Paying It Forward

Yesterday was officially moving out day. The moving van came at 9am, and by 4 that afternoon they had loaded everything onto the moving van.

It's amazing how much stuff one family of five can accumulate over a twenty-five year period!

It was a bittersweet day. The house looked so sad and forlorn without all of the things that make our house a home.

 Realtors will tell you to have your house "broom clean" for the next owners. Sorry, but that's not good enough for me. When I leave a house, I leave it clean from top to bottom. Cabinets and shelves are wiped clean, baseboards and ceiling fans are dusted, carpets are vacuumed, floors are mopped, and bathrooms are scrubbed clean.

I like to think that I'm paying it forward.

It is our hope and prayer that the next owners will enjoy our home as much as we did.

The future may seem fragile from this point on, but we're keeping this end up!

Boxing Day

The packers are here today to box up our worldly possessions. To be completely honest, I wasn't prepared. Oh sure, you can work all weekend to ensure that things go smoothly. But on the morning of the packers' arrival, you still feel like there are two dozen things you didn't get to.

You'll still be frantically doing laundry, emptying garbage cans, collecting cleaning supplies.

In the end, you just have to let it go and submit to the chaos and the capable hands of the folks who know what they're doing.

I always feel the need to apologize to the poor people who draw the short straw and have to pack my craft room.

"Sorry about the mess. I tried my best to clean it up for you."

"This is nothing!" the ladies said. "We were just saying 'We love this woman! Look! She put all of her liquid bottles in Ziploc baggies!' "

I'm sure they just said that to make me feel better.

I really thought of telling the packers that someone broke into our house, and instead of stealing stuff, they left a bunch of crap instead. But something tells me they've heard that lame excuse before.

Here's a short list of some things we did to prep for the packers:

* In the yard, we gathered all garden statues, fencing, bird feeders and bird baths and put them in the garage for packing.

* In the craft room, I packaged all papers neatly, put all my inks, sprays, and mists into Ziploc baggies, and made sure all accessories and tools were stored in drawers.

* In each bedroom, we put our suitcases and any other items that would not get packed onto our beds.

* In the master bathroom, we put a pile of cleaning supplies in the bathtub. These items will be handy when the house is empty and we do a thorough cleaning before turning it over to the new owners.

* On the kitchen island, we made a pile for the new house owners that includes manuals for all appliances, garage door openers, spare keys, extra real estate flyers, etc.

* We labeled rooms with directions on where the items will go in the new house. We put Post-It notes with the boys' names on their bedroom doors, and labeled rooms according to their placement in the new house: Family Room, Den, Living Room, Kitchen, etc.

* We made sure all dishes were clean and in the cabinets. We also took any items we'd still need from the pantry and put them in a "Do not pack" pile.

* We emptied all garbage cans.

* We did one final "purging" and took another van load to Goodwill.

I have no doubt that I will be unpacking some items this weekend and asking myself "Why didn't I get rid of this?" It's bound to happen. But for now, we're feeling pretty good about the move. The packers are a family bunch, and they're extremely patient with us.

We're tired, but blessed.

"Don't forget to pack me, Mom!"

Choosing A Moving Company

More great advice from Angie of Angie's List:


http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013305240012


Unfortunately, when you move with a relocation company, you do not get to pick who your movers will be. We've had wonderful experiences with Grabel movers in the past. This time, we'll be using a new company. I hope we can give them a glowing report as well!

Finding A Realtor

Good advice from Angie of Angie's List:

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013305030009


Angie has another great article today about finding the right movers. I'll post that one soon!

Gratitude

Today, I will be heading over to the vet's office to pick up Maggie's prescriptions before our move. Our vet has taken such wonderful care of Maggie these last five years, and we're so thankful. I decided to cut a bouquet of roses from my garden (it's still my garden until May 30th!). I'll be giving these to the ladies at Hamilton Hills Animal Hospital to express our gratitude.

Moving is a wonderful time to stop and think about all of the people that have been such a blessing. Pastors, teachers, doctors, neighbors, so many special people who deserve our thanks.

I think I may be handing out a few more bouquets before the week is over.

Blessings!

On Packers and Packing

The packers will be arriving on Memorial Day. Yikes! I can't believe how the time has flown! It seems as if one day we were pondering a move, and the next day we were moving. Actually, it didn't happen quite that quickly. This process has been slowly unfolding since February, but when you are so busy, it seems to go by in the blink of an eye!

Here are a few things you should know about professional packers:

* They pack by rooms. If you want something in Sam's room at the new house, you better make sure it's in Sam's room now so that the packers will label it correctly. Otherwise, you may be digging through boxes unnecessarily.

* If it's not nailed down, they will pack it. Yes, packers have been known to pack a garbage can with garbage still inside. You have to be one step ahead of them in this regard. Think ahead!

* Packers work quickly and efficiently. Try not to hover over them, inspecting their work. If there's something you do not trust them to pack, then be prepared to pack it and transport it yourself. The moving company can only guarantee the items that were professionally packed.

* Use Post-It notes to label items with "DO NOT PACK" signs.

* Make sure that you've packed your suitcase and personal items before the packers arrive, and label it with a Do Not Pack sticky note.

* It may be best to move items that won't be packed to one central location...the car, maybe.

This week, I am working room by room to get the appropriate items in their proper locations. For example, there are a lot of decorative items that I plan on using in my new kitchen. I have moved them into a corner of my current kitchen to make it that much easier.

Are you picking up a theme here? I've had some of these items in storage because they just didn't work in my current kitchen. But I know they will look fabulous in my new kitchen!

I purchased these adorable measuring spoons from a store more than two years ago...for my future kitchen. And now, they'll finally have a permanent home!

When I remodeled my dining room last January, I took down these buffalo check plaid curtains and replaced them with sheers. I washed them and stored them for another day.  I think these will look fantastic in my new living room!

In the meantime, all of my college sons are now home, and we are sorting through their belongings as well. The house is in one of those stages where things look worse before they get better. Hopefully, we'll be completely organized by Monday!

One Week Countdown

We're in the home stretch now! In less than one week, the packers will be here to begin the process of packing our items for the moving van.

There are a LOT of things to accomplish when you are in the final stages of a big move. Here are just a few items that go on the priority list:

*Cancel utilities and services for your former home.

*Get utilities and services set up for your new home.

*Get homeowners insurance, as well as auto insurance for your new residence.

*Get prescriptions filled at your local pharmacy, if necessary. In our case, that means getting my geriatric dog's prescriptions from her vet before needing to find a new vet.

*Check with the schools about transcripts.

*Check with the doctors and dentists about medical records.

*Fill out change of address forms at the local post office.

*Update your church and friends with your new contact information.

*Get your home organized and in order for packing day.

*Take one more trip to the local Goodwill or other charity to donate items.

*Consider going through your kitchen and donating food items to a local food pantry.

This weekend, my husband came home and loaded up the car with quite a few house plants, which he will be keeping in his apartment in Pittsburgh until the move. (That's just one of many items that the movers will not move). He plans on leaving the car there, renting another car, and driving back this weekend for the moving week. That way, we will only have two cars left here that we can use to transport our family and a our overnight necessities.

In the meantime, we've been visiting a few of my favorite places here in Noblesville, Indiana.

Lunch at the Uptown Cafe:

Watching the train rumble through the historic square:

Checking out the lovely window displays at one of our favorite shops, A Corner Cottage:

It's a lovely small town, and I hope to visit it again one day, perhaps on one of my drives out west to pick up my college son.

Good memories!