Packing on Monday

Welcome to Monday again!

It's my "Sunday".. so I get to putter around the house pretty much by myself on Mondays.

Part of the morning I spend farting around on FB... playing Zuma, catching up with my friends and doing a little 'fb house cleaning".  Today I got up and did a little of that, but it's Spring Break, so TKU came down with pancakes for the two of us, and we bantered about not much, she helped me pack some dishes, and we played with the Dr. Ho machine.. LOL .. (she won't try it herself yet.. LOL)

For now, she's gone out with her mom, and I'm out of life on Zuma.. so I thought I'd come and update here.

Packing is ... well.. I guess I'd say half done.  There are still a number of small things that have to get packed, but a lot of big things you can't do anything with and will get moved "as is".. but its coming along.  I'm REALLY glad I started packing March 1.  The bonus is that there are still other things to pack, but most of the nagging stuff is out of the way, and it FEELS like I've made progress.

Last weekend we realized that the UFC was on this weekend... and it was our turn to host.  There are 4 'families' of us that host each time its on and we take turns.  2 are in our house, 2 are in another house down the street from where we are now... same set up - upstairs suite / downstairs suite.   We ended up with 12 people in our little living room this past Saturday night, and it worked out pretty well!

So all the boxes that I've been packing up until March 18 got moved into the storage space under the stairs, and emptied out pretty much every box we've packed so far... and looking around, it felt like NOTHING had been done yet.  Its interesting how perception works.  No boxes all stacked up everywhere basically told my brain that nothing had been packed yet... and I felt a little bit of a panic!  So yesterday I packed a couple more boxes, today I've done a few more too... and I'll probably get a good chunk of all the little things done - and THAT will be great.

I was lucky enough to have a friend who just moved who was happy to donate her boxes to our cause.  And when we're all done, I'll store a fair amount of the boxes for next time, and donate to some to another friend who will be moving too.  I know that new place will have enough storage that I can keep a lot of boxes after we're done.  Somehow I feel better knowing I have enough to start again when it comes time.  But I am looking forward to actually going through each and every box and bin that's packed right now and getting rid of stuff, or putting it out to use.  Very little is going to be "stored".  It's no wonder the off site storage places make so much money... everyone's got 'stuff'.. and they plan to keep it!  I will have a couple boxes that are memory/keepsake things, but it won't nearly be enough that if we didn't have as much storage as we're moving to - that I'd have to get an off-site storage locker.  That would make me crazy!

We find out on the 23rd what exactly is going on with the move.  The owners are moving back east and the husband is there now finalizing details etc.  I assume on a job and / or their new home.  I'd like to hear on the 23rd that they're leaving that week and we are welcome to move in a bit early.  Gotta love not having to move everything in one day with a mad rush to get out of one place and get it cleaned on time.  And there will be a fair amount of cleaning to do here before I'd tell the landlord that we're out.  Hopefully we have a couple days to just clean empty space.  But we'll deal with whatever we get.

Anyway... I guess that's it.  I should get up and pack some more so I have a little less to trip over...  :)

Yours, Mine, and OURS....

I can't help it...

When my friend breaks up with someone that I've befriended just because of him/her ... when that relationship ends... I am 99% likely to end any and pretty much ALL friendship with their now "ex".

Kim and Ben are dating.. I've known Kim for a while, and she introduces me to her man Ben...  Ben has an account on facebook... she has access to his account, or he just adds me as a friend... blah blah.. I've met Ben a few times.. we've invited them out or over to our place.. visa versa.. so all goes... until Kim and Ben are no longer together.   Ben is pretty much deleted from my fb friends.  That's kind of it for me.  And I'm having a hard time figuring out WHY some of my friends insist on still being 'friends' with my ex.  Not just facebook..  but that's a pretty good start...

I mean.. do you talk to my ex all the time?  Did you before?  Probably not.  You comment back and forth on statuses.. or pictures... and still... you probably wouldnt go over to his place if he invited you for dinner with his new g/f...  but it's okay in our mind, to be his friend on fb.  I don't get it.

Maybe I'm just really loyal to my friends over the benefits their ex is going to give me.  Sure, I'm friends with my current b/f's ex wife on FB.   I am, because if I have pics of the kids to send her, I want access.  If I have things going on in our world I think she might benefit to know .. there it is.  But don't get me wrong... we are not "friends".  She'l blocked from all kinds of things.... and we don't sit and gab about whats going on in our worlds.  .. and that IS completely different from what Im getting at here.

Last count... the 5 people that are closest to me, or that I consider closest to me are still fb friends with my ex....and it bothers me, and it makes me mad.. and I am hurt.  And I really am not quite sure why Im harbouring the drama of it all.

(sigh)... Must sleep... tomorrow is a new day... right? =)

Future prospects...

So ... something that has been dancing through my mind for the last little while popped its head up tonight.

J came downstairs after spending a few hours talking on the phone to his brother back east - to tell SO that they could have work back home for more than they make here.

Ontario is a long way away from BC.  Sure.. it's just a 5 hr plane ride.  But at the best of times that flight is kind of expensive.  So it makes me think about what's here for me that I think I need to stay for...

• my daughter
• my job
• my friends
• my family

Those things are what make it difficult to just jump at the change of scenery.  But that's all. 

I wouldn't miss paying way too much just to keep a roof over our heads. I can't say I couldn't get a job there.  I wouldn't say that it would be hard to make friends.  And I still have the power of the internet to keep up communication with family and friends wherever I am or they are.

So, the only thing that makes this a really tough decision (which isn`t something I have to really consider right now anyway) is TK.

Sure... there`s that underlying agreement that at the end of this school year she`s supposed to go live with her dad full time.  But if everything worked out the way its supposed to... it would make SO`s life easier being closer to his kids and his family.  Especially right now - there is definitely more time needed for him to spend time and energy with his kids right now.  and come next year - his family will be renovating their home and they`ve asked me to come help.   I also have my gf in New York that would like me to come out to help her decorate. And I don`t doubt that working with both of those homes will bring me some word of mouth referrals - which would be great.

Still...   its a BIG move for me, and for TK.  and I am pretty sure her dad won`t let her move there.  that`s just way too far and too much for him.

Its not something i have to think about too much right now.. but its on the table... again.   *sigh*.

Changing ground

Well - we went to see a house last nite, and quite simply - it was the very last option.  We have seen so many homes with all the right details, in all different areas that we'd be comfortable to live in, but that was in February, when most people wanted them re-rented for March 1... not April 1 when we would be able to move.  I saw this ad on February 4th, and managed to run across it again by fluke STILL available.  I emailed and was happy to find that the family was not yet sold on new tenants yet.

We went last nite - the WHOLE family was able to make it - and everyone fell in love!

I had been talking to TKU on facebook earlier and mentioned that I was excited to go see this place and that I was really hoping everything was good because I just wanted to know that we had a home, get packed and moved without any issues.. and that's when she said

"I'm not living there. Just saying.  We are just looking." ...

I just about lost my mind.  Ya know, kid, I love ya, and I understand that moving away from your friends and school and all that is hard sometimes, but I'm really hoping that you don't have nearly as much pull on your parents as that. All that flashed through my mind was the potential nightmare for her parents and their sanity for the same thing - we just want to know that we have a place, it fits all of our needs, and we can afford it.  We all needed the peace of mind of knowing.

We already know that TKU's older sister is moving back home again. (she went back east to live with her dad a couple months ago if not less than that - and it didn't work out the way she'd hoped - so she called and said she wanted to come home.) .. and we already know that she's not going to be thrilled with the new location because she wanted to go to a specific high school.. that is now too far.  I'm not saying its not possible, because my best friend did it for Gr. 12.  We were already in that school and her family had to move back east for her step dad's job.  She moved in with her aunt out in Ridge and commuted every day to school for the last year instead of changing schools.  That just made sense.  But she was in grade 12 and had her license and a car to get herself there and back every day.  TKU2 will have to be driven every day.

I of course, got the address and google mapped it, checked it out on street view, and was delighted to see that it wasn't scary at all!  I got an email from the landlady along with pictures.  She said the house was staged in January, and those were all she had.   What I noticed was missing was the living room / kitchen downstairs photo.  Since that will be my family's space, I was curious to know if the set up there was going to be any better than what I am currently fighting with.  She very nicely replied that they live in the house at present, and it's their son's play room.  Its an open concept space sharing both living room and kitchen areas together. And that it would be easier to visualize when we came to see it.

When we got there, it was of course, the first thing I needed to see. The home is well kept with laminate and ceramic tile throughout.  The only installed carpet is on the stairs and the two downstairs bedrooms (but not the 'den').  I stood in the middle of the open space kitchen/ lrm area and tried to picture our table and chairs there.  It would work for the time being, but it would have to change.  I immediately started 'building' an island with a breakfast bar instead.  Indeed, the kitchen is small, there is about the same amount of counter space as there is here (with all the appliances that sit on the counter).. so an island would be smart.  increases counter workspace, and if the right kind of set up is done, it would definitely work for more cupboard/storage.   The living room being right there would be fine.  The furniture we already have in our current living room would all fit just fine.  

Down the hall to the two bedrooms for our suite - they are side by side. I wasn't sure I wanted TK's room right beside ours, and I can't really see the new armoire fitting into our room at all.  The 2 bedrooms are small.  Smaller than what we have now.  The closet in the 'master' is even smaller than we have right now. This means we'll be doing some more reconfiguration on where our stuff will go.  This is about the time we figured that the den will probably end up being TK's room.  It's up at the front of the house (the other bedrooms are in the back), but in either room, she would be away from the noise of the tv - which she isn't right now.  

Honestly, if I were looking at this suite and it was JUST the downstairs - as in, we weren't renting the whole house - and we didnt know the people upstairs - I wouldn't take it. But because we're looking at the whole house, and all of the amenities, it will work, and we'll make it work as best we can.  I joked and said it was great and we'd be happy living upstairs, and M laughed and said NO WAY! lol... 

The yard is huge.  There's a workshop in the back - and its one of those long buildings where there's storage space in the back half that's separated from the front.  The guys are already planning setting that front space up as their Man Cave.  lol 

Upstairs is lovely.  The layout is good, there's plenty of space and it's well used.  The dining room furniture they have will fit nicely without being crowded, the living room space will do well with their current furniture too.  The master bedroom, walk in closet, additional closet with shelving and en suite are all well planned out too.  It is cozier - meaning the space they have upstairs now is HUGE and spacious - but for no real reason.  All that extra space just screams for laundry and miscellaneous storage things to pile up.  I can already see M planning out decorating it properly as soon as they're in there.

Both kids rooms upstairs are like ours downstairs - right beside each other.  One is slightly bigger and TKU has already laid claim to it.  And honestly, for TKU2 the extra space would just give her more room to pile things up too.  

The landlords are all ok with our pets and our kids, they're nice people that have already said they feel comfortable leaving the province with us in their home.  (who wouldn't? we're pretty great tenants!)  So.. now we wait until March 23rd  to hear about posession date etc.  Promise I'll share pics when we're in.

It's stuck...

You know those days you wake up and have a song stuck in your head? Sometimes it's not a bad song... and other times, it's one of those downright annoying ditties that sometimes also comes with the visual enhancements.

Right... all day... randomly odd moments and it starts playing in your head like the iPod on repeat.



What about words or phrases?

'Necromancer' .. 

nec·ro·man·cy

   [nek-ruh-man-see]  Show IPA

–noun

1.

a method of divination through alleged communication with the dead; black art.

2.

magic in general, especially that practiced by a witch or sorcerer; sorcery; witchcraft; conjuration.

'pooping out a garden gnome' ...

(Good heavens.. WTH??? Where did THAT come from and WHY?)


Or words that when you say them.. they sound like they aren't really a word.   'oven'


I was at work one day discussing things you rarely clean... out came the word 'oven'.. and for the life of me, for the rest of the day, I could NOT get the word out of my head - nor would it sound right when I heard it. Odd.

Today I woke up with a couple songs mashing themselves together - and they weren't making sense.  Like one line from an Eminem song, and the other from something a la Taylor Swift.   I'd tell you - but thank heavens - it's gone.

(are you still bouncing to Numa Numa?.. sorry.)

Got something stuck in your head you want to pass on?  They say if you share it, a lot of times it leaves you.

Have a great day!

Yummy, yummy goodness...

McDonald's makes Cinnamon Melts... little, bite sized morsels smothered in absolutely delicious warm, melting, frosting...

I had to at least tell you about them, even if I can't (and might not actually) share them with you.

They remind me of high schoool - they used to have cinnamon buns in the cafeteria in the morning - and if there was any left over.. there would be some at lunch too.  *yum*

Speaking of 'yesterday', a couple days ago someone I have thought of quite often over the last 15 years made a reappearance! .. and WOW was I excited!  .. and anxious. 

So far so good. We've had a few emails back and forth and I would have given her a call last nite if it weren't so late.  In my world, we don't phone people after 9:30 unless they specifically ask.  Also, calling her would have been possible if I wasn't doing three other things at the same time.  I have realized that I am somewhat less multi-functional in the evenings, and I'd already felt that I blew someone in the house off who came to chat about house stuff.  Yesterday being March 1st, I knew there should be some new postings on Craigslist for places for rent, so I was checking all the bookmarked sites I have for anything new and fresh.  Plus I was fielding emails about the upcoming Hot Lunch menu for the school, whilst trying to create said menu over again, because somehow I absent mindedly deleted 2 years worth of previous menus... and listening to SO play Zuma. *lol*

I'm looking forward to catching up with her... it's been a very long time.  I happend to catch a video a mutual friend of ours posted.  After watching the video I realized just how much I've missed having her in my life and how pleasantly surprised and happy I was to see that she sent me a friend request on facebook. 

This morning on my drive into work, I was thinking about other classic and classy friends that have come through my life and are no longer around for some reason or another.  Time and life change each of us; we encounter things along the way that take us to new places, shape and help us re-shape our perspectives, and all in all help to create the people we are. Those people have definitely helped to create and change me to who I am right now.

It's pretty interesting how our friends take their own paths and can become less and less involved in our lives.  Sometimes they up and just vanish completely... and of course, there too are some people that you'd just LIKE them to vanish -but somehow THEY manage to stick around... LOL!

So for all those people that have been a part of, influenced, and helped to shape me and my world to how it is today, I wanted to say Thank you! <3 

Holy rain drops batman!  They warned of high winds and heavy rain and possible snow.. and now at 12:30pm the wind and the rain here.   Hope you're somewhere inside, warm and dry today.  And hope you're smiling along with me.