Organizing This House - The Game Plan

When we moved into a rental,

we knew we weren't going to be here long.

So we haven't completely unpacked.

There are still TONS of boxes 

shoved in closets & the garage.

We have all but decided

we are going to stay in this house for another year.

The price is right and we aren't really 

sure what we are going to do in another year.

So since we are staying a little longer,

I am going to attempt to organize the 

boxes and stuff a little more

My desire for order comes and goes.

Sometimes I seriously just feel so defeated

I don't really care.

Then I get aggravated (or motivated) and try to do something

about it.

But I am "frugal" and don't want to go spend

a bunch of money for storage solutions.

But you will often hear from professional organizers that

Everything needs a place.

With that in mind...

I am going to try and find a place for everything!

And it is easier for EVERYONE

if you know where everything goes!

Stuff is constantly getting misplaced

because it doesn't have a home.

I am going to use this blog as my motivation

to keep this desire for order going!

This will be a feature

that I hopefully will be able to keep going.

Another motivation,

is totally financial too...

there is a TON of stuff that we need to get rid of.

We got rid of a lot of items before we moved...

A LOT!!!

But not enough,

we moved a lot of unneeded items 

because I just couldn't go through and 

get rid of it all 

while managing 4 kids 

and trying to keep the house spotless

while we tried to sell.

So a lot of items got shipped so I could

deal with it here...

Well - its time to deal with it!

Once we have gone through one box at a time

and pulled out what we are not keeping

and repacked what we are...

We will figure out what to do with it:

Garage sale

Craigslist

Donate

And to be honest - 

there are a few things that I am just having a hard

time getting rid of.

Like the infant car seat that all 4 have been in...

I was planning on selling that

and the bases

and the stroller

all as a set.

But I think I want to keep the single stroller

a little longer.

Its is a nice stroller and in great shape.

(This is a big problem for me, ask my husband!)

So I have developed somewhat of a game plan

for organization...

The Game Plan:

* Clean & organize boys' closet

* Clean & organize Ms. Priss' closet

* Clean & organize Mr. T's closet

* Re-purpose downstairs closet

*Organize downstairs playroom

* Organize laundry room/pantry

*Clean & Organize Small Master Closet

* Clean & Organize Large Master Closet

* Reorganize Upstairs Loft/Game Room

The problem I have is budget.

I have tons of great solutions and great ideas,

but they all cost more money than I am willing to put into each project.

So my goals has always been to figure out what to do

then find a way to do it as cheaply as possible!

I am not scared of work,

I am not scared of DIY,

we are very much DIY-ers in this house!

My biggest "problem" - 

BUDGET!

Wish me luck!

In the meantime - I need ideas on how to label these

fabric bins...

I would like them to be changeable, but not easily.

I have velcro & a laminator but 

Mr. T will rearrange them for us,

so not keen on that idea.

What other ideas do you have?

Budget & kid friendly 

but will look good in a main

living area.

Thanks in advance!!

How do I spell relief??? T-E-X-A-S!!!

WE ARE HERE!!!

The real fun started on Oct 7th.

We began loading the truck...

Husband, father-in-law & me

(with 4 kids underfoot!)

Worked HARD all day

then went to my parents to celebrate my 34th (shhh...don't tell)

birthday with family and a few close friends.

Got up the next morning and did it all over again,

but this time with the help of my mom.

Things were looking good until about lunchtime...

then we slowly started to realize...

its not all gonna fit!!!
(In the 26' Penske truck we rented!)

At 8pm, my husband and father-in-law, freshly showered...

piled into the moving truck and set out for Texas!

I was hoping and praying and imagining that 

when they drove out of the driveway 

I would feel this immense 

RELIEF

come over me...

OH NO - QUITE THE OPPOSITE!

All I saw was a filthy house FULL of stuff

that somehow had to make it down to Texas!!!

So my stress level actually went through the ROOF!

The hubby and father-in-law

drove straight through...

I checked in with them about every 3 to 4 hours.

They finally made it on Sunday evening about 10pm EST.

I finished packing the rest of our "stuff"

(half of which will be sold or donated when it gets here - 

so why did we ship it?  cause I didn't have time to go through

it prior to all this!)

Called a moving company and the movers thankfully came in 

with a price that was very reasonable.

(We still saved about 50% or more had we just had them move it all)

So I am satisfied.

I spent the next couple of days packing and cleaning and doing what I could

with 2 little ones under foot.

My mom volunteered to make the 1400 mile drive with me and the kids.

I had a plan in my head to leave Wednesday morning, Oct 12th.

Bright and early!

Due to all the "stuff" left in our house...

Wednesday morning, 

my bestie and I headed back over to the house

and packed and moved and put all of our "stuff" 

in two rooms in the house so the movers would have an easier job.

SHE WAS AMAZING!

We got back to my parents' house around noon.

I jumped in the shower and then literally 

 BURST INTO TEARS!!!

Why?  Because I had this immense feeling of 

RELIEF!  

This was ALL finally coming to an

END!

I cried and cried.

I really couldn't explain why...

they weren't sad tears

they weren't happy tears

they were tears of RELIEF!

We were FINALLY loading the car and starting on

our trip

our journey

our adventure

our new life!

My family was going to be complete again...

my kids would get to hug and kiss their dad goodnight

(not say goodnight via Skype)

I got to sleep next to my husband every night

(not just look at him via Skype)

we get to see him EVERY DAY

(not put him back on an airplane after a weekend visit)

the kids get to play with him on the floor

(not just sit and "talk" to him via Skype)

The list goes on and I could be here for days...

but I won't...

Needless to say...

We are in TEXAS!


(It only took us 4 days!  HA!)


We arrived Saturday, October 16th around noon
to a very happy daddy/husband
and father-in-law.


Then Monday,
The kids and I put a very sad momma/nana
on an airplane back to Raleigh...

Now we begin our new life in Texas...


(When are y'all coming to visit???)

Let the Fun Begin!!!

Step One:  Find a renter or a buyer for current house...

Check!

Step Two:  Find a home to rent in Texas...

Check!

Step Three:  Start the move process...

Lord Help Me!!!

Flights have not been booked

and

Rental trucks have not been reserved 

BUT

it appears that the weekend of the big move

just so happens to be

the weekend of my 34th birthday!

What a present...

However - I have to get through this week first!

On the schedule:

Irene bought us a new roof - so that will be done this week

Inside we are getting some work done as well - that will ALSO be done this week

(guys came today to clear out the boys bedroom...

they will get to sleep on mattresses on the floor for the next 2 weeks)

Packing has begun (one box at a time - I have only done 5 so far)

Work needs to be done on the car - that will also be this week

Meanwhile - there is still

carpool twice a day

(four times on Wednesday)

the soccer practice shuffle tonight

breakfast, lunch and dinners to fix

baths to give

homework to do

I am so thankful that we can afford to do all of this stuff now

it still HURTS...

BAD!

But it is finally do-able!

I have shed a LOT of tears over the last few days 

and 

I am almost certain

that this will be the most emotional birthday of my life!

But I am trying to remember that we chose to do this...

and once we get settled and back to being a family...

I will, again, be thankful...

Right now - I am still somewhat in a state of dread and fear.

What am I dreading?

Being away from everything I have known my entire life

(but I am looking forward to that part as well)

What do I fear?

I fear that we will never be back...

What is the hardest part of all of this?

The fact that it is SOOOOOOOO far away...

I was talking to a lady today at Starbucks and had the babies with me...

Just in that short conversation - 

she said she could tell that I was a strong, independent woman

and that I was going to be FINE. 

I thanked her and told her I appreciated all the encouragement I could get right now.

I am looking forward to joining my best friend and partner in life again...

We have tackled so much together these past few years.

I have said MANY prayers through ALL of this...

one of my most recent ones has been asking God just to keep my family together.

Just keep the 6 of us together and we will be ok.

By October 15th, my family will be back together!

STEP 2 - Check!

WE ARE MOVING!!!

We have had a very busy few weeks.

We were blessed with LOTS of interested

renters on our home in the last 2 weeks.

Long drawn out story - 

but the first couple

that came to see the home 

decided they wanted to rent it!

I am VERY pleased with this outcome!

I think our house will be in good hands!!

Now the next stressful part - finding a place for us to live in Texas!

However, after 3-4 days of SOLID searching on-line...

it is quite possible that we found a house today!

Hubby is going to check it out as soon as I can 

get an appointment for him.

The school is GREAT!

There is a Starbucks, Target, Kohl's and Barnes & Noble 

(among tons of other stores)

literally 5 minutes away...

I have already found an amazing looking church less than 10 min away.

(including a scout troop for the boys & a MOMs group for the mom (me!))

Found a great looking preschool for our daughter less than 10 min away.

Now we just gotta hope we get this house!

We are still figuring out logistics...

so no move date yet.

I am starting the really big purge...

tagging items for a consignment sale this weekend.

And donating what doesn't sell, so once it leaves this house...

it is NOT coming back!!  

AHHHHH!!!!

(I am a HUGE packrat, so this is HARD for me!!!)

Once we find the house and sign the lease for the new house

we will set a move date and it will probably occur in 2 phases...

Phase 1 - all the stuff goes

Phase 2 - all the people go

But we are still working this part out.

Once the move date is officially set - the packing and more serious purging begins!

I am so thankful everyone is back in school.

But then again - the boys have been such big helps lately...

I might wish they were home with me to help!! 

Will keep you posted!

YEAH!!!

(kinda)

Daddy's Visit...

First off - it makes me sad to realize that my husband is just

"coming home to visit"...

We had a WONDERFUL weekend!!

I had a small honey-do list ready for my sweet husband.

But he had LOTS of help!!

We picked him up LATE Thursday night and put him back on the plane

this afternoon - so we got 4 1/2 days with him!!

Daddy's Honey Do List:

- Lower T's Bed

- Fix the screen door

- Fix the gate to the fence

- Fix the fan in the bedroom

- Mow the grass

- Enjoy your family!!!

We did all of that and threw in a few fun things too...

First the chores...

Fix the screen door - Check!

Lower T's bed - Check!

(She helped with this one too I just didn't capture the evidence)

Fix the gate - check!

Fix the fan - check!

(No evidence here either - gotta trust me!)

Mow the grass - check!

(However I do think he got off a little easy on this one...

looks like the boys are doing all the hard work!)

While we were all outside enjoying the weather

(and not leaving daddy's side)...

daddy had to check out his "Texas Tree"...

When R was 2 and J was about 4 months old,

we flew to Texas for a visit.

While we were there - we went to a park and while the kids and I were playing

daddy sat under a mesquite tree and peeled a bunch of seeds out of their pods.

He put them in a baggy and we brought them home to plant.

We started out with about 12 plants and

we wound up planting 2 in our backyard here...

that was over 5 years ago...

Here is the lone survivor and needless to say

Daddy is PROUD!

He likes this plant so much that he had already decided

we would be taking it with us when we left this house...

this was BEFORE we knew we were moving to Texas where these things 

grow ALL OVER!

Then it was time to relax!

(No they haven't missed him!!)

Saturday we went to our first NC State football game of the season...

(yes this is where our kids watch the game from...

has been their seats for the past 3 years!!!!)

Super Mario made an appearance.

TOUCHDOWN!!!

Post-game photo op...

(Posing with the brick we purchased YEARS ago!)

Sunday we relaxed and did more chores (I think that's when the grass actually got mowed...)

Monday - we had a small celebration for T's First Birthday!!!

He doesn't turn 1 til Sept 23, but we weren't sure

when daddy would make it home again...

so we decided to celebrate a little early.

A did not leave her daddy's side the ENTIRE weekend...

she was his little helper every where he went

(EVERYWHERE!)

and then tonight after we put him on the airplane, 

while we were making dinner,

she asked

"Where daddy go?"

I told her he was going back to Texas

her response

"No Texas, airport - he be right back"

Sorry baby girl...its gonna be another few weeks.

Limbo - Mon!!

Limbo - that is how I would best describe our lives right now...

We are making do and staying the course

Some days are definitely easier than others.

The boys track out today -

and don't go back in until Sept 14th! 

I have a whole month with them...

by myself!!  

Thankfully reinforcements will come in the form of grandparents!

With the help of my mom and mother-in-law...

we have almost all the weekends covered already!

First weekend - beach with mom

Second weekend - Super Soccer Saturday - 

that consists of 6 (yes SIX) soccer games that my two boys will be playing in - in ONE day!

Third weekend - Labor Day - Daddy comes home again

Fourth Weekend - Waterpark with mom & mother-in-law

So that leaves me with 4 weeks worth of weekdays to keep 4 kids 

entertained.  

We are totally, inequivicably (not sure I spelled that right), absolutely, without a doubt...

living in a state of limbo.

However - we are all healthy and for the most part, happy.

So we can do this.

I missed the boys "Open House" at school last night where the teachers
talk about their teaching style and what to expect from her
this year and what she expects from us and the kids this year.
I didn't go...
this is TOTALLY unlike me!!!
I don't really plan on us being here that long
and didn't have a sitter
and honestly felt it would be harder on me to go
and sit and listen and visit with my other mom
friends knowing that we aren't going to be around much longer.
So I guess I am slowly making the break.
(Which brings me to tears...)

We have had quite a bit of interest in the house this week.
Sunday we had an open house with 2 attendees.
Tuesday we had a family come in twice to look at the house to rent.
Yesterday I received an e-mail asking to come and look at the house for rent today.
(Haven't heard back from them yet though)
Also yesterday, our realtor said someone wants to look at it tomorrow.

So interest is picking up and we have already this week had 3 people in here to look at it.
I know it only takes one...
our odds are increasing, right??
(Or are they decreasing??
I never officially took statistics.)

I know this is a process...
but I was never any good at
 "limbo - mon"!

(that is my pep talk to myself for the day!)

What a Weekend!!!!

Our weekend got off to an early start by picking daddy up

from the airport Thursday evening for his 

first visit home in 4 weeks!!!

The kids were thrilled to see him...

mommy too!

Friday, we met with the realtor

to discuss options and ideas.

We lowered the price on the house

and quickly started preparing for 

the upcoming Open House 

on Sunday.

But before the Open House

prep got really going -

we decided to spend some quality 

time together as a family!! 

(and money!)

We got the boys new cleats for their

soccer season that just started.

Did some other running around

and errands and then wound up

at an early dinner

at my favorite Habachi place...

Kanki!!  

Saturday the fun started!  My parents came over and 

helped up tackle painting the master bath

(I de-wallpapered randomly Friday & Saturday morning)

Then Sunday morning 

more cleaning 

and yard work 

and painting...

Then off to soccer practice during the open house...

we actually had 2 people come in this time!

That is 2 more than last time!!  :)

Then daddy and I went out and celebrated our 

11th anniversary at a sushi place

I have wanted to go for awhile!

I have never been so full in MY LIFE!!!

Monday, we kept the kids out of school another day 

and we relaxed and did a few last minute

honey-dos...

we also lowered the rental amount.

Then last night I received an e-mail asking about the rental!

The gentleman came and looked at it this morning.

This was our first "rental viewing".

Not holding my breath - but another milestone!!

On Monday - I also went ahead and signed my daughter up

for preschool starting in September.

I took the boys to a trial class for 

TaeKwonDo

and they LOVED it!

R is a natural!

J did great too for a 5 yo and his first time!

Handy Mommy

There are a ton of little things that have needed doing in this house

that were pushed to the back burner.

We did the important and "bigger" things

that we could before my husband left

for Texas.

Then there were a few other smaller,

more insignificant, 

yet bothersome,

things that needed doing.

So after surfing the web,

thank you YouTube,

and digging into that

"can do" attitude

I got from my dad!

(Thanks daddy!)

I tackled a few of these items

Saturday morning!

First I replaced the air filter grate downstairs.

Right after we moved in, my oldest (then 2) found my 

little stash of acrylic paint and thought

that the all white air return grate needed a little color.

So he painted it...it was just cosmetic and really

didn't bother me, so I left it.

But when you are trying to sell a house...

It needed doing.

So I did...

Old

New

 

Next...

The kids tub drain lever has been messed up for a while...

but I have been scared to call a plumber about it.

Well we had a plumber here a few moths ago for another

more pressing reason and I had him look at it.

He had no idea what the problem was...

not a good sign!

So after months of hanging a wet washcloth on the lever to 

get the tub to drain...

I decided to wander down the "plumbing aisle"

at the local mega hardware store.

The lady there was GREAT and I was

SHOCKED at how

easy of a fix it was going to be!!!

So I did it!

Yep you heard me!

I fixed the broken drain lever 

in the kids tub!

Mid -fix

Once I got everything apart I had to take the old stuff to the hardware

store to make sure I was getting the right items.

I am happy to say, I walked straight to the area 

this stuff was.  Examined all of the pieces/parts

and selected what I needed.

Then while we were there the kids saw other kids

walking around the store with these wooden crafts...

Oh yeah!!!  That's today!!!

So the kids and I went back and made wooden pencil boxes...

well we assembled wooden pencil boxes.

The boys did a LOT on their own...I made them look at the directions

and figure it out...

 I even gave my daughter a hammer!!  AHHH!!!

 The finished result!  

They were very proud of their handy work.

I was too!!

So then I got home and finished my second project for the morning...

New

(that is NOT dirt or grime on the lever plate

it is a reflection of the toys that I left in the tub

while I fixed it!)

Although we have not officially tested it out yet, it does work

the tub does hold water!

We will give it the first go tonight at bath-time.

Don't worry - 

I am still creating a honey do list for daddy's visit this weekend!

I would hate for him to think we don't need him!

Two for One...

Well today is a two-fer!  You get two posts in one day...

aren't you excited???

We got another hit on our rental ad today -

it was a scammer!!!

UGH!!!

I hit the

"flag as a scammer" 

button on the bottom of the e-mail.

I can't decide if I would rather not get

anything or if am glad that we have 

SOME interest on our ad...

even if it is a sorry sack of scammer!

Oh well.

I have had the awesome opportunity today to be a MOM!

I got to take my daughter to her
"Music and Motion" class

aka

"sissy skoo, sissy skoo"

which she exclaims with delight as soon as we get

anywhere close to parking lot!!

Then I also got to sit and watch my 10 month old 

discover new things.  

He has a ton of toys strewn out in front of him,

thanks to above referenced daughter!

And  he is just crawling around contently examining each toy.

Poking eyes on a big stuffed bug,

Putting Weebles in their treehouse,

Sucking on the wrong end of a toy stethoscope,

Chewing and examining his sisters dress up shoes.

I wonder what's going on in that little head of his.

While sitting and enjoying this time watching him

my contentment is occasionally broken by

 the blood curdling scream 

of, again, above mentioned daughter

from the playroom as her

older brothers don't let her get her way

with whatever they are doing.

Oh the wonderful and fulfilling 

life of a mom!  

I wouldn't have it any other way...

except to have their daddy

here to enjoy this with me.

ARGH!!!

This particular rental didn't pan out...

Oh well!!

I am kinda disappointed but was REALLY getting stressed out about the 

prospect of having to be out of here in 10 days (or less).

So I am relieved about that.

And I did learn a bit about the whole rental process 

from this week's experience though...

so it wasn't a futile exercise.

My husband has purchased his first plane ticket home...

He is flying home Thursday.  That is exactly one week from today.

But who's counting??

ME!!

And his 4 offspring!

We will be celebrating our 11th anniversary!

Crazy that we have been together for 12 years (and married for 11)

and still can't wait to see each other!  

(I know - Awe, How sweet!!)

The boys have both been signed up for soccer.

Practice starts next Tuesday.

They are both so excited and I am thrilled that we get to start filling

up our calendar with things to look forward to...

makes the time away from daddy a whole lot easier and quicker!

First we add soccer practices & soccer games.

Then we will add track out activities.

Then we add football games (which we will attend as long as we are here!)

So back to business as usual on this end.

Gotta Love CraigsList!

I attempted to put an ad on CraigsList for our house as a rental last week.

I got the notification and it shows up under my account...

For grins and giggles I decided to do a search

and see what other houses were available for rent in my area...

Oddly - my house did NOT show up!!!

I followed the link on my account, yep it was there,

but when you search it doesn't show up on the list...

So I reposted...

literally within MINUTES I got an e-mail

from someone inquiring...

It seemed like one of those too good to be true deals.

It was not, it was legit - BUT - 

they were doing some preliminary leg work for an 

insurance client...

So, the good news is - I got a hit immediately after the ad 

actually went up...

the bad new...

I am not sure this one will pan out.

But, as previously stated...

Its a START!!!

On a different note -

my oldest is really having a hard time with all of this.

He has gotten teary eyed twice today about not being

with his daddy. 

Unfortunately I cannot make him understand that we

cannot move without someone living in this house

and I CANNOT go grab someone off the street

and force them to live here (much to his chagrin!)

He doesn't understand how this works at all, 

all he knows is that he desperately misses his daddy.

We all do!

The Country...

We have had an eventful weekend...

we had our first showing Friday night but they decided 

that they didn't care for the layout of our house

as much as others.  

That's ok - its a START!!!  

We loaded up the beast and went to the country

to visit my grandmother - 

she hosted a small family gathering for us...

a fish fry!!

The kids did their best to catch enough fish for us to eat, but unfortunately 

they were not successful.  

They did each catch a fish or two and the baby even gave the ole rod and reel a spin!

My second son stayed outside on that fishing dock literally all day Saturday

and Sunday morning at 8:30 we were back out there!  

The only "catch" (haha) is that mommy does NOT

put worms or crickets (ICK!) on the hook!

(I did 2 worms Sun morning cause I didn't have a choice)

And my kids haven't been forced to learn it yet cause they are sticking something on a HOOK

afterall!

Along with catching fish and eating fish...we did a little farming

and picked a bunch of squash

(which mommy LOVES but the kids don't eat without being forced to)

that same field produced a bunch of the most amazing creamer potatoes earlier this year

so from our country visit we came home with:

8 boxes of MacBee peaches

(only 1 box made it to my house)

3 watermelons 

(2 of those made it to my house)

~10 pounds of summer squash

(over half made it to my house)

~ 15 pounds of creamer potatoes

(most of that made it to my house)

I am truly going to miss that!  

I realize I am coming back and I will not be gone forever

but I think I will have to plan my visits around my great uncles crops!!  

Another exciting thing...

we discovered another amazing benefit of my husband's new job...

he gets comp time!

This means - he can work 4 10s and get a 3 day weekend.

So with the approval of the powers that be

he will be coming home possibly 

on the 11th

that is 10 days away!!

So glad we haven't bought that plane ticket yet!

My oldest still hasn't grasped fully what is going on...

we were talking in the car this morning on the way to school.

They have track-out coming up and 

we were talking about all of the things we were going to try and do

with the grandparents over track-out:

Grandmother's camper at the beach, 

Great Wolf Lodge with Grammy

Maybe Columbia to visit the cousins...

My oldest asked if Daddy was going to be home to go with us to GWL,

I shook my head "no".

Will he be home with us to go to the beach?

I shook my head "no".

Will daddy get to go to the waterpark with us at all?

I shook my head "no".

Then he dropped his head and started rubbing his eyes.

I kinda wish they understood but

am kinda glad they don't,

cause this is hard enough on me and my husband 

I wouldn't want them feeling like this.

The "not knowing" is hard on everyone!

And no matter how hard we try - 

we cannot predict when someone will buy or 

rent this house.

My oldest was quizzing his daddy via Skype last night about 

when we were going to Texas to be with him

 and 

when he was coming home

and 

when someone was going to buy our house

and 

when someone was going to rent out house...

Makes it hard when you don't have all the answers for your kids...

but we are praying every night for
"God please let someone come and buy our house soon so we can move to Texas with daddy"

then my oldest added

"or God please let someone come and rent our house so we can move to Texas with daddy and live with him"

then is little brother added

"for ever and ever - AMEN".

Just the Beginning??

I feel like the flood gates might be opening a little more...

We are going to my grandmother's for the weekend

and I had started cleaning up a little around 3:30ish

I got a call at 4:15 telling me that we had our

FIRST OFFICIAL SHOWING

at 5:15!

That was 1 hour!!!

Thankfully we have worked so hard over the past few weeks

that it was pretty easy to do a quick run through the house.  

I have used an odd addage to describe selling a house...

Just like getting pregnant - it only takes once!  :)

- And I know, it has happened 4 times for me! -

It just takes one person to like your house...

I don't have high hopes that this person was "THE" person

but it was a START!  And that is HUGE to me.  

Meanwhile - I am at peace with all of this.  I know it will happen!

I know it will...

My sisters both subscribe to a couple of different blogs where Christian women 

write little devotionals and inspirations...

They both sent me the same one a couple of days ago talking about 

trusting God to take care of you and your needs.  

He has so far and I trust that He will continue.

And He has reminded me frequently that "I" 

am NOT in control.

HE IS!!!