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| We can all relate! |
Have
you ever taken one of those life stress tests to tell you how much stress life
experiences are giving you? Well, this month, I feel as if I’m in the middle of
a challenge to see how many of those I can handle and still stay sane (or as
sane as I’ve ever been).
Steve
had done some major renovations on our house this past autumn such as extending
our deck, upgrading the countertops in the kitchen and installing an additional
cupboard and finishing off the garage. These were in addition to installing an
under deck roofing so that the patio and surrounding area stays dry during rain
(nice for barbequing in the rain), a fan over the patio and removing some
overgrown bushes.
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| My new motto |
It
was now my turn. One of my first stressors is getting our house ready to put on
the market. Have you ever had to “stage” a house for showing to prospective
buyers? The priority as been to de-clutter. I thought that I was the de-clutter
queen, but I took on the idea that we would be downsizing considerably in our
next move, especially our move to Mexico. Not that we are, but it’s always good
to work on that premise. So, in the last two weeks, I’ve been through every
closet, drawer, kitchen cupboard, desk drawers, filing cabinets – you name it
and it has been cleared of almost everything. There have been lots of trips to
charity shops.
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| My life this month |
My
next project was to figure out what needs to be done to “enhance” the rooms. I’ve
been through each of the rooms with a detailed list to determine what needs to
be done. Of course, the first thing is to clear all counter tops, tables, desks
– basically, any level surface of almost everything. Next is to make sure that
there’s nothing on the floors except for furniture and a rug. This even applies
to closets, laundry room and every other room in the house. Closets and
cupboards have to be cleared to make it look as if there’s tons of space. The
cats have been disrupted by their litter box and feeding stations being moved,
but they’ve adapted very well.
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| The lemons are on my counter |
The
staging is an interesting concept because while you have to make it look like a
“dream show home”, at the same time, you have to make it look “homey”. It’s a fine
balance between being squeaky clean and sterile while still lived in, well
cared for and loved. That’s where I’ve excelled with list upon list upon list.
I’ve been reading loads of e-books, web sites and other materials about staging
so Steve has left this up to me.
Because
this transition hasn’t been enough of a stressor in my life, I ordered a new
SmartPhone so I'm trying to get used to it while having to use it a lot; I’m in the middle of 3 classes, two
in nutrition and a Spanish class, and have added various workshops on top of
those.
Probably
the biggest stressor this past week was that my car’s engine blew up as I was
driving back from Baltimore. Black smoke was pouring out from under the hood,
and it completely died in the middle of the road. Fortunately, I sensed
something was wrong with it just before the black smoke so I had pulled off at
the nearest exit, and it died in the middle of the exit ramp. It was fortunate because
the motorway is a nightmare of speeding demons who tailgate within a couple of
inches. A very nice man stopped and helped me push it off the road and roadside
assistance came to my rescue an hour later. It didn’t help that it was below freezing outside
so while my car was overheating, my body was completely frozen. Needless to say
– the car is totally dead so Steve and I are sharing a car until we can get a second
car sourced.
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| My Miata looks great - just doesn't run!! |
The
weather hasn’t helped either. The snow and ice have made it difficult to get
around and keep up with appointments and work.
It’s
only mid-way through February, and I’m wondering what the next couple of weeks
can bring. The house is under “staging” processes, my car has died, Steve’s
father in the UK is critically ill and Steve who has been overwhelmed with work
is getting over his cold. Oh, and there’s the search for a new temporary home
in Texas. And did I mention that I’m getting ready to move to Delaware for
work starting next month? Has to get better, right?
I
did have a bit of fun last night while taking a flower arranging workshop at
Whole Foods. Here’s my completed Valentine’s bouquet that will cheer me up
while everything else is in chaos!
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| My Valentine creation |
