Almost the last move...

Today we pick up a 17 foot truck to shove all this stuff into and haul it tomorrow morning up to the townhouse in PA! YEAH! WaHOOOO! YIPPEE!

I packed up most of the kitchen yesterday... and will need to pack up linens and bathroom stuff... and that should about do it. Oh and of course - zip my suitcase up! Then the rest of my weekend will be spent unpacking and preparing for the holidays! We will take a little break on Sunday to have dinner at my sister and brother-in-laws house.

Our youngest daughter and son (our oldest) are coming in on Monday on the train and if the weather is good I'll drive them back home to MA on Wednesday and return to PA on Thursday.

I have actually gotten some sewing done over this past week. It's a sample for the shop I use to work at - I used black and white fabrics and a panel from the "Foundations by the Yard" from Benartex. This one is the Hunters Star. I will apologize for the picture quality... I haven't a clue where my camera is - so I had to use my phone. I have another panel (16 blocks in the panel) - when I finish those I'll add them as a border - but I'm pondering a couple things so I'll keep you posted. I'll have to go play in EQ6...





Our Internet, TV and Phone service will not be installed until a week from Saturday - the 29th. So I probably won't be around until after that point unless I happen upon free service someplace.

So if I don't see ya for a bit - Y'all Have a Happy Holiday!

I got Elfed...

I got elfed... and you can too!
I found this cute holiday item over at Melinda's Blog site and couldn't help but waste... um I mean... spend some good quality time being festive!
So go check it out - it's sponsored by Office Max.

Things I do miss...

As time has gone by sitting here waiting in this apartment... I have been making a mental list of things I've come to realize I do miss from my life in Massachusetts.

1. I miss my job at the quilt shop! I am enjoying having weekends to spend with my husband - but I miss being in the shop. I miss the people, the fabric, the creativity, the fabric, the colors of the fabric, the patterns of the fabric, the books and quilt patterns, the fabric... Oh and did I say I miss the fabric? I do.


2. I miss knowing where the heck I'm going and how to get there! We lived in MA since 1981 - 26 years in the same community. I knew what roads to take and when to avoid particular routes. A trip anywhere now first requires a Google Maps search and a print out of the route. I'm always thankful that I'm pretty good with maps and have a good sense of directions. No sense in learning too much about this area since we are moving up into PA... then the real learning will begin!


3. I miss having 80 feet between me and my neighbors... we are on the lower level of a 3 level apartment. Someone upstairs has - tossed a pumpkin off the deck into the backyard. I've also recently found a very old can of wasp spray, plastic tops from soda bottles, and cigarette butts. My dogs use this space - does this careless disposal explain why one of my dogs has had diarrhea over the past several days?? I don'no? Our next place will be at the end of the unit and we are our own upstairs neighbors - so I know that I won't be pitching stuff off the deck.


4. I miss my set back thermostat... my husband askes me each night AFTER I'm in bed if I turned it down... and he doesn't turn it up when he gets up. Sure hope the next place has a set back thermostat.


5. I miss the sunshine coming through the windows... I guess I should say that I also miss windows. Apartments aren't big on windows... a result of squashing things together. The next place is a bit bigger square footage wise so we will have more windows there. I also think the back faces mostly south... so that will be a good thing.


6. I miss having a space to make a mess and not have to clean it up... like my sewing room. I have had to give that room up several times over the years as one or another child returned home but in that bigger house there was always a place to hid away your stuff.


7. I miss 'nice and pretty' local news... the Springfield, MA murder rate is about 15 a year. There have been at least that many needless deaths in the few weeks I've lived here. Apparently the murder rate in Philly runs at a rate of a murder a day... aren't there 365 days a year? And that doesn't count the poor 4 year old who killed himself with his fathers gun last night or the poor young mother who committed suicide 2 weeks ago following a minor car accident... my heart just aches. I need to find something else to watch in the morning after my husband leaves.


8. I miss my DVR. You know a digital video recorder. We don't have one here - but you can rest assured that we will in the next place. I could be recording the shows I use to watch at 10 PM... like Saving Grace or Journeyman and watch them in the morning instead of the news! Since I'm getting up at 5:30 AM I just have to go to bed early... oh and my husband isn't all that interested in watching Project Runway and some of the other shows I watch.


9. I miss knowing where everything is in the kitchen. Tom set up things in this apartment... I can't find anything without first opening pert near all the cabinets. And then of course many things are still in boxes in uhaul storage.


10. I MISS MY MUGS! I have collected handmade pottery mugs for about 26 years... I love my mugs. They are all different, used for different beverages, and used at different times of the year. Those thick heavy mugs are great for keeping coffee warm longest on those cold mornings... and the ones with thin walls are great for that summer cup of coffee. Hot Chocolate just has to go into one of the big mugs... just so you can use 2 packages of mix! I miss my mugs...

Less than a week...

I feel like I'm standing still... here - waiting... maybe I should tap my foot...

In hindsight (although I did try hard to talk him into paying rent in two places) I will say that this past weekend would NOT have been a good weekend to move... what with all that RAIN - sleet - and freezing rain going on in the area. I know a lot of folks got some snow - but that didn't happen here. Unfortunately this apartment has a very soggy backyard... not good with dogs in and out - which reminds me I need to wash all those scatter rugs today.

This week we will pack up what little is unpacked in this apartment and haul it on Saturday to the new Townhouse we've rented. Since we will be there at least 6 months - I plan on getting a little bit unpacked.

All my lotions and potions and bathroom stuff I use daily are still mostly in the overnight bag which is sitting on the back of the toilet. Most of my clothes are still between 2 suitcases... although I did get one of those sweater hanging things for the closet to put some shirts in. Much easier to find folded shirts there.


I do have my sewing machine and SewEzi table up and I move the fabric on and off the table as needed. But I haven't unpack much sewing stuff otherwise.


We have a big Uhaul truck rented for Friday/Saturday. I did not want to have to take anything apart to haul it over there... so I wanted a truck big enough to not have to worry about stacking and stuffing things in to fit. We should be good with 17 feet.


Utilities are mostly all set for the new place - although the cable guy hasn't called me back today. Sure don't want to have to wait too long for internet access there.
Renters insurance is in place - heaven forbid you could transfer from one state to another. Nope - different states - different rules, rates, etc.
I'll worry about the cars another day... but here is a funny thing... you have 60 days to get your Drivers License changed over... but only 20 days to get your plates transferred for your car. Silly ain't it?


Since my Holiday decorations consist of a Santa sitting over there on the shelf and the angel card holder - it won't take me long to undecorate here! LOL


Laundry is calling and since it does require my undivided attention... I better get at it.

Trying to be a bit festive...

But I'm not being as successful as I'd like.

I know enough - which isn't much - to manage to sorta do what I'd like to do.

I wanted to take a picture of a section of a Holiday Wreath Quilt I made and use that as a background and add Happy Holidays text... and still have the Ponderings title show - but I don't have a good graphics program to work with, and I'm not well versed in the fine details of what will or won't work on this Blog and the templates... so I've wasted a great deal of time that I'd rather use towards some sewing.

So it is what it is... and if it works I'll leave it - but I might remove it if it bothers me... so... I'm off to do some other things that really need to be done.

Geez - I hate not figuring things out... at least for now - it will have to do.

What do you miss?

My Mother asked me the first weekend I was out of my house what I missed most about the house?

I had one of those Epiphany moments as I sat there... I had not even thought about the house in the 4 or 5 days that I had been gone. I had NOT EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT IT! Well - yeah I did think about the closing and when our money was going to be deposited... but otherwise I hadn't given the house I spent 16 years in a passing thought.

I spoke with a co-worker at the quilt shop I work for in MA and she said she was depressed for months after upgrading homes several years ago.

When we moved into that house from the smaller one across the street - my youngest daughter was mad at us for years because we sold her house... the only house she ever remembered being in. "They are painting our house" she announced one day later that summer as she stormed into the living room. I thought about it... we have siding... what was she talking about? She pointed out the front window and I could see the new owners slapping paint on the wood siding of our old house/their new house. "Sweetie - it's not our house anymore - they can paint it what ever color they want". At which point she stomped back outside - no doubt to glare at them from the safety of our new yard. This was one of many issues she's had over the years with the various owners/renters of that property. At a minimum - she wanted us to buy the house back.

I think because I've known for a year and a half that I would be leaving the house - I had already gotten over any attachments I may have had. And really - I don't think I was too attached - after growing up in the military and moving every 1.5 to 2 years I've always looked at a house as a house. It's only a home when people you love gather there - and everyone was gone. My husband had been working in PA for a year and a half - youngest daughter had settled into her new apartment in October - oldest daughter had finished her graduate program and she and Miss K had joined her husband in San Diego in May.

I also feel that painting my living room sealed the deal... I had deep dark red walls... the person who bought my house bought it with medium brown walls. They are OK, they blend nicely with the dining room - I'd have liked them a bit darker but hey - it wasn't about what I wanted... I would have stayed with the red!

After working all summer with my youngest daughter to clean out, fix up and pack... I was ready to be OUT of that house... yep I'm ready to go on. Even if it's a temporary stay in a townhouse while we look for a house around here to buy.

I do wish I had talked the husband into moving into the townhouse sooner than later... I understand his not wanting to pay rent in two places... but I'm ready to get my life in some sort of order - and living out of boxes/suitcases isn't cutting it.

So what (if anything) did you miss about a place you moved out of?

New music catagory

Do you ever just put the car radio on SCAN?

I've been doing a far amount of traveling recently - in addition to the move from Massachusetts at the end of November I also made a trip up and back over this past weekend.

So I've had lots of radio time while I travel... yeah I did have a few CD's with me but even those get old after a while.

It's especially interesting if you are in an area that has lots of stations with a wide variety of formats. It's been fun to listen as one 5 second sampling leads to the next... you never know what to expect and it's kinda funny sometimes.

So go ahead and hit your scan button and sit back and enjoy!

The Case of the Missing Laundry...

It was a dark and stormy night... well - no - not actually... but that just seemed to add an air of mystery to the story don't ya think?

Anyway - since beginning my new life as a domestic diva I've been getting up at 5:30 AM each work day with my husband. OK - he gets up earlier than that and sets the alarm for me for 5:30 when he's in the shower.

I get to do all sorts of domestic diva sorta things... like make coffee, feed the dogs, prepare our breakfast. He's usually out the door at 6:15 AM and I've managed to not go back to bed... which is what I'd really like to do. But since I'm unemployed right now due to the move (and wouldn't mind staying that way) I figure I can make this domestic diva thing work.

Anyway - today after having breakfast with hubby and sending him off to work I went about the business of the day. Unstack/stack dishwasher, run vacuum, gather and sort laundry. I started the washer for the first of 3 loads I needed to do. Then I puttered around the kitchen. I needed to peel potatoes to make cornbeef stew later. I cubed those and left them soaking in water. I had to put the gate back in place in the kitchen doorway - silly dogs seem to object to having it there and keep taking it out of place. While doing that I heard the washer stop. So when I finished up I walked over, flipped up the lid...

nothing... NOTHING? Huh?

I did what any reasonable person would do...

I closed and then opened the lid to the washer again...

Still NOTHING! (now I'm hearing the Twilight Zone tune in my head)

I open and look into the dryer... did I already put them in there and forget to turn them on? Nope... Nothing, Nada thing in there either.

At this point I'm more than a little confused - I know I started the machine, I remember measuring and pouring the liquid soap in... remember listening to it run through the cycles...

So I look over at the baskets on the floor...

3 full baskets of laundry!

Mystery solved... laundry found! I ran the washer with water and soap only.

All this before 8:14 AM. At which point I poured myself a much needed 2nd cup of coffee.

Shameless begging for Christmas?

I'm still fairly new to this blogging thing - and I've been hesitate to enter comments on blogs where they are sponsoring 'give aways'... but I'm getting over it quickly!

I've recently run across a couple 'give aways' that would enhance my pathetic holiday decorating this year.

One is a beautiful holiday quilt that Cheryl over at Polka Dots & Rick Rack is giving away...

another is the new Barry Manilow Holiday CD that Shannon over at Rocks in My Dryer is giving away!

I had planned to have my holiday quilts available - however those bins ended up in the back of the storage room at UHAUL... hey - at 8:00 PM after driving in high winds all day... I just wanted stuff out of the trailer and vehicles - I wasn't thinking about what I wanted to have access to!

And all my Holiday music??? The country, jazz, new age, and traditional CD's - all packed safely in a POD... hopefully I'll get to listen to all those tunes next season!

Since I don't want to seem greedy... I want to share the opportunity! Click on those links above and enter their give aways as well... if you win you could send the loot to me.... naaah - just kidding!