Teenage Dreams

When you have a teenager, sometimes it is hard to believe that you come from the same planet, let alone believe that you share DNA. But sometimes, some rare times, you relate to each other and share the closeness reminiscent of those early days when you were almost one. Today was such a day for my DD and I.



Moving has been difficult on DD. She has dreaded it and complained about it for months. But with the exception of my husband who now has an extra 15 hours a week (due to not having to commute), DD probably has had the biggest gain. She now has girls her age just steps from our back door, she is the prize volunteer at the library, and as she has dreamed her entire life, she is working with horses. Our house is just a short walk from a horse rescue.

Today, we went for the second time to work with the horses. She and I watered them and she gave them each some hay. She groomed Tucker, a miniature horse,


and then led several of them back to the stalls as the rain moved in. We had a good time and I think that she enjoyed being more competent than me. I once dreamed of horses like she does, but I never had the opportunities that she has had. The closest I came was riding a horse on a lead line at my elementary school. She has ridden, had riding lessons, gone to horse camp, and now is volunteering at a rescue. She is becoming the main character in all of those horse books she reads. I am blessed to stand by and be able to see her dreams becoming reality.

The True Cost of Not Hiring Movers

Money was very tight during this move and so we did not hire movers but instead moved ourselves. We wrapped the dishes, packed the boxes, and loaded the furniture. The decision was purely a financial one. We were originally going to hire a mover for the furniture, but the quote came in at over $1,000. As closing costs and other moving expenses escalated, $1,000 seemed equivalent to $1,000,000. I just could not agree to spend the money, so my husband, my brother-in-law, nephew, the kids, and I completed the grunt work and we hired a U-Haul. All seemed to go well, we actually only took one minor casualty to the furniture which was repairable, but then dear husband started hobbeling. Then, he was hunched over. As men do, he pushed through and finished the move, but then he started complain. Soon he was at the doctors ($20 co-pay) with two prescriptions ($50 in co-pays). Today, he underwent an MRI ($250 co-pay)


and soon he will start therapy ($20 per visit co-pay). We can only hope that will work. I don’t even want to think of the other options. Did I really save any money??? Hindsight is 20/20 and the top of my entertainment center is still in my eat-in part of the kitchen with no time-line for completing its move. Not to mention, my poor hubby is in serious pain. Maybe the $1,000 wasn’t that much after all.

10 Things to Remember When You Move

1. The adage ,"you can never have enough", is WRONG! Keep in mind with every purchase that you make and every gift that you get, some day you may need to move it. If that doesn’t curb your enthusiasm on the new whatchmacallit, then you haven’t moved enough to truly understand the implications.

2. Furniture is way overrated. The 1st apartment décor of a couple of milk crates takes on a new allure. At least I could have flipped them over and used them to pack things in. (No more solid wood furniture)

3. Hire a mover. They are worth every penny. Instead we are paying with my husband’s back. Two prescriptions and back exercises later, he still isn’t walking quite right.

4. Put the cat in the carrier first thing in the morning. Moving is as tumultuous for animals as it is for humans. The difference is that we can’t hide in small unreachable places. It is very awkward to have to go back to the house after you sold it to try to coax your cat out.

5. Start saving boxesnow even if you don’t have a move planned. It seems to me to be the epitome of waste to buy boxes, plus it is an added expense when every penny counts.

6. Leave one box unopened from every move and then when you move next time it will be like Christmas. We found one such box. My son said, “Mom, why didn’t you tell me we had this?” As if I remembered that I had it from 12 years ago.

7. Don’t pack too early or risk your husband stripping open all of your nicely packed boxes looking for something or the other option is don’t make ham so that he doesn’t need the KitchenAid meat grinder. And in this market, if your house is on the market longer than you expected, you might need your winter jacket again.

8. Label everything. Dear Husband was pleasantly surprised to find the meat grinder neatly labeled in one of the “kitchen” boxes. He apologized for opening the other 15 boxes without reading what was written.

9. Call the people that offered you help. People will offer help and you will nod acceptingly knowing that you would never impose on someone. Note, they are offering because they have moved and done the same thing and have paid the price.

10. Think small. Instead of trying to conserve boxes and fit more in less, fit less in more. Your back will thank you.

11. Reconcider the move.

Taking Proper Pictures to Sell Your House

I haven’t fallen off the planet. We’ve just been completely side tracked trying to find a home and get ours sold. On the positive side, we are finally moving in the right direction. I cannot even tell you how much value our home has lost, but at least things are finally progressing.

Having said that, obviously we have been perusing realtor.com like crazy trying to find our new home. I have become somewhat of an expert about all the listings in our target area. I am amazed at some of the crazy ways that real estate agents show off homes. I wonder if they have ever heard, “put your best foot forward”. I have come by pictures that are formatted incorrectly and appear even smaller than the thumbnail they are already allotted. While I have posted something incorrectly before too, I went back and fixed it as soon as possible. Why would an agent post a picture sideways? And leave it that way? I am also dumbfounded by the toilet pictures.

How does this improve the odds of a sale? Of course, this one also had me scratching my head.

I will try to speak up more often and let you all know what is going on.

Answering DH with a Smile and a Nod

I have learned sometimes to smile and nod when my husband is talking. I love my husband dearly, but sometimes I just don’t know how to respond . . .a smile and a nod is all I have to offer. We are still unfortunately stuck in the real estate game. Today, I went up with the kids to check out some of the towns that we have been considering. My husband seems to be leaning toward one house that we looked at, so I decided to investigate the town a little more. The first time we looked at the house. He told me everything that was wrong with the house. I felt badly for the real estate agent because he was so blunt about the house’s short comings. When he asked my opinion, I tried to voice my opinion, but he launched into another list of failings that the house had. I rolled my eyes, smiled and nodded. Then a few weeks later, he was espousing all the benefits of the very same house; telling me that we should seriously consider this house as a contender. I smiled and nodded. Today, we actually went back twice. I went by this morning and then he came by this evening with us. I tried to mention that the cost of the repairs necessary would be very high and the house was in such a state that these repairs would have to be made before we moved in. DH made a verbal list of repairs with what he considered reasonable repair rates. I smiled and nodded, but in my mind had added the same list up to almost double his total. The man that had ditched a house because we would need to paint the exterior was now choosing a house that needed rugs changed out, bathrooms remodeled, floors redone, and various other changes. I have long since learned that sometimes it is not worth it to argue. I smiled and nodded knowing that our house still had not sold and frankly I’d be happy with any house that meant this “moving” stage was over.