"They're China's problem now..."

So it's been a while since we posted. A lot has happened...as per usual before we post again. We've enjoyed a few ND games, been working hard on our work for our careers and doing a bit of work on the house.

A few weeks ago we reailzed that the walls in the master bedroom were cracking a lot. Actually, Tiffany did, I insisted that the cracks weren't getting bigger...until they were about a 32nd to an 8th of an inch thick. What can you do?

So we have had some bad news, overall. Despite the fact we searched for a house with "good bones" that we could just do some interior work to, that we could handle, it seems that we may have bit off more than we could chew. The cracks are big in the master, and are happening because of some sort of tortion on the concrete block walls. It's caused by either a sinking footer (hence, they're China's problem now...ala the Simpson's Movie) below the foundation or hydraulic pressure from the improperly installed retaining wall. We pray it's the second because a sinking footer is a mess...Google it, you'll cry for us.

That being said, we've found some little things to do (besides celebrating Irish near losses). In the last few weeks, we have done little things to make the house feel like a home.

This is our old metal cabinet-ed and soffit-ed kitchen. Please note the worst drapes in the world and the track lights that are hanging. The most left one, by the time we had moved in, was hanging down on wires...good super glue job former owner! (The picture on the right shows the light hanging down, but with the new blinds in the background).

At any rate, over the last week, we have made some good progress in the space. We removed the old dusty, nasty, cheap plastic blinds and installed some new ones from a home center. After we added the blinds, the falling down light seemed out-of place, so we re-did the track lighting with a new set from Home Depot.

All in all, it is the little things that sometimes make a big difference. Despite the watermelon wallpaper border at the top of the picture, the kitchen feels more like home...especially with the non-80's track lighting being replaced. It almost feels like a home. Given that it is in an area of the home that isn't sinking to China, we think it was a good investment!