy, I decided it was finally time to start replacing carpet in the house. Coming up with money for this project is difficult at best. We have decided to start with the room I used to call my bedroom. This room is being made into an office, so we can have all our work-related activities in one area of the house, instead of having it spread throughout.

The first major hurdle (that of convincing my husband to let go of the money needed for this project) has been accomplished. We have found a nice indoor/outdoor carpet at a carpeting outlet, and they will install it for us at the whopping price of $400 inclusive (this is my Christmas present). Finding a decent/livable carpet for a good price (installed of course) was a hurdle in itself. Do you know how much carpet costs these days? There's no way we could afford to do the rest of the house right now. Not to mention the disarry (hence the title of this article) that would ensue in the rest of the house.

Just to give you an idea of exactly what it is going to take to make this ONE room happen...

First of all, we had to remove the mattresses from the bedroom I am now sleeping in. Then the newer mattresses (purchased for me when I got sick) had to be moved to the bedroom and the old ones disposed of. All the bedding had to be cleaned (I seemed to have picked up some allergies to certain fibers now) or replaced. I still have to repair the bed ruffle (today, I promise).

The hide-a-bed had to be re-assembled into a couch, which meant we had to find the hardware for it, put the old sofa mattress back in it and fold it up. That hide-a-bed has never been easy to put back together, but for some reason, it went back in remarkably well.

Now comes the real carnage...

We had the room measured and now we have a firm date of November 25, before noon, for installation of the new carpet. What that means is that we have to move everything out of the room (into the living room, no doubt), tear up the old carpet and pad so I can clean the concrete with bleach (to remove any organisms that decided to take up residency) and paint the walls and ceiling. I also have to arrange for the internet cabling to be moved that afternoon, so our main access point is in that room. I am hoping to have that appointment scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, after the carpeting is installed.

Another point that is going to have to be addressed is the moving of our 55-gallon aquarium. It is going into the recessed area of the new office, which was once reserved for our entertainment center and all the accumulated dust bunnies that have manifested themselves behind it. The aquarium is now full of water, rocks, plants and fish, and it will take some doing to get it all dismantled, cleaned and moved, and then re-assembled successfully in the chosen spot. I figure it will take 3 days minimum for that alone.

The computer desk(s), file cabinets, etc., will all have to be moved into the office and set back up. All plants have to be pruned and/or re-potted, and any repairs to the sofa will have to be made.

The sofa is going into the living room, where I hope to once again have a conversation area for the family to gather in, and a place for us to have our movie nights. (Usually Sunday night is reserved for whatever movie we have decided to watch, complete with soft drinks and popcorn.) I am dearly looking forward to that again.

When, you ask, is all of this to be done by? Thanksgiving... yeah RIGHT!!! I'm hopeful that some of these things can be done ahead of time, like dismantling the aquarium. I have to wash all the pea gravel that is in it along with the rocks and plants before I can put it all back in. The water that is now in the aquarium will have to discarded, and the eco-system will have to be rebuilt over a period of about a week. I have a place for the fish... an older (smaller) aquarium I kept just for this purpose.

Once all of this is done, it will be time for us to decorate for Christmas, and get on with the bustle that comes along with the holidays. I am also looking for a job at this time. (I'm feeling strong enough to handle it, I think.)

What a mess... pray for me... pray that it all goes according to plan, and pray that we make it through this with our sanity intact.

Nazdovie'

Paczki Puta