Unpacking

Kids get just as excited about unpacking as we grown ups do. Which means completely mixed feelings, at times joyful to have things out of their boxes and instead up on their walls and shelves, at other times really not wanting to look at one more box ever again, what do you mean I still have to unpack it?

We get to have all the feels, which includes the frustration of having the unpacking seem to take much longer than we would like it too. And for me, this hasn’t been one of those sessions where I can just spend all day, everyday unpacking until I get it all done. Because life still needs to go on and I took my time off for the actual moving from one house to the other and at this point we all need to start falling into a routine again, which means I need to get my writing and work done in the morning while I still have energy and it is still quiet and cool around here, and so unpacking happens later.

And inevitably it doesn’t seem like I have gotten enough done. For some reason that I really can’t wrap my head around we seem to be short a bookcase in the number of books I still have in boxes versus the three shelves I have to still fill (and since the clips to attach the shelves to the bookcase have gone for a walk, it makes things even more interesting). We have a friend holding another bookcase for us, ostensibly for the girl’s picture books, etc, which will help, but it would also be nice if that two dozen or so boxes that are usually super easy to unpack and get out of our way, were actually out of our way.

Then there is the building of things. Like we normally have our flat screen TV up on our wall, so it stays safe and also because who needs it taking up furniture. We haven’t taken the time to install it up on the wall yet. Partially because we haven’t located the stud finder yet, and also because the time we would have to install it (it takes both of us) is the same time we want to spend actually using it.

And then there are the racks and pieces of furniture we took apart and now have to figure out where all the pieces are. It is usually not the legs per say as it is the bolts, pegs, and clips. For instance, I have my round table in two pieces and it takes about five minutes to put together but I don’t know where the bolts that secure the two pieces are.

That kind of stuff. We spent part of Sunday in the kitchen building a couple of racks to hold dishes and veggies, and it doesn’t look like we did much, because things are still cluttered and on the floor, but we did actually create some pretty important storage to be able to start to put things away.

My mom is coming in a couple of weeks and my goal is to get the main living areas done by that point and then while she is here and able to entertain my children I can redo a closet each day and get those set up well. But right now things are just getting put into closets to get them out of the way while we continue to unpack and organize.

At least the laundry monster is starting to come under control. But I also need to set up an area in the basement for the out of season out of size clothes. And of course, that hasn’t happened yet. We did spend some time in the basement over the weekend when it was really hot and that was helpful too and is allowing us to bring the rest of the stuff from the yard into the basement, but it still isn’t something you see all the time.

I had a friend come to help yesterday and we were able to organize and uncover two rooms in the two hours she was able to help me. I am hoping to convince some more friends to come over and hang out and help us figure out where to hang our photographs and art because I know that will help it feel like home in an even deeper level.

I am also aware that it is going to be a work in progress for a while. There is wallpaper throughout most of the house and we are going to want to work on taking it down and painting most of the rooms over time.

As well as it just takes a while to figure out the flow of things and how things really work and then move things around.

There are pieces of furniture we do not yet own and that need to be acquired to make the cozy reading and talking nooks we still want to make. There is stuff in the yard that still needs to be set up for future gardens, hops and of course duck land.

In and amongst all that, it is still summer and we need to find the local swimming holes and places to hang out in the shade, attend library summer reading program activities, and do some actual reading. Eventually my sewing machine will get fixed (still looking for the power cord) and then there are lots of little projects that need to get made for the new house as well, fresh potholders, eventually new curtains, etc.

Everyone has always told me that when you own your own house the honey do list is never-ending and that there is always something that needs to be done. But I think the part that a lot of people have been missing, that seems super important to how my hubby and I feel is, this feels like a labor of love. Getting to choose and adjust things because it is our house. Making a list of the maintenance as well as the upgrades we want to do and knowing that we are taking care of our shelter, just feels different than having to wait until landlord’s do or don’t fix things.

Or at least that is how it feels to me.