I want to hide because I said I was going to post every day and that didn't last very long. I shouldn't be making excuses, but my explanation for disappearing is interesting, to say the least.
December 3rd, 2011: My family and I go with friends to knock on doors, share Gospel tracts, and invite Chinese residents to church. All is well, right? Well, we weren't home for four hours... with a pot of roast beef on a burner on high. We came back to smoke-filled house. In some areas, the smoke is about a foot deep and completely opaque. *insert frantic and seemingly hopeless attempts to get rid of smoke particles* The visibility cleared up but the stench didn't. Everything smelled burned and smokey. When I drank water of out my water bottle that was inside a closed area, my water tasted burnt (yes, imagine that). It was so bad, WE even smelled smokey.
December 4th - 10th, 2011: Numerous methodologies were implemented to eliminate unpleasant and unhealthy odors. There were papers covered in tea leaves, boards of baking soda, small slices of key lime, orange peel, etc. lying everywhere. Fans are on constantly to circulate airflow OUT ... and my, was it bitterly cold in the mornings and evenings. It was warmer OUTSIDE, since the air wasn't "windy." I went as far as to get a plastic board and just wave it up and down in the rooms without ceiling fans to get the air moving. FYI, I'm a wimp and my deltoids, trapezii, and biceps were terribly sore afterwards. No, you didn't need to know that.
One of the worst but most effective strategies was vinegar vaporizing. We have a little humidifier that we filled with vinegar and it made the house reek. It was PAINFUL to the eyes, a sudden and cruel torture on our olfactory nerves (relating to smell)! Albeit, not as bad as onions, but it's awful to have to sing Happy 13th Birthday to your baby sister while choking. Oh and crying and coughing whilst consuming the birthday icecream on the floor, because there's no where else to eat. The other days were spent bringing everything out of the house to sun, wiping everything down with vinegar, and spraying the ceilings with more vinegar. Yes, I think we used about 16 gallons of white distilled vinegar.
So yeah... the first few days that we 3 girls were all teenagers turned out to be not-so-fun. From the 11th to today, I've been trying to catch up on studies and piano practice (we covered up our piano for most of that week).
Man, I was going to keep it short and try to go to bed earlier. :P I talk/type too much. Anyhoo, that's why I haven't posted much and probably won't post much hereafter.
Please stay raw, readers, i.e. not cooked, crisped, seared, sauteed, or anything of the sort. I had mixed feelings of wishing our house was made of ham or marshmallows, so we could eat it instead of trying to salvage everything. :P Don't get me wrong, I am EXTREMELY thankful our house remained standing. I can't imagine what it'd be like to be homeless and I know God's hand was in this. Praise be to Him!
And I really should go to bed before I ramble any more incoherence.
Toodles!
~CJ
December 3rd, 2011: My family and I go with friends to knock on doors, share Gospel tracts, and invite Chinese residents to church. All is well, right? Well, we weren't home for four hours... with a pot of roast beef on a burner on high. We came back to smoke-filled house. In some areas, the smoke is about a foot deep and completely opaque. *insert frantic and seemingly hopeless attempts to get rid of smoke particles* The visibility cleared up but the stench didn't. Everything smelled burned and smokey. When I drank water of out my water bottle that was inside a closed area, my water tasted burnt (yes, imagine that). It was so bad, WE even smelled smokey.
December 4th - 10th, 2011: Numerous methodologies were implemented to eliminate unpleasant and unhealthy odors. There were papers covered in tea leaves, boards of baking soda, small slices of key lime, orange peel, etc. lying everywhere. Fans are on constantly to circulate airflow OUT ... and my, was it bitterly cold in the mornings and evenings. It was warmer OUTSIDE, since the air wasn't "windy." I went as far as to get a plastic board and just wave it up and down in the rooms without ceiling fans to get the air moving. FYI, I'm a wimp and my deltoids, trapezii, and biceps were terribly sore afterwards. No, you didn't need to know that.
One of the worst but most effective strategies was vinegar vaporizing. We have a little humidifier that we filled with vinegar and it made the house reek. It was PAINFUL to the eyes, a sudden and cruel torture on our olfactory nerves (relating to smell)! Albeit, not as bad as onions, but it's awful to have to sing Happy 13th Birthday to your baby sister while choking. Oh and crying and coughing whilst consuming the birthday icecream on the floor, because there's no where else to eat. The other days were spent bringing everything out of the house to sun, wiping everything down with vinegar, and spraying the ceilings with more vinegar. Yes, I think we used about 16 gallons of white distilled vinegar.
So yeah... the first few days that we 3 girls were all teenagers turned out to be not-so-fun. From the 11th to today, I've been trying to catch up on studies and piano practice (we covered up our piano for most of that week).
Man, I was going to keep it short and try to go to bed earlier. :P I talk/type too much. Anyhoo, that's why I haven't posted much and probably won't post much hereafter.
Please stay raw, readers, i.e. not cooked, crisped, seared, sauteed, or anything of the sort. I had mixed feelings of wishing our house was made of ham or marshmallows, so we could eat it instead of trying to salvage everything. :P Don't get me wrong, I am EXTREMELY thankful our house remained standing. I can't imagine what it'd be like to be homeless and I know God's hand was in this. Praise be to Him!
And I really should go to bed before I ramble any more incoherence.
Toodles!
~CJ
Sounds like you had a ca-RAZY week! I hope that you can get the smoke damage and smell out of the house soon. :-(
ReplyDeleteAnd I forgive you for failing to post daily. I must say that is one of the most impressive excuses I have heard yet! ;-)
So that's what you meant in your e-mail O_________O I'm so glad you're alright! I miss you soooo much! :(
ReplyDeleteMac - yeah, but God was merciful. I think Mom was the most stressed. :-( Thank you for forgiving me, although, I hope I didn't come across as trying to impress with that excuse. :-P
ReplyDeleteExcelsior (it's weird calling you that) - yeah, I was going to elaborate in my reply (which I need to finish!). *I* have been fine; it's just the house. I miss you, too!