From the moment we moved to The Hill there has been one thing that has driven me crazy. No matter what I do I can’t seem to get or keep these things under control and it’s more than frustrating.

No, it’s not naughty neighbors or a leaking sink.

The window candles!

One of the rare times when ALL the lights were ON.

 They have been driving me crazy for more than two years and I’m sure they will drive me crazy until the end of time.

Before we moved in I really liked the fact that the window candles had their own little outlets and were connected to a central timer. They’d never always be on and they’d go on and off together. It’s a nice little feature, apparently it’s called the Christmas Light option (who knew?).

Once we moved in I would find that keeping all of those damn candles in working order, at the same time is an exercise in futility. I have found it to be damn near impossible to have all twelve candles lit for more than a few days in a row. Add to that the fact that most places only sell the lightbulbs for those candles around the holidays and the candles are just a giant pain in my ass.

Those stupid candles fall out of the window and shatter all over the wood floors. They get knocked over by an inquisitive youngster or played with until the bulb burns out. They just stop working for no apparent reason. The twenty pound cat jumps in a window to chase a bird and knocks it over. We even had one (in a window I can’t reach) literally disintegrate when the painter moved it to paint. They get rained on when I can’t close the window fast enough and short out. They never seem to last.

What I have learned is that it’s imperative to stock up on those light bulbs when I can. I also have a stock of extra candles and have been slowly replacing the original one’s as they break.

I’ve threatened to take them all down and get rid of them for good but Bill won’t “let” me. Even my parents chimed in on that one and the candles remain. Alright, part of me wants to keep them just because they do look nice when they’re all lit up together.

Thankfully we are nearing the holiday season so I can stock up on those damn lightbulbs and maybe make it through another year. Lucky me!

Do you have those fun window candles too? Have they become a constant pain in your backside to keep them all lit at the same time? No? Anything in your house that as you frustrated and ready to throw in the towel?

It’s actually hard to believe that two years ago today the movers were loading up our life in West Chester and moving us to The Hill. Sure it’s hard to remember living anywhere else and so many memories have already been made here on The Hill. All the same, how has it been so long?

No major renovations this year, but the house doesn’t really need anything, it’s only eight years old. We did finally get around to painting the place which really has done wonders.

One of my favorite rooms in the house.

We’ve become pretty friendly with the neighbor on the one side, he’s a little reclusive but really nice. The neighbors on the other side? They’re still there and I won’t say anything more than that.

Having some fun on The Hill

Slowly but surely we are making the little changes that will make this house our home. New blinds here, new art there, a little bit of furniture to pull a room together.

We’re so happy up here on The Hill, where the kids have the space to run and play, there’s no politics of a home owners association to worry about, and we can finally enjoy what we worked so hard to achieve.

What’s next on The Hill? Who knows?

Are you doing any renovations in your house to make it your home? Let’s hear about them.