Marsia's Diary

Llama said:
That also sounds delightful. Will you be able to make it in your shiny new kitchen or will that remain a display space only for now?
Click to expand...
Yes, I can use the kitchen, I just have to clean it thoroughly after each meal prep when the house is on the market. They have one little spot left to paint in the kitchen, and then it will be a contractor-free zone, which is nice because all the drawers have saw dust in them and I am waiting to clean until they are done.
liza3 said:
I'm so glad you have your team of workers being able to take the load off a bit!

Having seen the plumber at work here replacing our hot water heater and doing some odd jobs around that needed doing, I find it always such a pleasure to see what skilled tradespeople can get done so quickly!
Click to expand...
Thanks Liza! It really makes me see how having a big house like this requires people to help you keep it nice. We have so much deferred maintenance which I just could not keep up with myself. I love the energy of skilled workers doing their crafts around me. It helps me get through the packing and cleaning a lot more easily having that sort of energy around me.
Emilyrose said:
Marsia, I get the impression you are living in some kind of mansion, there seems like so much to do! Lol.

Anyway, I'm glad you got a nice rest and are feeling strong and fit!
Click to expand...
Thanks Em! Unfortunately J likes big houses, and I like living in the countryside, so I have a massive yard and forest and big house that is in need of a bunch of repairs. J never keeps up with repairs unless absolutely necessary, so now we are dealing with all that. Plus when he bought the house, it was a seller's market, so he didn't request a bunch of repairs that obviously needed doing. It's a pain, but I was so fortunate that he did put so much money down on a big house, because it means I can get a lot of my inheritance back that he took because I can take it from the sale of this house. So it works out in the end.
MsBubbles said:
Hard to see what all you've done when you're in the thick of it! And probably really tired. But great job - I always marvel at the mental energy people have who are able to see such a mammoth (to me) house overhaul through.
Click to expand...
Thanks Bubbles! I think you're right about it being hard to see what you've done while in the middle of it! I have to have the house largely packed and cleaned this week. Eek!
Cate said:
Oh, M. I think you are amaaaazing! You are powering along, but also looking after yourself & K. One amazing woman ❤️
Click to expand...
Aw, thanks, Cate! I am both terrified and glad that most of this will be over in a week (well, except for finding a new house in the new location!). It is feeling more real that we will get to move soon!

Last night as I was writing this, the power went off in a storm again. I had just had a cup of coffee so I'd have energy do another round of packing, but didn't want to pack by lantern light, so went to bed and didn't sleep so well - probably due to late night caffeine. We went out to buy some things for staging the house the other evening, and didn't come back with much. I hate spending money on frivolous things like decorative candles and decorations that aren't sentimental, and I had already packed most of the knick-nacks thinking we could have the house staged. So I got a nice floor mat for when people come in to wipe feet on and K got a nice present because she's been so great helping me, and that was all I could make myself buy. I see where people go late at night here - the cafes are all closed, but the discount department stores are open. So backwards to what I like in a place, but it was cheerful seeing all the nice things in the stores. I am asking my gardening friend to borrow some of her house plants for staging, and hopefully that will help make things look more staged, but I suspect that I am not going to have enough stuff out to make it look as expected. Maybe I can pick some bouquets of flowers and grasses that can be dried and put them in some vases I haven't packed yet?
 
Plants can make a HUGE difference. And 99.9% of people like seeing some green in a house.
 
Keeping up a big house is so hard. I hope for your next place you can find something way more manageable--my ideal would also be a small house with a big yard.
That sounds smart not buying too much stuff for the staging--and very good idea about borrowing some plants from your friend.
 
I'm sure you'll figure out how to make it look lovely, Marsia. That is so great that you will get your inheritance back once the house is sold.
 
I think your idea of putting house plants strategically around the house is excellent. I love my plants & sit back & love how they look. They bring a lovely energy to each room & my eyes get drawn to them. I don't like how homes get staged usually, especially the silly-looking (to me) throw rug draped over one corner of a bed. I don't do bland & I don't think you do either. I hope you can find a few things that you love that are inexpensive & you can take them with you happily.
I'm getting excited for you, M. You are so close to the next stage of your life! Will there be an auction?
 
Thanks everyone! I am having trouble with buying bland things for the house like Cate said. But last night we found the funnest discount home goods store, and I think if I have to buy things, they'll have some things I can get. I just could not do much yesterday, and the painters didn't come, so I got both vehicles (my mom's and the RV) put in my name and will work on getting the RV sold next. I've never registered a vehicle before, and find things like that incredibly stressful, so I am glad that's over. Now I have more energy from taking a lot of yesterday off and going to sleep really early. I feel a lot better energy-wise and have to go like a whirlwind through the house and finish up everything before the realtor comes over and helps me stage in less than a week. I don't really feel yet like I'm going to be in the next stage of my life. A big house may take a while to sell, and I need to go house shopping in the new location, but I do feel relieved that this is all coming together and that I am a lot closer to moving. I think I need to start meditating again. There are just so many stressful things on the horizon like relocating, going to divorce court, having the house on the market and keeping it pristine for that, and just making sure we have enough money to swing everything. But Cate is right, this will be behind us soon!
 
A (physical) rest day used to do something you were dreading sounds like an amazing time investment. You're killing this, Marsia.
 
Marsia said:
A big house may take a while to sell, and I need to go house shopping in the new location, but I do feel relieved that this is all coming together and that I am a lot closer to moving. I think I need to start meditating again. There are just so many stressful things on the horizon like relocating, going to divorce court, having the house on the market and keeping it pristine for that, and just making sure we have enough money to swing everything
Click to expand...
You are doing an amazing job in dealing with everything as it comes. There has been so much stress and uncertainty for you to deal with but you seem to be doing a great job in managing it all.
 
As I said to my mother today, one step at a time. And you've already made so many steps with getting the house ready. I'm cheering you on.
 
Once your house is on the market you will feel that you are well towards the next stage of your life. It will sell, M as it's a lovely house. Looking for your next house is a very positive thing to be doing. You will be able to rent if you can't find something straight away if the house sells fast. You are learning to do things that were once very daunting & learning so many skills that you didn't know you had. We all have confidence in you, M. You are pulling this off! xoxo
PS Meditating is always a good idea. Fit it in whenever you can 🧘
 
Thanks everyone!! I have piles of stuff from yesterday to help me see that I actually do make progress, so that is reassuring. I think you are right Cate, about getting the house on the market being a good milestone where I'll feel more like I am moving on. That's funny there is a meditation emoji. -I like it! I am feeling a little more confident today about getting everything done. I got all of the trash out of the house including a bunch of "useful" stuff the last people left for us, some cabinets which didn't do well with the move, and weird stuff J left behind including a bike with flat tires that is really beat up. A lot of it was materials I had salvaged for gardening, but I am happy to let all that go. I have good piles for thrift shop donations, and I think by the end of today, most of the stuff not in cupboards and dressers will be packed up. The landscaper came, and though he trimmed the trees way more harshly than I was thinking, it all looks very clean and open now. It looks sort of resort-like instead of homey, but it will look good for photos, and I could not have done all that. He still needs to mow the lawn and finish out back, and he disappeared before I could ask about when he is coming again, so I'd better rescue the plants I can from my raised beds before they are demolished. I had to move the RV and it would not start, so had to get it jumped, and I didn't run it long enough and it needs another jump, but now I know how to do that myself. I never would have found the connections in a million years, so that was good the tow truck driver showed me.

The painters are done with the interior, and I just have a few places to touch up that I didn't ask them to do, so the interior is done except for cleaning. I am not looking forward to window washing with my arms already sore, so I think I'lll just do a little every day. I am a bit sore from hauling furniture around yesterday, but I finally have a good amount of energy and don't feel worn into the ground anymore, which is so so better. I gained a little weight back, but I just can't try to diet and pack at the same time. I'll be more careful about sugar, but past that, I need to wait a little while until the house is done. I really want to pair down a lot of stuff once we move. I really do not want to spend my life taking care of stuff anymore!
 
As long as you aren't binging your brains out any weight gain while you're working this hard can't be meaningful long-term. You're doing amazing and it'll all be over soon.
 
Getting all that stuff sorted into piles for thrifts, garbage and packing must feel so good.
I can imagine it would feel a little sad to see the garden cut back so much. As you put a house on the market, it does seem to feel like less and less your own and already made for someone else, but soon you will be in your next new place making it all entirely your own!
 
It's a really good chance to get rid of any stuff that is adding little or no value to your life Marsia.

I think just maintaining with your weight is enough to be thinking about right now and eating enough to give you fuel to do all these jobs is way more important.
 
It sounds like the house has started shifting away from you & towards its new owners & that is a good thing. I imagine you in something so much more suited to your personality. A place that will feel like your home. It will be warm & full of life & character, a space where you can paint for pleasure, potter about in your garden, sit in the sunshine in your lovely easily maintained garden, or maybe in a sunroom or a sunny spot in your home where you can read......
You are well on the way, M xoxo
PS Can you afford to get someone to come & do the windows?
PPS Don't worry about "dieting" for now. Nourishment (fuel) is what your body needs right now.
 
Thanks everyone! Cate, I may ask the realtor about windows. The pressure washing on the outside helps a lot, but there are 2 story windows which there is no way I can clean myself on the inside. Today and tomorrow will hopefully be the last big days of packing. Then we stage, and clean. I am actually feeling pretty good. I am not sore all over like usual, but feel strong and pretty well rested. I am not too happy with the handy man. He said he was replacing the wood on the French doors, but patched it instead, and I think the doors are too big and heavy for wood putty to hold them together. I will show the realtor who recommended him when she comes. He was a little flirty, which I hate in contractors especially. I do not like flirting at all in general. I think he is one of those charmers who doesn't do what he says he will. I am very sick of that sort of person. I would fire him if he weren't my realtor's recommendation and I had time to get someone else. The painters are getting sloppy, too. I had to scrub a bunch of paint drips off the floors everywhere yesterday and remind them to touch up some places. I think people bid the projects too low, and then get a bit sloppy about them. But in general, I am so happy with how the house is coming out. I need to get out in the garden and rescue some stray berry bushes before the garden gets demolished today. I'll try to dig out the stray horseradish, too. The screen porch is coming along nicely. I have lavender, mint, and pineapple sage planted in between the veggies, and it's looking nice, but there is still a lot of plants in the main path that volunteered that I need to dig up and put in the beds. It's so muggy or this would have been an easy quick project. As it is, I come in drenched in sweat and my heart is racing. I will not miss the summers here, that's for sure! Wish me luck in getting it all packed in the next 2 days!
 
Sorry to hear your hired help is making things a little difficult but it sounds like you're well on top of things. No wonder your handyman's flirtiness annoyed you after what you went through with J!
 
I like that you are doing your best to rescue any stray plants. You are such a caring gardener :)
That's too bad that some of the work is getting a bit sloppy. I think that happens a lot as people are just trying to make the house look good for a sale, rather than being necessarily done well.
Best of luck with the packing!!
 
It's a shame that the contractors are cutting corners. Nearly there, M, nearly there, to the next stage! I hope you can get some help with the window cleaning. Ours need doing & it's such a hard job when there are lots of windows, let alone high ones.
Lots and lots of luck, M! Go you!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top