Beware of the Woes of Apartment Renting !!!

I am going to warn you pre-college parents of the woes of off-campus apartment rental.  This is what happened to my daughter.  You see, you are not the signer of the lease, your college-age young adult is.  So you are not part of the agreement or process.  When my daughter moved into her apartment the first thing I noticed was the carpet was torn near the entry way.  Apparently the door had torn it over time because it was a poorly hung door.  There were many sad things wrong with this apartment but it was really the best place in this little college town.  The carpet had several stains and the bathroom was disgusting.  I had to clean the shower, tub, floor, and ceiling of this bathroom.  There was mildew or mold on the ceiling right above the shower.  I didn't want my daughter to have to stand with her head that close to it, so I cleaned it as best as I could.  The toilet did not have a handle to flush it with so we drove to the nearby Wal*Mart and bought one.  I'm thinking the sooner the better rather than have to raise the tank lid every time to flush the toilet.  While we are replacing the handle, the manager walks in, apparently to fix it.  He says, "Oh, most people don't ever bother trying to anything around here.  Thanks."  

    So as part of the process of moving into an apartment you are asked to fill out a move-in condition form and list all the things that you found wrong with the apartment.  This is where I want to warn you.  If you or your child ever moves into an apartment, remember to fill this out in detail.  This fall my son moves back into an apartment and we will be taking photos and video-taping the place.  This seems to be a trap that apartment management plays to take advantage of young, inexperienced college students.  

    My daughter says that she listed on the form about the carpet and so did her roommate but the new manager after they moved out says that the form is marked "Ok" next to the carpet.  I can hardly believe that anyone in their right mind would have marked carpet "ok" in this case.  Long story shorter (?) we are charged $267.54 to replace that carpet.  

    The old managers were always telling my daughter and her roommate that they needed to replace their carpet for them but never did it.  I guess the apartment company waits until they find somebody who possibly did not mark complaints about the carpet and then they can charge them to replace it after they move out.  It all got very ugly.  I said, "I suppose this is how you get your carpets replaced."  

   I had so many things going against me.  No copy of the original form that was filled out, new managers who did not believe me, they don't keep records of the previous renter's form, (my daughter was only there for 10 months).  I called the corporate headquarters but they said the same thing, "If it's not written on the move-in form, we will assume you did the damage."  

   I really can't believe them.  I feel like going over and knocking on her old apartment and asking to see the new carpet that I am purchasing.  I am going to go over and look at the rental form, if possible, I am not on the lease so I have to have my daughter's permission and since she is in Italy right now...

   I have been mad about this and trying to think of ways to get even but I can't think of anything worth doing.  Also, I don't believe it is the right thing to do.  But I sure hate paying for new carpet that my daughter never got to enjoy.  If they had told me when she moved in that we could pay for new carpet now and enjoy it because we would be paying for it later with no enjoyment then I would have paid for it in advance!

This is my recommendation for apartment dwellers:

Take photos and document everything.  Make copies of the form you fill out before turning it in.  Keep this copy in a safe place.  Take photos after you move out.  Any time you have a complaint, document it.  Put it in writing.  The corporate headquarters told me that managers forget.  It has to be in writing.  Please don't ever let this happen to you.  :D  They told me after every phone call, "Have a nice day."

Enigma

"Somewhere in her smile she knows"



"Something in her style that shows"

Ziggy

Wordless Wednesday-"The Spy Who Loved Me"

Nobody does it better.







Please visit more Wordless Wednesday here.

Identified flying objects

Crop duster that flies over my house every morning.

Visiting my little feeder every day.

In motion.

Fun Monday-Good Memories

Fun Monday is being hosted by Molly of Return of the

White Robin.  She wants us to share a happy memory

of our childhood.

One of my favorite childhood memories was shopping with
my mother in a nearby town. It was a wonderful way to
spend a day. We'd shop and get ice cream at a drugstore
soda shop with the old fashioned counter. Here is a link
to the post with pictures.

WOW Hits Contest

Rocks in My Dryer is having a contest with www.WOWonline.com.  They are giving away 17 CD's.

The nice folks behind WOW Hits 1 are offering TWENTY winners each a boxed set of 17 CDs, one CD for each of the artists represented on WOW Hits 1.

Did you follow that?

TWENTY of you will each win the following boxed set:

1. Barlow Girl - How Can We Be Silent
2. Aaron Shust - Whispered and Shouted
3. Cadia - Cadia
4. Point of Grace - How You Live
5. Skillet - Comatose
6. Brandon Heath - Don’t Get Comfortable
7. Michael W. Smith - Stand
8. Third Day - Wherever You Are
9. Relient K - Five Score and Seven Years Ago
10. Casting Crowns - The Altar and the Door
11. Steven Curtis Chapman - This Moment
12. Chris Tomlin - See the Morning
13. Matthew West - Something To Say
14. David Crowder Band - Remedy
15. Jeremy Camp - Beyond Measure
16. Newsboys - Go
17. Toby Mac - Portable Sounds

::AND:: You will also win a copy of the WOW Hits 1 CD.

Hurry and get over to Rocks in My Dryer.  This contest

ends this morning sometime.

Edit:  Times up!  I didn't win but it was 

fun trying.  :D

PF Changs

I'm going here to lunch today.  Mmmmm....

With my mom and daughter.  

This post is edited to add photos.  I have more that my

daughter took with her camera.  I will post them soon.

This is my daughter and my mom.

Wordless Wednesday-New Ride

Look for more Wordless Wednesday here.

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Memories.

This song was written in 1957. (My birth year) But my memories

of it began in 1972.  

Strawberry Jello Cake

Here is a version of the cake I made:

STRAWBERRY JELLO CAKE
1 white cake mix
1 package strawberry jello
1 package frozen strawberrys
1 container topping like Cool Whip
Bake cake according to directions. Mix Jell-o with 1 cup warm water. Make several holes in top of cake without going through and then pour Jell-o over cake.
Microwave strawberries until thawed and pour on cake.

Add Cool Whip over all and refrigerate until chilled.

Here is what I did differently:
Mixed Jello with 1 cup boiling hot water. Poured it over cake as per directions above.
Mixed an instant vanilla pudding mix in the Cool Whip for the topping.
I used fresh strawberries to garnish.
Refrigerating the whole cake makes it very refreshing. Delicious.

*There is a possibility of mixing 1 cup of milk with the instant vanilla

pudding and then adding 8 oz. cool whip. It probably makes the topping

smoother (less grainy).  Either way, it's still good!

Fun Monday

This week's Fun Monday is being hosted by Karisma.
She would like us to present something we hand-crafted.


I made this pottery in my high school class. See "1973".
A long time ago. I really enjoyed that class.

I made this quilt a few years ago. I love anything blue
and especially French toile or blue delft.

I have some cross-stitch pictures that I have done.

I have a few counted cross stitch projects that I posted here.

Making a 'Toon of Oneself

I tried this at toonlet.com

Hillsong United-"One Way"

Beauty For Ashes

Dad's House

My brothers and I went to Dad's house yesterday.
Time to empty out the possessions of a lifetime.
My brothers found many treasures of their childhood.
Fishing rods, guns, tools, nuts and bolts of an electrician's trade.
I found several treasures in my Dad's little shed.
Things you would not expect to find. Memories of a
time past forever. I cannot quite explain how bittersweet
it is to go through someone's stuff and take what you want
and have to leave some. You feel like taking every little thing
he ever touched. As if that will bring him back. I found some
surprising things that he had kept for 40-plus years. Items of
no consequence to anyone but him...and me. Old business cards with
old phone numbers where he had worked when I was a baby.
I touch these things and remember him. It brings tears to me
right now but it will bring mostly pleasure in the future as I
look at these tiny pieces of my Dad and remember his life.

We sold his house.  He loved the outdoors.  I took a few rocks

and petrified wood and cactuses that were in his flower bed.

His cat was there.  Waiting for him.  

He lived in Texas.

Here he is doing a crossword puzzle.

These are my memories that I took.  The little table was

from his bedroom.  The water can from his shed.  

The big safety pin for his army duffle bag that he had in

Germany.  I remember playing with it as a child.  Why did 

he save it?  The wooden ruler, broken.  These are things

I wanted.  I played with it too.  The business card of the

Continental Baking Company that he worked for when

we kids were little.  He had a little notebook full of little

old cards he kept.  Why?  I mean this was after moving

several times in his life.  This last move was only for two

years.

We sold his pickup a few months ago.  A friend who is a 

car dealer went to the auction to pick it up for us and 

sell it.  All emotional stuff.  

Still I have a lifetime of memories of him.  I got a couple

of his western, snap-front shirts, a couple of his books, (he

loved to read) his boot-jack, and one of his hats.  Simple,

ordinary things.  I'm happy to have them.  

Gilligan's Island

Here is an unaired original pilot of Gilligan's Island with a few
different characters.

Cat Stevens

Some of my favorites by Cat Stevens.
Pioneer Woman is having a contest today and she mentioned him.

Wordless Wednesday-Our House

Here are more Wordless Wednesday's.

Hello, Hello

Hello again, neighbors!


Last week was an epic week for me. We moved two children back home from college and one daughter to her new apartment. Lots of moving! Then we took our youngest daughter to the airport off to Italy. You know how the best laid plans can go awry? We made plans to communicate with our daughter in Italy with her laptop and a program called Skype. We tried it out at home and it was very easy and fun to use. We could talk and see each other with the video camera, all for free. When she got to Italy and the hotel where she will be staying, she discovered she could not get online. Her roommate has the same computer as she has and her laptop could get online. So I talked to her for a few minutes only. Now apparently no one is able to get the internet connections to work. So the next thing I had to do was upgrade her cell phone to international plan. It is free for me to call her but she has to pay 99 cents/minute to call me. She got a phone card also. But the timing will be the problem. Perhaps they will get the internet connection problems figured out soon. Anyway she is having a wonderful time. She also informed me that the wine is very good there. Hmmm....now my son is jealous because he likes red wine with a meal. Maybe she can bring him back a bottle. She is only 20? There are older people with her though.  She also told me they have to walk up this huge hill to their hotel every day when coming back from the town.  It is beautiful there and she said she will be getting plenty of exercise.  

     Last week I also had internet problems of my own.  We finally got it fixed after spending several hours on the phone with internet support from India.  That was fun!  :(  It turned out that my phone line was broken across the street and rubbing on and off and finally completely broke.  It was fixed on Saturday.  Such a little thing, but a lot of effort.

     I have missed reading a lot of posts last week, maybe I can catch up soon.  I need to get caught up this week on my work at home and the office too.  I kept my oldest daughter's dog (Apple) this week-end and she kept me busy.  She's a real sweety but I'm not used to keeping a dog in the house.  Our yard is not completely fenced in so I had to take her out on the leash to potty.  

     I am going to make some curtains with appliques on them for my daughter's bedroom window.  And some pillows for her bed too.  I really will like getting my sewing machine back out.  I just need to get some of the clutter and extra furniture from kid's moving situated so I can reach my machine.  I love to sew.  

     I received two new Blythe's in the mail recently.  I will take pictures soon.  One has very long brown hair and the other long red hair.  I may sew them some clothes too while I have the sewing mood going.  I really should get back to quilting.  Perhaps I will be inspired.  I wish I could knit better.  I find it hard to follow a pattern.  

    We had some heavy rain the past three nights.  Every thing is growing well including the weeds in our yard.  My son took scuba lessons this week-end and got his license.  He wants me to get mine too.  I guess I will attempt.  It would be fun on a vacation to do that.  I am looking at vacation homes to rent for a week on the east coast of either North Carolina or South Carolina.  I want a beach house right on the ocean front.  Anyone have any suggestions about a beach that they have been to?  I have been looking at Wilmington, NC or Myrtle beach.