The End Is In Sight. Kinda.
I have been reminded these last 10 days why I hate moving. Not that I had ever forgotten, I’ve always known I hate moving. But I guess I had forgotten how much I hate it. Which is to say: I HATE IT A LOT.
I know people who love the whole, Upgrade-The-House-And-Sell lifestyle. They make a small bit of money off of it every 4+ years or so and upgrade each move. I think this is insane. Not only do I find the prospect of settling into a new house scary, but I always find leaving the old one depressing. I get very attached to my domiciles. I spent all day yesterday working at the new home and waiting for the cable guy. I came home for just long enough to give the kids baths and put them to bed. Then I went back to the new house for more painting. When I got home around 10:30pm last night I said, “Ah. Home Sweet Home.” And then got very sad because after Saturday? This will no longer be where I rest my head.
The new house is great, of course, but it will be awhile before it feels like home. It’s bigger, so it’s a bit scary, and it’s older, so it’s still a bit scary. I tend to be scared of new places anyway – add extra places for monsters to hide bugs to live – and I’m a total mess.
So – basically? I’m a scaredy-cat agoraphobic. This is why I have no social life.
I’m finishing up NikkiZ’s room and starting on AndyZ’s room and hopefully will be done with all pre-move painting by Thursday. Which is when we have the carpets cleaned, (8 kids + 1 dog living there before us – we can’t afford to replace it so we’re cleaning the hell out of it and thanking the gods that most of the common areas have hardwoods.) the cable turned on (HOPEFULLY!) and the roofers begin. We rent a truck on Saturday and move whatever big furniture won’t fit in my minivan. (Which – surprisingly – holds a LOT of stuff.) I haven’t boxed anything up yet because I’ve been painting so the moving day ought to be AWESOME.
Either way – I see the finish line. I see the finish-line of another race, anyway. Because once we’re living in the new house, we begin the process of making it home. Making it so I don’t jump at every strange sound and where I feel that since of relief when I pull into that driveway – instead of the other one. And maybe – JUST MAYBE – I’ll have other things to talk about once again.
A Few Miscellaneous Follow-Ups:
- You’re right! Hardwoods are much easier to deal with than carpet. The copious amounts of painting have yielded a few paint-on-the-floor incidents (Not just from me! From the professionals too!) which are easy-as-pie to clean up on the hardwoods. (Once you let it dry, of course. Peels right off!)
- Still haven’t committed to new dishes. Everytime I think I’ve made up my mind with brand/color/scheme – I get gun shy and worry about the commitment. I may end up putting this decision off for awhile.
- We are going to take down the wallpaper after many of your horror stories…but…we have since discovered that wallpaper may have been painting over in at least one of our rooms. And we wouldn’t have noticed if we hadn’t replaced toilets or taken down smoke detectors. (To Replace! Don’t Panic!) So, I’m having mixed feelings about the issue. There is one room they did some sort of spackled/texture treatment to that we think resulted from the destruction of removing wallpaper – so obviously that room was bad. But there are two others we think were painted over and we didn’t notice. See? Mixed feelings. Either way – since it’s a hall we’re working we have the luxury of time so we’ll take it down, one inch at a time if necessary.
Ah, adventures in moving. I do not miss them at all! (Oh wait, I’m going to have another – into a temporary home – in just a couple months. ACK!) I wish you the greatest of ease and comfort as you get to feeling at home in the “new” place!
I wish you many happy years in your new home.
I bet it won’t take you long to settle in and fill up the space – you’ll wonder how you managed in the smaller house for so long.
You’re almost there! It’ll be done before you know it, and although those first days in a new place are always a bit weird (“Is THIS where I live now?”) it will be feeling like home soon enough.
It’s awesome that you are doing so much of this painting yourself. Props!
GAH. We are moving the same day, to what I hope will be our “forever home” too. It’s scary and exciting all at once. Good luck!
I know what you mean. I always hate moving. But you’ll get settled in soon and your new place will feel like home before you know it.
I hate moving, too!
Have you looked at the square Fiesta dishes? These are great, and I have a 9 & 3 year old. Both believe in clearing the table by taking their dishes and “dropping” them into the sink. No broken piece yet!
Hate hate hate moving. Hate it. There was one year I moved 4 times (sold house, moved into apartment, moved to Pittsburgh to live with Steve, then bought house with Steve). When I moved into the last house that November, I told Steve I was never moving again and they would have to cart out my cold, dead body. We sold the house 3 years later to move to Nashville. I guess moving is better than being dead. Heh.
We are renting in Nashville. We just signed up for our 3rd year in this house simply because every year as our lease is up we start looking at houses and I start thinking about moving and say “Let’s stay 1 more year.” Basically, the lack of landscaping and the builder’s beige on the walls has to make me crazier than moving does. Next spring, we will finally buy a house again. Gah.
Oh and I totally get attached to houses too. I can’t drive by our house in Pittsburgh without getting misty.
I know what you mean. We moved into our “forever” house last friday and my kids are still asking where the bathroom is! Good luck to you and your awesome family!
hugs~*^^*~
I’m catching up on reading and have no idea what the plate/dishes choice is about but I have to say – I think you’re a Fiestaware girl.
Let me know if you need any help…..if I’m not you-know-where, I’ll be glad to lend a hand. I’m so excited for you & your family!
I get pretty attached to my domiciles, too. And my cars.
And yes….like Nancy says….FIESTAWARE! Commitment shouldn’t be as scary because the dishes come in literally every color under the sun. And they go with ANY decorating style, as well as many other dishes. And I just love their disc pitchers!
Fiestaware disc pitchers….hmmm….I may have found my latest vintage dish obsession….
We just moved into our new house this past weekend, and I’m with you in that moving into a bigger, older house is a bit scary. Especially when one of my dogs starts barking for no reason. And we’re all adjusting to the hardwood floors — the dogs are trying not to wipe out when they run, and we’re getting used to the constant clickety-click of their nails on the floors.
I don’t get people who move every few years, no matter how much of an upgrade they manage each time. Moving is a pain in the ass, plain and simple. My husband and I are hoping to not have to move again for at least 20 years.
Take your time on the dishes. There’s no hurry, with everything else you’ve got going on.
Man! I am so excited for you. Yes, I am one of those crazy people that likes to move, kind of like a wild gypsy, but conservative? Anyhow, I also know what you mean about home as we have been in this one for a year and a half and the thought of ever leaving it makes me sad. Maybe it is about finding the right home after all? This one will be for you – it is your forever home.