Around the house

There is quite a bit to do around our home with preparations in full swing for our move.  I want to get so much done before Big Mister leaves next week.  With his help we can get most of the heavy stuff from upstairs packed and into the garage.  Our garage is getting fuller each day as we add more packed boxes.  Our house is looking bare :(

I have been cleaning out and organizing.  Two things that I LOVE!  Big Mister thinks I love cleaning out and organizing a little too much, especially when it comes to his things!  Ha.  I do love to have “a place for everything and everything in its place”.  Naturally, we accumulate things over the years that we no longer have use for, right?  And, it’s always nice to go through things to organize and condense.

In the last couple of weeks I have (with help from Big Mister and the kiddos)

- made three trips to Goodwill to donate unnecessary stuff from our life.  Maybe in Utah there will be a Deseret Industries close by so we can donate there instead.  I had these two Corningware baking dishes with glass and plastic lids that we received for a wedding gift.  I have never once used them…so off they went.  Why didn’t I get rid of them before.  I am learning. 

- Between Big Mister and I we probably had 70 cassette tapes.  Who listens to cassette tapes anymore?  How many did we keep (no surprise here):

Big Mister:  12     Me:  ZERO.   

- Unsubscribed from a whole slew of businesses who send email solicitations and advertisements that we don’t want.  This has made a huge difference…way less junk email!  I should have done it long ago.

- packed up about 100 boxes or more.  About 99 of them are Big Misters books!  Just kidding, but really, he has a ton of books.  We won’t even go there about asking him to go through them again.  He. wants. every. single. one. of. them.   We joke that we need to have an extra room in our home just to house his knifes, swords and books!  Oh, and his John Wayne paraphernalia, too.   You’d think the collections were our third child.   It’s all good.  I get the rest of the house!

- purchased a new range for our kitchen.  It has been delivered and I am now using it.  I miss my gas cook top!   I’m taking my duel fuel, double oven, with me.  No way will I leave it.   Oh, and it’s a convection oven, too.  I love it too much to not have it with me wherever we end up.

- taken the van in for a few minor repairs.  Nothing too major or too expensive.  That thing just keeps going and going.  Hooray!

- gone through my old photo albums.  I love photos, but did not need or have use for every single photo I had saved…most from before I was married.  Photo albums were tossed.  A handful of memories were saved.

- replaced a broken flood light that the kids ball hit in the back yard

- repaired drywall

- replaced programmable thermostat that stopped working

- patched nail holes

- touched up paint

- caulked where needed

- Big Mister took his suit to be altered down a few sizes.  They won’t even alter his suit coat because it would have to be completely cut and sewn again.  It’s cheaper to just buy a new one!  So, that’s now on our list for Friday evening.

- purchased Big Mister two new pair of dress shoes.  His last pair were worn nearly every day for four years and they finally bit the dust. 

- hosted our last family party in this house.  It’s bittersweet.

- cleaned, cleaned and cleaned some more.  We will begin showing our house pretty quickly.

- Tended my garden.  Tomatoes are already growing big. 

Last but not least, I held my brand new niece for the first time Wednesday.  She was born Sunday, April 3.  She’s Big Mister’s youngest brothers daughter.  Snuggle.  Snuggle.  Kiss.  Kiss.  It’s really true that you forget how little newborns are.