State of Affairs

My formal dining room isn't so "formal" anymore

We sold our dining set (we are looking for something that seats at least 10!) and the room has become the "holding area" for the things we don't want the packers to pack!

The rest of the house is beginning to look different as well

Curtains are down, anything that has been screwed into a wall or ceiling has been removed- including our tv's....

Holes have been spackled in preparation for paint touch-ups...

Beds have been stripped and all bedding washed....

And our front porch has never looked so bare :(

We spent the day tying up loose ends, and we were beyond thankful for the girls' help with entertaining the boys so we could get our work done!

The weather has been so great this past week!  Not necessarily "January" weather, but great nonetheless! Perfect for the boys nerf gun wars :D

Or even some lasso practice!

Allie enjoyed some Mt. Dew as she watched the boys!  And anyone who knows Allie knows it's her MOST favorite drink :D

Despite the fact that today was my birthday, there was work, work, work to be done.  We spent the majority of the morning continuing to pack and organize.  I've done this so many times before and learned my lessons the hard way, and I understand that the work I'm doing now will make for a much smoother transition.  Remembering to do things like carefully and painstakingly wrapping each one of my necklaces in tissue and placing them all in ziploc bags to keep them from getting tangled takes time and energy!  And remembering to collect things that I will need (and that can't be bought in a store) for the month that our household items will be in boxes can be quite a chore!

We continue to keep in touch with people in Atlanta as we arrange for finishing the basement of our new house, set up inspections, have our utilities set up, etc.  I was able to call the school that Sophie will be attending and get her registration started.  I tried to get the boys school going, but got bogged down with other "stuff" and finally decided to wait until next Monday to start school instead!  It just makes a lot more sense :D

We had to be out of the house for the buyer's inspection (which, by the way, went extremely well w/ very limited repairs!) for most of the afternoon, and that gave us a chance to get some errands done (like forwarding our mail).

Tonight we hit our favorite restaurant for the final time :(  It's not a chain, so we won't be able to find another one when we move, and we are sad!  But it was a great way to celebrate my birthday, and we ate many, many cannolis!

Tomorrow will be our final day to pack and finish up laundry.  If you've ever moved with professional packers and movers, then you know that they invade come in your house, ready or not, and go to town!    There are usually 5 or 6 packers, and they hit the door, spread out and start wrapping before you have time to blink ;D  That means that you better have anything you plan to keep with you out of their reach and set aside in a roped off separate area!  And if you didn't get it......tough.  Yep, once the packers hit, you're done!  For me, that means staying incredibly organized and on top of things before that moving truck ever turns down my street ;D

So that makes tomorrow the BIG day.   On my list of things to do:

*clean out pantry
*clean out fridge
*finish laundry
*pack boys' clothes and my clothes
*move things to dining room
*make phone calls
*check, double-check, and triple-check to make sure I have everything!!!

Doesn't look like much, but I'm sure it will take the entire day & I will fall into bed exhausted!

And speaking of bed.....mine is calling ;D