Weekend "To Do" List.

Our weekends are pretty full now that we're in the last

few weeks of packing up & moving. Time to sell the

house! We have a few things to finish up before we

can list. The list is long but manageable. Want to see?

*pull out the storage unit from the laundry room

*rip up the old vinyl floor from the laundry room

*fill holes, scrape, then the walls in the laundry room

*scrape out the last little bits of thin set on the tiles

*grout then wash all the new tiles in the kitchen

*finish painting the last coat on the kitchen cabinets

*shop for then install the new drawer & cabinet knobs

*put down the new vinyl floors in the 1/2 bath, laundry

room & at the front door to give a fresh look

*finish up the last bits of baseboard & door trim

*paint said baseboards & trim & do touch ups

Packing & purging has gone well. Today, I'm packing

up our china cabinet then I'll tackle the last bits in my

art studio. On Monday, I hope to finish up the 4th

bedroom as we'll tackle the renos on the weekend.

Soon, soon, all this work will be done!!

I Hurt.

It's crunch time! We have just a short time before

our new house will be ready. Won't you be happy

when we finally move & I can stop talking about

the build process? Of course, I may then launch

into the next phase of the new house: landscaping.

Until then, we have lots to do. I'm thankful that

we've been working on our move since before

we started the build. But now we're speeding

everything up to get the old house sold & packed

up. For the last two weeks, we've been painting,

packing & purging. I'm so tired of the whole

process. Tonight, this is how I feel inside:

And below is how my body feels: I hurt from

head to toe. Everything aches. Pain in spots I

didn't know could hurt. Everywhere. Ouch!

The only thing that helps is knowing that

all this work is getting us one step closer

to the country. Every box, every donation

bag, every paint stroke .... worth the effort.

Just wish it didn't hurt so much!!

Today ....

.... boxes are gone! The ones we need are tucked

away in our storage room for moving day, the ones

we didn't need were recycled & the ones someone

else could use were donated. Feeling free & light.

Feet up for a few more hours, 

then back at it again tomorrow. 

How was your long weekend?

Did you relax or use it to get caught up?

Yesterday ....

 .... surrounded & crowded out by boxes. 

Packing is well underway.

I'm Going In ~ Wish Me Luck!!

Hi everyone!

The time has come. (Cue dramatic music). We have two rooms in our house that have suddenly, with all our renovating, sorting, purging and packing, become the place to "put" things that need to be out of the way. All of us have contributed to the clutter and yesterday, it got to me! We've not lived with stuff out of place to this degree. It actually totally embarrasses me to even think of taking a picture and posting the mess. But after reading someone else's blog, where they posted a spot in their home that had become cluttered, and then she posted a week later with the incredible progress, I became inspired to do the same. Because if I post, I have to purge it, right? You, my faithful blog readers will be my coaching team. I can hear you all now, shouting to the rooftops "Go Chy Go!!"

This room used to be our youngest son's room. Hence the "sports" wall paper border. After he moved out, we kept it pretty empty for a while. At that time, all our kids had moved on, except for our youngest daughter, so it was really a wasted space for a while. Then we were gifted the huge dollhouse peeking out on the left. A few months later, we bought the purple couch for $100 ~ brand new and still had the tag on but the family was transferred and had to sell it quick. It was a $1400 couch! So we put in the metal shelves for books and dollhouse reno tools and it became the "dollhouses studio." Now it has become a spot for boxes for packing (empty), piles of "stuff" to sort to donate or sell. A few items from renovating as well, including four boxes of flooring we still need to lay, paint for the walls and the blinds that need to be hung up. Good thing we're still here!

Same room, expanded view. 

Scary, isn't it?

Here's the second room that has caused me so much stress lately. It was our "nursery" and then my art studio for the last few years. But again, with all our sorting and purging, it has become a different studio of sorts. Maybe more like a "packing warehouse!" I'm happy we can see the floor but so stressed by the stuff we need to pack. The rest of the house is so neat and orderly, and then you come up the stairs and here's what you see. Ugh! I can't wait for it all to be gone. 

A secondary view.

So my dear blog buddies, will you encourage me to get this finished? Yesterday, I cleared out a lovely section in the art studio, with items meant to go back to work (why are they in my house?), items for donation now tucked away into my car for drop off at the charity shop and items for packing that are now in the intended box or sitting on the table to be wrapped. It's a start and I'm tired and sore today, so I know I made a good dent. I will post pictures as soon as it's all done. We have a strict time limit as our oldest son is coming home for Christmas and he'll be sleeping, snug as a bug, in the "sports" themed room on the purple couch. His arrival is set for early on December 21st. Can't wait!

Do you have a spot in your house that you avoid?

A place where things pile up and the door is shut?

Slightly Embarrassing!

Hi everyone!

In the midst of our ongoing packing saga, somewhere along the way, despite all my careful planning and check lists, I have inadvertently packed a box that now looks like this:

Yup, that's right! I have no idea what great items are in this box. I forgot to label it when I was packing it. Came back an hour later and poof! Gone out of my head. I could probably just open the tape to see what's inside, but in the moment, thought it would be more fun to leave a cryptic message for whoever ends up opening this box in a few months ....

I am embarrassed.

And I'm sure you've had a bit of a giggle!!

You're very welcome.

Happy to oblige!!

Packing and more packing!

We've started our packing journey early but for a few good reasons. With just 6 months before the big move out to the country, we need to decide what we are taking, what we are selling and what we are donating. So far, we've packed up 24 boxes of things we'll take (our treasures), thrown out 12 blue bags of recycling items that are no longer functional or paper that we don't need, and boxed up 4 boxes of items to donate and 4 bags of clothes. My Christmas dishes are tucked away in tissue and snug in heavy duty boxes. Our excess bedding is no longer crowding up our tiny linen closet but packed and waiting for the new house. All the dollhouse fixtures and furnishings are boxed up and books are slowly leaving our bookcases to their designated cardboard homes. Next on our list is the basement storage room where we'll go thru old toys and kids clothes that are no longer needed. My husband is going thru his office this weekend and will be getting rid of his old photography equipment and film accessories that are now outdated and he no longer uses. 

Amazing how comfortable we've gotten here over the last 22 years. Doesn't matter how often we purge and reorganize, we still have tons of "stuff" that really isn't needed. I remember when we were flipping houses how freeing it was to move every 2 years and along the way, purge the stuff we didn't need any longer. I like this process and we'll have to make sure in the new house, with all the new extra space, that we don't start to fill it up!

The second level of packing we're doing is for our upcoming Disney trip. We leave in just 8 short days, so the packing has begun! Today, I'm going thru my list of what needs to be packed to see if there is anything I need to pick up. A bit of shopping is on the agenda for the weekend or later today, if dh gets home early as he's planning. Passports are ready to go and my camera is charged up. Almost ready to go!

Any packing tips to share for a big move?

Six Weeks ....

.... until we pack up our suitcase and hop on the plane to a much warmer climate than we are experiencing here. We're definitely warmer than Saskatchewan and certainly do not have the snow that British Columbia is having but it's cold here and the forecast isn't changing anytime soon. At least the sun is out, making our nippy cold temps somehow not as bad as it sounds. No complaining here.

We booked our hotel a few weeks ago and are excited that we found a lovely spot. Today, we booked our airplane tickets and are grateful for the sale we found. And the lovely agent who helped us choose the best time to fly each way. So far, we're under budget for what we expected to pay. A few more things to book or arrange and then we're good to go. 

Although the picture I chose for my post tonight is whimsical, we plan to travel with just out backpacks and one carry on bag. Not checking luggage saves time and we don't ever have to worry about lost luggage. Light travelers, we are!

Are you planning a journey this year?

Where will your next adventure take you too?

List for a busy day!

1. Bring the suitcases up from the basement. We take one small carry on each & one backpack each. No checking bags for this trip. Then we can get off the plane & head straight to our rental car. Easy peasy!

2. Print off our taxes to send in. I may try to Netfile. Haven't done it before but worked well for all our kids returns. Our refunds should be deposited into our account by the end of July. 

3. Reorganize the Tornado Box. We just had a threat last week & with the current Flood Watch we are under, we want to make sure the girls are prepared while we're away. 

4. Organize files & pay the bills for July. I like to go away knowing things are taken care of. No worries. No deadlines. Nothing to come back to that needs attention immediately.

5. Plant the last few plants that are waiting for my attention. I'm hoping my husband can still build the raised garden bed. We have the materials, the soil, the plants & I laid out the boards. He just needs to cut them & attach them together. Then fill with dirt, plant the plants & we're done!

6. Pay my staff before Friday. I have one time sheet on hand so one will be paid today. The other two are taking their sweet time so I'll need to do some prodding today!

7. Contact the owner of our building where our centre resides. I'd like to know our new lease will be in place by the end of August. Driving me crazy that this guy is soooooo slow!

8. Any loose ends to tie up completed by Friday morning so in the afternoon we just need to finish packing & relax. Early night, early morning flight & we'll be off. 

Wish us luck that we get everything done!!