Apartment Move

Yesterday I started packing for our move to … we don’t know yet. What we know is that we have to be moved out by 4/29.

Our house is supposed to close on that day. Unfortunately, our furniture is in Seattle still and it takes 2 weeks to have it brought over to Minnesota. We can call and schedule them to deliver it but if the house doesn’t close for some reason then we have to figure out where to store our belongings.

Since we’ve lived in the apartment, we have accumulated things, i.e. an artificial Christmas tree, office supplies, comforters, etc.

So, we can’t just load everything into the car and drive around with it until we have a place.

But — we’ve figured it out before and we’ll figure it out again.

Natural Remedies for Colds

Day 6 of a cold/cough that continues to linger. Everyone I speak with has a remedy for me. Here’s what I’ve tried so far:

  • Tea with honey and lemon
  • Hot water with lemon
  • First thing in the morning, drinking a glass of water with a freshly squeezed lemon in it. (Making sure to rinse my mouth afterwards to remove the acid)
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  • Put a pot of water on the stove, boil it, bring the pot to a safe place where you can lean over it and with a towel over your head inhaling the steam
  • Hot showers
  • Hot baths
  • Drinking lots of water throughout the day
  • Gargling with Listerine a couple times a day

So, has any of this worked? Quite honestly, I don’t think it’s made much difference in how long this cold has lasted. The difference has been in my comfort level.

For instance, when I take a hot shower or bath, the steam from the water helps the mucous in my chest and nose loosen up and I am able to breathe better.

The same is true for the boiling water remedy.

Taking the herb throat drops help especially when I’m around people as it prevents me from coughing on them.

The lemon with water in the morning is supposed to help in cleaning your body out of any toxins.

Again, the remedies worked for helping to alleviate some of the symptoms temporarily but overall the cold/cough still continues to linger.

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Apartment Living and Paranoia

Ever since the rental office at our apartment complex tried to enter our apartment without notifying us, I have fears of them trying to do it again.

When I return from errands, I now look around to see if anything is different. A closed door that was open, a fragrance in the air that doesn’t belong, etc.

I’ve considered putting cans inside our door when we leave so that when someone opens the door the cans would fall over.  Then we’d know someone was here as they would have to place the cans the same way as I had them.

Or, perhaps I should make my bed with pillows as if someone is sleeping and close the bedroom door. Surely, if they open the bedroom door and see “someone” sleeping they won’t enter.

My safety and privacy now feel threatened. Is it really worth it to fight with them to stay here one more month? I think not.

So, at the end of this month, we’ll move into Extended Stay. Hopefully our house will close by then although we’re still having issues with getting the contract signed by the relocation company that is representing the sellers.

 

Minnesota Weather

Yesterday’s weather was 76 degrees. And, if you can imagine, we still have snow on the ground. Mainly because a lot of the snow had to be piled on top of other snow in the winter.

April Snow in Minnesota

It was humid  also. I haven’t experienced humidity in quite a while as Seattle doesn’t have it.

Continuing to look at open houses, we ran across one that had a swimming pool. It wasn’t open yet though so we couldn’t just jump in.

 

 

Chicken Paprika

Chicken Paprika

There are many variations of Chicken Paprika. This is my take on it varied from a recipe I found.

Ingredients:

  • 4 medium sized pieces of skinless chicken breasts
  • Salt
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 medium onions
  • Black Pepper
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

  1. Wash chicken and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Slice onions
  3. In a large frying pan, saute the butter
  4. Add the chicken pieces (cut in 1/2 if too large)
  5. Cook one one side until browned
  6. Turn and cook the other side
  7. Remove the chicken and add the onions to the pan
  8. Stir well and let the onions brown on medium heat
  9. Add paprika and salt and stir
  10. Add the chicken broth and stir
  11. Put the chicken pieces on top of the onions
  12. Cover and cook through about 30 minutes
  13. Remove the chicken from the pan and add the sour cream
  14. Stir and add the chicken back in

 

The original recipe I followed with variations of my own was found at simplyrecipes.com

Enjoy!

 

War

So many wars have occurred recently with many deaths attributed to them. Wikipedia lists ongoing wars along with the number of fatalities. The numbers are astounding.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget how all this started in the first place.

Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. Revelation 12:7

War in heaven. It almost sounds like a fantasy game or movie except the war was real. And although the “dragon” lost and was thrown out of heaven, we continue to suffer the consequences because of selfishness and pride.

And there continue to be fatalities because of the war that started in heaven.

Oh for the day when it’s all over and we can live in peace.

 

 

 

 

Lake Elmo House Inspection

We have, unfortunately, had to cancel the inspection on the Lake Elmo house that we made an offer on. The sellers are being relocated and the sale is being handled through a relocation company.

They have had our counteroffer for a few days now and have not signed off on it. We were told it could take 5-7 business days.

We are thinking that an April 29th close date is not going to happen and that they are dragging their feet. Or, perhaps the relocation company just works that way. I’m sure they don’t work on the weekends either which means we won’t hear anything back from them until next week.

This is all very discouraging. I keep telling myself that perhaps it’s just not meant to happen with the houses we’ve made offers on.

I continue discussing this with God. Why aren’t things going more smoothly in these transactions? I haven’t heard anything direct yet — but, I know we’ll either find the right house or He will be clear soon about what direction we should go.

 

Apartment Living

My tolerance level is getting very low living at the Classic At the Preserve in Woodbury, Minnesota.

Sitting on my sofa watching TV in the middle of the day, I hear a key in the door. Thinking it was my husband, I got up to unlock the top latch. A woman stood there with a clipboard.

She: Oh, I must have the wrong apartment. I’m doing inspections. Do you live here?

Me: Yes, I do.

She: I wanted the apartment above you. Sorry.

She walked away. In my head I’m thinking “how could she want to do an inspection on the apartment above us as one of the caretakers lives there?”

I call the apartment office to complain as no one called to ask permission to enter our apartment nor did the woman knock.

Manager: I’m so sorry. They are only supposed to enter vacant apartments.

Me: Well she should have known ours was not empty.

Manager: I’ll talk with her as soon as she gets back.

An hour later, my husband gets a call at work letting us know that our apartment has been rented out starting May 1st. That’s really interesting. We are on a month-to-month lease and were asked to let them know if we were moving by the 15th of the month.

Looking at the calendar (sarcastically), I see it’s only the 7th.

I call the management office and speak with the same lady I spoke with earlier.

Me: I understand our apartment is rented starting May 1st.

She: Yes, we called to tell you.

Me: We haven’t given notice that we’re moving yet.

She: Well, you were supposed to give notice at the end of last month.

Me: No, we were told the 15th and we have documentation of that process being followed the last 4 months.

She: Well, I’m sorry but we’ve already signed a 12 month lease with someone else as we were told you found a house.

Me: Oh, who told you we found a house?

No answer.

Me: Well, unfortunately, we have until the 15th to give notice so we may still be here in May.

She: The lease …

Me: You’ve broken your lease several times already and now you want to follow it?

She: We should follow the lease.

Me: Then we need 30 days notice prior to the month that you need us to leave.

She: I’ll check with the owner and call you back.

After an hour or so, I received a call from her letting me know that the apartment is rented to someone else. So I asked “Are you evicting us?”

She: No, no, no one said anything about eviction.

Me: Well, unless we give notice that we’re moving we plan on extending our lease and living in the apartment we’re in. And, if you’d like, I’d be happy to hand you the extension with a letter from our attorney.

Needless to say — she hung up after letting me know she would have to check with the owner again.

I’m waiting for the next call. There has been so much turnover in the management office that I don’t think anyone knows what is going on.

Apartment living … I can’t believe it’s this bad.

 

Tree Lessons

It’s dusk. The sky is a perfect shade of blue. The air is crisp.

Looking up, I see this perfect tree. I can tell it was pruned at one time. But I hear no complaints.

The branches reach in all directions.  Small and large branches. Naked in the sky for all to see its flaws or beauty.

Tree

People are so different. We hide behind clothes, make-up, words. Facades.

Are we afraid that there is no one else in the world like us who has the same weaknesses, failures, ugliness? The fear is unwarranted. We’re all basically the same.

Looking at me, can people see that I fight against impatience, anger, rejection, failure at succeeding? Would they embrace it with me to get past it or would they look past it as if it didn’t exist?

Oh trees! How I wish I could just let my humanity out without fear of rejection or judgment.

Lake Elmo, Minnesota House offer

Our final offer on a house in Lake Elmo goes to them this evening.  If all goes well, we should have the inspection no later than Monday.  And, if all goes really well, we should be able to move in by April 29th.

Our furniture from Seattle won’t get here until a week later so we’ll have to spend a few days at an Extended Stay. But, while the house is empty I can paint, clean and get things we need that we have to buy.