It's a cold and dreary night and I'm waiting for the witching hour (6:00 p.m.) when all the ghosts and goblins (trick-or-treater's) start knocking on my door. Some come alone and some come in packs with leaders (parents). Most are young, but some are far too old (teenagers) to be begging door to door.
Every year I run out of treats (candy) and have to wart off (turn my porch light off) all the scary creatures.
This year it is cold and rainy so only the creepiest of the monsters will survive until the witching hour is over (8:00 p.m.). Hopefully the treats won't rot their fangs! (teeth). HAPPY HALLOWEEN ! ! !
Lisa sent me this picture of the pumpkins she carved with Ty....the cat is hers.
Well, we are pretty much done getting the rental property ready to sell. New carpet, new tub surround, painted bathroom, repaired 2 cracked basement windows, painted garage, painted the foundation block, pulled weeds, put down new mulch, trimmed bushes, raked leaves and we got the Listing Contract signed.
Repairing the broken glass in the windows was a new experience for me (something John just thought I should be able to do). But, I've never seen that done on HGTV so I struggled a bit with it...breaking 2 panes of glass in the process!
Took these pictures for our realtor to use in the listing.
Last 2 pictures were taken when Lisa lived there.
Owning a rental property has certainly been a learning experience. I learned that I don't "read" people as well as I thought I did! Someone who looks good in person and on paper can turn out to be the complete opposite. And just because someone can pay their deposit and 4 months rent up front doesn't mean you will see another single penny out of them! (true story). But the best experience was giving a renter named Pam the break she was asking us for. She was divorced and was up front with having bad credit. She said she just wanted a chance to get back on her feet. Swore she could handle making the rent payments on time. This was bad timing for her because we had just kicked out a really bad tenant and we swore we would be more picky with the next tenant. But, we decided to take a chance with her and she ended up being our best tenant. She lived there 5 years and was never late with the rent! She was able to build her credit back up and moved out when she purchased her own home! She sent us the nicest card thanking us for giving her a chance. We really hated to see her go. If they were all like that we wouldn't be selling the house!!
Hoping to be able to hang up our "Landlord" hats, we are keeping our fingers crossed for a quick sell, but preparing for it to take awhile.
I tried something different for dinner tonight and it turned out to be the best pork loin I've ever made....and I normally do a pretty good job with pork loin.
I tried wrapping it in bacon...and I got a bit fancy with it...
Yes, I took the time to weave the bacon before I wrapped it around the pork loin. I figured it would at least look good even if it didn't turn out!
I did my normal injecting and dry rub, so really the only thing different was the bacon. It turned out to be so juicy and tender.
To quote Rachel Ray "That's what's for dinner tonight"!
This past saturday John and I spent a good part of the day going to flea markets and antique stores. We went with the intension of purchasing something that we could make something else out of.........let me back up. We've been watching some shows where people go to flea markets and buy something old and make something like a lamp out of it. Anyway, that is why we went. But, of course, I kept finding things I'd just like to have as they are.
While we were looking we came across an old farm table. I have always wanted one of these. This one needed some work but the price was right and when I offered that it could be my birthday present.....well, that sealed the deal! John will do just about anything to not have to shop for me! :)
So for the past few days I've been working on it. Hand sanding years of stains and grime from the surface and then sealing and buffing it with a paste wax.
I love the cracks in the top and I even love the spot where someone patched it with another piece of wood.
I also sold our old dinning room table & chairs on Craigs List this week, so now I have money to shop for chairs! Happy Birthday to me! :)
One of the saddest things about the end of summer is watching all the flowers die. The other day I cut one of my remaining rose buds and brought it inside. It is now in it's full glory...one of God's masterpieces.
I just love flowers. When I see them I just can't believe how beautiful they are. From roses to wildflowers....each one unique.
When I was little I loved this poem and I've always remembered it....Lisa even resited it when she was in 3rd. grade:
Mud is very nice to feel, all squishy-squash between the toes! I'd rather wade
in wiggly mud, than smell a yellow rose. Nobody else but the rosebush knows, how
nice mud feels between the toes.
Back then I remember liking it because it was about mud....I could have cared less about the roses!!
