After the Flood

After weeks of cold and snow, the sun finally came out and it warmed up a bit. It was nice to get a break from the freezing temperatures and get rid of some of the ice that has accumulated at the end of the driveway (thanks to the neighbor who has left his van on the street next to our driveway for the past six months). We decided to take advantage of the nice weather by taking Max and Molly shoe shopping and paying a visit to Grandma and Grandpa.

We had a nice outing. Molly's feet have grown TWO sizes since summer -- she went from a 6 1/2 wide to an 8 1/2. It seems that she's also outgrown her chubby baby feet and has inherited Mama's skinny feet. We had a hard time finding any shoes that would stay on her narrow heel. The only shoes that fit were a pair of lace ups -- I have a feeling I'm going to be missing that velcro. Max is now at an 11 1/2 wide -- at least he isn't an extra wide any more! His shoe selection was limited as well, but we eventually found a pair that fit and that I could stand. After we visited with Grandma and Grandpa, we drove by Dad's work to pick up a corned beef that a co-worker had purchased for him and then headed back home.

We made dinner, gave baths, and put the kids to bed. A little later in the evening, Dad went into the basement to get something and was surprised (and dismayed) to step off the bottom step and find himself standing in about an inch of water. It seems our sump pump hadn't been doing its job and the ENTIRE basement (most of which is carpeted and finished) was flooded. Ugh! We spent the rest of the evening carting things upstairs, calling the insurance company, and sucking up water with the shop vac.

The good news is that our insurance will cover the damage -- the bad news is that the entire carpet/pad had to be ripped out and discarded. The insurance company sent over the water cleanup folks on Sunday and they've spent the last two days ripping up carpet, sanitizing the floor, and drying everything out. Nothing important was damaged or lost and I guess this will force us to finally clean up and organize all the clutter that has accumulated in the basement. What fun!