Friday, January 9, 2009

A Few Things Left Behind

Thank you to my sisters for coming out to my new house to help me clean yesterday. We got all the bathrooms, the kitchen and all the cupboards cleaned before we all had to go pick up kids from school. There is still much to be done before it is move-in ready -- carpets cleaned, walls washed and spots painted, etc. (I know kids like to draw where they shouldn't, but I almost wonder if the previous children of this house were openly encouraged to express themselves in this way -- never have I seen so much marker, crayon and pen on walls) but the cleaning was a nice jump start on making it feel closer to being my real home.

Anyway, the previous owners left a Dyson behind. What is a Dyson you ask? Well, I'd heard of Dyson's before (oddly enough, on other blogs) but never used one. They are pretty great vacuum cleaners. I'm surprised they left it as they were sure to take every possible appliance as well as many a light fixture in their hasty impending foreclosure departure. (Well, I shouldn't say every appliance -- only every major appliance -- they did leave a nice toaster and a few blenders -- one of which I gifted Shannon for her part in wiping down many doors yesterday).

Back to the Dyson. I stopped at the house again this morning to see if I could get a little more done before my three youngest got too whiny, grumpy, or just plain bored in an empty house, and I decided to give the Dyson a try. It is nice because you don't have to change vacuum bags, you just empty the front compartment easy as pie (well, easy as pie once you have called your sister who has one to ask her how the heck you are supposed to empty it). The only thing is, it is a little disturbing to really see just how much stuff comes up off of your floor -- even a floor that looks totally clean. A lot of it is just gray linty stuff, but I kept thinking I was watching an infomercial, "Just look at that, Bob! Did you have any idea there was that much dirt in your carpet?" "Why no Glenda! I vacuumed with my old vacuum only hours ago. I never would have thought it possible that so much was missed! This is remarkable." And I felt like I was watching the imaginary Bob and Glenda infomercial with a bit of skepticism knowing that there couldn't really be that much sucked up from one carpet . . . and yet there was no Bob. No Glenda. No infomercial. It was only me and my Dyson and that much stuff truly WAS coming out of one carpet!

I'm sure you are all eager to hear more tales of my findings in this house (one negative find today was that our nice big jetted tub has handles right where Penny can turn them off and on -- splashing water everywhere each time you turn your back on her for a minute to check out your Dyson), but the last little find for today's post was something cool I found in some cleaners they'd left behind. It was a bottle of spray called something like, "pet be gone" or "animal away" -- it probably didn't have a name quite that cool, but that was the general idea. Spray this magical stuff anywhere you don't want animals and they will disappear. I think it was meant to be used around garbage cans or things you find animals getting into to repel them, but it just seemed sort of funny to me as I pictured myself innocently spraying a little puff here and a little puff there -- erasing pets with every squirt. I could just imagine my confused family: "Honey, where did our chickens go?" "Have you seen the dog around?" "Where's my hamster?"And I'd just sweetly shrug as I quietly patted the precious little bottle of spray kept close at my side.

With all the insane busyness going on since Jesse's arrival -- holidays, family parties, baptisms, blessings, house stuff, driving my kids to and from their new school each day (which is a 45 min. round trip for me two times a day 'til we move in) you may wonder how I manage to post so much. Well, I'll tell you my secret -- get yourself a newborn that nurses around the clock and you'll soon discover you have plenty of time to sit at your computer. You'll also discover what a fantastic one handed typist you are!

14 comments:

jami v. said...

i'm excited for you and your new house - and i'm afraid if you use your "pet be-gone" or whatever the magical name of it is - mike will be so sad as he is one of the biggest animal lovers i know. i do wish, at times, i had a "kid-be-gone" sort of spray that would allow them to disappear - for just a few minutes :) and then reappear when the tantrum was over or the whining was done. ah. what an invention that would be!

by the way, very impressive one handed typing! :)

BS and the Kids said...

Oh, I am so excited for you, but I am sure you have some work cut out for you! I have heard of people doing that when they get foreclosed on. I guess if it makes them feel better, but I always wonder just what they are going to do with a random faucet most likely without the matching stopper from the sink. The dyson should be fun, it is weird to think they left it behind. Love the post on the little ones. I do love to hear what they say. It amazes me how much they pick up on. And it always makes me feel so good when my 21 month old tells me "you mean" learning so early from her older brother. thanks for the thoughts.

Sarah said...

I'm so excited to come visit you in your new home. I'm so happy for your find. My neighbor has raved about her Dyson. I did have to chuckle about your one handed typing. One day my brother asked me about something I had typed, his question was something like, "what did you mean 'as you were holding your baby', how did you type?" I laughed and said with one hand, I think only mom's understand that!

Jana said...

Oh I am so happy you got to have your sisters come and help you clean and stuff. What a little blessing! On a couple of my many moves my mom was able to help me and that was heaven on earth but once, well, once I had celestial glory in the form of my oldest sister coming to clean my new house with my mom before all the furniture arrived and I felt like I lived in the celestial kingdom because she is 10 times more OCD clean than me!

And you will have to let me know about that Dyson becaue I have always heard good things and have oft wondered if the next time I get me a vac I shoud consider a Dyson. And... I think their commercials are very convincing and their not even infommercials!!!! I am with you on the can of crap that you have to see, that would make me gag - but would have come in very handy when I was searching for my lost diamond out of my ring that I lost but didn't realize until I had just vaccumed my whole dang house... remember that?

And the pet be gone stuff - I wonder if it is made by the same company that makes goo-be-gone which is my favorite stuff in the whole world! I think pet be gone is genius!

Liz said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Liz said...

I too have a dyson - they are amazing. How nice of the previous owners to gift it to you in their haste. I know it's mean, but can I borrow the pet-be-gone spray for our dog. I love her but can't imagine a dog around my new born baby. I cringe at the thought! She is a really sweet dog and yet I have this horrid picture of her eating my baby. oh- as soon as said house is clean and free of pen marks do post pics! And a little tip. If there is a surface that can't be painted and has marker or crayon on it the Mr clean Magic eraser took permanent Sharpie off of our new banister and precast fireplace. :)

Krista said...

I have a Dyson - it's purple. I wished it came in pink. I still call it my Barbie vacuum. Maybe I shouldn't call it that anymore because no one else will use it.

Perla said...

i know it is disturbing to see all the stuff in the dyson but isn't it also just soo wonderful? i think it is. i have to empty out the dyson tank like once a week. on my last vacuum i changed the bag like once every several months. and i think they hold about the same amount of stuff. so, ick. i love my dyson and am so glad you got to have one for free!
i love pet-be-gone

Krista said...

Nancy - I put you as one of my "Fun to Read" people. If you don't want your name publicized on my list, let me know! (Because I have such a following! Ha!)

Nancy said...

Whatever. I'm totally honored . . . and, I will try try try to be more fun. Who wants less fun?

Amy said...

Hey I found the "Pet Be Gone" when I was wiping cupboards and showed it to Kathy and we laughed and laughed. But we were tired from cleaning so everything was funny. Also, I think I should get most of the credit for cleaning because Shannon and Kathy were like, wipe a little, wipe a little more,then oh hey is that Jesse crying? I guess I better just hold him for an hour. Just kidding and Shannon was great at implementing her baby sling out of a sweatshirt. Cool!

The San Diego Mills said...

How strange/cool that they would leave that Dyson, those are such expensive vacumms. (I just tried to type that word in about 5 different ways and I know I'm spelling it wrong, oh well!) I have been coveting one of those ever since Ryan and I got married. That's exciting that you're getting settled into your new place and that your sisters were kind enough to come help you get it cleaned.

Marnie said...

Hey, how come I didn't get invited to the cleaning party? Especially if there was a blender give-away! :) I'd seriously be happy to help anytime.

I love your posts! Whenever I'm up here reading them, I'll laugh out loud, and then I have to try to explain to the kids. I also always find myself saying, "I love Nancy," every time I read one of the clever or funny things on your blog.

Anonymous said...

Oh, Nancy!! I so wanted to help out with your new house cleaning! I'm sorry I didn't get to be of any help to you. But what's happening? Are you actually moved in yet? And now you have Abe and Daisy in their public school? Oh I am just so out of touch! I must call you immediately!

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