New Tenants- letter to our house

Weston loved working with my uncle Torrance and watching him paint our house.

My family at our house

My man spray painting the roof vent and us prepping the house for the final paint.

Today we approved new tenants for our house! That is nice. Pray with us? That they take care of our house, pay their rent and enjoy living there for a long time.


Goodbye house,
You are a "very, very, very fine house." There will even be one dog in your yard.

I like you. I like your rooms. I like your yard. I like how you look out at my mountain.
I must remember, you are an investment, at least for now, but I like you house.

It would be fun to live there with you, house, to make you more pretty and make you mine. To make you a home. But for now you have a new family to take care for.

Keep them warm and keep them cool. Let the kids swing from your trees and enjoy living at our house. Make sure they care for you, if they do not, we'll make it right.

Thank you for being a strong house that doesn't break easily. We like that about you. You are functional, yet neat and clean. I think that makes people happy. So enjoy your new family!
Your owner,
Becca

It is painted!

BEFORE: I wish you could see how pink it looked.

AFTER:


Our house is painted and we are so pleased. There is a bit of touch up to do, but the house looks great. I love it.
It looks modern and new. It doesn't look tired or sad anymore. Our neighbors are so happy. The women across the street gave us a big thumbs up when she drove by this morning.

Update on our CA house

We had to evict our tenants, they stopped paying the rent a couple of months ago. So the legal part is done and we are all done cleaning the inside and it is ready to rent out again.

We are working on prepping the outside of the house for painting.

If you ever think to yourself, "We should paint our house. It's a big job, but it's not a huge job..." don't listen to yourself.

Say to yourself- "I love the color and condition of my home," as many times as it takes talk yourself out of the idea to paint. While you're talking yourself out of it, open a bank account and start saving up for a painter to paint your house.

Until then DO NOT pressure wash your home, scrape off the remaining paint and sand down the bare wood. Your arms were not designed to be above your head scrubbing for seven hours a day.

If you decide to ingore this sage advice and paint your home, you'll be standing on a ladder working on the wooden eaves of your home, and your arms will fall off and your head will too and it will roll down the driveway...

Whew, I didn't know I had so much pent up emotion! :)

It is A HUGE, DIFFICULT, SLOW job and probably at the end rewarding! :) Our pinkish/purple home is not going to be nail polish color any longer! I am so looking forward to that. But for now I'm typing with a pencil in my mouth because my arms fell off and they are at our rental home! :) Just Kidding!

Because my arms could not endure any more scraping or sanding, I organized all the stuff the tenants left behind and sold it at an impromptu garage sale. So far we made $72. Not bad for throwing a mess of junk on the driveway on Thursday from 9 am-5pm. :) I organized it in the empty garage so well open shop again tomorrow and hopefully pull in a little more.

Guess what else?, since I am mindlessly typing, I will tell you! These folks left behind a really nice set of Kitchen Aid knives. I took them gladly and I just stopped chopping to type this because they are THE NICEST knives I've ever used and they are making my cooking a real joy. I am so used to using dull knives I just might chop my finger off though, so I better be careful! :)

Ok so ends this violent post. :)

Sierra's starting to talk...

I had a chat with Sierra the other day. I told her she needed to slow down and say less words so that I can understand her.

Then today she said several individual words to me today. Variations of, "book, out..." and others I can't remember because my mind is mush.

My mind is mush because I spent 7 hours high pressure washing, scraping and sanding our house. i can't wait to see the finished product- our house NOT pink! ;)

April 2009- a walk down memory lane

More great memories...

April 1, 2009 we got the keys to our house and were homeowners! We said, "Boy I hope we aren't the April fools getting this house!"

Now we know it was really the perfect low market to buy in and during the summer and last fall the prices began to rise slowly.

Now we had to clean up so we could move into our new home!!! We worked tirelessly and were able to move in after NINE days of working morning to late night!

The kids were with us for the first few days and then Grandma came and saved them and took them to Lake Havasu so that they could play and eat shrimp daily, while we worked like dogs.

We were so thankful to have that time to get things ready and move in.

Here is day one in the living room-

This is nine days later- the change in real life was HUGE- in the picture it's subtle. It went from filthy and grey yucky walls to warm tones and clean!

We decided to move midday on day nine. It was a work day and so there was no one to call to help. But the kids were at Grandma's and Grandpa's and we were heading out for Easter weekend the next morning.

We were so tired that we just wanted to lay down, but we knew the kids would be better off if everything was at least moved. So we got up, grabbed they yellow pages and when out for a burger.

We called and rented a UHAUL. :) We worked for the rest of the day packing up our rental house and slept in our house for the first time!
The end of move in day in the living room!

The living room at the end of April, all situated and finished!

The kids room day one-
The kids room all set up at the end of day nine-
the carpet's clean,
walls painted,
closet and dressers filled
and dark curtains to help them sleep with a south-eastern window in their room.The kitchen at the beginning of day one- Hasn't been remodeled since 1964 and hasn't been cleaned much in the last two!

This the kitchen at the end of day nine. We wanted to get the cabinets stained before the kids came home too (sticky kids fingers and wet stain don't mix!! Also the fumes were gone before the kids came.)

This picture cracks me up!! It shows priorities--- we have NOTHING in the cupboards but cleaning supplies. But I MUST have a radio so I can listen to music while I work and Peter MUST have coffee-- PRIORITIES YOU KNOW!



This is an egg hunt at Nana and Papa's house, during those first few crazy days of work! It was a fun time together- I must have been tired, because this is the best picture that I have of that day- and it's not so great!


There are so many Disney days that I have skipped over--- last year instead of going on a Peter Bunnell family vacation, I BEGGED for Disney passes!!! We were able to go whenever we wanted to and were able to tuck in so many good Disney days or half days--- sometimes we just went for the evening fireworks after running errands! LOVE IT! I will never live in so cal again with out passes!

When I finally get into Disney- after all the driving, parking lot, stroller arranging, security- I step onto Main Street and for me I am instantly on vacation. Walt knew what he was doing.

Sierra's favorite thing about Disneyland- hanging on the chains while we wait in line.

Here is Abby getting Sierra with a great big hug. LOVE IT!
We went to Disneyland with the girls one day during Nana and Tina's Spring Break, just the girls!
The end of ever Disney day looks like this!!! They are wiped out!!!

Easter morning at Grandma's and Grandpa's- later on we dyed eggs too and looked cute in our church clothes, but again, I must have been tired I don't have many good shots!!

I love this picture of Grandma and Weston making Key Lime Pie. Weston had a ball!


On the way to speak at a church, Peter and I divided and conquered. I drove my dad's old red truck up to Santa Clarita and spent the day in Santa Barbara with my dear friend Tiffany. We ate a beautiful lunch together and we stayed there to chat for a long time. It was a fun time together.

Then I drove to meet my family. We spoke at this supporting church about Mongolia and about the importance of family and how we our family works on the field. They wanted us all up on stage- We bet they regretted that!

Sierra wanted the microphone and Weston crawled around with a water bottle the whole time. Let's just say we won't be asked back to speak at any parenting conferences!!! :)

Did I mention we were a little busy in 2009?

February - March 2009 pictures

I was going through my pictures and realized all my February and March pictures are in the same file, so here are A LOT more pictures and memories.

After our final trip, we had been traveling nearly non-stop since Sept 2008, we were able to start Weston at preschool. He wasn't nervous at all! His teacher and assistant teacher were perfect for him. He loved Mrs. Aranda!
He was even invited to a birthday party on the first weekend. It was so fun!

His class was really interested in Weston's life and where he lived. So we made this picture chart. I asked him questions and then wrote his answers. We added the pictures together. (you can click this picture to make it bigger if you want a close up.)

We also let his teacher know that he would be absent a lot. I let her know our goals for Weston were to learn about how school works and have a great time with his classmates.

So we were absent a lot! It was a perfect fit for us because in March, we went on a vacation to the beach. We rented an RV and stayed RIGHT ON THE BEACH.

Time with grandpa, feeding the birds! What a fun time together!

Time around the campfire after one of Grandma's great breakfasts!

Sierra loved helping Aunt Megan walk the dogs!

The boys loving the fire! They were blowing on it to make it bigger!

Sierra enjoying the sand!

Her name in rocks and shells

Weston dragged this up and down the beach!

See, I told you I NEEDED that stroller- Sierra rides in style...

While Weston runs with Uncle Brian, like a crazy man!
I love how their feet are in sync and their form the same!

His name in sand dollar and rocks.

In early February we made an offer on our house:

Halfway through our vacation, we had to leave and drive 3 hours and back to sign loan papers.
We drove home and VERY nervously read and signed all the documents, praying that we were not making a mistake. We were so nervous!
Our poor loan officer had to wait for us to read them ALL and answer a million questions for us! But you've gotta be throrough, right?
Then we hopped back in the car and drove 3 hours back and enjoyed the rest of our trip.

Sarcasm with a Side of Complaint

Last week a friend came from America and she brought LOTS of gifts from family and friends. It was so fun to get some new running shoes, clothes for the kids, some Christmas gifts for the kids and of course magazines.

I love reading magazines. They are like a special treasure to me. I don't know why! A cup of tea and a shiny new magazine are comparable to a mini-vacation for me!

Anyhow, Peter and I were looking through Sunset magazine together and we read this line,
"Nature's constant presence became so important to me that living in homes with gardens has been a requirement of mine." Page 55 Jan 2009.

Now obviously there is nothing wrong with this. It is a lovely requirement. Just a priority that has never been possible for us.

But Peter started laughing. He said with a silly voice, "Yes, living surrounded by weeds has become a requirement of mine, whether in Mongolia or California, I just must be surrounded by heaps of weeds."

I started cracking up!

This led to lots of sarcasm with a side of complaint! We went back and forth for about 10 minutes cracking ourselves up!

I countered with my own snooty voice, "Oh yes darling, I just must choose a home that looks exactly like a box, the boxier the better!"

We know that we are BEYOND blessed to have two homes to call our own, so we were teasing! Yet, sometimes reading magazines here is a crack up. Sometimes it's a recipe that has four gourmet ingredients, sometimes it's the suggestions for home decor that are impossible here and sometimes it's the landscaping pages.

The landscaping pages I LOVE... I even pulled one out of this Sunset because it was simply beautiful.

Someday, maybe someday. But for now I must content myself to look out at yellow dry weeds, brown dirt, and grey wood that has been beat to death by the frigid Siberian winds.

Yes, today was one of those days. The days when I wonder what in the world I am doing, when I cry into the dishwater as I wash the mountain of bowls and cups. There is something about washing the dishes. My sink faces out to the yard and my back is against the rest of the house and no one can see my face, and the splashing is just loud enough to cover my crying.

Don't worry I don't cry three times a day while washing the dishes! But when I do cry that is where it happens. (Funny in America, I always cry in the shower, but here with my three gallon gravity drip shower; there is just not enough time for that!) I got it all out and threw all my cares on Him because He cares for me. I wiped the dishes while I wiped my tears and then I got on my treadmill and ran.

Now I can face the world again.

How do you deal with your sad times?

Kitchen Remodel by the Culture Shocked Mind!

We bought a little house in California during April 09. Perfect timing for first time buyers… we got a foot in the market. It is rented now! We know that we are blessed to have a place to call our own someday!

We are planning for the future and considering remodels that are needed to make it a bit more modern and useable. The current kitchen has four feet of counter top and five cabinets! It also hosts the washing machine. It is the poster kitchen for the 1960’s. :) There are kitchens with more storage in some RVs! It would definitely be enjoyable to have a more modern kitchen and it is an investment in our eventual resale.

So we plan ahead and will save up little by little. It is funny to budget for this and make decisions about things while living here. The comparison of our worlds is laughable….

I really like my kitchen here in Mongolia. I am so blessed by it. It has everything I need and want and it has more counter space than any I have ever had- 13 linear feet! NICE. Our new tile countertop cost $25 and looks pretty good, considering that we have never installed tile and had no proper tools! It is extra special because Peter built the bottom cabinets! We purchased the top cabinets for$40! They are beuuu-tiiii-ful white laminate pressboard! ;) wink wink! They are held together with ½ inch screws an L brackets. I have a tiny oven with 2 burners, and only one of them will boil water. It is fine though. I know how to juggle things and get a meal made. I don't need anything more- remember I am trying to be a minimalist now!

Because I am used to these things, it is hard to trust myself to choose things for a remodel in America. It is hard to know if I am choosing something nice enough for American standards, does that make sense? To me most EVERYTHING I see in America is beautiful.

We probably won’t do anything to the house for several more years, but it is fun to dream and in the mean time, save up.

So anyhow, just some thoughts from my culture shocked mind! :)

3 Posts about CA house....First 5 pics...More Info in Third Post

Finished Living Room

Yard and Flowerbeds

I couldn't find before pictures in the yard- just imagine 4-5 foot high weeds, overgrown trees and two small dead trees.

Garage Door before and after

We just flipped over the existing plyboard, added trim and hardware and stained it.

5 more pics of CA house

The kids helping us paint the garage graffiti

Bathroom before and after

Bedroom before and after

Finally---the before and after pictures of our CA house

Bathroom vanity before and after-

Kitchen before and after-

My mom went to our house to take pictures for me. I forgot to take pictures with all the hustle and bustle of moving and packing.

Guess what? Our home is rented and we are so happy. The people seem great and passed the screening and background checks with flying colors. We are thankful for God's provision.

Looking at the before and after pictures, I am shocked that we were able to accomplish that much. Here is a quick glimpse of what we did in SIX weeks. We worked to the last day in the country-crazy---

Kitchen- scrubbing on hands and knees and on a ladder, taking down cabinet doors, restaining cabinet boxes and doors and changing all the hardware, cleaning and repainting inside of cabinet boxes and shelf papering on all cabinet shelves, painting, new stove, refinished sink, new faucet, new pipes below sink, new light fixtures, regrouting the tile, refinishing the sink, re-screening and painting the screen door, and a new laundry machine!

Bathroom- scrubbing on hands and knees and on a ladder, painting, repairing the toilet, replacing the countertop, sink, and faucet, new pipes below the sink, new light fixture, painting the vanity and the hardware, new towel racks, new doorknob, re-grouting tub and scrubbing repeatedly!, and a new bath shower curtain.

3 Bedrooms- scrubbing carpet on hands and knees, vacuuming repeatedly and then cleaning with rented Rug Dr twice, cleaning all walls and painting, replacing all the screens, replacing on the outlet and the outlet covers, and painting all the closets.

Living and Dining room- scrubbing (see a common theme here?), replacing outlets, outlet covers, painting, scrubbing grout and windows, replacing screens, painting doors, replacing locks, and new light fixtures.

Heating and Cooling- replacing thermostat, installing an evaporative cooler, fixing the wall heaters.

Outside- removing 5 foot high weeds (a half ton- that's a lot of mowing and raking!), having 5 large trees trimmed and 3 trees removed, reseeding front grass, putting in a small sprinkler system, putting in 3 flowerbeds and flowers to line the front fence, mulching the side driveway and front sidewalk area with bark, repairing and redoing the garage door, replacing light fixtures, painting the inside of the garage (graffiti), replacing one fence post, and adding some rock.

Whew... I'm tired just writing it down! I think we need a vacation! :)