When your boiler decides that it no longer wants to be your friend, you have a bag on the floor that looks like this because you have been traveling to your in-laws to take showers so that you don’t have to go to work wearing a hood and five gallons of perfume.
When your boiler decides it no longer wants to be your friend, you have a sink that looks like this because you haven’t been able to run the dishwasher for four days and you can’t muster the desire to boil some water on the stove because that feels far too Little House on the Prairie minus the modern luxury of a stove. (We ARE spoiled in America 2012, no?)
When your boiler decides it no longer wants to be your friend, other projects come to a grinding halt. When your boiler decides it no longer wants to be your friend, you remember that being a homeowner isn’t all about picking out chandeliers and painting walls and sewing pillows.
But when your boiler decides it no longer want to be your friend, it also gives you a time to be thankful: for in-laws that live only 10 minutes away, for having a grandfather who could assess the problem for free the day before he was scheduled to fly out to Phoenix, for this happening as temperatures reach 80 around here and we don’t need the heat on.
The Lord’s timing is perfect even in annoying situations like this.
What has been your biggest hiccup thus far as a homeowner? Have you ever gone without hot water for any period of time? Do you want to smell our pile of dishes? Rick and his dad are installing the new part as I type. Hopefully hot water and a clear sink are in my very near distant future.
YIKES! But I must say, that sink full of dirty dishes looks fabulous with your awesome backsplash.
ReplyDeleteGlendale is on a hot water well, so during the summer the cold water is warm enough to shower.
If you guys built a pool you could avoid the awkward no-shower days...
We actually have a pool, but haven't opened it yet. Too bad our boiler couldn't have waited another couple weeks or so before it fried its electrical box...
DeleteI knew I smelled something!! :P
ReplyDeleteOur smoke detector had been going off every other morning at 5:30. Nate finally figured that one out.
Hope you get it fixed soon!
I hate when things break! Our dishwasher pooped out on us a few weeks ago; our sink look somewhat similar to yours =(
ReplyDeleteThank Goodness for in-laws that live so close!
Eek - good thing this happened when it was warm out (and that you have family so close!). I'm so glad it'll be an easy fix.
ReplyDeleteAh, that's no fun but love the attitude, you are right, there is so much to be thankful for! Hope the new part works and you don't have to smell the dishes much longer!
ReplyDeleteUh oh. broken things are never fun. Good thing it was warm out when it broke, though. Having it break in winter would have sucked.
ReplyDeleteAt my other house the water heater broke and decided to dump its contents into the basement floor causing us to have to replace the carpet and bottom four feet of drywall due to mold. Thankfully we were able to replace it ourselves and my dad made sure it was up to code for us so it wasn't as expensive...
I definitely don't live in the north because it took me a minute to figure out what the heck a "boiler" was. Then it clicked..."Ohhhh, she means her heater, except she has gas...well, her house does." ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm quite electric...I mean, my house is.
Homeownership is not for wimps. Or the broke. Except, owning a home makes you broke...but we still love it anyway. Let me tell you I was beyond ECSTATIC when we spent over $4K on a new AC last month. Yeah, I definitely did a happy dance. (Please detect my sarcasm.) But you know what? The details surrounding that incident were definitely in God's hands, too. :)
Here's to the people of Little House on the Prairie days. (Uh, the real ones, not Hollywood set peeps). I'm so glad I'm not one of them. (So who's the wimp now?) ;)
No fun! I can't stand it when things around the house break. I'm sure it is nice to have family so close to help out. I'm glad it's in the process of repair. Our Ac went out over the weekend last summer, definitely not fun. We were without AC in the NM heat for four days.
ReplyDeleteOh man, that is not fun! We have yet to have that happen to our home but if it does I'm not sure what we'll do. Homeownership is not easy! Hope it's fixed by now :)
ReplyDeleteBummer! But way to look at the bright side. Silver linings, right?
ReplyDeleteSame as Gail, it took me a minute to figure out what exactly you were referring to, haha! We call it a hot water heater here in Eastern NC ;)
ReplyDeleteBut ours has decided to die before too and it is a true PAIN in the butt. Ugh!!
Ugh, I hate flushing-the-toilet projects, that's what i call them because its one of those projects that people would notice if you didn't do like flushing the toilet, but it's not something that they'll notice you did do.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you can get one of those super efficient tankless ones? I know they are expensive, but at least they drop your electric bills.
haha "flushing-the-toilet projects"! So true.
DeleteThankfully, it was actually an easy fix once we knew what was wrong and got the part. Apparently something shorted in the electrical box and so we had to replace the box. At least, that's what my version of the story is. Rick's version is probably more accurate and specific...but that's why he installed it and not me. :P
So great you were able to get this fixed and not completely replace it! As for biggest house hiccups, UM, I think our entire project has been one gigantic hiccup. Nothing has gone as expected really. We thought we'd be moved in already, and spent HALF of what we are. Opps.
ReplyDelete:( Sad face, but yes, it's awesome that you have relatives right there when you need them! Our water softener went out a couple months ago, and it's not something that has to be replaced asap, but we're still dreading paying that bill.
ReplyDeleteOh tragic! But yes, it could be SO much worse. Situations like this always make me get all whiny about why we ever stopped renting in the first place, but then I remember that I love homeownership for every OTHER reason, so I should really get over myself.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest house related pain so far was last summer (the hottest summer anyone here can remember...40 some days in a row over 100 degrees) and our air conditioner broke while Adam was deployed. I know nothing really about calling people to fix crap and we have this extra insurence so if anything big breaks we only pay 60 dollars to fix it. I didn't know the numbers so I had to wait til I could get ahold of the husband...have the husband call and schedule the appointment and then have the guy come fix it. It was 80-85 degrees in the house all week. Not that bad when I think back to 80-85 degrees in NY where central air wasn't a factor in my 1920's farm house. However...I have learned to love and appreciate central air and I felt terrible for Missy who cannot shed all of her American Eskimo double coat. (Although my vaccum knows she tried.) Beyond that...the fear of storms here in OK scare the crap out of me. Thankfully we have only lost part of our fence and the gate in the only tornado to hit our area so far. Didn't even lose a shingle.
ReplyDeleteSilly girl, you could have at least rinsed out the dishes with the cold water so they weren't sitting there with stuff in them haha...! :) P.S. call me sometime!
ReplyDeleteI hate this part of home-ownership... Paying so much for something not at all fun or pretty, but necessary. I think of it as spending hundreds of dollars on plain, utilitarian, white cotton underwear. It does the job, but bleah.
ReplyDelete