Junk and Ceilings

When the junk hauler pulled into the driveway, I was impressed by the size of the hauling trailer. Even though he told us the dimension, I am not one who can visualize numbers. It wasn't until it was sitting in my driveway that I realized how much junk could leave the house. I admit to being more than a little excited! 

I'm embarrassed to admit that we filled the junk trailer. Not only did we fill the trailer to the brim, but I wasn't able load everything because we ran out of room. I guess that is what happens when you've lived in a home for nearly 20 years. Even though the job isn't complete, it feels amazing to have a large trailer of junk removed from my home. 

Our good weather days are going to be replaced by a few days of rain. I'm praying that the sealant we applied to the chimney will work. After getting a new roof, a new chimney cap and repointing, I am beyond frustrated that the rain still drips from our ceiling. Every time I look at the damaged ceiling I feel ill. 

Scott and I are so embarrassed by the damaged ceiling that we avoid inviting friends over to the house. As soon as we know the leak has been stopped we can progress to repairing the damage. I can't wait to entertain again. Fingers crossed- this weekend should reveal whether or not the sealing worked.

Junk Hauling

My little roller bladder made astonishing progress in a single day. He went from not being able to stand in his blades to zooming through the living room without an issue. He handled falls by standing quickly and screaming "ta da" before skating away. Without question, he is my little daredevil athlete. I am impressed that he has never broken a bone. (Fingers crossed!)

While Timmy is busy skating through the living room I am going to solicit Robby's help outside. We have a junk hauler coming this evening and I want to get ready. Since the price is the same regardless of amount, I plan to fit as much into the truck as possible. I am not proud of it, but I am nearly giddy with the prospect of getting the crap out of the yard and house. I never thought that a junk haul would cause me so much excitement. I suppose this is another indication of my life stage.

With Scott eyeballing retirement, we are starting to act more thoughtfully around the house. We are in the process of fixing up and decluttering. As we were looking around the house both Scott and I felt overwhelmed by the task ahead. We decided to work methodically and consistently over this school year to ready the house for retirement. 

The junk hauler comes today and the donation truck comes on Monday. We are trying to work on one household project, whether it be little or big, every weekend. We aren't trying to fix everything at once, but knocking small things off the list can make a big difference. At least, that is the plan.

Wish us luck!

Roller Blading

I am loving this cooler weather! I spent several hours yesterday outside playing and walking with Timmy and Friend. Despite being August I am seeing more signs that summer is waning and that autumn is around the corner. The leaves are beginning to yellow and some of our hickory trees are beginning to shed their nuts. (I think I even saw pumpkin spice coffee creamer at the grocery store so it must be cool weather official.)

Today is supposed to be just as beautiful and I plan to take advantage of every moment by helping Timmy master his new skates on outside. He wore out his last set (the wheels came off) because skating is now his preferred mode of transportation. Inside or outside, he can usually be located by simply listening for the skates. This new pair of skates can be converted to roller blades which is an upgrade that Timmy finds very exciting. 

He has never been on roller blades, but he has never been deterred by the lack of experience. As soon as he saw that the skates had the option of converting to blades he asked for the swap. His newly configured roller blades (along with his helmet) are sitting by the front door, ready to go on their inaugural ride. Robby and I will be standing in as balance poles today until he gains his center of balance which hopefully won't take long. Timmy is pretty skilled at anything that requires controlling wheels underneath him.

Dorm Day

It is hard to believe, but my sweet baby niece is waking up in her college dorm this morning. After a tense build-up to move-in day, she was settled into her new digs without an issue. It broke my heart to hear the panic and terror in her voice whenever we spoke about her collegiate adventure. No matter what anybody said to try to quell her fears, she couldn't talk about college without tears. 

Despite our efforts to turn the preparation into a fun activity, she refused to allow the excitement to grow. Instead she opted to nurture the fears and anxiety. Given time, I hope that she will be okay. I know it is scary to try something new, but there are times when you just have to take a deep breath and do it anyway. This is her first foray into adulthood. I am thinking about her this morning and I hope that she is able to relax, adjust and thrive. 

With my niece settled into her dorm, I'm hoping that family conversations can return to normal. It feels like we all spent more time invested in discussing her detachment from the future than anything else. It will be refreshing to not always have the conversation loop back to her college woes. At this point, the decision to adjust and to thrive is entirely up to her. 

Change is hard, but necessary. This is the first adult lesson for so many.