The summer I spent cleaning house

It will go down in record that the summer of 2009 was spent cleaning house. Our landlord had to sell the house, but wanted us to stay there while it showed. He cut our rent by $50, which I learned was not nearly enough for the amount of time and work it took to keep the house clean. The house was on the market for 4 months and we had about 50 showings, all scheduled around a toddler's 2 naps a day, feedings, playing, etc. A few times we didn't get out of the house before the potential buyers arrived and once I had to get sassy with a realtor who wanted me to vacate for a 3-hour window of time, when I had 2 other showings that day. I think I told her, "we still live here, you know!" The house finally sold and we weren't given as much time as promised to find a new place. Panic!! Bummer that I don't have pictures of the house in immaculate condition to share with you all!

Inspired by my friend Jennifer, I created this sales ad.

2 bedroom, 1 bath, 640 square feet, new plumbing to fix raw sewage leak (renters were NOT amused by the authentic outhouse smell that appeared shortly after they moved in), new ceiling in dining room because the old 1920's plaster collapsed (renters were at a church bbq, no one was hurt), friendly rat as evidenced by beady eyes in a hole in the wall, water heater kitchen decor - so modern!, high-performance smoke alarm located directly above the oven so as to alert you whenever you open the oven door, kitchen counters that are a whopping 16 inches deep - no need to fit more than a plate on a counter anyways, house features a 4-ft. corridor of heated space directly in front of the heater and the chance to play musical chairs so you don't burn up by sitting in front of it too long, also due to heater volume you get to use your outside voices in the house, time-saving bathroom: it's so small you could manage to go to the bathroom, shave your leg over the side of the tub, and brush your teeth all at the same time!, house boasts one closet, shed in back that has collapsed roof, broken windows, old appliances, scrap wood, spiders, and occasional homeless person sleeping inside - neighborhood children can pretend it's haunted, curb appeal includes foundation of colorful glass and mirror mosaic inlay to make people think you're funky and artistic.

Seriously, we did make it our home and I will miss some things about the place. I loved the daffodils in the front and the huge pink rose bush outside of the living room window, as well as being within walking distance to a huge gorgeous beach park.

After a lot of looking, we found a great place in the neighborhood, and while it is 50% more in rent, we have almost twice as much space. So, I think it's still a good deal even though we stretched our budget by a few hundred dollars. We've got wood flooring upstairs with a living room with coved ceilings, our dining table in the entryway, 2 bedrooms upstairs (we can walk on both sides of our bed!), a bigger kitchen, a bigger bathroom, and an entire one-room basement that is nicely finished and carpeted, with a laundry room too. We have enough storage that Claire's room is all baby (no camping equipment, no cd's, no desk, etc.) The house has an addition with some apartments and we have neighbors again, we can hear them come and go, but that's pretty much it. I keep telling myself that I need to invite them all over for dinner or games, so we can be more neighborly, but it's already been 6 months. Ack!

Our new landlady is the nicest person ever. On move-in day she set out a plate of cookies and treats from a nearby french bakery. For Christmas, she ordered a box of goodies from the bakery. Yes, Rich gets to eat all the goodies. She even brings a little bag of treats when she drops off the water bill, because she hates to bring just bad news. She has given us some spring flowers to plant in the yard too. We feel really blessed. Bummer that I don't have pictures of the house in immaculate condition to share with you all!