Moving Fun

So today I went over to the rental to try to get some cleaning done. I know I haven't written about this in a while, but we're still working on finishing up the move. We turn over the keys to the rental the end of this month, and there are certain things we have to have done before then. According to our lease, we have to have the carpets professionally cleaned. We have to show the receipts to the property manager as proof. So I called a carpet cleaning place that my realtor suggested to me for an estimate, and scheduled an appointment for just a few days before our lease is up. It's going to cost us less than $150, and that's including a special enzyme to take up whatever it was my husband tracked into the house last week (I'll tell that story later). I think I can deal with that.

I also talked with someone about the fireplace this morning. The lease also stipulates that we have to have the fireplace and chimney professionally cleaned. That will cost me less than $100. Again, I think I can live with that. It's been a while since we had to worry about these things, so I honestly didn't know what to expect. I expected to pay more than I'm going to be paying. That's always a good thing. Funny thing, though, was that the first place I called to have the fireplace cleaned was the company closest to us. They work on fireplaces and sprinkler systems. I guess the work they do is seasonal. Fireplaces only during the winter and sprinkler systems during the summer. OK, no problem. I called someone who could help me.

So I'm over there cleaning today, and I'm vacuuming the floors. I vacuumed the formal dining room and the formal living room. Before I even got halfway through the family room, I noticed the vacuum wasn't working. Ugh! As I checked the machine, I noticed that the hose coming from the floor was badly clogged. I spent about 20 minutes taking it apart and cleaning it out, and when I got it back together, the vacuum still wasn't cleaning the way it should have been. So I turned it up and noticed the brush wasn't turning. That was the last straw. Every damn time I have used that thing for the past couple of months, I have had to perform some kind of surgery on it. The hubby teased me when I called him, asking what I was doing to it, claiming that he didn't have any problems. I know that's not true, because I know he's had to replace the belt when it's slipped off even more often than I know. So I told him that I was fed up with having to operate on a damn vacuum cleaner every time I used it, when it shouldn't be necessary. So I told him I was going to go buy a new one. His response? "OK." What?? Did I jump on that? You know it!! So we went to lunch and then went to Wal-Mart to pick out a new vacuum cleaner and things he needed for his motorcycle.

After I took him back to work, I went back to the old house and put the new vacuum together. That thing is AWESOME! I love it as much as any woman can love a vacuum cleaner. It has this neat little attachment, a "power paw" that is perfect for the stairs. You should have seen me when I was cleaning this house before we moved it. I was using the vacuum to try to clean the stairs. Not easy. This "power paw" attachment hooks on to the hose, and the suction activates the power brush on it. Perfect for stairs, furniture, anything else. I was tickled when I was vacuuming the stairs over in the old house with that little thing. Talk about some power! I accidentally sucked up a little Christmas light that I didn't see and it stopped working briefly. But once I figured it out and cleared the clog, no more problems.

It's quite a bit quieter than my old vacuum, too. Hubby said he can work on ours, and we'll keep it as a backup. So now you know how easily amused I am. It's pretty easy to make me happy. Funny...I told the hubby that no practical gifts were allowed for Mother's Day. I guess the day after is fair game, though!