Vandalism and Theft on Christmas

World's Worst Christmas Present
Sometime between when we left the house late Christmas Eve to when we returned the morning after Christmas we made an unpleasant discovery. Someone had gutted our power box. Because the incident is being investigated (we had to make an online report to the Sacramento Police department because they were just to understaffed to send someone out) we can't give out too many details but there may have been one witness and one of the neighbors had installed a security camera that we hope may have recorded the event. Until then we have found ourselves with yet another huge setback. We now have to pay to replace the panel and for the electrical work to fix the damage. When I start to feel upset by this senseless act I find myself wondering how pathetic some one's life must be to stoop so low to do this and then all I feel is a deep pity. Sure, we are going through a tough time with plenty of setbacks but we have are surrounded by love. Which makes me think of...

My Christmas FaceBook Message
Just the night before we discovered this I had posted a late night message to my FaceBook page. I wrote:
"I am surrounded by so many beautiful people. People with such light inside of them that they brighten my darkest days. They turn a time of hardship and pain into a night sky of painted lights of wonder and magic. I find myself perversely blessing those very hardships for helping me see those stars in my life. I am so very grateful to all of you, my stars, my beacons of light."

For every setback we face it is a time to reflect on how blessed we are. We have so many people who have shown us their love and caring, we have had neighbors help us again and again. We have the love of our children who are still so excited by returning to our family home. If you look into our bank account you may think we are in deep financial straits but if you could look into our hearts you will see that we are overflowing with riches.

We will find a way to do this and we will do it together with the love and support of family, friends and our community.

Tony of SOS Plumbing

BELATED THANK YOU'SWith all the challenges arising in the past week or two we have been late in thanking a few folks. We have had an electrician, a plumber and a general contractor give us discounts and allow us to make smaller payments so that we could get much needed work done in time for inspections. 

East Sac Hardware

I knew that we had to find some reliable help and FAST. So I went to East Sac Hardware for guidance. (I used to go to East Sac Hardware as a child and my mother would always buy me a Crush soda from their now vintage soda machine. Yes that was 30+ years ago!!!) I was directed to a gentleman by the name of  Tahoe who introduced me to Torrey Stoddard, the owner of TMS Construction, whom we hope can guide us the rest of the way in our project so that everything is done just right. 

Tony Chance of  SOS PlumbingEast Sac Hardware also directed us to Tony who quickly came in and got the work that we needed for the inspection done. Thank you so much Tony!

Morgan and Robert
Morgan and her boyfriend came to help us for a week and together they have been an amazing help. I honestly think that their being here to help us has saved my sanity. Thanks guys! We love you.

We have so many people to thank who continue to help and support us when they are able. Please take a moment to visit our thank you page to see what an amazing community we have supporting us.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT WE ARE DOING AND SEE MORE PICTURES OF THE PROJECT AT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.GROVETRIBE.COM

Fly or Fail

It looks like we have some help on the way in the form of a general contractor and a plumber willing to help us out. Today will be the big test. If all goes well we can get the tremendous boost we need if not then we may be in dire straights. I am working on pictures and will post a blog tonight letting everyone know how we did. This morning I visit the doctor to follow up on my concussion before work begins. Tune in later for a big update and lots of pictures!

Blog, Interrupted

First, please allow me to apologize for what may be disjointed blogging. As you will see, I have a good reason for my lack of… can’t think of the word! Going to ask someone for help thinking of a word… eloquence.  

On December 7^th I had promised you a blog and on December 8^th I was home alone with my toddler diligently blogging when my vision exploded and then went black. I awoke to my toddler frantically calling out to me and bringing me toys. I only blacked out for a second but the incredible pain in my head told me I needed to call my husband right away. Trying to call up his number when I could not focus my eyes and trying to calm a hysterical toddler was not the easiest task I had undertaken. With a bag of peas clutched to my head we made our way to the Med7 only to be told that they felt that I had a concussion and that I had to go to the hospital emergency room. Two hours later I was diagnosed with a concussion and urged not to exercise, lift objects or make important decisions for the next week and to expect the symptoms to last several weeks.  I was not to be left alone for 24 hours.

My husband drove up to Oroville to bring (back) down my oldest daughter and her boyfriend so they could help take care of Jax and me.( Morgan had just been down visiting for her birthday but you will read about that later.) What a blessing they have been and a very tough time in our lives has been filled with a light of joy for all of us by having them here.  I will be posting another update blog of what has happened to us since the emergency room visit but first I wanted to at least publish the December 8^th BLOG, Interupted…

Chris with angel electrician Paul Marquardt

POWER ON!
My biggest concern before moving the family in was safe electricity. Ever heard of “Knob and Tube”? I had no clue what it was until the walls were opened up and I saw the ancient electrical system slithering its way through our walls.  It was going to take a complete re-do of the electrical system and that was an expensive prospect but one we knew we needed to have 100% professionally done. We obtained many quotes and they fell in the range of between $4,000 and $7,000. We found out about Paul Marquardt through Inside East Sacramento and after talking with him he agreed to do the work for us at a FREAKISHLY HUGE discount. It was still a significant chunk of money but the work that Paul has done is stunning. (Was it the hot chicken melt I made him for lunch?)  All of our power needs are met, everything is up to code and the work is tight and tidy. The relief that I feel knowing that Paul is part of our barn-raising family now is beyond words.  Thanks Paul!

Meet Nick. Ok we need a better picture of Nick.

In the Nick of Time
We have lost some volunteers who have had to return to their busy lives but we have had one special young man come in and blow us away with how strong, capable and dedicated he is. Nick was one of my tai chi students when I taught free tai chi in the park in Folsom. In the past two weeks Nick has spent several days a week, all day, helping us. Despite his youth – he is on the cusp of twenty years old- he has a surprising amount of skill and experience from working with his father and has quickly become one of our most amazing volunteers. (He hasn’t quite tied with Justin yet though. ;-) Nick, we are so lucky to have your help when we need it the most!

Flying Eagle, our "foreman".

Sometimes Giving of Oneself When There is little to Give Is the Right Thing to do!
Okay, one of the guilty pleasures of having a blog is being a bit wicked and wallowing in a little “I told you so!” once in a great while. I had a lot of people treat me like I was not thinking too smart when I offered to teach tai chi for free in the park last spring. I was still trying to recover my strength and time and money was precious. I was told to either not teach or that I should charge for the classes and I refused to do either.  I was called foolish for giving of myself when there was little to give. To quiet the criticism I insisted that doing all of this was strictly selfish as my students were the ones that kept me doing tai chi even when I felt too weak, something that made me stronger and stronger as the months passed by. (Besides it is something that both my daughters would do with me as well and I really enjoyed that.) It was only through these classes that I met and befriended amazing folks like Flying Eagle and Nick. Without Flying Eagle THIS PROJECT WOULD NEVER HAVE WORKED and Nick has been such an amazing help! I may have people reprimand me for giving of myself but I will never regret it in my heart.

Happy, Happy, Happy 19^th Birthday Morgan!
Yes, folks. I am now the mother of a nineteen year old daughter! (I know, I know… I look WAY too fabulous to be old enough to have a teenage daughter but yet I do! I attribute my dazzlingly youthful beauty to my Paiute bloodline. ;-)  With funds tight and a crazy schedule it was going to be tough to sneak in a birthday party but despite all that and a migraine the size of New York we pulled it off with Becky and Leah’s help.  We had the party at Becky and Leah’s house, with Leah using her artistic skill to decorate while the kids and I whisked Morgan away to McKinley Park to feed squirrels and ducks. You may not think that this is what a nineteen year old wants to do on her birthday but it has a special meaning for her and I. When she was little she always loved going to the park (either McKinley, East Portal or Capitol) to feed the squirrels. Oh, the stories we can tell. (Imagine undulating waves of winter-starved squirrels racing towards you while you drop your bag of peanuts, grab your daughter’s hand and make a run for the safety of your vehicle!)  It wasn’t an expensive birthday –although we did splurge on our traditional lemon cake from New Roma- it certainly won’t make MTV any time soon, but it was full of love and laughter and goofiness and it was wonderful. (Special thanks to Robert for letting us borrow Morgan!)

Acts of Service
When my husband and I had dated for a while (I think around “Date 11”) Chris gave me a book and asked me to read it and take the quiz in the back. It was “The Five Love Languages” and at that moment I knew this was the man I was going to marry. That was almost six years ago and I have never felt more loved in my life and we both refer back to the book as a guide in our relationships.

The love languages in this book include: “Words of Affirmation”, “Quality Time”, “Receiving Gifts”, “Physical Touch”, and “Acts of Service” as a way to show someone you appreciate them.  I not only apply these concepts to showing my family what they mean to me but to our friends and volunteers as well. While I was helping Becky rake her lawn she mentioned how tight her time is and how there are so many tasks around the house she isn’t able to devote a lot of time to. With the kids and I spending several days a week at her home, often from early morning to night as Chris and our volunteers worked, I really felt a strong desire to repay her hospitality with what I thought she may need most: Acts of Service.

Scrubbing Becky's counters.

First, I always try to make sure that I leave her house as clean as I found it. With me sometimes spending all day there with one or more kids I decided to make good use of that time and go one step further: I detailed her kitchen. Jax was an eager if not incredibly efficient helper as together we scrubbed tile, cabinets, floors and appliances. It took all day (Jax enjoyed an extra long nap-break and my efficiency improved tremendously then)  but  [end December 8^th blog to rush off to Emergency Room]

[Back to December 20th] I am pretty exhausted just from writing the brief intro to this blog but I plan to have more up later today or tomorrow with help from my family. Click back in soon for more pictures, more updates and more of our barn raising saga 

Frugal Tips #5 & #6 - Weekly Update Pending

Chris and Jax with part of our Corti Bros. family.

So you know it’s bad when you wake up at 4 in the morning and you are excited that you get to stay home with the toddler and clean house. Trying to juggle a million things and trying to get the house ready in time is exhausting on every level.  I have to get an update together and I am very late in getting more pictures up but in the meantime I thought I could share a couple more Frugal Tips.

Frugal Tips #5 & #6 – ASK and Acknowledge

ASK (or you probably won’t receive)
We are sitting at the computer at 5 am in the morning trying to figure out bills. (I know it may seem like a waste of one person’s time but I really recommend involving your mate in the bill and budgeting process, at the very least once a month. It saves a lot of relationship misunderstandings if they always know what is going on and you both make money decisions together!) It is always a balancing act especially when you are carefully trying to rebuild credit. One way that we try to save money is by closely monitoring and adjusting our service (i.e. internet, tv) plans to optimize what we pay for what we get. We are constantly calling in and asking what specials we can take advantage of, looking to see if there are there any new discounts that we can ask to be applied to our bills and so forth. This morning we saved ourselves $50 with a ten minute phone call doing just that.

Take this concept out on the road when you are out shopping. Ask about any discounts that may be able to be applied to your purchase. I am a coupon clipper (I carry a big plastic envelope of coupons in the car with me) but I don’t always catch them all. If I know I am going shopping somewhere I make sure to Google that store and “coupon” and see what printable coupons or specials they may have. If not, I ask at the register. You would be amazed what you can get. I got 20% off a purchase at Kohl’s (saved almost $9.00) just by asking.  

Yes, it may be embarrassing to ask -it’s kind of like dating- you run the risk of being publicly rejected but if you don’t ask you WON’T get it ever. I never press the issue, if I get a “No” I always smile and thank the person anyway. After all a sour face and an attitude will get you nowhere but I have actually had it happen where a sales associate remembered me from a previous time (and how polite I was when rejected last time) and they pulled out a coupon for me to use the next time I came back. You can imagine how great that feels that someone remembers you and does that. Which brings me right to Frugal Tip #6:

Acknowledge
Relationship-build with the folks who work at the stores or services you frequent. Genuinely care about their lives and you will see that some of them may start looking out for you. These are real people, who want to be treated with kindness and respect, and really appreciate it when you look in their eyes and acknowledge them as a person. Sometimes this can have amazing results.

Many years ago -when my CFS was so bad I could barely get outside to do yard work- I was gifted by a relative one year’s worth of lawn care. I knew of the guys that did lawn care for almost everyone else on the block and hired them. I always smiled and waved when I saw them. I would go out and talk to at least one of them. I made sure to lightly water down any dirt patches so that dust wouldn’t surround them as they worked. On really hot days I brought them water or homemade lemonade and on really cold, winter days I would bring them coffee and fresh-baked muffins.  The time came when our gift ran out and I went through a divorce, I was a single-mom supporting two kids all on my own. I went out to tell the owner of the lawn care service what was going on and that I would not be able to pay them anymore. He was very kind and sympathetic, wishing me the best… and they kept on doing the yard work anyway! This went on for many months before I had to move away. I like to think that they did this because that is what you do for family and they had become an extended part of my family. Maybe that is what community means. I cared for them as people and when I was in need, they returned it in kind.

So next time you talk to someone at a store, or someone doing work for you, remember that they are a part of your community, a person that wants to be acknowledged and appreciated. We all seem so busy nowadays that we rarely notice the person checking out our groceries or assisting us at a help-counter. (Sometimes I think we have better relationships with our phones, TV’s and gaming consoles than with those around us!) Recognize how tough their day must be, especially at the holiday season, and give them a smile that crinkles your eyes and a kind word of thanks or encouragement. Most often your payment is bringing a little ray of light into someone’s life and that is enough to lighten your own step as you go on your way. It may not always work, some people are really attached to being underappreciated and may not welcome your interference, but every once in a while it may come back to you in ways most wonderful and unexpected.

Hopefully coming up later today or tomorrow: WEEK EIGHT UPDATE

BIG OLD GINORMOUS OVERDUE UPDATE

So we had our visit to the E.R. this week... but first let's recap the weekend.  Now that permits are in place the real work has begun but our time is so short! Things have been so busy that we aren't finding a lot of time to take pictures or write blogs. So with that said... Here are the updates in hastily typed, bite-sized pieces.  ;)

Woman + Chain Saw = ?
Not the aforementioned E.R. visit that’s what! I did manage to get a little over an hour in helping Chris last weekend when Jax took a nap and Leah watched the boys for us. My dad told us that he really wanted us to remove the gazebo-like structure by the pond. It had overgrown with vines and was rotting and was now a safety hazard he wanted out ASAP. We had hoped to leave outdoor work for spring – we need the inside of the house livable NOW- but he was right, we wanted any hazards on the property cleaned up right away as well. So there I was, all snug up in a purple hoody, work gloves and goggles wielding a chainsaw.

Why was I the one wielding the chainsaw you may ask? After all Chris is taller, stronger and doesn’t have CFS to deal with. I, however, have extensive experience with chainsaws being the only son my father never had. Yep, my younger years were filled with busting concrete with sledgehammers, building tool sheds and medicating cows (oh, never, never again!) I have taken out a few trees in my time and I know how a chainsaw can kick, bind up and how to clear it quickly. So, it was actually safer to let the shorter, weaker but more experienced member of the family dig in and have some power tool fun.

Special Delivery
With our funds cut low from unexpected remodeling emergencies it was the call from the Sierra Service Project that lifted our spirits and returned some spring to our steps. Flo had brought over her husband's work truck to help us pick up some long lumber pieces when Chris got the call that we could pick up some items that the Sierra Service Project (SSP) could not use and they were not allowed to resell. Hours later, Chris, Flo and Flying Eagle return with a truck bed filled with bathroom features (bathtub, toilet, vanity, sink, lighting, etc.) It was like getting an early visit from Santa. We still have a lot of expenses but every bit that we get donated helps us so much. THANK you, thank you, thank you Robert of Sierra Service Project!

Raking Leaves as Therapy
Finding babysitting has still been a challenge so I have been out of the action watching kids most of the time. I feel frustrated at being so out of the loop and not feeling like I am helping to get the work done with our time so swiftly running out. It was when Jax went to sleep and his older brothers were watching a movie that Becky came home and told me she would be out front raking all the leaves that had been knocked down by the gusting winds earlier this week. I offered to run down to the house and collect a rake and help her with her yard. It was such a relief to be outside; to not have to worry about which kid was getting into what kind of trouble but most of all being able to give a little back to Becky for allowing us to use her home as a safe haven for the kids and I whenever we needed it. (Several full days this week!) So we both went outside and chatted about our kids and yard work as we battled the leaves into a big pile in the street and it felt awesome. It struck me how fortunate we are to have so many kind and giving people in our lives. We truly are blessed.

Authentic Memories
So often parents today stage their memories; they plop their kids in Santa's lap and urge them to smile. Sometimes they go to great lengths to create a memory that wasn't actually a memory at all. It was just a stage play. So when that moment comes when it is real we almost miss it.

I was on kid duty again and feeling frustrated that there wasn't more I could do to help. I had walked the three boys (Jax and my two stepsons) down the street from our safe refuge at Becky's to see Daddy. When we arrived I saw our next door neighbor attempting to wade through an ocean of leaves while his two little daughters played in the front yard. I still had the rake in the back of the car from when I helped Becky earlier so I joined in on the yard work. At first the neighbor said I didn't need to help but I pointed out that a majority of the leaves were from our trees. He thought for a moment and gave me a smile and a nod.

We raked while the kids played and it felt good to be doing something outside. We had all the kids "helping" at one point or another but I found my swift progress hampered when Jax ran up to a huge pile I was trying to get to the street and leaped in. My first flash was "Great. How am I going to get this job done?" When I realized, this was the first time Jax had ever jumped into a pile of leaves! I whipped out my phone and snapped a couple of blurry pics. As I look at those pictures now I feel such a deep satisfaction knowing that the moment was real, the joy of it was genuine and so this blurry, hastily taken photo has become my favorite one of all.

We shall call him: Frankenpinkie!

A Visit to the E.R.
First off, it's not what you think. We were actually at "home" in Folsom. Chris was doing something completely unrelated to the renovation when it happened. "It" being slice his finger open with a super sharp Leatherman knife while working on a little model car for his oldest son's boy scout project. It was early Monday morning when I hear. "Honey! I can't get it to stop bleeding!" A few hours later, we somehow manage to get Chris all stitched up (nine stitches in all, luckily he missed most of the tendon) his two sons to school in Roseville, my daughter dropped off to school (all three kids made it on time no less!) and Jax packed into the car for us to get down to the 58th street house in time to meet the electrician at 9:30 am! Yep, this was going to be a crazy week...

Hot lunch for cold volunteers.

Where Did All of These People Come From?
Tuesday finds us packing up Jax again. Well, I am packing up Jax. I am trying to do as much as possible to keep Chris from tearing open his stitches so I am watching him like a "Mother Hen" (as Flying Eagle calls it) while I wrangle Jax and pack up food for ourselves and volunteers, toys, tools and plenty of diapers (for Jax, obviously). I decided to pack supplies to make my famous Chicken Melts because with the weather so frigid and the house not yet heated I wanted to give everyone a hot lunch. I was glad that I had packed extra supplies as we had a lot more folks helping out today than I had thought. Flying Eagle was helping out as usual (where would we be without him? Probably homeless!) but one of my other Tai Chi students, Nick, decided to ride his bike 45 minutes to our house to help out too. The electrician is back working and I offer him a hot sandwich too. Later in the afternoon Justin comes to help out yet again! I wonder if it's the food...

City workers chat with Chris.

Currently...
We have heard back from a plumber that should be coming out later this week so we can hook up all the nifty stuff we got from SSP. The City of Sacramento will be working on removing the ancient, forgotten water main. The electrician is coming back in a few days and we are hoping to get our first inspection done soon so we can start putting up drywall in the gutted kitchen. We got a great deal on a HVAC unit (nothing fancy but we will have HEAT!!!!) but it still cost thousands and will wipe out the rest of our funds after we pay the electrician (who also gave us a great deal!). Not having any credit to speak of SUCKS.

We still have to figure out what to do about getting a fridge, counter tops, drywall (we may have a lead on someone donating unwanted drywall to us, keep your fingers crossed!) and the hundreds of little things that add up and drain our wallets dry. I am planning on making goodies as holiday gifts for our volunteers/donors so I will be whipping out batches of divinity (yes, I can actually make divinity and the secret to making it in winter is using a space heater in the kitchen to alleviate humidity, a thick crockery bowl and WOODEN spoon!), toffee, various nut brittles and of course my varieties of cobbler that seem to be in such high demand. Anyone want to join in on the fun? :-)



Gushing broken 70+ year old  water main. Missed that post? Check out our last blog.



LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT WE ARE DOING AND SEE MORE PICTURES OF THE PROJECT AT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.GROVETRIBE.COM

Setbacks, Setbacks and More Setbacks

Saturday, December 3. City worker tries to plug a gushing mysterious water main.

We have entered Week Nine and I haven’t posted in a while. We have been very busy but in this case please don’t equate being busy with progress. We have had several major setbacks that have drained time and funds and worked our volunteers to the max. I have no idea (and very little hope) as to how to get this done. I won’t blaze your eyeballs with all of the setbacks we have experienced in the past week, I will just share a few of them so you get the idea.

Hidden Water Damage
Several days worth of work (one “day" lasted from 7am in the morning to 2:30 am the next morning, non-stop) and $700 of our cash that was needed for other projects was taken up with extensive water damage that we uncovered as we worked and had to fix before we could go any further.

Loss of Some of Our Most Amazing Volunteers
One of our guardian angels, a man who has blessed us with so much of his time, knowledge and incredible energy, has found his own life suddenly challenged and he now finds himself having to make an emergency move.  We have pledged to help him wherever we can and we want to thank him for all that he has done for us.

Another volunteer who helped us out has been suddenly inundated with jobs. I am hoping that some of it had to do with the good word that got out about him helping us. We are sad to lose him but joyful that his own business has picked up.

The busy season has made it harder for some of our friends to help so we are seeing less and less folks helping out. This is completely understandable. If we had had a choice (or maybe more advance notice from our landlord), trust me, we would not have chosen this project during the winter, during the holidays no less! Folks have a lot to do, are busy shopping, preparing, decorating and spending time with their families, so it makes sense that getting help will be harder and harder as the holidays approach.

Some folks who promised to help just dropped off the map once the initial promises were made. We totally understand if things have changed but can you at least give us a heads up so we stop waiting and wondering?

Disappearing East Sac Contractors
Yes, these were going to be PAID contractors. We had saved up money and with some donations were going to pay to have essential work done on the house. We had appointments with them, they bid on the job, we accepted the bids and they have either failed to show or will now not call us back. Some folks that I have shared this with said to me, “a lot of contractors are flaky”. I had thought by going with local East Sacramento contractors that we would at least get communication. Heck, we had money set aside to pay these people and they bail without even a call? I had hoped to keep our hard scraped together dollars spent on local contractors but now we are looking anywhere we can find now that weeks have been lost dealing with people who dropped the ball.

Message to contractors: If you bid on a job and promise to do it can you at least give your client a call if something comes up and suddenly you can’t? Please don’t make folks wait a week or two while your deafening silence eats up precious time.

Broken Mystery Water Main
Yesterday my husband was working in the basement when under the front stairs he saw a partially buried pipe. He went to brush dirt off the top, with just his fingertips!, when the mystery pipe burst! Water began pouring out and when they tried to shut off water to the house it didn’t stop! WTH!?!?! They went to turn off the water at the property line, got it turned off and THE WATER DIDN’T STOP! After calling several plumbers -none of which could make it out for several hours- we figured out to call the city (it would have been nice if some of these plumbers had offered that advice to us).  The worker from city of Sacramento came out in amazing time and was able to stop the water. He told us that it was an incredibly old water main that had never been shut off and that even the city didn’t know about. He assured us that on Monday workers would come out and seal off the old mystery main at the street but in the meantime my husband was wet and incredibly chilled in the frigid temperatures and wind. He NEVER gets cold but we had to break off work early and get him home to a hot bath and warm clothes because even with the heater blasting in the car he just could not warm up.

So here I am at two in the morning, unable to sleep because I am just so worried. With all of these setbacks (and more!); I can’t see how we can do this. My husband keeps telling me we will make it work somehow but it would have to be some kind of Christmas miracle to pull this off.  There is so little I can do at this point, my CFS is in overdrive and I am weak all the time now. I feel helpless. There have been so many people who have helped us so far that I know we can’t give up. We can’t let them down and let all of their time, donations and help go to waste. This has to work.

END IT ON A HAPPY NOTE (DANGIT!)
On a happier note we have been able to help out one of our volunteers by doing graphics work for his business. We are still working on it but here is a first stab at a logo for him that I created during the week while Jax took one of his rare naps. I got the idea from playing with his last name in my head. I got "Can O Paint" going through my mind and I started the logo with the can, then came the ladder and the painters tape, etc. I just sent it out to him and haven't heard back. We may scrap it all together but I thought it was fun. What do you think?