July 18, 2008 - Fire Cleaning update...Cleaners day 3, evaluation by adjuster

Sorry, I have not been on as of lately.  Just so busy cleaning! 

Day 3 of the cleaners went OK.  Just two of them came to clean carpets.  And they did it quite quickly.   We volunteered to move items, requested that we be asked to move the piano so they could wash the rug under it... but they didn't, they just cleaned around it.  *sigh*  How many times can you say... we want the piano moved!!!  When they left, I was relieved.  I just wasn't very happy with their service.

Today, the insurance adjuster came to see what they did and to give us the plan for the next step in getting back to normal after the fire.  We were basically approved to replace the kitchen ceiling (but not the dining room, yet... they currently both match... one was more damaged than the other and we are waiting to see if the cleaners will remove what was left on the ceiling).  We can replace the countertop (it was burnt in one corner and if Dh does the work, the adjuster will ok the replacement.  We will fix the cupboards... ourselves, and by doing that, I think the adjuster was happier to pay me for cleaning above the hours the cleaners had bid.  We turned in our receipt for the new stove.  My job is to email an estimate of cleaning left to be done in hours and itemized, email an estimate of kitchen repairs if we do the work with materials and time listed, and email a listing of items lost in fire (burnt items and food that was ruined from soot).  He said we would be reimbursed shortly for those items so we can begin repairs. 

We currently have about 10 areas that are pending needing a paint job.  But the majority of these areas aren't clean.  We took the insurance adjuster around and wiped with a chemical sponge in the kitchen and easily removed soot from the ceiling.  We also washed the living room ceiling with the cleaning solution and it wiped a nice white circle in the middle of a currently gray sooted ceiling (which they cleaned with a chemical sponge, but not with the solution).  The adjuster said... I've seen enough... I am calling this company and letting them know... because he had suggested them as well as our insurance company (different guy).  So, now, they will set up a date they can both be there and discuss the work done and what to do to remedy it.  The insurance adjuster does not want to pay out to this company if the house isn't "clean".  So, that is one more day to set aside for inspections.  Once inspected another plan will come about to decide who will finish the cleaning.  When he left today, I had a headache... I just want this to go away!  My mind wants things settled and it is getting to be a long process. 

Having no oven or stove adds a bit to the frustration... we are all a bit tired of sandwiches.  I thought having more raw items in our diet would be better for us, but apparently we are needing a bit of a change of heart... we are grumbling like the Israelites over eating the same style of food over and over and over.  I need a head break... just alot of stress going on!  

The stress isn't only the fire... We have VBS this week at church and my daughter was helping... that put me as a side helper... one that was used as needed.  I cleaned the church tonight as well since my older daughters are not here to do their jobs... they are working at summer camp.  I am being asked to lead out the children's program for a 2+ week evangelism program... with no breaks... it is every night (in September).  That is overwhelming for me to fathom at current, especially with all the driving.  VBS is hard enough on our family, especially with a 3yo!  Meals are never on time, bedtime isn't on time... I just don't know if I should commit to that big of a commitment.  The gal in charge of asking me (she's asked me 3 times now and the committee keeps coming back with new offers, LOL).  Anyways, they now know about the fire and asked if they could help "clean" the fire... I'm guessing so that I might help do the children's program!  I know their sneaky ways!  LOL.  With everything in limbo, though, I've had to decline their offer for this weekend, since I have to wait for another inspection of what was cleaned, so the BOSS can see what was and wasn't done.  

Other misc. items are popping up as well, though, I am not at liberty to say what they are.  These are more stresses that are happening to others, yet you feel you need to help, reach out in some way to help ease their pain.  I've been doing alot of praying. 

My most recent biggest stress was finding a louse crawling on my chest this morning.  Having helped with VBS and bending over so many kids' heads helping in crafts... just made me crawl... because the louse was not found right after VBS, but rather the next morning... that means enough time for nits to be in my hair... needless to say, I am now pulling at each thread of hair on it's own trying to find nits... It's more of a compulsive act.  I had lice with my daycare on two different occasions and it is so hard to get rid of when you have girls with long hair.  I told Dh this would be one occasion where I would consider cutting my hair as it took me nearly a month to rid it from our home... with the daycare.  Dh didn't say much.  He had actually asked me to cut it several months ago and it was his hope as well as his parents that it would remove the frizz from my curly hair...NOPE.  So he knows if I cut it, I'll just have a short frizz hairdo.  He'll let me do whatever... he knows how I hated the lice before... I just cried and cried over it.  I likely would cut more off this time, but I said I had to find another louse before I did.  I haven't and I haven't found any nits yet, either.   Creepies... just NOT what I needed at the moment!

On the lighter side, the adjuster said he found us some of the most honest folk he has found in a long time.  I found that odd.  Here we were complaining about the cleaners, but I guess he felt the complaints were justified.  We tried to think about what he meant exactly and we think it likely was that we said we were going to do the work ourselves and how we planned to do it... they will pay for that, but they WOULD have paid for a contractor to place a bid and pay us that and then we could have still done the work ourselves... meaning a contractor may have asked for $2500 to match our cupboards and replace them and we are asking for about $100 in materials and our time (at $10 / hour).   I guess you could call that honest... perhaps it was that we said upfront we plan to make other repairs/changes since we have to take everything down anyways...

We are still trying to figure out the total plan, but we've already figured out with what was approved, we will get our kitchen fixed... cupboards repaired, ceiling replaced, panelling replaced, wallpaper replaced, countertop replaced.  New oven and hood.  With all the cleaning we had done and will do, we will be able to pay our deductible ($1000) and have enough to upgrade our countertop to one that is formed rather than just a laminate on wood (which they are willing to pay for what we have, but nothing more)... but the cleaning affords us a couple hundred extra for a formed countertop, which means no more leaky water by the sink/window which seems to have found it's way to the cupboard underneath.  It also will afford us a new fridge.  Our current one is a used one and has been clunking and groaning for a few months, now.  So these are true blessings.  However, it is overwhelming my husband a bit.  He had summer plans to work on outbuildings and now he is being pulled inside.   I found it interesting, he asked me not to drag out the cleaning over the next couple months, but rather to get it done in the next couple weeks... I just looked at him in disbelief... one because I have 145 hours to clean and I wondered what expectation was to be met to have it cleaned in a couple weeks.  Then he sighed and said... I don't want to do the kitchen within a month, I'm sorry for asking you to turn the house inside out in two weeks as well.  Again I looked at him in disbelief... he doesn't say sorry very often.  *grin* 

Megan is home from camp and we are redoing her room as we put it back together.  Walmart had some cheap sales to add some different color to her room.  Her room is a mustard yellow color (it was our old bedroom and I love that color).  She however doesn't love the color alone, so we added jewel toned purple and jade to her room with the yellow it looks quite nice.  I spent about $100 on her room to update it, but Dh had overtime and wanted me to spend some money on her since BOTH her sisters left her for the summer.  Her older two sisters are working at summer camp... one is a counselor/horse barn help and the other one is volunteering as kitchen help and CIT (counselor in training).  Little Paige saw the curtains and said... Oooooo, Megan your room is beautiful!  It made Megan smile. 

Well, I need to get to bed... my sleep schedule is messed up again.  Back to working on it tomorrow! 

Warmly, ~Melissa

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