Electricity is cheap.

Since 6pm Sunday evening, the Tatta household has been without electricity. Zero power. And, in the Tatta household, zero power mean zero running water. Zero running water means zero baths/showers or toilet flushing. Oh, and just for the record, I'm eating leftover cold pizza right now that has sausage on it.... this pizza was not refrigerated overnight, so lets all take a moment to pray that Amy doesn't get diarrhea from said pizza.... at least not until the toilets are flushable again.
The generator is currently running to keep the meat in the chest freezer downstairs from spoiling. But, it's been three days for me without a computer, so I rigged this sucker up to the generator to save a bit of my sanity. If it weren't for my cell phone (especially its ability to be charged in the car!), I would be completely over the edge at this point. The highlight of today has been that the school got its power back, so the two older boys are at least in school all day! YAY! This pizza is quite good on day 2, I must say.
Here is a small list of things that you can not do without electricity:
laundry (and, jeez 0' crips, it is PILING up)
vacuum (four kids do not leave a carpet clean for long)
wash your hands under running water
flush the toilet (I would say this is the most severe of all of the issues)
bathe (we've been mooching shower time off of friends and relatives)
watch tv (this has actually not been that big a deal)
play the Wii (Spencer may go into a coma if he can't play Guitar Hero soon)
cook
refrigerate
wash dishes (and wouldn't it be the case that we had sauerkraut and kielbasa on Sunday, and didn't ge tthe dishes washed before the power went out! That shit STINKS!)
computer/internet (though, when you're desperate, I suppose you find a way!:D)
fix your hair (well... some people may be able to look good without a blowdryer, but I'm not one of them)
use cordless phones
charge cell phones outside of a running car
heat the house
cool the house

So, I'm sure all of you "glass half full" type people out there are saying "Yes, but look at all of the GOOD things that are coming out of it!" I'm not a pilgrim. If it had been left to me, we would not have discovered anything past Jamestown. Do you want me to list the good things that come to mind out of this? Here you go:

I broke it down, and it seems that we pay approx. $8 a day for electricity in this house. So now, when I get the bill every month, I won't go "Jeez o' cripes, I can't believe how freakin' much electricity is!!!!" Instead, I will say "I love you, Ohio Edison, and everything that you provide me. Here is your money.... I will gladly pay my bill and worship the ground you walk on"

At least I have a home to live in and none of my belongings were destroyed by water to boot.

I don't have to sleep outisde with animals and bugs.

I am eternally grateful for the peace and quiet the school hours provide me.

Thank the Lord for friends and family that have allowed us to invade their homes in the name of personal hygiene.

This has forced me to defrost my fridge and freezer.

I can still dust and sweep with a broom.

I'm certain there are plenty more positives that can be found in this situation, but until I hear that "whirrrrrrr" and the beeping of appliances kicking on, I'll be slightly more focused on how this is taking me out of my comfort zone. :D

So, that's the word of the day around here! I miss my morning cup of coffee.

If anyone has any interest in browsing through some photos of the new house and the kids, here's a link to my Snapfish albums