April 14 - Massachusetts

Still Moving In...

My sister came over last night to see my place, and she liked it :) We had a drink, then went out for dinner at a local pub-type place. The food was good (huge portions!), and the company was even better :) I have missed her the past few weeks. That did not surprise me; I mentioned our relationship has evolved over the winter. We will make it a point to get more "sister" time in.

It has really been a tough move-in for me this time. As mentioned, I did not do the packing. Even the boxes I packed in Maine ended up in odd rooms. Nothing is marked except the room it came from, which makes it very difficult on the unpacking end. Nothing is in order. There are boxes marked "Kitchen - Fragile", but contain vases and decor. Not exactly what I am looking to put away immediately (plates, dishes, ya know).

Nothing was cleaned or washed from the fire, and without a dishwasher it is me cleaning and washing. Washed a lot of things Tuesday evening, and again yesterday morning. Then I felt ill, had a hard time breathing, and had to lie down for a good part of the day.

So basically a few boxes a day is about all I can handle. Bathrooms are done :) Got a good start on the  bedroom; in desperate need of a second bureau.

So I have managed to make enough inroads :) My smaller space and need to downsize has made me pretty ruthless. And yeah, I admit, I want room for the boxes of books which will come at the tail end.

Got out today for a much-needed haircut. I had an appointment made for a few days after the fire. That never happened. Although I was desperate in Maine over the winter to get it done, I could not find a place that suited. The few local places I checked out  (besides being almost twice as expensive as here) were churning out women with the - exact - same - haircut. Um no, not ready for Stepford Wives! Sara always does an awesome job on my hair, and today was no exception!

I have growing piles of empty boxes on my porch, which pleases me. I cannot move many of the boxes in here myself without unpacking them, so it is limiting. I am fully aware this is all on me, and am doing the best I can. Just wish they would go away faster!

The place is a mess, and the boxes seem endless. However, I do know where things will go.

And - I found my silverware the other night. Big yay!!

April 11 - Massachusetts

Moving In, Part 3

Very short post this evening. A good friend came over this afternoon and helped me unpack a LOT more "kitchen" boxes. They are filled with a lot of paper, and everything is wrapped extremely well. I appreciate that - have not come across anything broken.

But wow.... it makes for a huge trash pile. All that darn paper!

Nothing was cleaned from the fire. Before I left for the wilds of Maine, my insurance company assured me everything would be cleaned prior to being put into storage. Then again when it came out. Not so. Everything still has fire dirt on it. I can only wash so much of it at a time.

Guess what I FINALLY! FINALLY!! FINALLY!!! found today. My silverware. Did the happy dance :)

Stay tuned for adventures in moving!

April 10 - Massachsetts

Moving Home, Part 2

I did not do a thing today towards unpacking (well not much). My back was killing me, my arms were sore, and etc. I needed some computer time with finances and dealing with email. I do not want to burn myself out before I even finish unpacking the kitchen and trying to find T-shirts (somewhere?). As opposed to the winter clothes I packed in December.

Spent the past few days unpacking what I could. Food is put away, got kitchen drawers lined and most kitchen implements put away. Did a few loads of laundry (yay!!). Nice to have my OWN machines back :)

My brother came over the other day and changed the locks for me and moved some of the heavier boxes into place so I could unpack easier. Most bathroom items are unpacked. I have not located the majority my towels yet, but I took enough with me to Maine to last awhile.

Still no sign of my silverware. Sigh.

After spending the winter huddled in a basement apartment with low ceilings in the brutally cold weather of Maine (kidding, sis!), my legs have taken a toll as well. Small space, freezing temps and snow - I did not get out much. Making up for it now :) "They" (doctor/scientific community) say it takes a few months for your muscles to acclimate to a different routine and rebuild.

I spent the morning with a pot of coffee and a muffin. Walked around a lot. I was rebuilding :)

My brother came over this afternoon and dealt with a bunch of trash for me (Tuesday is trash day). Surprised how much trash I have generated in just a few days. Wait 'til next week, boys!

I wish I could accomplish more in a day, but am well aware of my limitations.

Stay tuned, my friends.

April 9 - Massachusetts

Moving Home - Part 1

I am home :) HOME :) :) It is late and I am tired, but I wanted to put up a short post before I retire.

What a whirlwind the past few weeks have been! The movers arrived on schedule a week ago Friday in Maine to take my things back to Massachusetts. Everything was ready to go for them, so it did not take long. A few more boxes than what I arrived with. I had to purchase some items while I was in Maine this winter, and when I repacked I had more time and was able to separate things more evenly (and mark them!).

Arrived with 15 boxes, left with 19 (my Mass. helpers put ALL my wine & liquor bottles in 1 box - surprised it arrived intact. I split it in half). Here are a few pics of the boxes in Maine, ready to go.

Boxes in Maine

More boxes

Few more boxes

Few last boxes

Then it snowed. Roads were pretty bad, so I did not leave until Sunday. My brother arrived, we packed the cars, and headed back to Massachusetts :)

My closing was the following day and went smoothly. (Parting with my money again... I do not like spending a lot of money!) Movers were supposed to arrive around 12/12:30, but a problem with their truck held them up for several hours.

Long story short, they arrived and delivered my things. It has been quite the experience since.... Cable company came Wednesday to install, and ran into an issue. Someone cut the cable connection outside & it needs to be reinstalled underground; meantime I have a temporary connection but is working just fine.

My new bed was delivered Thursday. It is awesome! One cannot buy a bed without trying it out in person, which of course I did :) My brother would not let me stay here until the bed arrived. I thought that was really sweet of him.

Now.... I have a gazillion boxes to unpack. Which I did not pack (insurance company did it). Most are just marked with the room they came from in my previous apartment. Some are mis-marked (as I discovered today). The movers did not excel in ensuring the correct boxes ended up in the correct rooms. I am randomly posting pictures of my box-filled abode in this post.

Kitchen full of boxes

Kitchen... more boxes

It is kind of like Christmas when you were a kid, I guess. I have a ton of kitchen boxes, and have put away a lot of things, but have yet to discover the box that holds my silverware! The first night I stayed here (after bed arrived) I went to put a simple microwave dinner in to eat. Panicked, realizing I had no idea where my silverware was.

Boxes......

Boxes.....

More boxes......

I had several boxes open already, but they only contained serving-type utensils. I opened all the "Kitchen" boxes I could see and reach to no avail. Not a fork or knife to be found! Do not ask what I used in lieu of :) My brother rescued me (once again) the next day with the loan of some normal eating utensils.

I persist! And I shall find them.

I love my new place, and I love that it is all mine :) The cats have picked up on that as well, for which I am thankful. With the exception of Phoebe it took them almost a month to acclimate to the place in Maine. Phoebe is intepid and just happy to be wherever I am. She is my heart kitty.

Guess

Guess again

Check back later this week; frenzied unpacking is occurring!