I'm Back! :)

Since the last time I posted I have had absolutely no time to write again. I've been busy at work and even busier at home preparing for my open house that was yesterday. Friday I only worked a half-day at work and then came home to start preparing for the open house. It was so nice out when I got home that I just had to be outside, so I raked the yard, swept the porch and walkway and washed some windows. I should have worn gloves to rake because I had a nice big blister when I was done. Friday night Jon and I organized some more upstairs and I cleaned up there so it was all ready.

Saturday my mom came over after lunch to help me finish making all the food. Without her help I never would have gotten it all done. We baked and cooked the whole afternoon and into the evening, it was fun! My dad came over with pizza at dinner time so we wouldn't have to stop cooking to make dinner. After we ate pizza dad and Jon helped make mini sandwiches and cut up cheese and ring bologna, which was the last of the food that needed to be made. Mom and Dad left around 8:30 or 9:00 Saturday and then I was up till midnight finishing the cleaning and organizing. Jon did a lot to help out during the day Saturday too, even though he had homework to finish up.

The open house yesterday turned out wonderful even though the weather didn't cooperate. It was raining off and on all day so we put a couple pieces of remnant carpet from Jon's parents house on the porch and right inside the front door and we had people take off there shoes when they came in. Suprisingly the house stayed really clean and there's no stains on the carpet! Yeah! We had WAY too much food though :) I guess it's better though to have too much than not enough. There was a steady amount of people coming through all day long but it was great! I took a few pictures throughout the day:

The main food table:

Here's another table of food we set up in the middle of the kitchen:

We had 900 some pictures from our wedding and honeymoon playing on the TV:

Mom, Dad and Uncle Ron watching the slide show:


I meant to take more pictures than I did, but I forgot. So I only have a few more than what is here. :( Oh well. Most of the crowd left by around 9ish but Amanda stayed to help clean up some. We were dumping things down the garbage disposal in the sink for a while and then turned it on and it kept going and going... It wasn't sounding normal, so we shut it off and dirty water started bubbling out! We kept turning it on but it didn't do anything different and when we ran water in the sink it would just sit there until we turned on the garbage disposal. I got Jon and he tried all different things but nothing worked. Then I was going into the bathroom to get something and noticed an awful smell and realized that the tub was full of dirty water with carrots and dip and everything we put down the garbage disposal, YUCK! Jon tried plunging the drains a little but it didn't do anything. It looked so gross. Jon's mom was still here at this point so she said she'd have the handy-man from the Inn come over first thing this morning to check it out.

This morning I had to get my shower over at Jon's parents house before work and I left with all my dirty dishes sitting on the counter. I had requested a half-day of work today so I could come home and clean, and I was hoping that the drainage problem would be fixed by the time home so I could do all my dishes.

When I got home there was an I.T. Landis Truck and the handyman from the Inn just leaving and I was told that our septic pipes were all collapsed and busted and it all had to be pulled up and re-done. They said we could use water, but sparingly and I'm not supposed to do wash or anything because that's too much water at one time. I can't really do anything though because the water drains from the sink and tub so slowly and if I turn on the garbage disposal to make the sink drain fast it bubbles in the tub, ha.

When I came inside after getting this news I was surprised to see my counters were all clean and there were no dirty dishes in sight. Jon's mom and Liz (her cleaning lady) had taken all my dishes over to her house and washed them for me!!! I am so thankful! Mom F even cleaned out the disgusting junk in the tub for me!

I'm so glad this all happend AFTER the open house when there was only 2 people left! That would have been really bad if it had happened earlier in the day!

Tonight I am getting a massage, I can't wait! I'm sure I have tons of knots :). Jon came home a little bit ago from school so I better go. We have to go out shopping to fill the shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. This post is getting really long anyway.

Now that I figured out how to post images I'll have to post more of them later.