I haven't blogged since Tuesday, when I first began to mention this week's house project. We have worked long and hard...and we've made progress.
We began culling homeschooling materials on Tuesday when Arielle took a box of books home, and we threw away much well-used material. On Wednesday Bre and Melany, Bryce and Ketziah came over and took a box or two of books home. Bryce helped Michael load a dead stove and dryer onto the back of his truck. By Wednesday night this one shelf, and the big box in the forefront of Sonlight and TOG manuals, is all that's left of the schooling materials.
The boys' old room is looking more and more like our envisioned study. We filled shelves, moved over computers and printers and put down the carpet...
Michael called it a night and went upstairs about the time the girls came home from church. They asked what was left to do. I wanted to have the rooms switched so Thursday could be moving the trailer stuff into place.
We moved another set of shelves from the former study to the New Study. The exercise equipment needed to be moved...two pieces to new homes and one to a new location in our home. One thing led to another, and the girls and I decided to move the treadmill into the "Spare Oom"* ... it wasn't easy...it WAS quite hilarious and fun. We began by trying to roll it across the family room to the spare oom. I kept remarking Krista did it and I was sure the three of us could do it. Finally, Stacia commented she thought Alex and Nolan helped Krista. Well, that WOULD make a difference. LOL I told them I was getting the hand cart...it worked. 
Before Michael went upstairs for the night, we had discussed putting the treadmill under the window in the study. The more I thought about it, and discussed it with the girls, the more I wanted it in the spare oom so we'd get some use out of that room on a regular basis. We measured where we are guessing the bed will end. It will be TIGHT. In fact, one can probably turn the treadmill on from bed. LOL Putting it in the spare oom allows the study to be reserved for Jesus time, Japanese study, sermon prep, reading...We got it all the way to the turn into the new location when I realized we'd not measured the hallway...and whew...it was tight. I began to wonder if we'd have to move it to the study after all.
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| See how much taller I look than the girls? How can I only be 5'3"? |
We pulled it back out, got positioned for a straight run and pushed. LOL
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| Millie is NOT sure what to make of all the changes. |
It worked...and we made some wonderful memories. We called it a night at 11:25 p.m. We decided to go out together Thursday morning for our breakfast study and then to come home, grab Michael and tackle this pile of things from our parents' homes.
Thursday we finally reached the point where we COULD do something with all the stuff we'd taken out of our trailer before dip-netting. The rooms were set up. We had a big closet in the study where we decided to put as many of the trunks and boxes of photos and letters from both moms as we could. Our plan is to pull one out at a time and sort through it...scanning as we go? Other things marked "Things from Liberia," "slides from Africa," "Philippine things," we stacked into the Spare oom and will sort through them when we set up that room. Our goal was simply to clear the common area, so it was useable. We'll finish setting up the rooms after the potluck party on Saturday.
The closet FILLED with the Moms' photos and letters.
Mom always had teacups and plants on this ladder. I dreamed of having one in my home and have looked for a wooden ladder over the years. I now have this one. I set it up with mom's hospice quilt, the quilt Granma Anne made and the quilt from my Liberian childhood. Michael pointed out the ladder wasn't very kid friendly and would probably be a temptation to kids. It's too rickety to be safe. ::sigh:: I agreed it needed to go. Larissa came to my rescue and is taking it. I'm smiling.
We need to find a loveseat or couch for under the window. I'm going to list the antique cane furniture on marketplace. The hutch to the left of the door is slated to move upstairs. Note...the big pile to the left of the doors is gone. The exercise equipment is all moved. Our food storage is organized...still need shelves somewhere for it. We also want to add a carpet and I'll move some of my "woodsy" stuff (as Stacia calls it) down from the dining room...because I have shelves from mom to house teacups that are going on the upstairs walls so we can unpack all the teacups and china which is now in the spare oom. We will move the roll top desk from the nook to the study - when we have more muscles to get it down the stairs. I'm HOPING before August 19th's family celebration but if it has to wait until then...it will.
It has been a very productive week. It feels GREAT to be making progress on so many fronts. We still need to move some beds around, set up the bed in the spare oom, move the final pieces to the study, Mike needs to go through some book boxes, move wall hangings around...but it's livable now. LOL We are starting to feel like it's actually our home and we can make every part of it function as we envisioned.
*Spare Oom - In "The Lion Witch and the Wardrobe," Mr. Tumnus inquires, "Daughter of Eve from the far land of Spare Oom where eternal summer reigns around the bright city of War Drobe, how would it be if you came and had tea with me?" It's THE name for our spare room.
We also have Potter's closet under the stairs.
