A Gardeners Forum Forums Members History Forum Life 2006 The Move

Merme, Very exciting about the 5 gallon buckets. Ya know, if you want to take pics and send me the memory card, I will be happy to download them, add them to your photobucket, and send you the card back.

Merme,
You have such a beautiful way with words. When reading your posts, it is so easy to picture exactly what you are talking about...as if I was really there. Everytime I see you've posted something new, I'm always sure to read it!

Congratulations on your new home. I'm so glad you are enjoying it so much. Sounds as if it feels like home already...as if you have your roots planted there. Good luck with the planting projects.

Christina

Oh, I worked so hard today; so hard. But golly, it is all so worth it!

I tackled the laundry area and the last of the kitchen unpacking. There is still a bit to go... mostly just figuring out where to put the little stuff that had nice homes in the old place but seem sort of lost here. I am adjusting to not having any kitchen windowsills, but I miss them!

So, my friend Rich showed up with a buddy to take the mini washer and dryer just as the other truck pulled in to bring my new ones. The timing was exact!

And ohmygoodness, I can't believe these new units. I can't believe they are mine! They are so PRETTY!

They are whirlpool, big and white. The back panel where the dials are located are a powder blue, or what some might call a pale baby blue. It's very, very attractive!

So the manuals are about as thick as a telephone book and I will be studying them for days. Or at least, I will do the "Cliff Notes" version and get a good load going tonight.

I'm too tired to cook supper and don't feel much like eating, but I was going to force myself to do it anyway to feed Maxi. But he got invited to a friends house, so I'm off the hook. I'll have some potatoe soup or fish chowder while I study and then I'll get to sit and listen to these big machines do their work effortlessly.

Oh, what fun this is!

Merme

Glad you got your new washer and dryer installed, Merme!

Man, that fish chowder sounds good.

I have never seen anyone so excited about a washer and about doing the laundry except our Cindy. I am so glad you are happy with them Merme!

When my oldest was a baby, I hand washed everything for quite awhile. Clothe diapers. It was ok but hanging out the blankets was a bear. I was doing it all again when my oldest son was born. a washer and dryer is a good thing to get excited about.

Does anyone have an opinion about the best way to store shoes?

Racks on the floor? Hanging pocket things? Shelves with clear boxes?

Merme

Oh and by the way...

A friend of mine stopped by the old apt to pick up my mail because my forwarding hasn't kicked in yet.

Guess what?

The landlord and his wife are now living in the apt!

Apparently when the realtor told him it wouldn't sell without a major amount of money being invested in a fix up, even as a tear down & rebuild, he realized what a bad move he'd made by booting out his highest paying tenant, and to recoup some of the loss, has moved in there himself.

I hope they are enjoying it... drafts, broken plumbing, rotten flooring and all...

I didn't like it much, though, that he'd taken my mail inside and hadn't returned it to the PO to be forwarded! One of my income checks was in that stack.

We are well away from them and that situation, well away! Thanks Be.

Merme

Merme,
I don't have one of these, but really wished I did..
They look like fun, space saving and you could have the higher one's and Maxi could have the lower one's?????
free standing shoe rack

I love this one too, just wish I had all matching
shoes like that..
stand up shoe rack

Hi Merme
What a ex landord he is---- bet that was his plan all along to move in to the apt- but you are in a much better place now- and your washer and dryer sound a lot like my old ones- same colors anyway.... they finally gave up the ghost about 2 yrs ago after 12 yrs of good service- expecially the almsot yr they did laundry for 13- then 8 then just the 3 and now 2 of us--- good workhorses they were...
So glad you got your mail- seems like he could have put it back in the box with please forward on it--- or you new address - he must know it...
We have shoe racks on the floor- and keep every day shoes in it- good shoes we have in boxes on shelves- we don't dress up a lot so that is out of the way for us- Carrie has an eterge(sp) plant stand in her living room and the bottom 2 shelves are for the kids shoes- course she has 4 kids to keep track of their shoes too- not always and easy thing for her--- but she is getting more organized --- slowly! LOL!
Nana

I wish I could help ya there Merme, but our shoes seem to stay where they land. I need to figure out something especially for Lys since she has started collecting them already.

Years ago, when I took in desperately poor families to live with me, I came up with a plan to help the children keep track of their shoes. The moms and dads didn't seem to mind them all scattered about and being unable to find them when it was time to go out. It drove me NUTS! and I must say, I didn't like the children being so upset every morning about shoes of all things!

So I got out some big paper and had each child stand on a piece with their shoes on. I explained that we were making a very special spot to keep their shoes. This spot was so special, in fact, that NOTHING else would fit into it exactly right except their very own shoes!

Then I cut the foot prints out and taped them right beside each childs bed. They were delighted to bring mom and dads and sister and brothers shoes to see if any of them would fit into that Very Special Shoe Spot!

My goodness, the way they behaved, you'd of thought I had discovered the secrets of the universe itself!

But! There were no more misplaced shoes.

My personal rule is that shoes aren't worn in the house and so Maxi has always known to take his off as soon as he comes in the door. Which was great when we had enclosed porches to leave them!

Now our entryway is only 3 1/2 by 4 1/2, and any shoes left there would interfere with opening the door. So that's why I'm thinking of some kind of shoe rack system for the coat closet right inside the front door.

I think the next step might be to measure the space inside the closet before I go shopping.

Merme

Measuring would be a good idea Merme. Look in the kids dept cuz they often have cubbies there and they would work really well for a show rack and still leave you space to use the closet.

Smart idea, Triss!

Neither one of us have many pair of shoes... just one each of the necessary -- you know, sneaks, dress shoes, boots, bay shoes, sandals, etc. Even so, it is likely to make a continuing aggravation if I don't figure it out!

Merme

You have way more than we do. Each of the boys has a pair of tennis shoes that are in their rooms. I have the snow boots and sandals in a box in my room. Lys has all kinds of shoes though and they are here and there. But that bedroom is still full of boxes so is a mess no matter what I do. Eventually I will get unpacked LOL.

Footwear is important because of where we live. Snow boots are a must. Bay shoes are important to protect ones feet from our rocky coast while swimming. Nobody wants a heavy shoe on the foot in hot weather... so...

Up here the kids are not allowed to do outdoor recess unless they are wearing boots, snow pants, parka, hat and mittens. If they are not dressed appropriately, they have to stand on the sidewalk near the building and just watch the other kids play.

Even so, on the coldest days recess is indoors.

Merme

I can totally undersand that. At least they make sure that the kiddos are nice and warm when they are outside. That is a GOOD thing!

Our elementary doesn't go out alllllll the time,
but they send home notes and say, we plan on this day to go out side,.. send stuff appropriate..
I have to admit, I send mine with a jacket...
and mittens in his backpack.. for just regular days, I live 3 blocks from the school and I drive him to school or walk.. and my mom and neighbor have those police/fire boxes.
anything happened, I'd be there in a minute and a half...

Merme, did you see the pictures I posted,
anything like that work, one's on a turnstyle like.

Yesterday I made a successful shopping trip to Target.

Someone had told me they were selling handsome dinnerware with clear glass plates and brightly colored accent pieces at a very good price. Well, they were sold out of the kind I was interested in because they had been on clearance.

Then I noticed a lonely box of an entire set looking all forlorn on the endcap display. The box was fairly beat up, so I opened it to check all the pieces and ended up buying this 20 piece set for $9.99 -- way LESS and much prettier than the items I'd gone there to buy!!

I would not use these dishes in a dining room for dinner, but for nice meals in the kitchen "dinette" area or they'd even be okay for a breakfast or lunch in the dining room (if I still had one!)

The plates are the very large, 11 inch size. They are white in the center with a wide yellow band, trimmed on both edges with a pinstripe of Navy blue. The salad plates are 8 inches; saucers are 6. The large bowls are the flat, shallow style with the wide brim and the cups, a generous 10 oz size, have an attractive, sort of old-fashioned shape I like very much. Because they are stoneware, they are oven, microwave and dishwasher safe.

Also on clearance, I found a nice set of flatware in a pretty stand-up metal basket rack. The handles are Navy blue, so it will look good with the dinnerware.

I wasted a LOT of time in the kitchenware section looking at canisters. Geez, those plastic storage systems can be rather pricey! Years ago I invested a bundle of money in a set that I've been very happy with (good thing, huh?) and though I've added odds and ends by Sterlite and Rubbermaid, I still needed more.

I ended up getting two sets of something called Lock & Lock. Have you ever seen this? It comes in rectangular and square, and the lid has four flaps that fold down and lock onto the canister. Both of the sets I got have the 11 c, 3 c and 2 c size, which makes them pretty versitile for me.

They did NOT have yellow sheets of any style.

They did NOT have Hunter Green towels. I ended up finding this really unusual shade of rich blue/green that is a deeper shade of Peacock than I have ever seen. They really punch up the look of that all-beige bathroom! There are double towel rods in the bath, hung side by side, so I put the towels up, layering them in the peacock and beige. They really give that wall a boost!

And I spent a long time in the toaster section drooling over some very, very attractive but way too costly models. I picked a plain one in ordinary white for less than $10 -- after all, I only want to make toast with the thing and not win a House Beautiful Championship.

I had to chuckle, though, when I got it home and tried to plug it in... Bill had warned me of the darn short cords on kitchen appliances and geez, the plug I was going to use was really hard for me to access. When I finally got it in, the toaster is sitting in a stupid place! But I did have toast this morning, so there ya go.

Now I'm thinking about using one of my surge protector power strips in the kitchen and moving the thing to a better place.

While they didn't have the type of curtain panel I wanted to add to what I already have for my bedroom, I did find the Very Most Extra Long Cafe Curtain Rod I need in there for the double set windows.

I scooped up all manner of cleaning products and found Maxi some cool Valentine's Day Loot for his surprises and for his classmates and by the time I rolled out of there I was dazed and done-in, but there was still cash in my purse so I was a happy girl through and through.

After school yesterday Maxi went outside and picked up a tray full of small stones for me so we could make a microclimate for the Boston Fern. He does such tasks with much carefulness. Since I can't reach the fern myself until we get some of the boxes out of my way (of books no less!), he put it all together himself. The stones, the plant on top, the water in the bottom. I'm proud and I think the Fern is happier.

Merme

Did you get something for your shoes???????

Weezie ~ I looked over everything they had for shoes, but didn't buy anything. I want to also look at Wal-Mart first. Also, although we are now storing our Kenmore canister vac in the coat closet, I am thinking of moving it so there will be more floor space for the shoe system I end up getting.

I am leaning toward the idea of some sort of cubby unit because even if we didn't fill it entirely with shoes we would have the extra cubbies for other gear.

I miss having an enclosed porch!

Maxi kept bins on the porch filled with outdoor play things... a bin of swords and bats, another of balls, another of all his bubble-and-mess-making-stuff, a bin of beach gear and one more of snow tools. I've sent his summer & camp gear to storage as well as his toys, but it would be nice to be able to have them here seasonally.

Merme

Something like this maybe for in the closet???

Or on the inside of the closet door????

Weezie! That's EXACTLY what I've been thinking of for inside the closet! The closet doors are bi-fold, so I can't hang stuff on them, but that rack of cubby's looks ideal.

Merme

If you go to that link, and look on the left side,
there's a link that says "shoe racks",
click on that and there's a few more ideas...

I sigh when I see those..
For our messy wintery winters, muddy springs and falls', and all sorts of stuff during the other season, summer.. ours need something to sit in,
and catch all the drips... and drip and slop..
*My husband delivers to barns, need I say more??*

That looked ideal for what you discribed...

UNPACKING DAY 9,531 1/2

Hey, I told Triss in a PM this morning that there is a better plan for moving than anything I personally have ever done!

It goes like this:

You move yourself and your family into a very nice hotel with all amenities.

The house gets completely packed up. Everything gets taken to the new place all in one trip. The furniture gets put into its proper locations, the decorating is accomplished and all the unpacking is achieved.

THEN you put you and your family into the finished house.

Now doesn't THAT sound like a way to move?!

Sure would beat cooking soup in the coffeepot 'coz nobody knows where the pots are or finding a box of treasure stashed under a toy bin 'coz the labelling on the box was from a previous move!

Just kidding.

But I do tend to walk around here saying "I know I saw my life in one of these boxes just the other day... now which one was it?"

Merme