One Week Down.....Many More to go!

If I ever lay ceramic tile in a house I will choose the largest tiles possible so that the poor bastard that has to rip them up 100 years from now won't have to do it one square inch at a time!  That has been my week.  I have been ripping up ceramic floor tile, one tile at a time.  It's kind of therapeutic until I get to a spot where the tile layer decided to dump on extra glue.  I thought that demolition would be a good way to get pent up frustrations out but frankly it quite often increases my frustration.  When that happens I just move onto something else and come back to it later. 

I listed the appliances on kijiji but my patience are thin for that kind of stuff.  You want it or not?  I'm practically giving them away so stop asking me so many questions and just take the damn things if you want them.  I'm about to carry them out to the end of the laneway myself and stick a "FREE" sign on them.

Asbestos removal guys were in yesterday so we are free and clear of that stuff.  And my contractor is coming Monday or Tuesday to go over what I need done.  It always looks worse before it looks better.  There are times I look at it and think "what the hell have I done?" but then I just start to laugh because that is what I say about most of the things in my life and somehow my life has turned out awesome so far.  I am most likely way in over my head here but I'm 100% sure I'll figure it all out and everything will be fine because as my favorite saying goes "Everything works out in the end, and if it's not working out, then it's not the end." 

I have met most of my neighbours.  To the right there is an old Chinese woman who doesn't speak a word of English; however, I think I got it across that I am Natalie and I bought the house next door.  She smiles and nods at me so I think we're cool.  The neighbor to the left is awesome.  She is just thrilled I'm not a slum lord.  I took her and her boyfriend on a tour and they are cheering me on the whole way. 

A dear friend of mine has been helping with the demolition.  He is an old German man who lives on my street.  Since I moved in I have never taken my garbage out or shoveled my own laneway.  He insists on "taking care" of me.  He slaves away at the house with me everyday.  He talks a lot but I am wearing a mask most of the time so I can't really respond anyway.  Actually, we are kind of funny together.  He is a hard worker, that's for sure.  I'd say I give him a run for his money though.  I always like to find a fast way to do things so when we have to dump our pile of ripped up tile into the dumpster he complains it's too heavy.  I say there is no way I'm picking up those tiles by hand and throwing them in the bin so we heave that wheel barrow over the edge of the bin on three and every time we're done he tells me to straighten out his back so I jab my knee into his spine and pull on both shoulders and we're off to the races again.  He tells me I have particularly big biceps for a woman.  I suppose I do.  We got into a deep discussion yesterday about drinking alcohol.  I don't drink at all so I gave him my long list of reasons why.  When I was speaking I said "....if I really wanted a treat, I'd drink chocolate milk" and lo and behold the man who doesn't eat about 4/7 nights a week because he can't afford it showed up with 1L of chocolate milk for me today.  Too cute!

Anyway, if I didn't have big biceps before I sure will after all of this!  Next week I'm hoping to get the two walls down that need to come down while the contractor does the bathroom renovations.  Windows need to be ordered and kitchen re-drywalled and measured for new cabinets.  That's the plan.....but then, life never goes as planned.