Eleven Degrees Below Zero!

We bought a cute little house in Prior Lake, MN as an investment. Funny thing about investments...for the Scott Household it usually means a little money and a LOT of sweat equity. Mr. Scottie Dog has been here since mid December. First getting the deal done, researching and buying insurance, setting up the utilities, etc. and finally getting title and getting the work done on our 3 bedroom, 2 bath rental house. It was built in 1941 and has plastered archways, nooks and built in shelves.
It's a cute cottage, one and a half stories and sits on nearly 1/2 acre. After a month of being apart, I flew to MN and we've been working on it together. Mr. Scottie Dog has done the lions' share of the work...some plumbing, a lot of electrical work. He had to clean up the yard before the snow fell as it's important to get the leaves off the grass before the snow buries them. There was a lot of junk to be cleared out of the garage and basement. The stairway was torn up and re-built and the upstairs bathroom needed a new floor (not just flooring!) so he tore that up too. I've been patching plaster walls, sanding them and re-patching several times. Lots of clean-up, it took three hours to get rid of all the cobwebs in the basement (I AM the WOMAN after that job!). Today I washed all the walls with TSP and then rinsed them. All the woodwork had to be cleaned too.

Of course I have played with the grandbabies lots. To hear Shiloh cry, "Namay!" (Grammy) as I appeared at breakfast the first day was wonderful. She remembered who I was. She'll be two in 3 weeks. Mercedes will turn 4 end of next week (we'll be gone by then). Jakob will become a big 6 year old end of March and baby Anastacia is 3 months and counting....smiles at her Grammy too! I've done some babysitting, some sewing with Beka and lots of fun stuff too. A lot of work, a lot of fun. Hopefully we'll be on our way back home by Tues. or Wed. and our little house will find a family to live in it.

I hear there is rain at home (lots and lots!). Thanks to those who look after our house and things while we are away. Here we wear lots of layers, and mittens and scarves and hats and extra socks and heavy coats....it was 11 degrees BELOW zero as we left to work on the house this morning.

PS.....a funny fact: In this part of MN they have a deal at McDonalds....buy one big mac and get a second one for what the temperature was a noon the previous day. I wonder if they'll give me two for 11 cents less than regular price?