My Blanken World

My world of boys, textiles and moving.

Just call me Debby Downer November 2, 2012

Filed under: Broken/Repaired,What's happening,WTFr — blankenmom @ 7:59 pm
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Manhattan dark – it’s very eery!

 

 

Not to sound like a complainer, Debby as we know her, but this has been a pretty crappy few months!

Why do I say this… again.  We are now the lucky owners of a soggy house on the east coast.

 

Awesomeness.

 

 

This is a house in a neighboring town – this is pretty much what our town looks like.

 

 

 

 

You’re jealous I know it!

 

I refuse to stop there though -

WE are one of the lucky few from the little town “that house” is in.  ”That house” survived.  Not that we really wanted it to, but there are people who actually like their houses, live in them and lost *everything*!  We have friends who lost entire business’, houses and cars.

 

 

 

A friends bakery. They will not be reopening.

One of our favorite restaurants/bars to knit at. They will be reopening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am very thankful that no one I know passed away from Sandy – the wench!

 

On top of this, our great new renters who hadn’t even gotten the chance to unpack yet, have been so incredibly wonderful about the whole thing.  Why shouldn’t they be you ask, since it’s not really our fault?  This is the second time this year they’ve lost everything due to an east coast storm.  And they’re still so chipper about it!

 

I have to admit, that really helps my mood, not to mention my stress level.

 

I don’t have pictures yet of the mess that was left at “that house”, but I’ve been told by several people already what’s there.  While my dentist man and I are hoping it get’s knocked down and rebuilt or bought out, I think the best we can hope for is a new first floor.  Water made it at least 3 feet up our walls, of an already raised house.  7  1/2 feet of water is what I’ve been told.   Plus a tree that took out our fences, shed and deck.

 

But again, we’re one of the lucky ones!  I’ve seen pictures of houses completely collapsed and these are homes people loved!

 

So, while we’re feeling the sting of yet another kick in the pants, our hearts really go out to our friends and “neighbors” who were truly hit hard by this.

 

 

Nearby town.

 

 

So hopefully I won’t need to keep the nick-name Debby.  Maybe just Deb, since I’m still holding out hope for the upcoming year.

 

For now I’m taking this as life experience -

 

 

I'll post pic's of our actual house and more of the town once they come through.  
Some photo's by Mark Vetrini; all others are uknown.
 

Some days…. August 17, 2012

Filed under: Broken/Repaired,Hubby,Military,WTFr — blankenmom @ 8:59 pm
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….. you just can’t win.

 

 

 

 

Others you’re a super star!

 

We’re usually on the other end.  My dentist man and I are used to having two choices:  Sucks and sucks more.  So when we were recently given two great choices, we were shocked!

 

Over the last month we’ve had our renters trash ”that house”, then decide they want to move.  We’ve had a broken arm, surgery and a reaction to the follow-up meds.  We’ve had a car drive into the rental and a retainer eaten.  Our last big middle finger from life was when the town police decided to tell our insurance person off!

 

*Finally a transition*

 

With the angel that came to our door to save my son from a horrid evening of pain, everything started to turn.  We were honestly starting to get worried there; with these things usually coming in 3′s, we were heading towards 9′s.

 

The house is fine short of some minor damage and our son is doing great.  Everything is coming together to get “that house” rented again.  And wonder-of-all-wonders, my dentist man got a job offer! 

 

We still haven’t decided what we’re going to do yet.   However, we are glad to have finally made it through this last crazy month before he ships out again and hopefully we can stay more on the star side for a while.

 

 

 

 

 

MIA August 2, 2012

I usually write on Friday night, but with recent events and up coming happenings, that just wasn’t possible. 

There has been a lot going on causing me to be MIA on here.  Deck painting, camps, breaks, deployment homecoming and deployment readiness *sigh*, a new costume and sign ups for everything from college for my now senior, tutoring for my now freshman and soccer for all four.

 

My dentist man has been home a full week and a half now after his month cruise and has about the same amount of time left before he leaves for the long cruise again.  Sometimes at night I still reach over thinking he’s gone and smack him on accident forgetting.  After a few weeks of that, he may want his bunk back! 

We’re getting things ready again; extra socks, skivies, gum – things he can’t easily pick up on the ship.  Paperwork in, done and signed.  Check, check and recheck.

It was awfully nice of him to visit!

My two oldest went off to camp last Sunday; it was the first for our second-born.  On the second night of his first camp ~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

17 years we managed to make it without any broken bones; stitches yes, bones no.  As he saw me walk into the emergency room, he was scared to death we were going to be upset – upset?  I was just so happy to see him looking otherwise healthy and seemingly fine?  No crying, he was even joking around?  “Mom – I got to ride in an ambulance!  It was cool!”  He asked the doc if he could go back to camp with his soft cast on and she o.k.’d it as long as he didn’t do much; they can’t reset his arm until the swelling goes down anyway and “He can be bored and in pain at home, or he can be entertained and in pain at camp.  And there they have a trained nurse!”  With a heavy heart, I sent him off with a still broken arm in a soft cast, his youth group leader and his older brother and haven’t gotten any sleep since!  

I can hardly wait for them both to get home tomorrow!

I was so proud of my oldest too.  He came with his brother to the hospital, sat there for hours, bought him some candy while he was sitting there waiting and took great care of him.  I just couldn’t be any prouder of him at that moment!

In one night, my second-born changed from kid who would cry over a stubbed toe, to a young man who could hold-his-own and my oldest turned into a man who I’m confident in letting go of next year.

See – you really do learn from camp!

 

I got a call earlier this week that our renters will be leaving us.  I expected this since they had lost their job earlier and the rent had been coming in later and later.  I don’t blame them, I think it was a wiser choice to move to something they could afford better.  But as they are preparing to leave, I had discovered that they had completely let the yard go.  (I’m a bit nervous to see the inside of the house now?)  So, we now have yard maintainance people.  With everything that has gone wrong with “that house” I think we are keeping the economy of that state alive!

 

But on our end, I have finally finished the deck!  I’m very proud of this moment – even more so now that I know that the homeowners like it.  Not to mention my dentist man says it looks great!

 

 

 

Before (that would be my oldest “helping” me move the furniture off the deck)

 

After (that would be the big dogs “monster”)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was a bit worried about the color?  I was expecting Cedar… you know, red.  Not orange!  But as it usually goes with me, it turned up orange.  I like orange, but not quite that much?  It does look and feel good though!

 

This weekend with 3 of the 4 boys in tow, we’ll be heading down to visit my dentist man’s folks and a few of our friends before he heads out again, leaving the oldest behind to watch the girls (of the four-legged kind) and get back to work.  We’ll be bringing along one broken boy and two wild monkeys.

 

As for sewing, since I can’t paint the deck or grind stumps at night (neighbors usually frown on chainsaw use after dark) I’ve been sewing a lot.  Most of which is boring shirts, but lovely knits!  A friend of my oldest asked me if I could make her costume for Fall Harvest (Halloween) and I jumped at the chance! 

 

 

It’s royal purple – I swear! (Well I don’t , but I really do mean it!)

 

 

Steampunk is now available at Simplicity – who would have thought?  I’m having a great time so far, even though I’m only in the early stages.  Picking out the fabric was a bit of a challenge, they either had the right color, but not enough or they had enough, in ugly colors - finally I found the right color and someone had opened the box with a box cutter, slashing several yards of the fabric!!!!  *GASP!*  After the cutting clerk talked me back down and we put our heads together and figured out how to fix the problem.  With 13 yards of purple Taffeta, I went home happy and now have a new project for my evenings while my dentist man takes his next cruise.

 

I know – that was a lot to throw out there at once!  Now you know how I feel; that’s one doozy of a week!  I’m just so glad that, even for just a few weeks, I’ll have everyone safe and under my roof… especially with one of their wings is broken.

 

 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/86953543/digital-download-burlap-fabric-transfer

 

 

 

 

Wait, What?! July 14, 2012

Filed under: Broken/Repaired,Home improvement,Hubby,Navy — blankenmom @ 12:32 am
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I’ve been super busy lately.  Ok, I’m always pretty busy, but this time I’ve purposely been making myself busy. 

 

 

 

 

My dentist man has been gone and while this isn’t unusual in our house, his higher-ups had been hinting that there would be some big news coming down the line.  Big indeed!  While out to sea, most likely so they couldn’t escape, they informed the whole ship that they’d be the lucky recipients of another long cruise…. and then proceeded to soothe them by feeding them like kings!  I think my dentist man mentioned something about steak and crab legs?  Where’s my dinner?

 

 

 

Oh wait…. sorry -

 

 

 

 

 

In lieu of grouching and cursing, I started to redo the homeowners deck.  What?  Isn’t that what your renters do?  I could sit and sew or knit or read all day since the boys are out of school for the year, but then I’d go to bed all frustrated… and lonely.  Instead I go to bed exhausted, sore and a bit burnt, but I fall right to sleep! 

 

 

 

 

And since I can’t sand when it’s dark, I have been attempting to work on a few new sewing projects now that my robot is done, (and she looked very cute by-the-way) in my evenings. 

I have also discovered a new toy I want.  Ssshhhh – don’t tell my dentist man, he’ll just say no!

 

 

 

 

When the whole project is complete I’ll share the photo’s; it’s pretty drastic! 

I also have some walls to paint from where the last renters put a few holes in and tried to patch over them, but left a giant white patches on a bright red wall, tan wall and brown wall instead?  The poor homeowners!

 

This morning I woke to a huge thunder-storm, very unusual for this area, which kept me from my deck project so instead I actually folded laundry.  My dentist man popped up for a few minutes of FB and heard that I was actually taking this drastic step and *knew* I was missing him.  Now, if I could just bring myself to put it all away?

 

 

 

 

Now how to distract myself at his family reunion next week when I get asked about my dentist man many times over by curious, well-meaning loved ones?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every house a home April 20, 2012

 

I have a mission – just as my dentist man has his “missions” (pertaining to teeth – yeah, not all that exciting) at each duty station, I have my mission at each house.  To make every house our home…. every time we move.

 

 

 

 

This doesn’t sound all that difficult on the surface really.  You put your stuff in it and there ya go.  Which was fine when the boys were all under 7 and I had just enough time in my day to get a load of laundry in and no one really cared what the furniture looked like – I was just happy the puke was cleaned off!

 

 

Those days are long gone and it’s time we actually decorated.  And for the most part we have and it’s looking really good!  That is – in the living room!  That leaves how many other rooms to make usable and nice looking?  I will admit, my sewing room is “decorated” (read: made usable) but that’s only because I’m the only one that uses it… sort of?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My biggest concern at this point is the boys’ play/rec room.  I don’t really care what their bedroom looks like, they’re starting to move out as of next year, so things will be changing anyway in there.  What I’m trying to do is collect the clutter that well, collects in there, just like every other parent.  The difference here is we have to move it in a year and every few years after that!  So anything I buy I have to look at the weight, extra durability (to not only make it through the boys, but the movers – *dun, dun, dunnn*). 

 

 

 

 

When I look up idea’s on decorating rec rooms, they tend to be over the top, which is fine,  it’s just for idea’s – but none of the idea’s are really portable.  Even painting is really out of the question since you have to paint it back in just a few months.  Not worth my time or money! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They don’t have “a lot” of things in there, but what they do have tends to collect in the corners.  And nobody but the boys really want to go in there because it looks like…. well, their room - which means their game system has moved to my living room for friends to enjoy.  *I am not enjoying that so much!*

What I’m looking for is a spot for them to hang out downstairs (at least at this house) and have ample storage, for minimum weight. 

Oh and it has to be able to fit through every door imaginable!

East coast houses have extremely low door jams, which ment that while we lived at “that house” we slept on a mattress on the floor for 4 years because the box spring couldn’t make it and we were too cheap to buy a new bed frame.  It worked – so glad we have one now though!  (No box spring this time – I thought ahead)  So nothing over 5 1/5 feet!

So light weight, breakdownable (yes, I just invented a new word!) and durable.  BAHAHA!

Yeah, *I* don’t even believe that possible!

 

 

 

I’ll keep you updated…….

 

 
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