Still Deep Cleaning

Partially Cleaned Grout Next to Dirty Grout

The house we are renting was seriously DIRTY...and to think it was one of the cleanest we looked at. I did get some money off of the cleaning deposit because I complained to the property manager that the oven was caked in grease and the floors were still not clean enough. He gave me a credit, but then proceeded to tell me that other than the oven, it was clean enough by their standards. We spent the entire day before we moved in cleaning the house so that I could at least get my furniture in without feeling like grime was going to deposit itself all over our stuff. I know I am a bit cleaner than some people, but this was seriously GROSS by most people's standards. Even the maintenance man said he was surprised they rented it to us so dirty.

A Closer Look

So, after living in this house for a month, I am STILL deep cleaning. My feet get black every day from the dirt build-up on the tile floors. I am in the process of SCRUBBING all of the tile grout. I bought professional strength cleaner, but it doesn't do any better than the Clorox Bleach spray I already had. I also tried baking soda, but it leaves behind too much residue that has to be rinsed 5 times.

Even after scrubbing my right shoulder to the point of painful inflammation, it is still not that clean. It may need re-grouting, which we won't pay for and neither will the owner.

...and this is only one dirty area of the house...

I have not discussed the kitchen cabinets, laundry room, basement floors (about 1/3 of the basement is tile), and bathrooms yet. I've mopped the basement three times and it is finally starting to come up with only slightly dirty water rather than having to ditch my soapy water every few feet. At this point, I'm thinking I should rent a professional tile scrubbing machine. My body just can't take any more hand-and-knee scrubbing.

This home is only about 5 years old. Whoever lived here before were just very dirty. I'm also having trouble getting rid of the "smell" of the former renters! Ugh! I've been burning candles, bought two more bottles of Febreeze (already used one whole bottle), and keep the windows open as much as possible.

"Calgon! Take me away!"

 

Loving Flagstaff!

We are getting settled into our new home. Our Foster Care license is nearly complete, just waiting on the inspection from the state (fun). The kids jumped right into Seminary and chose a class which many of their homeschooled friends attend.

The ward is very friendly and has embraced us with open arms. There are a lot of students in this ward so they are expecting a large exodus over the next few weeks and then a new flood coming in August. Many have expressed that they hope we are here to stay. We hope so too! It has a small youth, Nayna is the only active Laurel and Chris doubled the Teachers quorum. Not too different from Missouri in that way, but the youth in the stake is pretty large.

Mormon Prom
Nayna went to Mormon Prom with a blind date. I was disappointed at the pressure from her peers that it is unacceptable to go without a date. Her friends set her up with a boy that we did not even get a chance to meet and who was not a member of the church. She said he was nice and that everything went well. It was not what she had hoped for as a first date. But, she says she enjoyed making new friends and being part of the group.

Pics of Our Place
Here are some pics of our new place. We have an awesome view from our hillside perch. Not much of a front yard and only a postage stamp back yard. But, it has 4 bedrooms, which we need for fostering, and was cleaner and nicer than anything else we looked at in that price range. An added bonus is that it is centrally located! We are only 2 miles from Mike's work. Seminary and church are less than 10 minutes. What we save in gas makes up for the other shortcomings.

Hiking trails start right across the street from our house.

Hiking with the Family

The view from our living room and deck.

Snowing in April

The house has three stories. The main entrance is the top floor where we have a deck off of the living room, plus kitchen, dining and bathroom. The middle level has most of the bedrooms and bathrooms. The bottom floor is what in Missouri they call a small "walk-out basement" and houses some storage and another bedroom. I'm not sure of the square footage, I'm thinking over 1800 square feet of living space, plus a storage/storm shelter and garage.

I'm hoping all the stairs will help me lose weight (big grin). So far I know I am getting more toned even if the pounds are not coming off yet.

 

Crazy Hackers!

My Google account was hacked and it has taken a few weeks to get it back and "unlock" all of the various Google products that I had linked to that one account. I have learned my lesson! It is imperative when using Google accounts to link their products like Blogger, Calendar, and Gmail to more than ONE Google username. That would have saved me a lot of time and headache.

I will continue to use Blogger, even with the recent security issues, but I will use a smarter approach to being able to keep posts coming even during a time of attack by hackers. The good news is that no unwanted posts were generated during this time.

So, at least Google did try to keep any more damage from happening. That said, I am not happy with how Google handled getting my account BACK. It has been a HUGE nightmare and made me very distrustful of future events.

My sincere apologies!
 

Home Again

It is so nice to be home again. Last night was the Easter Pageant at the Mesa Arizona Temple. This morning we went for a session at the Mesa Arizona Temple, which is where we were married and sealed for Time and All Eternity. I felt completely happy and at peace for the first time in a long while.

I don't have any pictures since I packed my cord for my camera. :-( I'll have to post them another time.

We will be heading back to Flagstaff soon for Mike to start work. We are still searching for a house to rent...it is slim pickin's.

Oh Where, Oh Where Are We Going to Move?

Chris at our favorite park in Flagstaff

This move has been one of the silliest and most stressful moves yet (and we haven't even packed the moving truck yet). We have a job, or do we? Suddenly they have enough people at the Gilbert depot and don't need Mike, but they can demote him to another position for less money. *sigh* Then, Mike contacts his old boss in Flagstaff and they have an open position...and it happens to be his old route. His former boss says, "I'm going to do everything in my power to get you to move here." OK, how about a raise!

All of this is happening this week....we are moving next Saturday?!? Right?

I have been a bit stressed to say the least. I know the job market is tough and that you have to be flexible in this economy. We are very thankful for Mike's employment. He is very good at what he does. I feel frustrated when people ask about what Mike does for a living and then say, "Oh, he's just a Schwan's man. Can't he find something better?"

My reply is, "We are very thankful for his employment while so many others are out of work. We may be under-employed, but at least we do not live off the government."

I am so thankful for a husband who is willing to work SO many hours in a tedious job to support his family. In my eyes, he is much more than "just a Schwan's man". He is my best friend, his is a wonderful husband and father, and he does everything in his power to support his family so that I can be a full-time, at-home mom.

So, we are moving back to Flagstaff, which is where everyone really wanted to be anyway. The kids are very happy about this move and look forward to seeing their old friends. I have every confidence in my husband's decision to move his family to a place that we love and has a good job.