at our home....

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....! In our home, things are taking shape and we're slowly getting ready for Christmas. Lights and garland are hung outside and decorations are nearly done inside. It's been a slow process this year, for some reason. Maybe I just have other priorities on my mind--like a new grandbaby due any minute! Well, by Saturday anyway. The kids go into the doctor's tomorrow and even though Michelle is only a little over a week overdue, it sounds as if the doctor is going to induce labor.

And with the temperatures being so cold, as low as zero this week, our brand new boiler system has decided to not keep the house warm. Getting the inside temp from 57 to 62 degrees has been a major undertaking and has only been achieved by plugging in a couple heaters. I can hardly wait to see our electric bill next month.... So we've been struggling with keeping the house warm, having repairmen in and out trying to figure out if there's something wrong with the boiler (couldn't find anything), and have concluded that our boiler just can't keep up with the cold.... Never mind that it's the top of the line and it keeps other homes in the area warm.... Not exactly the answer I wanted to hear and I can't help but think there's just one small detail that has been overlooked by the half dozen men that have been researching this problem the last few days. I've asked the questions, but I'm a woman after all and what do I know about heating systems.....? I have to admit, nothing! The best I can do is ask questions that might lead them to keep looking. But the decision has been made. The boiler just isn't sufficient for temps in the teens and below.

So the solution? A pellet stove. My husband has wanted one for a long time now. I'm not so happy about it. I still believe this boiler should be sufficient and we're just overlooking one teeny tiny thing that would fix the problem. But, then, a lot of homes in Juneau rely on alternative heat systems to keep their homes warm in the winter and often run two different heating systems at the same time.

Besides the heating problem, our house stinks! It started yesterday and we cannot find the source of the problem. I personally think a little rodent died in our crawl space but my husband thinks the culprit is the Food Saver used to process salmon last April! I don't think it would start to stink eight months later. Honestly.... We thought maybe some tuna juice spilled and so have cleaned every inch of our counter with bleach to kill the smell, but with no luck. You open up the cupboards and drawers though and it stinks horribly!

So this is what we've been up against this week. Limited heat, stinky smells, and still no grandbaby!

But on a brighter note, here's some pictures taken outside on a cold morning. I usually display a variety of Christmas ornaments in our bird bath with greenery, but my bird bath is further out in the yard this year so I just put some greenery in a large planter dish and set it on the table on our front porch. It looks lovely!



Ho ho ho!