Tuesday, March 12, 2013

We are Moving

At the beginning of February, I mentioned that we put our house up for sale. I am so happy to say that, near the end of the same month, we got an offer on our house! I was hoping to stay in our current house while our new house is being built, but that is not an option... we are supposed to be out of the house by the 28th this month.

When Mr. TRH called me to tell me that we need to be out by the 28th, I asked, "In what month?"

He said "this month."

Then after a pause, I replied "What? You mean in March?"

...Bahhhh!! I was a little panicky at first, because it seems like it`s coming up so soon and we have so much to do. After I took a few deep breaths, I just decided to do whatever I need to do every day.

Right now my house looks like it was hit by a tornado or that someone broken in. I have been working on packing every single day, but I feel like I’ve made little to no progress. Though, when I take a break and look around, the walls no longer have our family photos, there are boxes everywhere. It is starting to look like it’s not our home anymore...

For instance here is our family room,

A view from the front room,

Shoot... the boys were supposed to start packing the books last night... they bailed out. Gah, they are at school.

We are all excited about the move, but when I was helping my 7 year old daughter she wanted me to stop for the day. Also, she put some of the decoration back on the shelves. I was a bit annoyed by her attitude, because I thought she didn’t want to help pack anymore or that she was teasing me.

Then I noticed that she had tears in her eyes and curled up on her bed with her favorite blanky.

What?... Oh...OH! I sat on her bed and asked her quietly, "Are you a little sad, because your room doesn't look like your room anymore?"

She nodded her head and didn't say anything. I told her that we will pack her room little by little and she seemed to like that idea. Right, this is the house she grew up in, the only place she has known as her home. Of course she will be a bit sad or take some time to adjust to the idea.

The items that are removed from the walls, they are still visible, but not packed. :)

I am avoiding my closet and sewing area, because it is so hard to decide on what to pack and put in to storage and what to keep with us. How would I know what I want to wear a few months in advance? How can I make up my mind of which fabrics to keep for projects? Sigh... my packing days will continue on.

Although, I am having so much fun looking around and coming up with ideas for the next house; I don't think we will go overboard with new furniture or anything. I do want to refinish my old coffee table that I bought over 13 years ago at a thrift store, another thing I want to do is to install my kids artwork with picture hangers and come up with exciting ways to organize my dedicated sewing space.

I will keep you all posted, but I better get back to the boxes, tapes and markers for now. I will talk to you later. :)

18 comments :

  1. Sachiko,

    We just went through a move also, from VA back to our house in SC. Although we had not moved a lot from SC, we seemed to have accumulated A LOT during our 5 years in VA. The best advice I can give is one day at a time. Moving is stressful but it is also helpful in that it allows you to get rid of a lot of things that aren't needed or wanted. My house in SC is still not back to "normal", whatever that is! But life is back to normal. I'll be thinking of you. KathyH

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  2. I know exactly what you're going through! A few years ago we had only been living in a new apartment for about 3 months when my husband told me I had 2 weeks to pack everything up because we were moving from Philadelphia to DC. "Wait, What?"

    Thankfully I didn't have to put any of my craft things in storage though, because you're right, choosing what stays and what goes would be traumatic. Good Luck and just take it one box at a time!

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  3. How fun to be building a new house! And I love the way your dress turned out in the earlier post! I knew you would make it beautiful!

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  4. Your place hit by a tornado is neater than my place after cleaning. Good job! :) And good luck.

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  5. I know what you mean, we had exactly the same, what a beehive suddenly eh?! Wishing you good luck in this busy time!!

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  6. Congratulations on the quick sale! We have just downsized (due to a divorce)& my 3 yrold grandchild is a bit confused. She still asks 'to go home', but with warmer weather will come outings & then she will feel better. Good luck! (it helps to put your things in front, for storage, so you can switch out what you want when ;)

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  7. How exciting!!!! Not the packing part but the moving into a new house part. My husband and I moved 7 times in 7 years. I was so happy to finally by our 2nd home and be planted. But after living in it for 4 years I started to twitch a bit and finally figured out that I just needed to do a little purging around the house and move some furniture. Good luck with all the packing and I can't wait to see your dedicated sewing area.

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  8. How exciting! That's great that your house sold so quickly. Building a house is lots of fun! Talk to your daughter about what she wants in her new room and she'll start to get excited about moving. I was excited about moving but still cried my eyes out when we pulled away from the house that was the only home my children knew!!! Lots of different emotions!!!

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  9. When we have moved, the last thing we do iin our old home s take down the pictures and art and the first thing we do when we arrive in the new home is to put them on the walls. It makes the old place seem like home until you leave and the new place seem like home as soon as you arrive!

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  10. Oh- What a big job. We are going to put our house on the market soon and I am dreading the whole process. This will be our 15th move- xo Diana

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  11. I moved from Northern Calif to Southern Calif a year and 1/2 ago. I had to put things in storage in Northern Caif, 2 storage units. I just can't part with some craft and sewing things.. Now 1 1/2 years later I am still paying storage and do not have room for all of this in my current home... ..just be careful not to put things in storage that you will later regret....I need to get the storage moved, however it is not possible due to moving cost at this time. I am now disabled and need to have someone else do it for me...at a high cost.....Wishing you luck. and much happiness....

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  12. Uma mudança é sempre muito trabalhosa, mas no seu caso, algo que queriam e que foi planeado.
    Foi bom terem arranjado já comprador e com boa vontade tudo se vai resolver.
    Diga a filhota que a mudança lhe vai dar a possibilidade de poder escolher e ajudar a decorar o quartinho dela, ela vai ficar mais feliz.
    Que corra tudo bem.
    Beijinhos

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  13. Congratulations on your new house! I was raised in an Air Force family and spent 9 years active army, then moved several times after that. I have found that too much packing too far ahead will drive you crazier before and after. If you have to start weeks ahead, pack the things you least often use first. Christmas & Thanksgivings stuff, special cooking things, worst of winter things. As for the craft stuff, I wouldn't pack it until the day before. My last two moves were with 5 kids and I din't pack anything until the day before. Starting earlier is probably a better option for someone not well accustomed to it, but too far out and you forget where stuff went and have to dig things back out again. 3 weeks out is a great time for a yard sale and trip to donate to a charity though!

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  14. What a crazy time! I'm excited for you guys and especially excited that you will still (kind of) be my neighbor! I'd love to help out if I can. I'll talk to you later and see what I can do. :)

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  15. In regard to your daughter's feelings, when we moved a number of years ago, 2 miles away from our previous home, my one son was very angry with us. Then I realized that anger was part of grieving. Once I realized that he was grieving the loss of his childhood home, it was much easier to handle. Blessings on your move.

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  16. Thank you everyone for sharing your moving & packing stories and tips! It is kind of fun to go through our stuff and find items that we forgot we had. Boy, it is so hard not to get distracted.

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  17. Your daughter love her previous room very much, so it was really hard for her to leave it. I understand her because it was the only room she had ever since she was a baby. Nonetheless, you shouldn't be worried because she will surely love her new room anytime soon. Anyhow, how was the move? And how long did it take for you to finish the whole moving process?

    PedroPadro

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  18. It looks like somebody has attachment issues! That's practically okay with children, especially if it's their first time moving. And based from the pictures and the deadline, last years packing must have been very hectic, to say the least! It's good that you were able to move successfully and I hope you're enjoying your still "new" home a year after the move!

    Dave @ PackCrateAndShip.com

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