Oh the weather inside was frightful
Well, I haven't blogged while sleep-deprived since Aden was born, so let's just see what happens.
It all started with that foot of beautiful snow of nearly two weeks ago. A welcome, jolly-inducing, school-cancelling pre-Christmas storm to validate all those timeless holiday songs.
It took about three days for it to melt, much to the chagrin of our youngest. He will still look out the window and hiss, I can't believe the snow is gone. It was soggy damp, the way it always is while the earth stores away its much-needed moisture.
A week ago today, if the temps had been higher, would have blanketed us again, maybe in another dozen inches. But it is Virginia, so it was mid forties and the rain came tumbling down.
Our little old house, she's strong and steady and secure, and to be honest takes quite a beating from her current inhabitants. It's the whole Velveteen rabbit love hurts kind of thing. And we do, so much, love this house.
But she can only take so much water. The day we came home from our honeymoon, our first ever day of living here, we walked through the door to two inches of water in the basement. Aaaaand welcome to marriage.
My precious Dad a couple of years ago helped us put some dry lock sealer on the most problematic areas, and that helped so much. Took us from cleaning up after every hard rain to only cleaning up after getting tons of rain. A vast improvement.
So back to present day, with the melting snow and subsequent rain storm, we figured we'd have some work to do. And indeed, the majority of last Saturday we were Shop-Vaccing and sweeping. But it wasn't a huge influx, just constant through the day. We stayed pretty much ahead of it, and it slowed to a stop by mid-week.
Thursday, the boys and I took off to town where they used their own money and picked out gifts for each family member and for a moment, I felt like maybe I have actually done a decent job of raising them. Of course that came some time after I shoved both of them out of Five Below and offered up something reminiscent of one of my husband's exasperated courtside time-out speeches.
It rained on us. The beginning of another wallop that would last until right this moment, as I'm writing. Around ten on Thursday night it started coming in. Through the traditional trouble spots at first, and then in places it has never come through before. To say we had a river running through our basement is no exaggeration, as by midnight I was running a Shop Vac in each hand and Brandon was constructing a canal out of old bed frame pieces running to the drain clear on the other side of the room.
We looked at each other and smiled. Several times. We shared could-be-worse scenarios, one in particular where if we hadn't gone in to check before going to bed, the water would have quickly come into the finished side of the basement and ruined all the gifts and I would have lost. it. Quickly kissed our boys goodnight and thankfully, they slept right through the Christmas music blaring beneath them. Checked the weather to find the storm would last another good 24 hours. "This is part of the for worse, isn't it?" Brandon asked. I just smiled. It's hard for me to put sentences together normally. For real y'all, it's best just not to open my mouth after midnight.
By three in the morning, it was under control. A Shop Vac on each side of the basement, propped up to catch where the water was coming in quickest. At that point, mostly a matter of being alert enough to empty them when they filled up. I couldn't take it anymore, and ducked out for a couple hours sleep. Set the alarm for five and nearly cried at the feel of pillow on my face.
Brandon took his turn at sleep, with basketball practice scheduled for just a few hours later, and quite honestly I snoozed through much of my post. Overnight sometime, the rain stopped. And praise the Lord, it stayed away for several hours, enough that the flooding nearly stopped.
There was some more heavy rain this afternoon, so here we are again, two propped-up Shop Vacs, eyes drooping, fingers crossed for real sleep tonight, and a keen awareness of our blessings.
We're both off from work now.
The kids are off from school and old enough to be super helpful with a push broom.
We caught it in time, every time.
Brandon is a ghetto engineer and it has once again made all the difference.
We weren't aboard the Titanic. Every time water crept towards me I was in that room with poor Leo handcuffed to the pipes.
Poppop's dry lock kept so much water from coming in other places.
The house is standing, the kids are healthy, and it's Christmastime.
Two Shop Vacs. One borrowed, of course, but it was huge.
On Thursday after dinner, we sat down to let our food settle before going to work out. Then both fell asleep for an hour and a half, and felt foolish for being so lazy. God knew we'd need that rest later on.
I'm constantly praying for rain and worrying about water. Well, the Lord provided.
Challenges just bring us closer together.
So here's to the Shop Vac people. And dry gifts. And maybe, just maybe, a good night's sleep.
It all started with that foot of beautiful snow of nearly two weeks ago. A welcome, jolly-inducing, school-cancelling pre-Christmas storm to validate all those timeless holiday songs.
It took about three days for it to melt, much to the chagrin of our youngest. He will still look out the window and hiss, I can't believe the snow is gone. It was soggy damp, the way it always is while the earth stores away its much-needed moisture.
A week ago today, if the temps had been higher, would have blanketed us again, maybe in another dozen inches. But it is Virginia, so it was mid forties and the rain came tumbling down.
Our little old house, she's strong and steady and secure, and to be honest takes quite a beating from her current inhabitants. It's the whole Velveteen rabbit love hurts kind of thing. And we do, so much, love this house.
But she can only take so much water. The day we came home from our honeymoon, our first ever day of living here, we walked through the door to two inches of water in the basement. Aaaaand welcome to marriage.
My precious Dad a couple of years ago helped us put some dry lock sealer on the most problematic areas, and that helped so much. Took us from cleaning up after every hard rain to only cleaning up after getting tons of rain. A vast improvement.
So back to present day, with the melting snow and subsequent rain storm, we figured we'd have some work to do. And indeed, the majority of last Saturday we were Shop-Vaccing and sweeping. But it wasn't a huge influx, just constant through the day. We stayed pretty much ahead of it, and it slowed to a stop by mid-week.
Thursday, the boys and I took off to town where they used their own money and picked out gifts for each family member and for a moment, I felt like maybe I have actually done a decent job of raising them. Of course that came some time after I shoved both of them out of Five Below and offered up something reminiscent of one of my husband's exasperated courtside time-out speeches.
It rained on us. The beginning of another wallop that would last until right this moment, as I'm writing. Around ten on Thursday night it started coming in. Through the traditional trouble spots at first, and then in places it has never come through before. To say we had a river running through our basement is no exaggeration, as by midnight I was running a Shop Vac in each hand and Brandon was constructing a canal out of old bed frame pieces running to the drain clear on the other side of the room.
We looked at each other and smiled. Several times. We shared could-be-worse scenarios, one in particular where if we hadn't gone in to check before going to bed, the water would have quickly come into the finished side of the basement and ruined all the gifts and I would have lost. it. Quickly kissed our boys goodnight and thankfully, they slept right through the Christmas music blaring beneath them. Checked the weather to find the storm would last another good 24 hours. "This is part of the for worse, isn't it?" Brandon asked. I just smiled. It's hard for me to put sentences together normally. For real y'all, it's best just not to open my mouth after midnight.
By three in the morning, it was under control. A Shop Vac on each side of the basement, propped up to catch where the water was coming in quickest. At that point, mostly a matter of being alert enough to empty them when they filled up. I couldn't take it anymore, and ducked out for a couple hours sleep. Set the alarm for five and nearly cried at the feel of pillow on my face.
Brandon took his turn at sleep, with basketball practice scheduled for just a few hours later, and quite honestly I snoozed through much of my post. Overnight sometime, the rain stopped. And praise the Lord, it stayed away for several hours, enough that the flooding nearly stopped.
There was some more heavy rain this afternoon, so here we are again, two propped-up Shop Vacs, eyes drooping, fingers crossed for real sleep tonight, and a keen awareness of our blessings.
We're both off from work now.
The kids are off from school and old enough to be super helpful with a push broom.
We caught it in time, every time.
Brandon is a ghetto engineer and it has once again made all the difference.
We weren't aboard the Titanic. Every time water crept towards me I was in that room with poor Leo handcuffed to the pipes.
Poppop's dry lock kept so much water from coming in other places.
The house is standing, the kids are healthy, and it's Christmastime.
Two Shop Vacs. One borrowed, of course, but it was huge.
On Thursday after dinner, we sat down to let our food settle before going to work out. Then both fell asleep for an hour and a half, and felt foolish for being so lazy. God knew we'd need that rest later on.
I'm constantly praying for rain and worrying about water. Well, the Lord provided.
Challenges just bring us closer together.
So here's to the Shop Vac people. And dry gifts. And maybe, just maybe, a good night's sleep.
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