Almost moving time!

[Lindsey]

I am just days away of getting into my new place! My living room is stacked with boxes and furniture, and I'm not even done packing yet :eek:

My roommate wanted to move into my room and isn't going to be around this weekend, so she insisted on moving her stuff into my room YESTERDAY. I took the day off work because I was so sick, but ended up spending the whole afternoon packing, cleaning, and moving everything out of my room. Everyone I talked to couldn't believe I had to do that so early... I've paid rent to the end of the month! Why should I have to sleep on a couch? But I didn't want to start a fight with only a week left, so I firmly said I'd move everything out but I'm keeping my bed in there and set up until the end of the week. Her matresses are standing against a wall and she's staying at her boyfriend's house for the week.

I am so ready to just get out of this place. It has been feeling less and less like "home" in the past month. Right now I'm living out of a suitcase and everytime I reach for something, I need I realize it's already packed.

My roommate also wanted to move her food into my pantry cupboard so she threw all of my food into boxes. I don't even know where to look for anything, so it's almost 10 pm and I'm waiting for Scott to bring me food from the lounge he was at with friends because I haven't eaten since lunch!

2 more days! The countdown is on!

[MaddieBoo]

Sounds like you've been trying to get out of there for a while! Hope the move goes smoothly and that you can stand the last 2 days there! :)

[Marilyn]

Your roommate sounds horrible!! Good thing you're getting out of there!! Wish you well in your move, and hope you get to feeling better very, very soon!!!!

[Lindsey]

Thanks! I'm still sick and coughing my lungs out, but at least I'm at work today! I hope to get the rest of my stuff packed up tonight and I can do some cleaning too.

[Janet]

Hope you feel better soon Lindsey.... and how exciting....starting a new chapter in a new home.

[judy]

:getwell:Feel better Linds! Have a smooth, trouble-free move. How exciting:cheer:

:happy122::star::coolsmiley:
:cheer::cheer::cheer:




P.S. The roomate sucks!!!:tongue026::omg:

[gja1000]

Hi Lindsay! I hope your move goes as smoothly as possible!!! Good Luck!

[Marilyn]

How's it going Lindsey?? Are you moving this weekend??

[DianaB]

That's what I want to know........are you moved yet? I bet that you're too busy getting everything put away that you don't have time to be on here!!!! Have fun, Lindsey!!!

[Lindsey]

I took a week off work and haven't gotten my tv or internet hooked up yet :D So now I'm back to work and back here!

I'm redoing my whole bathroom, so Scott took off my bathroom vanity and took with it some of the wall :eek: so I had to plaster and sand that before painting. The new vanity is now installed, and I just need to put up the new lights I bought plus storage and mirror. The main area of the condo is painted (hallways, living room, dining room, kitchen), but the back area of the living room and the wall above the corner fireplace are red, and that still needs a few more coats! My bedroom and the guest bedroom still need paint too. I'll be working my butt off every evening this week because my friend and her husband are visiting this weekend and should be here Friday evening!

I have had a few troubles with the manager... First of all I have three parking spots according to the people I bought from. So I have been parking in those three spots. Scott and I got warnings that we would be ticketed if we didn't register! So I registered the two spots that needed registering. The next day, he brought his motorbike and parked it in one of the spots and I got another phone call saying that was registered to his car, not his motorbike! I would have to rent ANOTHER spot for another $15/month if he wanted to bring his bike. Finally Scott called and explained he will never have both his car and his bike there at the same time, and sweet talked her into letting him use the space for one or the other. I'm starting to look forward to getting a house one day and not having all these rules :(

Layla barks like crazy when the people across the hall get home (usually in the wee hours of the morning) and she has also peed a few times on the carpet :( We have put up her gate to keep her contained and she climbs over it. We even put chairs in front so she couldn't climb over, and she CHEWED it and got out. No matter what we do when we leave, we get home and she's wagging her tail at the door. I feel like ripping out the carpet so she won't keep using it as a giant pee pad!

[gja1000]

I feel like ripping out the carpet so she won't keep using it as a giant pee pad!


It sounds like you have been VERY busy - but isn't it exciting to have your own place!

YES YES YES! I would rip out the carpet and put down laminate or wood. One of my boys uses my mom's room which is carpeted as a huge pee pad too, so I have to keep that door closed. No matter what I do, he won't stop peeing on the carpet. He also sprinkles the wood, but only occasionally and I can just wipe that up.

[Lindsey]

It's very exciting! I have enough red paint left for one more coat... I really hope it covers! I have never painted red before and it's such a pain! I did a coat of tinted primer and three coats of red so far, but all the corners and the line at the ceiling and baseboards where I cut in with a brush looks WAY darker than the walls that were rolled. Last night we got the paint for the guest bedroom so I should be done buying paint now!

I had the same problem with Layla in the last place, but we only had carpet in the basement so the basement was off limits. I want so badly to keep the carpet because she loves running around on it! she rarely ran when we had laminate because she would slip so much :( and sometimes she would slip and fall when jumping off the couch. I think we're going to have to do some potty training boot camp.

[DianaB]

Your apartment sounds so cute!! I love red walls so you're going to have to post pictures.

Jazzi pees on the carpet and we try to keep doors closed and I let her outside every little bit. When we leave instead of locking her in a room or her kennel I have a chain (it's actually a plastic coated wire for tying up dogs) that is hooked up in the kitchen. She can go around both sides of the bar. I keep her toys nearby and a blanket on the floor with food and water. She's only peed once there and it was when she was left for a really long time. It's all hard surface and her chain is placed where she can't get on the carpet. When I hook her up I do have to move my chairs to the bar because she can get tangled in them. Anyway, this works great for us.

[Lindsey]

Thanks Diana! I will post pictures next week if I get everything done :) After the painting's done I'll need to hang pictures and I still need to buy things like a shower curtain and bedroom curtains, etc. The stuff I have now just doesn't match!

That's a good idea to tie Layla up in the kitchen. I do have a plastic coated wire too, but I'll just need to unpack it :rolleyes: The other thing I could do is just close the door in the laundry room, but I think she would scratch it up, and already the smell in there gets pretty bad when she uses her pad in there because there's no ventilation... with the door closed it would only be worse. Hopefully we'll try something that works! The best case scenario is that she turns into a perfectly trained dog overnight :D

[DianaB]

Try putting Lyla on the chain while you're home so she'll get used to it. I don't have any problems with chaining Jazzi up like this when I'm gone. I worried that she'd chew on the corners of the cabinets so I put deodorant on them and I haven't had any problems except she got tangled up in a chair leg once. You could even put a pee pad within reach for her. Good luck!!

[Gina]

Lindsey good luck on your new place. I didn't realized you were moving in already. Post some photos asap I would love to see them. Sounds really pretty. Poor Lalya I guess she has to get use to her new surroundings.. Good luck!

[Janet]

Don't know how I missed so much of this....post some pics Lindsey!!! Pretty please????

[Marilyn]

Sounds like you're getting settled!! Dark colors are sooo hard to paint. Sometimes roller stokes can be a problem, sounds like that's not one for you though. Ah, home ownership!!

Hope all works out well and you have a nice visit with your friends this weekend!!!!

[Lindsey]

Unfortunately, it's not going to be done by tomorrow night. I have barely slept in the past 3 weeks and I've gotten even more sick. I caught Scott's cold and it's been terrible. I took yesterday off work, got the painting done and got my cable and internet hooked up. Last night the plan was to get my bed put together and unpack my room. Scott couldn't remember where he put the screws and wood dowels for my bed and we tore the place apart until 1 am looking for them. Things just keep going wrong and I had to just sit down and cry. When I started I couldn't stop. I have been so stressed out.
I finally got to sleep around 3 and when my alarm went off at 5:50 there was no way I could get up... my head was pounding and I was so stuffed up. I took a sick morning and slept until 10, and then I got up and had my first bath in my deep soaker tub with "Cranilla" epsom salts. Wow. If I bought my condo just for that tub it would be worth it!
Now at work we have a project that just came to my attention and it's huge and due tomorrow. They haven't even started the design yet. So it looks like I will be stuck in the office all night. I'm so sick of this b.s. that goes on at work. Last week Scott was working until 5:30 in the morning, two days in a row, because they decided to lay things on him last minute. It's so stressful and so unhealthy, and it's because the engineers sit on these projects until the last minute and then decide to work on them under the gun and then we're stuck here with them until all hours of the night.
I am so stressed out I just can't handle it.

[Marilyn]

Oh, Lindsey, so sorry you are going through all of this. No advise for you, just a shoulder to lean on. So hope you get well soon and everything comes together for you!!!

[gja1000]

Lindsay, what you are going through is pretty normal - moving being stressful, that is. Then when you throw in a crappy job situation, well, it makes it just downright awful!

I just hate fixing up the house, painting and all. It always puts me in a bad mood! We had a lot of the siding on our house replaced and the whole house painted - WHILE WE WERE GONE ON VACATION - cuz we hate the mess and bother of the repairs. It is always stressful, but worth it because it belongs to you. It will be just fine when it is over, I promise!

[Lindsey]

Well it's 9:30 pm and I'm still at work... STILL waiting for a design!!! The worst part is I can't now claim my morning as sick time so I'm just getting up to my 8 hours for the day (i just took an hour to go eat). I had to miss my last class at the gym and nothing is getting done on my condo tonight :( I won't even have a bed to sleep in yet. Poor Layla needs to be fed as soon as possible but I can't take any time to go home. The stupid restaurant took so long with our food!
Gayle, I told Scott that when we buy a house together we can hire someone to paint. He just said no it's more fun doing things together! This was when I had done days and days of painting. Then he painted ONE CLOSET and told me he hates painting and we should hire someone if we buy a house lol.

[gja1000]

Gayle, I told Scott that when we buy a house together we can hire someone to paint. He just said no it's more fun doing things together! This was when I had done days and days of painting. Then he painted ONE CLOSET and told me he hates painting and we should hire someone if we buy a house lol.

Lindsay! My husband HATES to paint - he wouldn't even paint a closet!!! He would NEVER paint the outside of the house!!!

I'm sorry you had to stay at work all night last night. Hopefully, you'll get things finished up in the condo this weekend!

[Blueyes]

Oh Lindsey! I LOVE to paint and wallpaper and decorate! I wish I were closer so I could help you. You are just tired and sick sweetheart. Do try to get some rest:)

[judy]

Hi Linds!!!

Congratulations....you moved in:D:D:D

It is such hard work to unpack, clean, paint, etc.

I hired my SIL to do all of the work. It took months because he didn't finish up for so long a time.

I did learn from that experience, rushing to get it done is not so important. Maybe you could slow down a bit. I like to live in a place for a while before I start really decorating. I kind of get a feeling for the place, and what I want to do with it.

I am so happy for you. I hope Layla gets trained quickly. Yorkies are notorious
for using anything laying on the floor as a pee pad. I had the carpet picked up here right away and put down laminate.

By the way, I love red walls. I have several red walls here. It brings such depth
into the house IMO.

[Lindsey]

Now that my friends have come and went, I can relax a little with the decorating :) On Thursday night, I wasn't able to leave the office until 6:30 am :eek: Scott and I got home, played a bit with our super hyper Layla, and then went to bed. We slept for 6 hours and got up at 12:30. We did get a lot done, but not enough. We just got home from shopping when my friend called and they were about 5 minutes away! As they were walking in the door I was rushing to get my hanging laundry out of the living room and put up my shower curtains and put food away! They jumped right in and helped. Scotts #1 and #2 (lol) hauled everything extra out into my storage shed on the deck so it was clean and clutter-free!

We had such a great weekend despite the rainy weather and record low temperatures! Our plans were all canceled but we went shopping and had some drinks and played games at home :) They bought me a new game as a housewarming present called Partini which was pretty fun. Before they left, Cherelle also handed me a Christmas ornament she had picked up while shopping. It's some snowflakes with a poem about friendship, and it was really sweet! We are both Christmas nuts, so it didn't surprise me that it's still the middle of summer and I got a Christmas ornament lol!

Last night we got new doorknobs put on and some pictures hung, and then I had a bubble bath and we ate chips, drank pop, and watched HGTV and the National Geographic channel before going to bed. It was so nice to just relax and not worry about how fast things were getting done!

Oh yeah, and I moved at a good time. My old roommate called me yesterday to make sure I still had the spare key to their place (she hasn't come to get it yet). On Saturday night, her new roommate had left the house at 5, locked the door, came back at midnight, unlocked the door, and found the whole house messed up. Someone had broken in! A laptop, a desktop computer, some shoes, and jewelry were stolen. I couldn't believe it when she told me. That's the second robbery in a year, although the last one was just on the deck. I couldn't imagine if we still lived there and Layla was home. Now I'm more glad than ever that I moved into a condo. She said she feels so violated and is scared to stay there alone.

[DianaB]

I'm glad that you can relax now. You really need to get some rest and get this sickness behind you and I think that a nice relaxing weekend is just what you need.

It sounds like you have great friends!! I love Christmas ornaments too so I can understand enjoying your gift.

It does sound like you moved at just the right time. Now you can feel all nice and safe in your new condo. I'm so anxious for pictures when you get done decorating!!!

[MaddieBoo]

Now that my friends have come and went, I can relax a little with the decorating :) On Thursday night, I wasn't able to leave the office until 6:30 am :eek: Scott and I got home, played a bit with our super hyper Layla, and then went to bed. We slept for 6 hours and got up at 12:30. We did get a lot done, but not enough. We just got home from shopping when my friend called and they were about 5 minutes away! As they were walking in the door I was rushing to get my hanging laundry out of the living room and put up my shower curtains and put food away! They jumped right in and helped. Scotts #1 and #2 (lol) hauled everything extra out into my storage shed on the deck so it was clean and clutter-free!

We had such a great weekend despite the rainy weather and record low temperatures! Our plans were all canceled but we went shopping and had some drinks and played games at home :) They bought me a new game as a housewarming present called Partini which was pretty fun. Before they left, Cherelle also handed me a Christmas ornament she had picked up while shopping. It's some snowflakes with a poem about friendship, and it was really sweet! We are both Christmas nuts, so it didn't surprise me that it's still the middle of summer and I got a Christmas ornament lol!

Last night we got new doorknobs put on and some pictures hung, and then I had a bubble bath and we ate chips, drank pop, and watched HGTV and the National Geographic channel before going to bed. It was so nice to just relax and not worry about how fast things were getting done!

Oh yeah, and I moved at a good time. My old roommate called me yesterday to make sure I still had the spare key to their place (she hasn't come to get it yet). On Saturday night, her new roommate had left the house at 5, locked the door, came back at midnight, unlocked the door, and found the whole house messed up. Someone had broken in! A laptop, a desktop computer, some shoes, and jewelry were stolen. I couldn't believe it when she told me. That's the second robbery in a year, although the last one was just on the deck. I couldn't imagine if we still lived there and Layla was home. Now I'm more glad than ever that I moved into a condo. She said she feels so violated and is scared to stay there alone.


That is so funny, I just got that game as well. It's pretty funny, hey?
It sounds like your place is really coming together!

[Lindsey]

That is so funny, I just got that game as well. It's pretty funny, hey?
It sounds like your place is really coming together!

It is so much fun! There were a few times with the "straight up" card where we had to write about a person that we were all laughing so hard we were in tears!

Last night I went shopping for some extra stuff for the condo. I got a cute vase and a bunch of tall sticks (lol I don't know how else to describe it) for the back corner of the den/library area. It looks nicer than it sounds :) I also got 3 shelves to put on the wall in the living/dining area. Scott put those up before bedtime. The last thing I got was wicker laundry hampers, one with a divider with "Lights" and "Darks" and the other matching but just a bit smaller (for jeans :)) They have lids which is nice to deter Layla from eating my socks!

On the topic of Layla, she went about 20 steps backwards in potty training. She is peeing EVERYWHERE. I just can't seem to get it all out of the carpet and it's terrible. I understand her not wanting to stay in the laundry room all day now because there's no ventilation and even though it's big and she has her food and water and bed far away from her pee pad, just one pee on it and the room smells so bad. It also gets really hot and humid in there with no air flow. It's making me want to pull my hair out. I know Scott is getting so frustrated too. I just keep telling him "It's not her, it's us" We need to spend more time training but it's really tough when we're both working.

She's also just being a brat in general. Anything we leave out is fair game for her to eat. Last weekend just before my friends left, she opened a zipper of my friend's suitcase and ate half a chocolate bar!!!! I was so worried because chocolate can be so bad, but it wasn't dark chocolate and my friend felt terrible so I didn't want to make her feel worse. They were on their way out so I thought I'd watch her and if she was acting weird I would take her to the vet but she didn't seem to have any problems at all. It just scared me a lot! She has also eaten soup, pasta, and chips in the last couple of weeks. She used to be way better behaved than this!!! Last night we woke up to her snooping through Scott's overnight bag, and the night before she pooped on the floor at the end of my bed :( I'm starting to feel like a really bad dog trainer. I don't know how to stop it.

Anyways, I'm hoping I will have most of my stuff in place by next weekend so I will get some pictures for you!

[Marilyn]

Lindsey, you might consider crate training Layla. It's really not cruel at all. Zoe uses a crate when we travel and when I go to set it up, she wants inside so bad she gets in the way. It's like her little room. Her's is the black wire kind, so she can see out and not feel trapped in. I often put a beach towel over it so it's like her cave. She goes nuts over anything with stuffing in it, and wants to hump it and growls if anyone comes near, so insted of a stuffed pad, I just fold a fluffy beach towel for the bottom and have a water bowl that clamps inside. Toss in one of her favorite toys and she's in good shape, and I don't have to worry about my friend's or family's floors when we are out shopping and such.

I used to put the dogs in crates while we were at work and they did fine. I'd leave them with water and little dry kibble. Hubby was able to let them out at lunch most of the time, but once in a while, they'd be there all day and they did fine. They were really anxious to use the potty when we got home though, and once in a while would have an accident, but by using towels in the crate, it's not hard to clean up if they do have an accident.

We are planning to get our house ready to sell, and may put new carpet in our living room and master bedroom, so if we do, ours will probably be back to being crated during the day.

Hope this helps. Most of the time when we are away from out pets, they are sleeping anyway. I don't know how they can sleep sooo long!!

[DianaB]

I use crates too. Reuger and Jazzi both have their separate crates to sleep in. Jazzi has never had an accident in hers. I was really surprised when she was little. I don't like to leave them in there for long periods of time but they seem to do fine when I do leave them.

I also have a tie out in the kitchen where she can be hooked up when I go somewhere. She can reach the food, water, toys, and a blanket to lay on. She really has quite a bit of room to move around but can't reach the carpet. When I go somewhere this is where I hook her up and she hardly ever has an accident there. I do have to move the chairs at the bar so Jazzi won't get tangled in the legs. The only times that she's had an accident has been when I've left her too long. Reuger is house trained and I hardly ever have a problem with him so I never worry about him.

I hope that you can find something that helps Layla get adjusted to your new place. Good luck!

[Lindsey]

I have considered crate training Layla and I really wish I would have done it when she was little. I'm sure it will be a little harder to train now that she's used to having free run of the house. It's something I've definitely looked into and I'm still considering!

[Marilyn]

Lindsey, they are like children. The first time you leave her in a crate, since she has no experience with them, she will probably cry and make you feel really bad, but 5 to 10 minutes after you leave, she will probably settle down and be fine. You might try crating her and leaving for 20 to 30 minutes and coming back. Short times at first. You have to leave though. She can sense if you are nearby and will keep up her crying just like a child does sometimes when you drop them off at daycare of school when they are young.

Another good thing to get her used to the crate is to have it in the room for a few days open. Put water, a little food and some of her toys in it so she gets used to it with the door open. The transition can be eased by doing things like this.

There are video's and books available at places like PetsMart and probably online about crate training. Yorkietalk probably has some good things if you can get past all the junk on there.

[DianaB]

You can find all kinds of information on the web. Here's a site that I found that might be helpful.....

http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html

[judy]

Layla is not really being bad. She is probably stressed out and also marking her territory in the new place. If you don't want to crate her, how about a playpen or an ex pen for when you are not home. If you let her loose, the carpet picks up the odor, and it is so hard to get them trained not to pee where they smell it on the carpet.

You and Scott can train her when you are home with her. It's also supposed to be better to not leave them in a situation where they can "break the law," so to speak.

I don't blame you for not wanting to put her in the laundry room with no circulating air.

[Shada]

Layla is not really being bad. She is probably stressed out and also marking her territory in the new place. If you don't want to crate her, how about a playpen or an ex pen for when you are not home. If you let her loose, the carpet picks up the odor, and it is so hard to get them trained not to pee where they smell it on the carpet.

You and Scott can train her when you are home with her. It's also supposed to be better to not leave them in a situation where they can "break the law," so to speak.

I don't blame you for not wanting to put her in the laundry room with no circulating air.

I agree with Judy. I have a wee one now. Little Maltese. Sweetest little guy.
But.. he is having a hard time getting used to the cats. So to help them when I am not home, I have a exercise pen I keep him in when I go out. It is really a good helper. It can be placed in different shapes. I keep mine in a corner of the living room in a 4ft. by 4ft. shape. Large enough for his bed, food, water, and a pee pad he has never used. I am lucky he came housebroken!!
Plus he still has room outside of the items in there with him. He doesn't mind it. In fact he often goes in on his own for a nap when I am home.
You can get them fairly cheap. I got mine on Ebay.

Good luck!! She is just confused by the move. In time she will be fine and settle in.

[Marilyn]

There may have been a dog in the house before her, too, who peed on the carpet. This could be why she thinks it's okay to pee there. Cleaning the carpets doesn't get up all the evidence especially for canine noses.

An ex pen is a great idea. We used one for Zoe and had her open crate in it for her bed. That may have been when she fell in love with the crate. The ex pen took up too much room for me, and hubby did not like the look of it, or walking around it. Just have to do what works for you. These are all very good ideas.

Hope all works out well and you get settled and everything the way you want it very soon!!