Ikea is harder than it looks

We have been having a devil of a time with the Ikea in a Box Kitchen. The boxes were delived on 3 pallets and I could not lift most of the boxes. I sweet talked the delivery guys to get them to move the boxes from 1 pallet into the outdoor screened room so it wouldn't be in the street (no room here for 3 pallets of boxes). The invoice sheet was several pages & they said we'd have 48 hours to verify we got what was on the invoice. I couldn't see all the labels & Reg had 3 days in a row of a lot of plumbing work so he wasn't able to do it. The next week when Tim came to install the 2 hardest cabinets for us he said we didn't have the right stuff and I took some things back to Ikea and bought different boxes back. Reg, on the week-end, just put most of the units together without labeling them as he went so we have no idea where the additional 3-6 boxes of parts go to which built frames. The "Build List" doesn't tell you which cabinet goes where and everything is in coded letters and numbers. The Kitchen Designer's design on the computer is not a match to what we got - plus I went from 30" to 39" cabinets at his suggestion without realizing that made extra weight ( we may use the words manufactured home but this is just a trailer with 2x2 walls) and that changes the distance between the wall cabinets and the base cabinets giving less counter space. He didn't tell us to leave room for the trim, or even that there was trim, so all the bar racks are too high to the ceiling. I really didn't know enough to be the person who placed the order and the designer (we paid $250 to IKEA for this service, they contact the service out - other people have gotten great help from thier designers but I had Great Spaces and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone who was a friend ) didn't support me as with any neccessary info so we are up a creek. No one told me about the trim piece that should go on the top of the wall cabinets and along the bottom. Oh gosh, I could keep going here but the basic thing is that this is a disaster and we have spent all this money and because they are halfway put together we can't get our money back we still have no kitchen and probably won't for a long time. Reg went to Ikea and they have a Kitchen Help guru who gave Reg a lot of additional info and said he will help (by phone) but everything has just stopped. I am pretty devastated.

Grandpa Gets Comfortable

Finally, on Monday night, Grandpa takes an evening off. His first in weeks and weeks. The TV is working, we are having microwave TV dinners, his reading lamp is set up, the phone is right there, all is right with the world.

Slowly but surely things going back to normal

Reg got the in the wall vacumn working this afternoon and tomorrow I will be able to vacum. Sweeping just isn't as effective as you think. He also put in a water line for a future ice maker on a refrigerater. Later in the afternoon, we went to Rob's for dinner (great steak and salad, a home cooked meal, it was heavenly after so much take-out these past 2 weeks) , playing with the kids and Rob had taped "Big Love" for us. We watched it after the kids went to bed.
Audry and I walked around the block and she met Brody (age 4) and his 2 year old brother. Brody has a driveable electric Chevy Truck and was showing it off to Audrey. We saw a dove and a partridge and found a bird's feather. After we got home reg went to bed and I have been organizing boxes and going through boxes.
I had given about 25-30 "Thread" and other sewing magazine to the Library 2nd Hand book sale before we moved - but I went through the 50-60 magazines I had left in 3 moving boxes and tossed almost all of them. Having no room to move in our house is certainly an encentive to getting rid of more stuff. I have also been organizing piles of boxes since Reg went to bed (It's midnight now, Reg went to bed about 9:00 pm ) Sewing related, Kitchen, Office, etc. It is a lot better in the house now.

What a Shock !!!!!

Ok folks, we had sold tons of stuff on Craig's List and we had had 2 carport sales that sold well, and I sold 5 great big green bags of sewing materials and a whole box of sewing gadgets, plus donated dozens of my sewing magazines and dozens sewing books plus many murder mysteries, etc, many, many books books all together to the library book book sale counter - and yet - still - we have way too much stuff to live in our new home. Here are the pictures after I had put away about 8 boxes of stuff. There is no place to put any more stuff. Oh my gosh - I really regret Reg's taking out those 3 closets 'cause he was so sure we won't need them. Look at our tempory kitchen. it is a craft table with an old microwave. We have the refrigerator that was here in the house ( and also the washer & dryer). We have become jade consumers that can't live with out ice makers, cold water dispencers, and TV. Don't worry, this experience has turned us back to people who appreciate technology (please chuckle here). The master bathroom still isn't finished but we have the hall bathroom - it's small but everything works. Well - I am working on cleaning and fixing the blinds that were in the house. They are a beautiful print - kind of a linen look - and I think I can make them usable again.

Friday Morning March 11, getting close

Pictures of old house .... We moved stuff Thursday afternoon, Friday all day long and Saturday all day long plus trying to finnish cleaning 11501 E. Enrose St. Rob's moving company started unloading his things into 11501 E. Enrose on Saturday afternoon and when we picked up our last load about 6:30pm he was still getting stuff moved into his house. We also had a last minute Carport sale on Saturday Morning and what hadn't sold by about 12 noon Grandpa and Reggie took to Goodwill. It was a real scramble. I never, never, never want to move again.

A drop in the bucket

Here is some of what I have done Saturday, Sunday and today. This is my last post - back to work amigos !!!

Unbelievable Gas Prices

I usually only have to Gas up once every 3-4 weeks because I am very careful. When I need to go out for something, I wait until I have 2-3 places to go. I plan my route to save miles and I drive the speed limit to save gas. Since starting the redo of the new place, we have been going back and forth to the new place I have been having to fill up every week to 10 days. Look at my fill up yesterday afternoon. these prices are a shocker. the Gas Monguls continue to rip the public off.

Sunday at the Zoo with Audrey

Audrey had her 4 year old Birthday Party at the zoo and she and her friends loved it. The Zoo did a great job. They had a huge jug of lemonaid ready for all the guest (it was our first over 80 degree day here this year) and a nice picnic area over looking the lake. A zo Gal was there as the kids arrived and had set up an activity station for the kids. They made zoo animal masks. Avery and his buddies seemed to be having a good time too. The cake was a masterpiece. It was a map of the Zoo and had the cutest Zoo Toy Animals on it. I got to meet Audrey's best friend, Laney. Everybody got a piece of the chocolate Marble cake and a cup of ice cream. I had to leave early but after the cake the kids got to have a zoo adventure with baby animals.

Dave Comes for Breakfast

Little Brother David has Fridays off now and he called me to see if I wanted to go to breakfast. I told him to come on over and I'd make eggs and toast. He was running errands on my side of town but nothing was open early. We had a great talk - and Dave helped me break down one of our shelving systems and put it together at the new place so I can move some more stuff over to the new place. We had a great time talking. Look at this picture of David. See that table loaded up - reminds you of Mom's dining table doesn't it! It will be weeks and weeks before we can get settled into the new place. The disorganiztion right now is driving me Coo Coo ( More Coo Coo then normal ).