Dry Spell

Well, we're having a dry spell -- and that is both good and bad. Good, because we have no more leaks in the roof. Mike figured out that the problem was that the "spider arms" on the swamp cooler were out of whack -- sending water into the fan instead of onto the evaporative pads. So, all of that water ran down the duct work and was leaking out of a joint, which caused the second (and who knows -- maybe even the first) "leak" that we had. We left the hole in the closet for a couple of weeks and several rain storms -- just to be sure things stayed dry and we felt confident enough about it today to patch the hole (and repair the ceiling in the hall). I've done my initial taping and mudding, and I'll finish up with the texturizing tomorrow. Then I'll paint everything on Wednesday, as I have the day off work.

The other dry spell is not so great. No wins to report in the past several weeks. I did win a $200 QVC gift certificate in June and sent the affidavit back on that, but I haven't actually received it yet. I think I'll hang onto that and use it for Christmas (along with the Wii win), since Mike still might not have a job and things could be really tight. I keep hoping that we'll get a really big win...like another car, or $25,000 in cash, or a really nice trip (Italy or Greece would be GREAT since we had to cancel our cruise there this year due to the economy and the job situation). I am not sending out a ton of entries -- mainly because I just don't have the time and I'm trying not to spend a lot in postage -- but I still get a couple bundles of entries out each week. And, as I've learned time and time again, it only takes one lucky entry to win great prizes. My car, $20,000 in Home Depot gift certificates, and a couple of trip wins were all from one entry each.

It's a scorcher outside today (nearly 100 degrees), so I'm going to pour myself a big glass of ice water and sit in the media room (the coolest room in the house) and do some sweepstakes entering tonight. I got a lot done today around the house -- so I deserve a little break, dreaming about how nice a big win would be!

I HATE House Maintenance

I was so excited about the new guest room. I found a perfect cabinet to refinish and tile to match the nightstands (at the Goodwill for $9.99!). I went upstairs to measure the closet to be sure it would fit....and found this:

If you can't tell -- that is the ceiling in the closet, which has fallen in due to a leak in the roof! What is maddening is that it is obvious this area was a patch job, leading me to believe that there was a previous problem. This is one of many things the former owners of the house never disclosed to us. We realize that they were in dire financial straits and that they were trying to sell the house before the bank forclosed, but we would have appreciated knowning about problems, such as the master bathroom shower (which leaked), the many leaks in the roof (we found and fixed two right after we bought the place), and the fact that there had been a leak from the washing machine (which warped the subfloor upstairs) and a leak from the water heater (which needed to be replaced). I don't understand people who can be so purposefully deceptive -- how do they sleep at night?

Needless to say, I'm pretty depressed about it. Not only do I now have more work to do in the guest bedroom (and have I mentioned I hate doing drywall patching and mudding?), but we now have the extra expense of having to pay for another roof repair. The quote I got from our roof guy (who I totally trust and love his work) is $1000, because he has to take the swamp cooler off the roof in order to do the repairs and then install it again. I called and explained our situation (with Mike being unemployed) and asked if there was a less expensive option (that will still do the job and not leave us with problems later). However, we may just have to take the money out of savings to take care of the problem, which is scary. I can tell Mike is really stressed about it and I heard him muttering, "I need to find a job!" It makes my heart hurt for him, because its not like he is not trying to find a job -- there is just nothing out there that pays a decent wage that we could live on.

I'm trying to stay positive -- not only for Mike's sake but for my sanity. I'm focusing on positive things and accomplishing the tasks I can handle myself -- such as finishing up on that TV cabinet for the guest room and using a few old king size pillows to finish the accent pillows for the guest bed. Working on projects makes me feel like I'm at least making some sort of contribution.

Next weekend is the annual neighborhood garage sale. Perhaps we'll make enough to put a dent in the roof repair bill!