Feeling Sore Muscles More Than Homeowner Elation

Well, day 2 dawned tired, but good. Amy, my fabulous friend and Jess, one of my awesome sister-in-laws, were both on hand today. The bulk of the day was spent sorting the tools and supplies after hauling them all over from storage. Need a file, got it! Need a grinder, got it! Screwdriver? Would you like phillips, flat or specialty? Everything is nicely organized, but not Martha Stewart so, on the 2x4 sawhorse OSB table. (Again, many thanks to Dad, Jeff & G'Pa) We also covered the back sliding glass door with OSB to avoid any five finger discounts by others... Thanks again to the Lowe's people for being so helpful and cutting my 2x4s and loading our OSB. (Haven't bought gloves, so loading that would have been a booger-bear.)

We installed the "new" deadbolts instead of the doorknobs. Jess and I split the job and she took the carport door and I the front door. The bolt itself went in easily, but the jam plate was a different story. Not to worry, I found that while some screws strip out easily, you can simply pry the jam plate out around the screws with a flathead. (Craftsman please, so it can be replaced if destroyed...) While I was wrestling with that, Jess and the carport door jam had a discussion and Jess won. For those of you who know Jess, this will come as no surprise.

While I was prying out the plate, I found the number for the home warranty and placed a call to them. They told me that while I did have a warranty, the AC was a "known" pre-existing condition and did not qualify for the warranty, but if I paid to have it fixed, and notified them of the repair, they would then warranty the unit. Say what? That did NOT make my day. Argh, another bolt of money down the tubes, in the drain, whatever. Anyway, I'll call the repair man tomorrow and put my name on the schedule to have it checked out. I'm hoping/praying/wishing it just needs a charge, so it shouldn't hit my pocketbook as hard as a new unit!

Amy and Jess both spent a good part of the day prying out carpet tack strips. For those of you unfamiliar with the technique, you hit a metal prybar with either a hammer or a rubber mallet and in theory, the nails holding the bars down pop right out. What this really translates into is the repeated banging of metal on metal in an empty echoing room, poofs of dust hitting your face and tack strips that come up, leaving the nails behind. Why don't they ever show this side on HGTV??? A huge thank you to Amy and Jess for sacrificing their hearing and arm muscles for a day or two.

Later in the day, Les, M4 & VJ showed up to tour the house and test out a power washer. Les ran the washer while M4 gave VJ the grand tour. They decided which room was theirs and how they were going to put in their furniture. Didn't realize that they travel with furniture, but hey, why not? M4 wanted me to be sure and NOT paint secretly after he left, but I assured him that I wasn't going to paint without him. (In case you are wondering, we're light years away from painting anything! Every wall has to be scrubbed down before we crack a can of primer, let alone a color...)

Tomorrow will dawn bright and early with teachers officially reporting for work. While that will help the budget, it's going to cut down on the work time. Not to worry, I'll be back at it Thursday and Friday after 4. Wonder what Giddings Lane holds in store for me then? I'll let you know.