It’s Friday! Here are five things on my mind. Be aware they are mainly about packing; forewarned is forearmed.
- We have closed on the new house! This is very exciting and also very anticlimactic as we will not be able to move in for more than a month. (One of the things we did to “sweeten the pot” when we made our offer was to allow the sellers to stay an extra month. In this market, we made the best offer we could and our realtor said this would help, so we did it.) People keep asking how closing went. “Were there any surprises?” my dad wanted to know. Um. No? It makes me a little nervous, how well it went, because people seem surprised that it was so seamless. A notary met us at my husband’s hospital, we signed a billion papers, then we wired over the down payment. Simple. I think? But all this interest in whether it went well makes me uneasy. Did we overlook something important? WERE there surprises and we just didn’t register them as such? Was it too easy???? Maybe everyone’s so interested because we didn’t make a big deal of it. Because of the anticlimax.
- I finally packed a box. It was MUCH HARDER than it should be. I decided, after fretting all over the blog about it, that I would start with the guest room closet. We don’t use the stuff in that closet. There are books in the closet, plus old fancy clothes we will probably never wear again, plus lots of other things. I could totally empty it out, was my naïve thinking. Well. I did manage to fill a giant bag of To Donate items, and half-fill another giant bag with trash. But then I had to stop. The items in the closet are either too big to fit nicely into a box (my daughter’s sewing machine, for example) or they require some input from my husband (do we really need to keep all those home improvement books?) or I feel like they might actually have alternative uses during the move (like all of the extra towels and blankets – those could be used to cushion things, or wrap up delicate items right?) (as I am typing this, it is clear I should get a box, grab some of the extra towels, and start packing delicate items). So I ended up abandoning the guest room closet. But! I did manage to clean off the top of my desk in my office and get some tchotchkes off the shelves, like my potato pig and my skier tile. I packed
threefour boxes of office stuff and made little piles of leftover stuff (“random important things,” “shred or file?,” and “keep”) (why “keep” is separate from “random important things” I’m not sure I can articulate, but they are different) that are now taking up all the real estate on my desk. I haven’t figured out yet what to do with the items inside the desk – but maybe they can stay there!
- I also cleaned out the top shelf of our pantry, on which lived an assortment of things like cookie cutters, the popcorn popper, an ice cream machine, and a thousand cake pans. How many cake pans does one person need? I usually make layer cakes for birthdays, so I did not even THINK about getting rid of any of the regular cake pans. And we probably don’t need two springform pans, but it’s good to have a backup in case I have some sort of emergency that can only be addressed with multiple cheesecakes. There were a few things that I have literally never used – two Bundt pans, a tart pan, and a Madeleine pan – and probably should consider donating, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it yet. Maybe the me who lives in our new house makes Bundt cakes all the time! I threw all these things, alongside a pizza peel, some disposable grill pans, and some plasticware I use solely when I make food for other families, into two boxes and topped them with some insulated grocery bags. (I did have a moment where I thought, might we NEED the insulated grocery bags during the move? But I pushed past it. They are on the very top of the box anyway, for easy access.) I was also able to clean out half of the drawer under the oven (what do you keep in the drawer under the oven? or do you use it as a warming drawer as I think it is intended to be used?), in which I keep additional cake pans (I have SO MANY cake pans), brownie pans, and loaf pans. (Have I ever used a loaf pan? Maybe once or twice, to make banana bread. Certainly not enough times to require THREE loaf pans.) So that’s two more boxes packed. (This is on top of the glassware I was able to pack away. We have a bunch of wine glasses and champagne flutes that we got for our wedding, nearly 14 years ago, and we somehow had kept ALL THE BOXES, ready to spring into use at this very moment.) (There are still a bunch of martini glasses and non-fancy Champagne flutes in the glassware cupboard that I will have to deal with, as well as an entire shelf’s worth of crystal goblets that I inherited from someone’s grandmother.) (At what point am I no longer actually writing parentheticals, but am instead continuing on with this bullet point? It seems I cannot stop.) Next up in packing: the winter clothes, which should probably have been the first thing I addressed (I know you all said BOOKS but I have not been able to bring myself to do that yet), but which I have not, in fact, addressed. The thing is that I am PACKING THINGS and hopefully the momentum will continue to build.
- One thing we want to do before we move in is to install new flooring. The carpet in the house is uniformly kind of… tired. Which happens after you’ve lived in a place for more than a decade! Especially when you have children and a dog! I get it! But I want fresh, clean carpet. Plus, the downstairs has different flooring in nearly every room, which I personally hate, especially because the new house has a really nice flow from room to room so the flooring shifts are extremely obvious and choppy. I want one seamless type of flooring. I know from experience that once all the furniture is in place, the idea of moving it again to install new flooring will be too awful to bear. So! We are getting everything installed before we move in. Supposedly. The catch – there is always a catch – is that manufacturing and shipping delays mean we need to order the flooring NOW if we want it to be installed before we move. It is surprisingly stressful to try to pick out flooring when you don’t have access to the space it will live in and when you are basing your decision off of a single 2” by 3” rectangle. Also surprisingly difficult to choose between two options that look very nearly identical. I think I have landed on “it doesn’t really matter, either will be fine.”
- My orchid is planning to re-bloom! Here is a non-moving bullet point! This is the orchid I repotted a few months ago. It is so happy that it has decided to delight us all with new blossoms. The process seems to be rather slow, but I doubt it will delay blooming until we move. I am a little anxious about trying to transport it, but it seems to be a determined and sturdy orchid so we’ll see what happens.
We, too, use the “warming drawer” on the oven as storage (sheet pans, muffin pans, etc.) to the extent that I never knew it was a warming drawer until I was well into adulthood! Congrats on the closing and starting packing; it’s such an overwhelming project (there’s just so much and so many choices) that just starting should be celebrated in my opinion!
I honestly have no idea how I would USE the warming drawer as intended. But… that’s okay. Keeps my roasting pans and brownie tins nice and toasty!
“Maybe the me who lives in our new house makes Bundt cakes all the time!” Haha – love this!
There are so many decisions to make with a move; I agree that doing as much before you move in (like changing the flooring) the better. We have been home for ALL the renovations and it has sucked. Like so much. Now I know in case we ever move again!! And it is so hard to make big decisions from a tiny swatch: agreed! And everything looks mostly the same. Take white paint. There are approximately 2 billion shades of white at the paint store. Why? I’m thinking 3-5 max would be perfect. But no, there are literally well over 100 which is a recipe for disaster for someone like my who struggles with decisions and is a maximizer.
I think we will have some renovations ahead (we want to redo the primary bathroom) so I am girding my loins for how awful that will be.
Haha — the white paint comment makes me laugh. We are going to be choosing white paint for my daughter’s room and I want it to be REALLY white. But I haven’t looked at the options yet and I am very afraid!
I am under the impression that my under-oven drawer is the broiler (?) – I have used it as such a few times. I kind-of wish I used it for storage. But it doesn’t matter at all, in a few weeks (I hope) we are getting all NEW appliances because ours are all slowly breaking or losing parts.
Congrats on packing some boxes! It’s really hard that you have to wait another few weeks – I myself need a deadline to push me into gear!
Ooooh! All new appliances! That’s exciting!
You started packing, yay you! Getting started is so hard, and I do think you will gain momentum now. I really laughed at “we probably don’t need two springform pans, but it’s good to have a backup in case I have some sort of emergency that can only be addressed with multiple cheesecakes.”
Also, I think you are totally right to get to the mindset of “it doesn’t really matter, either will be fine” on the flooring. I have to remind myself of this a lot: very often, there is not One Right and Perfect Answer to a problem and I have to find it. Most of the time, there are multiple this-is-fine choices and I just need to pick one and move on.
Good luck!
You are totally right — there is not One Right and Perfect Answer in this case. But with so many options, it’s sometimes hard to remember that!
Congratulations on starting packing!
My design consideration is usually “is it in stock” and my husband’s is ” what’s cheapest” so “either is fine” is a big step up in my opinion!
Good luck!
Hahaha — yes, budget was the first criteria. Which really helped narrow things down!
You have a pop corn maker and you buy pop corn from Wholesale shop 😃. I get it. The popcorn boxes are really good for storing.
Heehee — yes, that’s true! I hardly ever use the popcorn maker. Maybe a handful of times a year. But the popcorn box is SUCH a good size!
😃
Congrats on closing and starting the packing process. Having a month to get it done should ease the stress a little. The last time we moved we didn’t move in until a month or so after we took possession because I was teaching then and I couldn’t face moving before finals were over. Plus packing while wrangling a toddler (Noah) was challenging to say the least.
How cheering to get a new bloom on the orchid.
Oh my goodness, yes — delaying possession at that time sounds crucial to everyone’s mental health!
We don’t have a warming drawer, which is such a bummer because that’s where I used to store all the big long things, like cookie sheets. *sigh* Now they just rattle around in the cupboards in an annoying fashion.
Yay! for closing! I probably should have started with this, huh? So exciting! It’s happening! It’s real! We didn’t move in for a few weeks after we closed and I remember being so very excited about it, but uncertain about what the process was actually going to be like. I’m so excited for you!
I have so much bakeware that it rattles around our pantry and threatens to fall on me every time I dare to remove a cupcake tin!
It’s happening!!! Exciting but so much feels so up in the air right now.
Moving can be overwhelming but you sound like you have it in hand. I know what you mean about realizing you have too many baking pans, and wondering why? Do you have flooring picked out already? And more importantly who’s going to install it!
Yes! We picked out the flooring, and the installer! I just need to write a check. 🙂
And I bet it’s going to be a doozy of a one! 🤑
We have been through three closings now, and they have all been uneventful. I wonder if people are jumbling them up with INSPECTIONS, which tend to be rife with news and surprises.
Ah yes! That is an excellent thought. Although I did talk to someone recently who said that there was a tenant living in the home they were buying on the day of closing, so they declined to close until the tenant moved out! That’s the first I’ve heard of any “surprises.”
I chuckled about your baking supplies.. you definitely have a lot of baking pans. Funnily enough, I am a user of bundt/load pans and have other pans that just sit (most of the time), but you know how it goes – as soon as you give them away, you need one! So keep at least one of each! 🙂
You are so right! The instant I get rid of those bundt pans I am going to have a bundt emergency!
Congratulations on your new home!! And for beginning the packing process. It’s so daunting, I know.
Towels, sheets, etc. are all great for padding delicate items in boxes. As for moving the orchid (which is gorgeous and has me wondering if I need to change my name to Suzanne in order to get at least ONE of mine to re-bloom…), put it in an open, small-ish box and use tissue paper or towels all around it so it can’t slide around.
That is such a great idea for transporting the orchid, Gigi! Thank you!
You are very wise- you NEVER KNOW when you might need two cheesecakes (it could happen!) I’m glad you’ve started packing, and I’ll bet it’ll get easier and easier as time goes on- until right before you move, you’ll be throwing things into boxes at an astonishing rate- and then it’ll be done! I’m sure this is going to be a stressful month, but I’m very excited for you. You’re going to move into a wonderful house with beautiful new floors! I think you should bake a bundt cake to celebrate (they’re actually really easy, and you don’t have to go all out on the decorations, just top with a glaze or some powdered sugar- it might become your new thing!)
Gah, I hate moving. I hate packing. I kind of enjoy the satisfaction of unpacking though. My only advice, just from reading your process, is to not pack winter clothes on a HOT day if you can manage it.
I agree that putting in new flooring now will be MUCH easier. Also if you want to paint anything, the time it will be easiest is when the house is empty. (Well, not NOW, but once the prior owners have vacated) We desperately need new flooring AND painting, and the idea of dealing with it keeps us living in a mess. Our floors are probably 20 years old, we have a hole in our kitchen floor laminate from when some plumbing required going through our floor to get to the pipes, and they don’t make a match anymore to our laminate, so we just put a rug over it and pretend it’s not there. We have had 2 dogs during this time, and all of the stains that come along with that. Dog #1 lived to 13 years old, and had a lot of diarrhea issues in her last few years, dog #2 was always a barfer even before he went through chemo. We have a carpet cleaner, but some of the stains just seem to resist every attempt. Sigh. TMI. It’s the thought of moving everything that keeps us from doing anything about any of it.
I’m laughing at your many cake pans and parentheses!
You bought a house! YAY. I’m so excited for you.
I’ve never had a closing NOT GO SMOOTHLY. What could go wrong? I dunno…they’re usually smooth and anti-climatic. You had enough excitement at the bank with the very obvious White Board.
I use the oven drawer to store cookie sheets and baking pans. I can’t get over suspecting the ‘warming drawer’ thing is a prank.
Weird and funny that all my blog friends are moving. The thought of having to pack up my whole house is mind-boggling, but also kind of satisfying. Dare I suggest you just throw out the home improvement books without consulting your husband? Aren’t you improving the home by moving to a brand new one?
I agree on the flooring – if it’s all the same, it will be great no matter which one you pick.
So exciting!
Oh my gosh– so smart to do floors now. When we built our house, the wood on the main level was defective, and it WARPED on the corners of each plank over the course of the first year we lived in the house. The builder replaced it, but it was SO TERRIBLE to move everything, etc.
Definitely change out the flooring before the move if that is at all possible! That is what we did with our place when we bought it in 2019. It would not have happened otherwise since it’s such a hassle to carpet or put flooring in when furniture is in place. Anything else can be done but gosh flooring would be a massive pain.
So I used to work in the mortgage industry when I graduated from college. What goes wrong with closing is nearly entirely related to the mortgage. But I think there are different rules in place, like you need a completely non-contingent approval 5 biz days before closing or something like that? I wonder if that came about from the multitude of issues that impacted a closing. Which then becomes a horrible domino when the seller needs the find to sell. So it seems like things have improved? We got to meet the sellers when we closed in 2019 which was so nice as they talked a bit about the house and gave us a list of contact numbers. And it helped my husband to see how emotional the mom was about selling the house. My husband is very prone to buyer’s remorse so seeing that she truly loved the house helped. Although he probably still has buyers remorse to this day because of our lot. But not bad enough to look to move (he hates our hill lot which you obv can’t change!)
You started packing! Hooray! I’m not planning on moving until the end of October and don’t even have a place picked out yet, and I WANT TO START PACKING ALREADY. I told myself I have to wait until mid-September. There’s no reason to start now!
So many baking pans! I have, like, 3 or 4 cookie sheets, one muffin tin, one loaf pan, one 8×8 brownie pan, and… I think that’s all? No cake pans at all! (I don’t make cakes much.) Living in an apartment with a small kitchen means I have to be very minimalist in my baking collection.
I use the bottom drawer of the oven for storage! I never did, until I lived with a roommate who did and thought that was such a genius idea!
That is so exciting that you bought a new house! I kind of like the new beginning feeling, even if that does mean packing and all of the things that go along with moving. However, the fresh start is worth it and we need to move every so often so that we can reprioritize the things we actually need to keep!
I just went through a lot of my stuff so that when I do move, I will hopefully have a jump start, but I have not boxed anything up so I am sure if I move I will have more things to throw away (isn’t it funny how things start to seem less important the more times you have to cart them from one place to the other?) I did finally get rid of some duplicate older things, like cookie sheets and muffin pans etc. which feels so good!
I’m laughing at this because in the last 5-ish years I have become someone who Hates Lots Of Stuff. So I am always plotting about how to get rid of things. I donate a ton. A few years ago I cleaned out my kitchen and kept one of everything – set of bowls, 9×13 pan, 8×8 pan, etc. I couldn’t stand having multiples for one person! But you are a family – and families need more stuff. 🙂 (But man, use the popcorn popper more! Homemade is the bestest…)