Rebuilding

After we noticed the hole in the fence, I called the police to report it. They sent someone over about 20 minutes later.

A brawny cop came over and assessed the damage in the fence and asked a bunch of questions. I mentioned how someone came into the yard two weeks ago and ran away when the contractor saw him. When I called the police about the stranger that day, they told me they couldn't do anything about it and discouraged me from making a report.

We talked about the lawnmower, what it looked like and how much it was worth. He filled out a card with our report number and left. He was as nice as could be and perfectly pleasant and respectful. I didn't feel like he thought we were wasting his time or over-reacting. After he left, I looked down on the card and on it was written " THeFt two/ DEstruCTion of PRoperTy". Crap.

Since we need to fix the fence fast we both took the day off and got to work. We rented a corded drill and got down to business. Three trips to Home Depot and about 10 hours later we were finished.

As we worked we joked every siren heard was headed to get our "perp". I doubt our mower will ever be recovered, and it doesn't really matter. I actually feel bad for someone who would have to break a fence and steal something. Dan said, "They'll probably die of Gonorrhea", though I don't think that's possible and I have no idea who it relates to theft, it was pretty funny.

It's not the theft that bothers me, but rather the idea of someone sneaking around as we slept. Did they come onto the deck and peer into the windows? Did they try to open the iron gate covering our back door? Have then been waiting to do this? It's really disturbing.

As I went to bed, I heard Dan locking up the downstairs. I heard the crack from the iron gate shutting, the thwap of the screen door and the snap of the glass door close. Crack, thwap, snap. Then, I heard him double-check all the dead-bolts and locks.

Safe and sound.

And then. . . they stole my stuff

This morning at 7am, Dan shot out of bed and said "Isn't the contractor coming again this morning". I jumped out of bed and hurriedly put on my comfy pants as he looked out the back window for the truck. I heard him say from the back:

"Hey, someone broke our fence."

"What?"

"Yeah, someone broke some pieces out of the fence."

"You mean someone broke into our yard?! Did we get robbed?"

I ran down the steps and fumbled with my keys to get the back door open. The grill was still there. Phew. The patio set, tomato plants, and bikes all were in their place.

The lawnmower was gone.

The storage closets were pried open, but since they were locked, they didn't get in.

About a week or two ago, my contractor told me someone walked into our yard and when they made eye contact, he ran away. That same day I headed to the hardware store and got locks for everything. Except the lawnmower. I just didn't think about it.

Thankfully, we mowed the lawn yesterday.

On the House: Envirosax Winners!

And the winners are:


Monica

Lori

SFDC

Sarah


If you are a winner, choose your favorite back from Envirosax and contact me at dcrowhouse@gmail.com with your choice and your mailing address.

On The House: Envirosax Giveaway!

As some of you might now, come January 2010 it'll cost you 5 cents for a plastic or paper bags at the grocery store. Just another reason to remember your own bags with you!

For the holidays last year, my boss gave all of us an Envirosax bag and a book on how to green your home. That bag, is one of my favorite gifts. Prior to getting the bag (and buying more to build a collection) I used some larger canvas tote bags that were just a little too bulky. Now, I can fit 10 of the Envirosaxs in my bag for a big grocery trip. They roll up into a small bundle, which is convenient to keep in your purse so you're never caught at CVS without your re-usable bag. Lunches, books, groceries, or purchases from tar-jeh all work in the bags. Oh, and not to mention the bags have been shown on Weeds:

And, JT uses them:

And, Jen & Ben (Part Deux):

Not only are the bags the best, but so are the folks at Envirosax! With the new "bag tax" coming up, and my love for their bags, the great people at Envirosax have offered FOUR bags to my lucky readers!!

Sign up by leaving a comment on this post by Friday August 21st at 5pm telling me what your favorite Envirosax bag is!

I'll choose four winners using random.org and announce it on Monday! Don't forget to check back here to see if you've won!

Good Luck!

Done. . .ish

The contractor finished! Now, it's just up to us to paint. You'll have to wait for the glamour shots later. Here's where we are so far:

Work accomplished last week = Zero

Well, there was a reason no work was done. We were on vacation. In Martha's Vineyard. Without the Obamas . . . thankfully. But, the town was already buzzing. I'm just glad we missed all the motorcade/security nonsense. The kitchen was suppose to be done before that, which caused a little frustration. But, I'm sure the picture above makes you have no pity for us. You shouldn't. We had a great time.

Now, it's back to business.

Super Steal. . . Bathroom Cabinet

I've been looking for a bathroom cabinet for a while. But, most are really big and I have a small space. I came across this one on Target.com:

After the 15% off it's $152.99 with free shipping.

Then, I found this one on Overstock:

It's $114.99, with $2.95 shipping. So, $117.94.

I'm pretty sure it's the exact same cabinet. For a lot less. I'm sure you can figure out which one I got!

Candle Winners!!

If you haven't already, check to see if you've won a candle! E-mail me your address and I'll send it ASAP.

Kitchen: Day 33 . . .I think

It's not done.

It's dirty.

There is construction stuff and dust everywhere.

I am annoyed.

Want it to be done now.

Now.

On the House: Blissliving Home Candle Giveaway! WINNERS!!

And the winners are . . . ..drum roll please . . . .:

Kelly: 9:32am

Kermiefrg: 9:38am

QuincyInk: 10:01am

Katie: 11:36am

mylifeasawife: 10:42am

KendraandDean: 11:29am

Kate: 5:07pm

Shannon: 1:27pm

Congrats to all the winners!! I know you'll love the candle!

If you are on the list above, please e-mail me at dcrowhouse@gmail.com.

If you didn't win. Don't pout, I'll treat you to eye candy of my (hopefully completed) kitchen tomorrow!

Kitchen: Day 32

It pains me to write that the kitchen renovation is now on day 32. Want. Kitchen. Done. Now!

While I couldn't get a straight answer, it seems the contractors are on vacation, or on another job, or out of town, something like that. So, hopefully they will return later this week! There is probably two days left of work. One full day and another few hours.

In the meantime, don't forget to sign up for the candle giveaway on yesterday's post!

On the House: Blissliving Home Candle Giveaway!

After the last giveaway, the great folks at Blissliving Home contacted me to do another giveaway. This time? Amazing soy wax filled glass jar candles. The candles are by Chesapeake Bay Candle which is a local company and sister company to Blissliving Home! Nothing better than great stuff made right here in our backyard.

They sent me two candles to "taste" test and I have to say, they are pretty amazing. Gorgeous, fragrant (but, not too much), and elegant. Once I ripped open the lovely packaging, I immediately went to put them in their place. One went into the living room:

The other found it's place in the kitchen:

Oh, did you pick up that I said candles earlier? That's right, I get to pick EIGHT winners who will each get to choose one of the 7oz filled candle of their preferred scent. Pretty great, right?

How do you win? Go check out their candle line here and post a comment on this post telling me which scent appeals to you most! You have until Wednesday August 5th at Midnight to post. I'll choose the winner at random and announce the winners on Thursday August 6th!

Good luck!

**Giveaway Contest now closed**