Packing Up

This morning I woke up to a full house. Robby has come home to visit (and to pack up his collection) for the weekend. Rob was fortunate to not have any classes on Friday, allowing him to carve out longer weekends. While I know it will be brief, it is fantastic having him home. I love having a full house!

Although I would love to let him relax and just play video games, I do need Robby to get some work done over the next few days. His WWII collection is robust and representative of all sides from the conflict. There are many items that feature insignias that are not representative of our values and that we personally find vile. Despite our aversion to the symbols, the historical significance of the artifact remains intact. Because I appreciate the feelings of disgust that are conjured when the symbols are viewed, I want everything packed up before we have workers in to ready the house. 

In addition to packing up his collection, Robby will be working at the "HalloThanksMas" event in Warren County, VA. We have no idea what to expect, but the weather is supposed to cooperate with this outdoor event. Fingers crossed for sales!

Rain

 We went through such a long spree of good weather that I almost feel guilty complaining about the constant rain and grey skies. I don't mind rainy days but a patch or two of sunshine would be appreciated. Even Friend seems deflated with the weather, preferring to sneak off to a pee pad instead of braving the cold rain. Thankfully it is supposed to lift by tomorrow- just in time for another Flexy sales event.

We have enjoyed a nice break from FlexyFriends sales events, but selling season is upon us. We have events scheduled for nearly every weekend between now and Christmas. Thankfully I have a husband who is retired and has offered to take the reins on the hustle. Hopefully the weather will cooperate with the outdoor event scheduled.

Today Scott is going to head to Shepherd to pick up Robby for the weekend. He needs to pick up clothes for the cooler weather and he is going to go help Scott sell for a day. With midterms starting next week, I know he is eager for a quiet spot to get his work done and study. 

I've missed his presence in the house. It will be nice to have him home, even if it is only for a few days. I am looking forward to my full house weekend.

 

Liar Liar

 In the early hours of Monday morning (around 4 AM) I heard Timmy stirring in his bedroom. When I checked on him I found him sitting in bed with big tears running down his cheeks. He was frustrated because he was exhausted and having trouble sleeping. Between his fatigue induced sobs he relayed his concerns about getting through the day without sleep. With the promise to let him sleep longer, I rubbed his back until he finally fell asleep.

Timmy finally woke up around 10:30 and reentered school after his class returned from lunch. As soon as he logged in he announced, "I slammed a Red Bull last night and pulled an all nighter."  

He lied. He did not have a Red Bull. He has never had a Red Bull. There is a zero percent chance that my sweet little liar had an energy drink of any variety because Scott and I have NEVER purchased them. I have never had an energy drink in this house, so I was gobsmacked by his explanation. 

When I asked him why he claimed to have consumed a Red Bull, he just shrugged and said that he said it for the laughs. This child is the reason I have so much grey hair

Much like when Robby told his pediatrician that I smoke (I have never smoked), any denial is going to make me look guiltier. 

Busy Selling

 This weekend was anything but restful and productive. On Saturday Scott was scheduled to sell FlexyFriends at a small local fair. Timmy and I were going to swing by to say hello but I had dedicated the day to packing more boxes and continuing to prepare for the move. When we arrived at the fair it was obvious the Scott was slammed. Our quick drop-in hello turned into a nearly 4 hours of marathon selling. 

Saturday was all hands on deck, including Timmy. While Scott and I tried to manage the hoards of customers, Timmy answered questions and helped to find preferred colors. He stepped right up and pitched in like a seasoned selling pro. We were delighted by the success of the event but also exhausted by the time everybody finally went home. 

On Sunday we had intended to go house hunting. While we did go to one Open House, we spent the majority of the afternoon hanging out with Robby. We went for lunch, took him out for ice cream and shopping for more Halloween decorations. It was great hanging out with him, but it didn't allow Scott or I to get anything else done around the house. 

The nasty weather has returned and it is supposed to rain for the rest of the week. Bleh! Have a good Monday!

ELO

Robby and Scott had a great time at the ELO concert last night. I received a few photos before the show where their excitement was obvious. Scott sent me a quick text mid show to relay Robby's enthusiasm and enjoyment. They rolled into he driveway around midnight and went straight to bed, although I know that at least Scott had a difficult time unwinding and completely relaxing. 

This morning we have to drive Robby back to campus for his afternoon lecture. Scott and I are going to take the remainder of the day and look at some neighborhoods that have piqued our interest although the heavy rain may delay our plans. With the house getting readied for the move and our new home search intensifying, it is starting to feel like our WV dream may become a reality.

Okay, perhaps referring to living in WV as a dream may be an overreach, but it is definitely our goal at the moment. Neither Scott nor I are viewing West Virginia as our dream location and we don't intend to live there until death. We are planning to stay until Timmy is done with high school. We aren't looking for our forever home. Instead, we are actively seeking our 7-10 year home.

Wish us luck!

Completion

 Yesterday I was slammed. I woke up around 4:30 and immediately began to finalize a project I've been developing for work. After successfully presenting the project that afternoon I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders. Although I'll still be busy with work, I no longer have to juggle the stress of a time sensitive project ready to implode.  To celebrate, I logged off in the afternoon and helped Scott finish the bathrooms.

Can I just say, I'm amazed about the amount of stuff I managed to fit into my bathroom vanity cabinet? Yikes! In an effort to clear the space, I packed up no less than 15 gallons of assorted chemical household cleaners. Our new house will smell lemony fresh for the next decade.

 This experience has taught me that buying cleaners in bulk packs does not work for our family. While I had good intentions, I don't have any convenient way to store 2 gallons of PineSol cleaner easily. The huge bottle was tucked away with the intention of refilling the smaller bottle. By the time each small bottle was empty, I had forgotten where I stashed the bulk pack and assumed that I had used it all. After 18 years of this cycle, we have accumulated quite a stockpile. 

Today Scott is heading to pick up Robby before the pair rock out at an ELO concert this evening. Robby adores ELO and was ecstatic to receive the tickets for his graduation. We didn't know his course schedule when I bought the tickets, but thankfully it all worked perfectly. Robby won't miss any classes and the pair won't have to worry about a timeline. Hopefully they have fun, although the weather is miserable for the long drive.

Motivated

What began as a desire to bake a red velvet cake cascaded into my purging, organizing and cleaning my entire kitchen. I became frustrated on Saturday morning when I couldn't find the cocoa powder in my pantry. I decided to clean the shelf, which quickly turned into the entire pantry being unloaded. After the pantry was finished I felt motivated to continue the efforts.  

All together it took me about 10 hours to declutter and organize my kitchen. I've accumulated 10 contractor trash bags of trash, broken items and expired food which Scott will take to the dump this afternoon. Five boxes for donation will be picked up tomorrow and the four boxes I packed for the move have been stowed downstairs. At this point, the kitchen is ready for the move. 

I feel like Scott and I have transitioned from talking about what we need to do to move to actually putting action behind those words. Things are getting exciting and overwhelming. I'm going to lean into the excitement because it will hopefully continue my motivation to get the house packed.  

Talking about exciting- I would be remiss if I didn't mention Timmy's amazing day at school on Friday. His class zoomed with an astronaut on the International Space Station. He was absolutely amazed and talked about it nonstop throughout the weekend. He can't wait to log into school today to discover what else might happen.