weekend project

I got an e-mail from a friend of mine last week asking me if I could make a bouquet for a wedding taking place at her home this coming weekend. Luckily for me, the bride wanted silks. Thor and I will be gone three days before the wedding so fresh would have been a problem!

We went shopping Saturday afternoon and that night I went to work. I was surprised that the bouquet used all the stems we purchased, but it did! She requested all white flowers with a bit of green. There are two dozen roses, 16 large 8 buds, 5 stems of cascading blooms, and another five bunches of ivy.

I used the red and gold bud leaves as accent colour and to bring in a bit of the fall colours she plans, and also the deep green large leaves to poke out in the bouquet and also as a way of 'plating' the base and supporting the ivy bunches.

She wanted burgundy and metallic gold ribbon, and again, lucky for me I had a spool that was approved! She wanted a small "shoe lace" bow and braided stems, so I did that for her, although I forgot to get a shot of the braided stem.

They also requested a matching boutonniere so I used the same combination of flowers and greenery and there you go.

My friend liked them very much, I am hoping the bride does as well.

Check out Food Chronicles, I understand Robyn got a last minute call to prepare and decorate the cake. I can't wait to see what she does!

accessories from a thrift store!

When it comes down to it, you need a place to put your feet up at the end of the day. We went in search of accessories at the local thrift stores and this is what we came up with:

2 pressed tin flower pots, turned up side down and glued (with tub caulking) to the underside of a cupboard door for a sofa table. All recycled, the pots from mom's house, the cupboard $1.00 from the Habitat For Humanity thrift in Provo. The small fish bowl (so long "Soup" we knew and loved thee well!) is filled with button cast offs.

An architectural fleur de lis adds a touch of sparkle on top of the deep brown book case. Recycled from mom.

$1.00 each buys empty frames, mirrors. A few personal photos along side a $3.00 shelf, all from Deseret Industries, Provo. (-except photos, they were gifts from a friend.)

A collection of vintage suitcases and a complete bowling bag! The suitcases were $3.00 a piece as was the bowling bag, shoes and ball inscribed with "Brownie". The suitcases and bowling bag act as a catch all by the door, the shoes and ball are accessories in the book cases. Look for them in the photos!

Doesn't everyone have one of these funky flower vases from the florist? She filled hers with more buttons and set it beside a rusted metal basket found at Urban Renewal in St. George for $5.00.

$1.50 for three antique bottles, a small paper mache globe, black with light tan lines and markings, a small silver tray, $2.00 and arranging books by colour on the shelves. (Notice the bowling ball in the right corner on the floor?)

Very difficult to see in the photo, but on top of the left book case is a pendant, a small painted piece of glass with the Eiffel Tower and "Paris!" written in script. On the other shelf are her bowling shoes, a small ceramic vase, and on top a glass bowl (recycled from mom) filled a new unnamed as yet fish, and the fleur de lis.

recycle!

#5 is an English Major with a French minor. Between you and me, she is a book snob. She has particular tastes and anyone who reads "fluff" just make her crazy. Part of her education required her to study "Romanticism" -which she abhors. She would rather sit through a Lawrence Welk revival than to ever have to read and or discuss romantic poetry again.

When I saw the state of one of her bookcases (wobbly!) I thought the best thing to do would be to try to somehow secure it. Limited tools and finances led me to recycle! She handed me a stack of poetry books and there you go! I started the project without her knowledge and got one side completely done before she came home and discovered my creative side. We needed to leave and gather some other things before the stores closed, so her best friend said she would stay behind and work on the book case. She had it almost finished by the time we got back home! I love the way it turned out, it was really cool and for an English major, well, what more could she want than book shelves full of words?

Thanks D! What a great friend!

Click on the photos for a closer look!

the Art

#5 loves contemporary and abstract art. She found some pieces that spoke to her and asked her best friend who was also visiting and myself if we would join her in making some art for the walls in the living room. The walls as shown in the post prior, were empty. The only art in the house was a poster print of Jesus and another of a temple, both green from too much sun exposer, one placed in the kitchen and the other in the hallway.

The first photo is #5's first attempt at painting. She was disappointed in it, although I really liked it. To me, it seemed somewhat cosmic and it makes me want to look at it for a while to see all the things moving in it. I liked it and so did the other girls in the house, so we talked her into keeping it and putting it up.

The second one is an abstract of the First Vision. She wanted something religious in the way of a painting, so this is what I came up with.

The third painting is just another abstract using a combination of elements that were in some of the other pieces we were doing. I wasn't sure she would like this, as I did it while she was working. Turns out she thought it was great. Who knew?

This fourth one turned out to be her favourite however, again, I wasn't sure she would like it at all. Later on I will explain how we changed/recycled/converted an old bookcase with poetry books, but with that in mind I made this collage using pieces from the books she had and also a bit of paint, a photograph from National Geographic, and ink. The quote on the base says: "de gustibus non est disputandum" or " there is no accounting for taste" in Latin, which she thought was hilarious.

The next one is based with text poetry from the books, with small pieces flying up and away into the light stream. This one got approval as well. I guess I should say there was one painting that needed to be reworked to make the cut, I thought so as well, and also one painting (ugh, that I neglected to photograph!) that she chose to hang in her room instead of the living area.

The last one was done by her best friend. It's a copy from one of #5's favourite artists, and although I do not know the artist's name the title of the painting was "Temple". Her best friend took almost two entire days copying this to almost perfection. I am sure the artist would be hugely flattered. It was amazingly close.

Before

yikes. This is what I have been up to the past week. Seems #5 needed some changes in her life. Part of those changes meant dealing with a less than responsive (or responsible for that matter) landlord and manager for the small BY-U approved housing. Took a bit of doing but I think we are making some head way.

Then there was the matter of the condition of the interiors. Not being allowed to paint over the dead flat bright hospital white walls that have been neglected (for several years by the look of them), we opted for the things we could change.

This first photo is of the front door as you face the street. Note that the t.v. is placed on a dresser. Normally I would think, "O.k. clever. We can use the dresser as extra storage and as a t.v stand." Alas, no. This dresser has been held together by unknown forces for far too long! The drawer fronts actually just balance on their frames, one small move and the whole front falls off! (The collection of odds and ends on the floor were my fault...thrift store bargains, more on them later)

This second photo shows the lovely thin to thread bare curtains, broken windows that cannot be secured and are directly in line with the drive way and walk way access to the back house. Neighbors, the mailman, and any visitors have a direct view into the house at any time of the day! How convenient! It also shows the best of the two couches, this one actually a love seat with holes in the seats, thus the yellow sheet, which as most throws or slip covers has a tendency to shift during use. Note the small foot stool. There are two of these, I think they are cast offs from a glider rocker, as they both glide. The good thing is they are surprisingly comfortable, the height is good and the cushion is bearable. Behind the love seat are two book cases. The one on the right holds two of the girls' dvd collections and on the base shelf, one gal's nursing books. The other shelf on the left houses #5's books, well some of her books. That book case it also very wobbly and whenever you remove a book the entire shelf lists one way or the other and you need to steady it, lest it collapse in a heap. There is a "Medusa" lamp, which the girls bought together because there was no lighting in the house prior to the purchase. They didn't really like it, but for $20.00 it was a deal. In the left corner, not shown, is another bookcase #5 brought with her, also filled to the brim with her books; and a hanging wind chime that belongs to her roommate... the one thing said roommate insisted stay exactly where it is, all else we could do what we would.

The third photo shows what I dubbed the SLC Airport couch. It had a very firm (read hard) and very shallow seat and all it was lacking was baggage claim and/or the pleather roping to guide you to your terminal. That was our beginning.

The last photo is one final look at the love seat for later comparison. We decided something had to be done about the seating in this house. No one ever sat on the Airport couch because of it's complete lack of comfort, so the girls dismantled it and stored it inside a hall closet.

Love on the rocks...

Do you see it? Yup, right there in the middle... a rounded heart! Interestingly enough, but even more so when it is surrounded by the frozen water of the Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon.

Thor and I took a QUICK trip up to the BY-U to visit with #5. While we were there we took the mandatory pilgrimage to the canyon. This time of year it was a mix of frozen and liquid water, depending on the time of day and where the sun was hitting. Really fantastic!

It's a cruel, cruel summer....

Yeeeowwwch! Did you feel that growing pain? (That's gonna leave a mark.)

After working her first job, #5 has learned a few things. Taxes aren't fun. "Training" and work is fun, but being paid less for the same work is not. "Bosses" fudge, stretch the truth, or otherwise flat out lie to you so that they appear to be your advocate when in reality they are just trying to get the best deal for the(ir) business, too bad you got the not so truthful end of the deal. There are no 40 hour a week - even during the summer- minimum wage jobs in Utah. There are no such things as promises from management. Good luck getting 20, those ahead of you will be grabbing all the hours they can because they have already learned these truths. Paying for a uniform can reduce one's earnings to a check that is embarrassing to cash: one penny. After you work next week for the same "training" pay scale, "the rest of your uniform monies will be taken out", thus a huge possibility of you receiving another embarrassing check. (There is a reason everyone has worked for this company and now does not.)

She has also learned that girls who have parents who pay their bills have no idea how much their bills are, they "just send the check to Dad and he takes care of it... your share is on the table..." and then they forget all about it. Thus the inquiries on said bills before signing on is about $80.00 more than anticipated. Living in the basement, your room gets neither heat nor cooling due to the layout of the venting situation. So when it gets warm enough up stairs they shut it off before you get it and the same is true for cooling. Whether or not you want cable or will use it, you will be charged for it; even when we asked you if you did or did not need cable and told you it was o.k. that you didn't and would be excluded from the agreement.

The really good friends who share the room above you aren't really that good of friends and now you know why they say "good roomies are hard to find". You have become the sounding board.

Life as a grown up is different than anticipated. (But still fun.)

(Let's hope that second job working for the MTC is a tad better. Or at least a more true picture of what the management painted prior to hiring.)

and you thought it only happened in the movies...

So this morning is "wake up and go get more boxes day". Last night #5 came into the front room and announced: "I want to say thanks for ALL THE STUFF YOU GUYS GAVE ME OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS! Good grief! I have too much stuff! Promise you'll never buy me anything else...EVER! lol!" Then about ten minutes later she came in with her list of things she will need once she is in her new apartment. Thor just looked at her and said, "You're on your own kid. We ain't buying you anything ANYMORE!" lol.

It was about 11:30 and we can hear the new washing machine working up to a "situation" (read: Houston, we have a "situation"). A loud thumping noise soon became a loud Wham WHam WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM with every female on the premises meeting at the huge white fixture of doom. We all burst out laughing when we saw the machine lid bouncing up and down in a mighty rhythm trying to expel all THREE foaming pillows #5 had shoved in there for one last cleansing before the trip. "Well, it seems they puff when you wash 'em." said #5, "Brilliant, Sherlock" came #3's reply and as we were all trying to save the hallway from wreck and ruin with suds and laughter #5 again (remember this is the smart one in the family) proclaims, "They really soak up the water don't they? I thought they'd shrink and get all flat." LOL! I mean really, how did she pass all those science AP exams? (Note to the BY-U School of Science: Stop requesting she change her major! English for her is looking the better choice!) We ended up with a puffy bathtub of foam and eventually ran each pillow separately through a spin cycle. After all the commotion she mentioned there were still things to learn on the last day before you leave home. QUICK! Someone get a recording device of some kind - there's a college freshman who admits she has something to learn! lol

She is the "class" of 2005

Today is the big day for #5! Graduation! She is happy and woke up to take friends out to breakfast before going off to the rehearsal. On the flip side she is nervous. Nervous because she has to give her speech and she doesn't want to "preach" or "act like I know anything they don't already know." She is afraid that mom is going to brag too much about the honours and scholarships (she has a right to get nervous about that). She just wants to be normal.

But normal she ain't! She discovered "university" education in the fourth grade and has been determined ever since to get her education from some "U". She has worked extremely hard and with real dedication to that goal and it is finally here. I have to say she was one of the two we never had to ask if homework or practicing was done. It was always done, and then some. On top of the school she had a real zest for mentoring, volunteering and scripture studies. She reads her scriptures - all four standard works- everyday, everyday! I don't know too many adults who read all four everyday. (She was concerned about entering the Religious Studies Honours Program at the Bayou, her mom isn't concerned at all)

I can honestly say, outside of the 3 months in junior high when she wanted to be popular and sassy, she has been the model kid. People say girls are hard. My two girls have been amazing. They are better than the parenting they received and the parents are receiving the blessings.

O.k. enough mom braggity time. Good things to all who read this. See you all tamale!

Harry Potter's room

Harry Potter's room
Originally uploaded by S'mee.

We had a scare this week. The apartment manager called and told us that there had been a miscommunication within the office and #5's room had already been contracted and signed MONTHS ago and therefore she could not move in.

#5 took the call immediately after returning home from early morning seminarya, so she wasn't as focused as she should have been and kind of had a melt down. She began to think that she would indeed end up having to live as Harry Potter did - under the stairs, in a basement totally devoid of windows). As you can see from the photo the term "room" has been terrible misused. As you look at the photo, the "room" "extends" to the right to the scale of 5' x 4'. (remember how I told you the door hits the end of the bed as you open it? That's the width of this "L" shaped atrocity. Can you picture making this bed every morning? How anyone could live there is beyond me. Needless to say, #5 was freaking.

She took off for school and I tried calling the management back. Ha ha ha ha ha! These people are busy folk! Eventually I retained one of the managers and asked what the situation was (minus the hysterics and panic). The apartment had indeed been under another contract for months. How a business can make this kind of mistake is ridiculous, but what can I do about it now? #5 still had the summer contract but the Aug.-Aug. contract was no more. They could get us in the exact same apartment with the exact same living conditions with the exception of our option was now on the basement floor instead of the street level floor. I'll take it. The arrangements were made; and after talking with the owner, the management procured permission for me to paint the basement room. This is a HUGE thing as the owner doesn't allow anyone to paint - at all- no exceptions! So yippy!

#5 came home to more than good apartment news, she also opened a correspondence that informed her that she had earned 1/2 tuition for 2 semesters with the option of renewal for 4 years dependent on grades! WaHooo!

a. Early morning seminary is a religion class designed to Spiritually educate high school students within the L.D.S. Church Educational System. The curriculum is Old Testiment, New Testiment, Book of Mormon, and Church History - Doctrine and Covenants/Pearl of Great Price; with one of the previous per year of indepth study. Early morning seminary is designated for students outside of Utah and parts of Arizona where participants meet prior to the high school day for the 50 minute program. This means they get up and ready themselves for study which begins as early as 5:30 a.m. in some areas.

One Semester (and then some!) in the bank!

It's Tuesday so time for the scholarship report.

My husband always says that his job has always reflected the teaching he learned as a boy and then in his callings via the church. The church has offered us all blessings beyond what we think of on a daily basis. Public speaking. Orgaization of thoughts and life. Being Prepared. Being firm in convictions and standards. Being comfortable conversing with new people who have different ideas and cultures. Making goals and staying focused. Doing the task at hand until it is finished. Knowing that if you have failed there is a lesson to be learned and you can turn it into a positive life lesson, and so on. He says being a business manager is very much the same as his experience in the Bishopric.

Up at 6:30, drive an hour and a half, avoid a jam on the freeway by accessing alternate routes. Having an ATM machine eat my card. Showing up early - who knew? We grab name tags and brochures, find our places and ready ourselves for the opening introductions. It is brought to our attention that today's competition began with teachers and administrators hand picking eligible students who showed academic and civic achievement. That pool was narrowed down determined by the highest scores to a field of 350 -375 in each of California's 10 districts. The 350 or so were pared down to a group of 32. Those 32 kids were divided up into 4 groups and sent to today's competition. Applied Arts, Liberal Arts, Fine Arts, and Math & Science. My #5 was in the math and science group of 8.

Going into the competition she was calm albeit full of trepidation due to her perceived lack of math and science skills. She feels her strong suit is English, grammar, and writing. The competition was 3 part. #1 They were given 30 minutes to prepare a statement (that would not be judged nor even read) to help them gather their thoughts on the topic. #2 One by one they would present a 2 minute presentation of their thoughts on the topic. (This part would be judged by a panel of four assorted community business persons) #3 As a group, the 8 contestants would panel discuss the pros and cons of each contestants idea and could be spontaneously asked questions by anyone on the panel and the judges. (also judged) Scores would be tallied and then a lunch with awards after a keynote speaker.

When #5 was "released" for the 20 minute break between competition and lunch, she looked sick. I could tell she felt she had failed. "I was the only one who took a different view point and then everyone attacked it. The judges were asking all the other kids questions and smiling at them and then whenever I made a point someone else would shoot it down. One kid even tried to gain sympathy by relating his siblings disability to the related topic... but he couldn't state for a fact, but he just stood there all weepy and everyone was sad for him. UHG!" She was very sure they were impressed more by the other kids because they kept more queries for them instead of her. She got a few questions but not rebuttals from the judges like the other kids. While she expressed her disappointment in herself, she was at least smiling and trying to enjoy the event. She introduced herself to most of the kids and about half of the adults and asked who was going where and what their majors would be and tried to fill the time chatting.

Lunch. Rubber chicken with rice. o.k. Not much to write home about. In the introduction the host reassured everyone they were "truly winners just for being here!" Yeah, yeah, o.k., but I want her to win. It sounded nice, but pretty cheesy even for the mom sitting there very proud of the gal who got through the eliminations. The added bonus is for everyone who showed up - just for being there - they would receive a pretty good chunk of change. So, hey, at least we go home with that! S'mee was satisfied.

Of course because it makes a good blog entry and the fates were against us, her category was presented last. All through the day Dad kept text messaging me asking for updates as he couldn't attend. During the 2nd category awards I got his 6th message wanting more news. A "She's already won in my opinion, tell her I love her." was passed via the phone under the table for view. She smiled.

Her friend's category was up. She had the same experience as #5, lone wolf crying in a desert of penguins with all the judges throwing fish. She too felt she would lose, although she felt justified and confident and that the judges in her category would most likely give the high award to a certain boy, whom she admitted graciously deserved it, and to a girl who did not. She was right and she received her prize money, smiled like a beauty queen and was quite the gracious little gal. I was proud of her attitude.

#5's group. 5 honourable mentions, then 3, 2, and #1. It was torture. There was a particularly rude gentleman whose name was called first. I admit I was glad he wasn't in the top ranking and that his name had been called before #5's -"even though in the 5 there were no particular order of importance or rank". WHEW! o.k. I am ready for you to call her name. Another name and another and then another. I was all "OH MY HECK!" then I remembered that there was one more in the bottom 5. Not her name! She's in the top three! HOLY HANNAH! I am screaming on the inside. Third place, Second place and then there was #5! She actually received number one! I was jumping up and down inside and my heart was pounding as she walked up to the podium to receive her scholarship money. BIG money. I was thrilled!

On the ride home we talked about what happened in the competition. After hearing her rendition of the proceedings in detail, I noticed that the reason she more than likely won was due to her learning and experiences in the church. She's just like her dad.

yeah!

At the beginning of this semester #5 was informed that she was the Valedictorian, and then due to an admitted error from her less than stellar AP Chemistry teacher, she was denied the honour by 3 points, which she could have earned easily, but again, admittedly her Bio Teacher blew that opportunity for her. Top ranking in her school is fiercely close, with the top five literally separated by those 3 points and determined by each of the students' weighted classes.

All of the top 10 students have the typical "all A" report cards, the whole 4.0 GPA is a thing of the past. Now everything is based on which AP (accelerated program/advanced placement) classes you have; kicking the GPA goal to 5.0. She is blessed with a keen intellect and has taken every opportunity to advance as quickly through high school as possible. She chose classes based on their ability to be used as college courses, thus eliminating the need to take (and pay for them later) in college. At the end of each year she has taken the AP tests that, based on her scores, have enabled her to pretty much blow off her first year at the Bayou, or other colleges if she chooses.

This morning she was informed that she had indeed missed the spot for Valedictorian. She knew that a couple of months ago and dealt with the disappointment much better than S'mee (who wanted one AP Chem teacher in a dark alley...). She decided that being in the top 5 was a great accomplishment in it self and that she had already been accepted to the colleges she wished to attend and benefited from being able to chose instead of settle for; so why pout about top five? She's graceful as well as smart.

This morning she was also informed that she had placed second in her class and the honour of Salutatorian would be hers! We are extremely proud of her and are jumping through all sorts of joyous hoops and dancing all kinds of happy dances. (pretty good trick for dad and his funky knee) She of course is still a bit embarrassed about the whole of it and won't let me announce it to very many people. ("Not everyone has it as easy as me mom, look at #4, he had to struggle for everything he learned. And #3, who worked as hard as me and just missed it by inches."). I told you she was gracious. But I am not. So here's to my #5, and all my kids, who have accomplished a lot. And thanks to a Heavenly Father who has blessed them deeply! We are very very happy and extremely blessed!

SOLD!

Day two: House three. Jessica. A very happy young gal who is getting married and needs someone to take over her contract for summer/fall. SWEET! This street level condo, one block from the Bayou is offering a single bedroom with as private bath, HUGE closet, bed, desk, bookshelf,dresser and big window that looks out at the street. A washer, dryer, large shared living space and large kitchen, plus great roomies in the basement. To throw a bone our way, Jessica dropped the price for the summer contract by $50.00 per month! WaHooo!

Next came Creepy Landlord Guy. Upon entering his office he remains seated as he throws keys at my daughter through a counter window. (In your best Eeyore) "All the apartments are the same. Go all the way to the end of this hall, then all the way down the next. #114 is open." So we walk down to #114, unlock the door and promptly smack it into the closet that faces the door. To the right is a large kitchen. We didn't realize there was a living room to the left until we shut the front door because there wasn't a space between the door and the closet to view the room from. The kitchen leads to a communal bathroom sink type area with rather sticky drawers that SCREECH when they are being opened. There are more cupboard closets across from the sinks that line the mid hallway. Equal bedrooms are on either side. Both mirror the other and are large and have two twin beds in each. The closets have fold down tables that act like desks. The trip here is that almost every cupboard door is off a hinge, or two. The carpets and drapes are grimy and dingy and I don't want to describe the bathroom and shower. UGH. So we return the key to Eeyore. "Did you say on the phone that you had singles?" "Yeah, if someone wants a single we just add the other beds into the other room. The apartment ALWAYS has at least 4 and the majority have 6 people." (Great, so the princess who has a huge private room to herself gets the resentment of the others whom she has inconvenienced. Read: The other roomies take every opportunity to cough in her food.) No thanks.

House #5 was the internet preview choice number one. Great location, fairly new and reasonably priced. After seeing in person, not so much. That and watching the "Kramer" neighbor drinking chocolate milk out of the jug while telling us how much she LOVES this apartment kind of messed with the illusion.

House #6. Party Central. Enter Art School Barbie and her friend Sick in Bed Midge. Barbie gives us a quick tour. Her room is Gynormous with a double bed et al. Really nice rooms but shared bathrooms. Still, all in all, a very nice place. Art school Barbie has displayed her talents via the acrylic sofa sized painting of a freaky surfer girl. Over the kitchen table she waxed cultural and went for the Asian characters and symbolic red and gold square objects in black frames. Magazine and movie choices are edgy. But hey, this is college right? The hallway is papered with Abercrombie and Fitch male models... hubba hubba. There are sundry art objects everywhere and the ward is TOTALLY COOL!

House #7 is another great find. Here we have the H&G co-ed ideal for the truly matured gal entering adulthood. Beige leather sofa, on a non-traditional angle to offset the structure of the square floor plan. Fine art and tiny sculpture. Immaculate and smelling of a crock pot roast. Bedroom out of a model home with private bath. Mom and Dad own the apartment and she is graduating. It was probably THE perfect choice so far - except the price is a tad too high.

We called almost every phone number listed in the Provo Real Estate market. Marge was the main contact for the majority of places we were interested in. When we were finally able to contact her, she informed us that she didn't show the homes, she just handles paperwork. "If you are interested in seeing a place you just need to walk up, knock on the door and tell them you want to look at the place. Then decide and call me back." For this she gets a boatload of money for managing half of Provo. It's a nutty way to conduct business. "Hi, I'm a complete stranger from out of state. Let me in your home unannounced to look through your closets and lingerie drawers."

We decided on number 3. Just like in the funeral business (more on that later), number 3 is the best seller. Both nieces and their hubbies approved the location, price and even knew the ward. One of the nephew-in-laws has one brother currently living across the street in the men's apartments and another younger brother on the way in the fall. She will have plenty of family around for support. There is also a warning about a particular men's building where illicit action is currently taking place and a stern warning to avoid these "men" during church and other activities. Thanks you guys, family is the best!

Just get a magic wand and a message delivering owl....

Day one: Searching for the "Private single women's housing, BYU approved, as close to campus as possible, washer/dryer included, most utilities paid, internet access, good ward, preferably with good roomies and reasonably priced (read CHEAP)" room.

Met with Ashley and Alley. Very nice and informative roomies who showed us the open space. A 3 level condo, one block off campus. The single bedroom is upstairs, shares a shower bathroom with another gal, with sinks in the hall. The bedroom space is large enough to accommodate a twin bed on cinder blocks (for storage space below), a small desk and dresser with closet. The main floor has a large shared living space with an equally large kitchen with W/D and "boys" bathroom. The basement "belongs" to Ashley and Alley "because we were the only ones to clean it out and now it's our office space". The rent is reasonable considering the location and utilities paid. The 4th year roomies also informed us on neighborhood personalities and lifestyles and offered to give their opinions on other properties we would look at to "make sure you're in a good place for a good price." They praised the ward for being a place for people who want to attend church, have callings and actually increase their testimonies. "This is not a party ward." Sounds perfect for #5; but this is the first place we have looked, so onto number two.

Ever wonder where Harry Potter spent his miserable childhood? In a quaint little bungalow just down the road. We caught an appointment and went in for a look. As we approached the basement entrance hot pink and hot purple porch lights announced our arrival. The door opened and we are greeted by the blonde equivalent of Wednesday Adams. We entered into the dim living space. The kitchen wasn't much brighter, but it was indeed large and spacious, but dreadfully stuck in post war amenities. We cross through the kitchen space to get to the "private" single room offered. Wednesday swings the door open to reveal a twin bed surrounded on three (count 'em -3!) walls. Granted one side of the bed has a wall that only goes half way down the bed as it bends to the "closet" space. The slant of the 6 foot ceiling grows ever closer to the floor cutting the closet space very triangular. There is a built in shelf (desk?) on the opposite wall. Wednesday explains that the shelf in the middle of the room should go next to the entrance door and that is used as both book shelving and dresser. The closet cannot accommodate dresses or lengthily clothes and that any of those items are usually stored in the other girls' closet. The GAPING hole in the ceiling (with exposed shards of wet wood and dripping pink insulation) will be repaired soon. There is indeed a curtain, but alas no window. It's there for effect only. The loud noise we hear is hidden behind the entrance door. Closing it we see another door and understand it to be the "maintenance room" complete with boiler (boiler???) and washer and dryer. These are communal and the lock on this door is there so that the gals from upstairs can't just saunter through your room. (although the downstair girls will be able to do so.) The noise is loud and vibrating. Wednesday tells us that the landlord is lovely, sweet and very attentive to repairs, etc. "You can't get a better guy." But that she is moving because she gets too cold in the winter. The girls upstairs control the heat and cooling; and heat rises, so they (the downstairs gals) are always cold. That and they pay half the utilities; "why pay for something you never get?" So she's outta there and so are we.