January 15

Our shower before tile.

Les has gone to California for a few weeks to work.  We ran out of money.  NOTHING IS HAPPENING ON THE HOUSE.  It's making me crazy.

January is my busiest month.  So I can't be up there working on the house.  I have to earn money when I can - doing what I do.  Chuck has been in Las Vegas partying his big heart out this week.  So it's me and the girls.  I take them up in the morning.  And I walk around our soon-to-be home just thinking of how darn close we are.

This is what still needs to be done: Painting (about 60% of the house has been primed); the floors need to be cleaned, then stained and sealed; once that's done the cabinets need to be installed; the template for the counter top needs to be done; counter top cut and installed; showers tiled; plumbing fixtures installed; lighting fixtures installed; interior doors installed; baseboard and trim installed; move-in.

Our bedroom.

I have the cash put aside for the plumber, electrician, counter and the cabinets.  I already have all of our lighting fixtures, plumbing fixtures, doors, appliances, tile, etc.  I still have a little cash left for some of the other work, but Chase Freedom, here I come!  Thank God for good credit.  See, at this point, we can probably finish ourselves.  But with Les out of town, and me working and not in the best of shape since I tweaked my back, it will take months to finish.  In the meantime, we're paying 2 mortgages, 2 electric bills, 2 Internet bills, 2 tax bills, etc.  And once we move out of our duplex, that's rental income coming our way.

Long story short, it's making me crazy (and poor) to be waiting so long to move in.

The niche in our bedroom. (Not painted yet.)

Les starting a fire in the wood stove.