This move was a lesson in reduction. While we knew that the house we were moving into was smaller than the house we left, we weren’t sure how that would work with the furniture and possessions that we had. It’s difficult to picture how the pieces would fit into the new place.
Before our move began, we gave away two beds, several pieces of furniture and a variety of miscellaneous items. Two pick up truck loads left our house; one filled with items to donate, the other filled with trash. We thought we’d gotten rid of much of our unnecessary baggage.
Upon arriving at our new home, we found that there was even more to reduce, reuse or recycle. The previous owners had left quite a bit of stuff behind when they vacated. They took all they could fit in their single Ryder truck beginning with the most desirable items and left the rest. We inherited a living room set, a fully, if poorly, outfitted kitchen and an attic stocked with air mattresses along with various outdoor furniture pieces a barn full of bits and pieces of garbage.
As we found homes for things, our and those we’d inherited, we filled boxes with more items for which we had no need. We gave the living room set to friends that were very happy to receive it. We discovered that most of our furniture made the transition and looked right at home in our new place. We found new uses for some items, a bookcase became a home for sweaters, shirts and shoes. The kitchen dinette we inherited found it’s way to the screen porch. I’m sure we’ll enjoy it when the weather is warmer.
All our possessions found a home. We were especially grateful for a large attic and several outbuildings even as we gave up our attached garage. The propane lines were located, the regulator moved and the tank filled on January 18. It was good to have heat through the entire house.
The house is beginning to be a home. All the boxes are unpacked, the furniture is arranged, pictures have even been hung. It’s not all done but it’s more than half way. We are starting to find a routine. We still get confused in the kitchen. The refrigerator is on the wrong side. Before long, it will be just where it should. As will everything else, including us.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Moving Day - January 13 and 14
Our moving van was scheduled to arrive on Thursday morning between 8 and 9am. Unfortunately, the snow and the size of the truck conspired to make the move more difficult than anticipated. We expected that the big truck would be unable to make it down to the house. We let the moving company know that a shuttle truck would most likely be necessary to transfer our things from the big truck to our house. We didn’t expect the big truck to get stuck before arriving at a safe unloading location. After a two hour delay while we waited for the tow truck to get the big truck back on the road, our unloading went smoothly and quickly. By 7pm four hundred thirty-six yellow stickered items were placed in the house and outbuildings. Bed and tables were assembled and the moving crew was on their way.
We only had heat in part of the house. We had boxes stacked from floor to ceiling and door to door. It was impossible to see how the house might look when all was put away or even how it would be humanly possible to put the things away. We’d traded a 4000 square foot house in a subdivision for a 3000 square foot house and 37 acre farm. Our joy at actually being in the house was tempered with the uncertainty of the future we could only imagine. As a family, we chose to focus on the joy and toasted our move with champagne and kiddie wine as we prepared our second meal in our home.
The following morning, the unpacking crew arrived and set to work unloading boxes. The thing about unpacking is that the unpackers only empty the boxes and set the contents on a flat surface. They don’t put anything away and if you can’t keep up with them, at least a little, you can end up with a really big mess. Thankfully, my friend Sharon came over and took charge of the family room bookcases while I manned the kitchen. I was hopeful that recovering from the unloading of boxes in the bedrooms, living room and dining room would be manageable. Other than the mistaken unloading of several Christmas boxes, it was. The unpackers left with about one hundred and fifty empty boxes and the accompanying mountain of paper. Since that was really the point, getting rid of the boxes and paper, the morning was a complete success.
By late afternoon, Sharon and I had things reasonably under control. Books were on shelves and kitchen cabinets were filled. It would all take some fine tuning but the boxes were no longer blocking the doors and piled to the ceiling. We could walk through the house and see how it might, someday, be our home.
We only had heat in part of the house. We had boxes stacked from floor to ceiling and door to door. It was impossible to see how the house might look when all was put away or even how it would be humanly possible to put the things away. We’d traded a 4000 square foot house in a subdivision for a 3000 square foot house and 37 acre farm. Our joy at actually being in the house was tempered with the uncertainty of the future we could only imagine. As a family, we chose to focus on the joy and toasted our move with champagne and kiddie wine as we prepared our second meal in our home.
The following morning, the unpacking crew arrived and set to work unloading boxes. The thing about unpacking is that the unpackers only empty the boxes and set the contents on a flat surface. They don’t put anything away and if you can’t keep up with them, at least a little, you can end up with a really big mess. Thankfully, my friend Sharon came over and took charge of the family room bookcases while I manned the kitchen. I was hopeful that recovering from the unloading of boxes in the bedrooms, living room and dining room would be manageable. Other than the mistaken unloading of several Christmas boxes, it was. The unpackers left with about one hundred and fifty empty boxes and the accompanying mountain of paper. Since that was really the point, getting rid of the boxes and paper, the morning was a complete success.
By late afternoon, Sharon and I had things reasonably under control. Books were on shelves and kitchen cabinets were filled. It would all take some fine tuning but the boxes were no longer blocking the doors and piled to the ceiling. We could walk through the house and see how it might, someday, be our home.
Anticipation - January 11 and 12
We had anticipated closing on our property and moving into our new house on December 30. It was not to be. Instead we spent ten nights in the local Comfort Inn and eleven days eating at restaurants. It was an unexpected detour and expense on the way to our new home. I really believed that we all made the best of a difficult situation.
We were so relieved on January 11 when we received the call that our mortgage had been approved and we could close at the end of the day. Filling out the paperwork and signing the forms seemed like almost a let down after the hours of waiting.
Since we’d never been in the house as a family, we decided to spend our last night in the hotel but to drive over to the house to visit it together. The snow started at about 3pm and by the time we reached the house, everything was coated in white. It looked like a perfectly set Christmas card picture.
We enjoyed time familiarizing ourselves with our new place and tried to picture our life there. The previous owners had left quite a bit of furniture and other supplies including pans, plates and utensils. We engaged in a rowdy Nerf gun battle. R carried me over the threshold while the children rolled their eyes and smiled with their whole faces.
By the time we left the house, the roads had gone from Christmas card lovely to borderline dangerous. R had his truck complete with four wheel drive and managed the climb out with no problem. My own front wheel drive van was a bit more challenged and I was thankful when R switched vehicles with me. His own snow driving experience enabled him to get the van out and had us on our way after a fearful breakdown on my part.
The next morning we said goodbye to our hotel friends, packed our van and made our round-about way to the house. Required stops on the way included grocery store, electric company and library. We arrived at the house to find a dear friend already at the house and our front walk and driveway cleared of snow and ice.
Settling in began almost immediately, at least as much as it could until our furniture arrived the next day. We were most thankful for the kitchen gear that the previous owner had left because it enabled us to eat dinner in our own home.
Whether the new house and the new life would live up to our expectations remained to be seen but the anticipation of ownership had certainly been fulfilled.
We were so relieved on January 11 when we received the call that our mortgage had been approved and we could close at the end of the day. Filling out the paperwork and signing the forms seemed like almost a let down after the hours of waiting.
Since we’d never been in the house as a family, we decided to spend our last night in the hotel but to drive over to the house to visit it together. The snow started at about 3pm and by the time we reached the house, everything was coated in white. It looked like a perfectly set Christmas card picture.
We enjoyed time familiarizing ourselves with our new place and tried to picture our life there. The previous owners had left quite a bit of furniture and other supplies including pans, plates and utensils. We engaged in a rowdy Nerf gun battle. R carried me over the threshold while the children rolled their eyes and smiled with their whole faces.
By the time we left the house, the roads had gone from Christmas card lovely to borderline dangerous. R had his truck complete with four wheel drive and managed the climb out with no problem. My own front wheel drive van was a bit more challenged and I was thankful when R switched vehicles with me. His own snow driving experience enabled him to get the van out and had us on our way after a fearful breakdown on my part.
The next morning we said goodbye to our hotel friends, packed our van and made our round-about way to the house. Required stops on the way included grocery store, electric company and library. We arrived at the house to find a dear friend already at the house and our front walk and driveway cleared of snow and ice.
Settling in began almost immediately, at least as much as it could until our furniture arrived the next day. We were most thankful for the kitchen gear that the previous owner had left because it enabled us to eat dinner in our own home.
Whether the new house and the new life would live up to our expectations remained to be seen but the anticipation of ownership had certainly been fulfilled.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Settling In
There's something comforting about returning to some place with which you are familiar. It easy to find your way around. You know which stores are available and you have contacts already established in an area. In a way that makes things easier.
There's also something confusing about returning to some place with which you are familiar. While you were away, life continued. You've changed and the people in that place have changed. It's all different and all the same.
We've settled into our house. Our furniture is the same, some of it's been moved to different places. I feel like we are in a smilar situation. We are the same but we've been moved.
Last night we had friends over for the Super Bowl. Mostly, they were friends from our life before we moved away. Some of them were acquaintances during our previous life here. This time they may become friends. It's too soon to tell. I am thankful for these renewals of friendship. I'm excited to see the new friendships we develop.
Entertaining in our new house was fun. It's a good house for company. There's enough room to serve food and seat guests. The kitchen has great flow but it's not a place to stand and visit. To me that is perfect. Too often, in our last house, everyone would stand around in the kitchen and I'd never get them out and into comfortable seats. We didn't use the more formal living areas this time. I'm sure will in the future. And I can't wait for the summer time. We've got some beautiful desks and an amazing yard. It's going to be fun to share them with friends. Maybe we'll add a summer solstice party to our traditions.
The house is unpacked and we've begun doing the normal things of life here. Living each day as if we belong here and are planning to stay. We are settling in.
There's also something confusing about returning to some place with which you are familiar. While you were away, life continued. You've changed and the people in that place have changed. It's all different and all the same.
We've settled into our house. Our furniture is the same, some of it's been moved to different places. I feel like we are in a smilar situation. We are the same but we've been moved.
Last night we had friends over for the Super Bowl. Mostly, they were friends from our life before we moved away. Some of them were acquaintances during our previous life here. This time they may become friends. It's too soon to tell. I am thankful for these renewals of friendship. I'm excited to see the new friendships we develop.
Entertaining in our new house was fun. It's a good house for company. There's enough room to serve food and seat guests. The kitchen has great flow but it's not a place to stand and visit. To me that is perfect. Too often, in our last house, everyone would stand around in the kitchen and I'd never get them out and into comfortable seats. We didn't use the more formal living areas this time. I'm sure will in the future. And I can't wait for the summer time. We've got some beautiful desks and an amazing yard. It's going to be fun to share them with friends. Maybe we'll add a summer solstice party to our traditions.
The house is unpacked and we've begun doing the normal things of life here. Living each day as if we belong here and are planning to stay. We are settling in.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Weekly Recap 1/31 -2/4/11
This week has been a great one. We finally found a routine and groove in our new house and public school was in session all week with no delayed starts. Since we enrolled K14 in public school when we moved, it makes a difference in our schedule and the general rhythm of the house when she's home unexpectedly.
We finished reading Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray this week. All the children really enjoyed the story and the characters. It had just enough suspense and a perfect ending. I think the loss of our dog last week also enabled them to really sympathize with how Adam felt about Nick's absence.
We began Signs and Seasons for science and so far it has been very well received. I'm hoping the weather will hold next week and give us the opportunity to mark out our compass in the yard.
Our Bible study is still going well. It's not as much fun since we don't get to meet with our CBS group on Thursdays but we are still learning about God and ourselves. I'm going to have to figure out something for M6 to do since she doesn't have a study guide. So far she's been happy drawing pictures.
H11 begged to stop First Form Latin and try S8's Latina Christiana. That's worked well so far. She seems to be much more confident and is moving though the material quickly. They made vocabulary flashcards this week and have enjoyed quizzing each other.
M6 and I discovered the We Both Read books at our new library this week. We've been reading Dr. Seuss books while waiting for our copy of The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading to be delivered. The We Both Read books are perfect for us right now. They allow M6 to enjoy an interesting story and to feel like successful reader. She especially enjoys the fact that she gets a little break between her reading pages. We will continue to enjoy these books even after we get back to our regular reading program.
In the evenings this week, we spent time watching Ancients Behaving Badly. I got the DVDs from our library because it has an episode on Ghengis Khan. There were also episodes on Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Nero, Hannibal, Alexander the Great and others. Admittedly, these do focus on the negatives of these leaders but they were interesting. I was surprised at how much the children remembered about the leaders we studied last year. Plus, we had lots of discussions about how the video was scewed to show only the behaving badly parts. We also talked about how leaders did do things that wouldn't be considered nice and it tied in nicely with a reminder about King John and the Magna Carta. I doubt these are for every family due to the focus of the content but they've been worthwhile for us.
The high this week is feeling like the move is behind us. Boxes are unpacked and life is moving on. It's good to be home and back to school.
We finished reading Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray this week. All the children really enjoyed the story and the characters. It had just enough suspense and a perfect ending. I think the loss of our dog last week also enabled them to really sympathize with how Adam felt about Nick's absence.
We began Signs and Seasons for science and so far it has been very well received. I'm hoping the weather will hold next week and give us the opportunity to mark out our compass in the yard.
Our Bible study is still going well. It's not as much fun since we don't get to meet with our CBS group on Thursdays but we are still learning about God and ourselves. I'm going to have to figure out something for M6 to do since she doesn't have a study guide. So far she's been happy drawing pictures.
H11 begged to stop First Form Latin and try S8's Latina Christiana. That's worked well so far. She seems to be much more confident and is moving though the material quickly. They made vocabulary flashcards this week and have enjoyed quizzing each other.
M6 and I discovered the We Both Read books at our new library this week. We've been reading Dr. Seuss books while waiting for our copy of The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading to be delivered. The We Both Read books are perfect for us right now. They allow M6 to enjoy an interesting story and to feel like successful reader. She especially enjoys the fact that she gets a little break between her reading pages. We will continue to enjoy these books even after we get back to our regular reading program.
In the evenings this week, we spent time watching Ancients Behaving Badly. I got the DVDs from our library because it has an episode on Ghengis Khan. There were also episodes on Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Nero, Hannibal, Alexander the Great and others. Admittedly, these do focus on the negatives of these leaders but they were interesting. I was surprised at how much the children remembered about the leaders we studied last year. Plus, we had lots of discussions about how the video was scewed to show only the behaving badly parts. We also talked about how leaders did do things that wouldn't be considered nice and it tied in nicely with a reminder about King John and the Magna Carta. I doubt these are for every family due to the focus of the content but they've been worthwhile for us.
The high this week is feeling like the move is behind us. Boxes are unpacked and life is moving on. It's good to be home and back to school.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Preparing to Begin
It seems unreal that we've been "at home" for almost three weeks now. I can't decide whether it seems like just yesterday we were buried in boxes or it seems like a lifetime ago. Either way, we are truly getting settled here now. We've held school consistently for two weeks. In fact, we've been WAY more consistent than the public schools thanks to the normal conditions offered up by winter weather.
I've got a file of blog posts to add when I get my computer, an old wi-fi less desktop, to communicate with my new, super wonderful, wi-fi hotspot. Until then, I'll just muddle on as best I can. If you are a faithful reader, know that the gaps will be filled in as soon as I open the lines of electronic communication.
I went to the library today and checked out more books on farming. It's good to feel comfortable enough with the progress of the house to focus on something besides boxes. We had our first small farm college class last week. The night was an overview of things to come with an emphasis on goal setting, mission statements and writing a business plan. We have been working this week on writing a mission statement but the business plan has us stymied. We are really unsure about what we can do with the farm. The possibilities are almost overwhelming and we are looking to this course to help us find focus. At the very least, it will give us time alone together weekly for the next three months. That's definitely worth the price!
I suppose I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge that all is going well and that I intend to keep blogging. It feels like I've been gone for way too long. It's wonderful to be at a place where things feel like they are beginning instead of being in limbo. It's good to be home.
I've got a file of blog posts to add when I get my computer, an old wi-fi less desktop, to communicate with my new, super wonderful, wi-fi hotspot. Until then, I'll just muddle on as best I can. If you are a faithful reader, know that the gaps will be filled in as soon as I open the lines of electronic communication.
I went to the library today and checked out more books on farming. It's good to feel comfortable enough with the progress of the house to focus on something besides boxes. We had our first small farm college class last week. The night was an overview of things to come with an emphasis on goal setting, mission statements and writing a business plan. We have been working this week on writing a mission statement but the business plan has us stymied. We are really unsure about what we can do with the farm. The possibilities are almost overwhelming and we are looking to this course to help us find focus. At the very least, it will give us time alone together weekly for the next three months. That's definitely worth the price!
I suppose I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge that all is going well and that I intend to keep blogging. It feels like I've been gone for way too long. It's wonderful to be at a place where things feel like they are beginning instead of being in limbo. It's good to be home.
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