Is AMAZING!!! She sorted and packed literally all of my kitchen in just over three hours. Some of the stuff was a little hard for me to put in the donate boxes but Sarah was right, I needed to not keep stuff I wasn't using. I have to say there were some mementos that I wanted to keep but after thinking about it this evening they are better off in those boxes. I think she will be proud of me that I haven't even thought about pulling anything out of those donate boxes.
This initial post is a couple of weeks old. Sarah has since come back and worked on my built in cabinet in my bedroom doing basically the same thing. "Donate, donate, donate" is her motto, I think. She is my rock star!
**The photo is a couple of years old. I had to search for one I thought she wouldn't object to my posting. It was Cash's first Halloween.
Things moved fast in the painting and cleaning department thank goodness but the packing is going really slowly. Some boxes have been pretty quick to pack but then there are those that are harder because I come across stuff of Steve's. The decisions to keep and what to take with me in these cases are sometimes hard. Some are no-brainers but then there is the occasional trinket he loved that I don't seem to want to part with so it might move to the new house.
I started this post at the end of May and I just realized I had never finished it. That is about the way things are right now. I am SO over the packing and moving thing.
He found a paint roller and wanted to help. He first rolled the dry roller on his mom's newly painted wall. He later happened to lean against the same wet wall and got sage paint on the back of his pants, shirt and head. He didn't stop there as he then proceeded to touch the wall and taste it, and then made a face. Surprise Cash, paint doesn't taste good. His mommy even told him it wasn't food but that didn't stop him from then placing his lips to the wall to try a different spot. The look on his face was priceless...
They hit me when I least expect them. I am usually a puddle of tears for most of the day and there is nothing I have tried so far that makes them go away. I just want to crawl back into bed and pull the covers over my head and stay there. Today is one of those days...
Isn't she pretty? She has a red front door. Also a living/dining room, family room, two bedrooms, one bathroom, utility room and a kitchen with a nook. Love, love, love her!!! She is getting new paint in all rooms except the bathroom before I move in.
Thanks to my sweet girl Sarah, her hubby Nate and my dear friend Angie the house is prepped and ready to paint. Things are moving right along considering I just got my keys last Wednesday. I have already taken before pictures and will take more in process and then when it is done. I will post those later.
It has been four days since I started writing this post and I finally loaded my photos onto my computer so I can post the first photo of the outside of my house. My wonderful family and friends have really made large strides on the painting. As of today the family/craft room and both bedrooms are done. The hallway is taped and painted at the baseboards and next to the door frames. The living/dining room ceiling is done as is the first coat of paint on the walls. Lisa started painting the utility room yesterday and hopes are that we get more done tomorrow. I will start posting before and after pictures in a couple of days.
It is amazing what packing and moving does to your life. Blogging is the last thing that I think of doing. Though I know that I have been a bit remiss with it in the last couple of years it has become worse in the last six months. For instance it has been almost a month since I last wrote on my blog and I don't know where the time went.
I am now thinking that hiring someone to pack and move me is a really good idea. But it isn't the moving that is the problem it is the sorting and dealing with the aftermath that I don't look forward to at all. I have twenty-four years of stuff to go through and it is extremely overwhelming to say the least.
I keep trying to wrap my brain around this fact. It seems like only yesterday I was wondering why Steve wasn't answering his phone at just a little after eight in the morning. He should have been at work by then since he left at a little after seven. What prompted my calling him, which I rarely did, at that time of the morning you might ask? I had been watching the news as I always did and there was a report of a small plane crash. I had the oddest feeling so I called him. When I got no answer it kicked my 'worry' mode into gear. I shut off the television. From there on in the time frame of how things happened got very fuzzy.
My worst fear was about to be moved into a frenzy when I received a call from a reporter with the Oregonian. She wanted to confirm that Steve was the owner of N9996D and if he had been flying that morning. She even had the nerve to ask if I was sure he was the one flying the plane. She then told me there had been a plane crash, I don't remember what I said but it caused her to respond with "Oh my God". Because she then apologized and then hung up. My next call was to Kelly, Steve's boss to ask him if he had seen Steve yet that morning. I told him about the reporter and then I could hear what I believe were his keys in his pocket as he ran outside to the parking lot to see if Steve's motorcycle was there. It was not and then Kelly said I will call you back. I remember calling my neighbor Mary and after that things all happened in somewhat of a blur. How much time had passed from then to when I had a Marion County Sheriff knocking on my door seemed like forever but it could have been moments later I don't know. He was here to basically confirm my worst fears. Mary called family and friends and in no time at all my dear mother-in-law was in my arms sobbing along with me.
The sheriff needed to confirm what Steve was wearing and some of his physical attributes such as 'did he have facial hair'. It struck me at the moment as odd that I couldn't remember what shirt he had on. I described the color of his jacket, the fact he was wearing blue denim Carharts and yes, he had a beard. From there on in I don't remember what happened or in what order. But it seemed like in no time at all my dear friends were here asking what they could do.
Fast forward to today; past the reluctance of the insurance companies to pay out on their policies, the threatened lawsuits, the numerous attorneys and the estate. Today it is no less hectic but I have a goal and I am moving forward. Buying a new 'old' home and selling the old 'old' home is what is occupying my time right now. I hate the packing and moving part but now is when I take the opportunity to reduce the clutter my life. I hope my girls are grateful I am not leaving it for them to deal with...
