Sorry...

Sorry I haven't been posting.  But... my laptop got dropped (again) and was dead (again).  Hubby is working on getting it up and 100% (again).  So far, it's up, but it's his stuff and not mine.  His is on it's last legs.  I'm thinking that we really should just invest in a new one.  His sis has offered to give us her old desk top, but... I'm thinking it's just time to get a new one.  I hate to.  Maybe we can stretch it out a bit.  We have car insurance due (nearly $1000), I need new tires (nearly $1000, also), the dog needs his eye surgery ($600), and then we have 100 things going on.  *sigh*  It's always something.  We'll find a way to make it work.  Maybe we can stretch it until after we move.  One less thing to carry.

Speaking of moving... we've made the decision to go ahead and list our house.  We've decided on a timeline of about 6 weeks and we hope to do it before then.  In the meantime, we are focused on cleaning out the house.  We are listing and selling pretty much everything we own.  I just don't see the point in keeping it, ya know?  Most of it is too much or stuff that we kept because we felt we should.  We've not really bought anything new in years.  And by years, I'm thinking somewhere around 8.  Other than the oldest's bedroom stuff and our dressers.  All from Ikea.  So... I think it's time.  Time to let a lot of it go even if it's hard.  As of now, the attic is clear, the storage area under the stairs is clear except for clubs, luggage, and spare totes.  And believe it or not, we've sold the boys egg chairs, that huge entertainment wall, and some other odds and ends.  I may have sold our old black twin bedroom set.  We shall see tomorrow.  If we can get some of this other stuff out, we should be doing pretty good.  I have a load of donations to take off, too.  Since other things haven't fallen into place, we're hoping this is the right direction.  6 weeks puts us at the end of Feb. beginning of March.  Even if the house were to sell immediately (and we know that the chances of that are slim but not impossible), it would leave us time until the end of the school year.  It would also put us on the market during the supposed 'hot' time for real estate. 

To deal with projects and not get overwhelmed, we've decided to go back to a room by room attack.  I've already done a great deal of decluttering, so I wanted to continue on that path by finishing the rooms with the least clutter.  The only way to really use the work I've already done to our advantage.  I want to keep a few pieces so we can 'stage' but I mostly want to get as much stuff out as possible.  Anyways, I've done a lot in the kitchen, living room, and dining room so the first room on my attack list was the dining room.  I started there today.  Today, I got everything moved out of the way, the work area thoroughly cleaned to include vacuuming, a wipe down, and a scrubbing.... some with Q-tips!  But it's clean!  Then I got to work and caulked all the trim.  I even took down the drapes and washed them.  Tomorrow I have a few things to do in there.  One is I would like to get all that trim I just caulked painted.  I will need to prime the wood part first, but the rest is ready for straight paint.  So goal for tomorrow is to prime what needs to be primed, then paint.  Thankfully, my primer is the oil based that dries super fast.  So by the time I clean up, paint the door, and get down to the trim that's bare, it should be ready.  That leaves only the stuff the hubby needs to do and the transition wall that is between the kitchen and dining room. 

Part of the deal with the room by room is that I will evaluate it before I start and then discuss with hubby.  Like today, I looked it over and realized that our light fixture is a bit loose and should be tightened.  I also realized that there was a plug not finished.  I didn't want to do that transition area until that stuff was done.  So, we talked it over and made a plan.  I would do this stuff today and he would work on the others the next time he had time.  It may be tomorrow or it may be in 3 days.  But that is what he needs to accomplish first before anything else.  That way, that room gets completely marked off.  It may not always be the best, but at least we should start to feel accomplished.  My goal is to get as much of the first impressions part of the house done.  I'm not going to think too far ahead and overwhelm myself, though.  I have my idea for tomorrow, but I don't want to stress over it.  I would also like to get the cabinet doors sanded if I have time.  The kitchen is in the back of my mind.  It is SO close to completion.  We need the hardware.  I need to finish the doors.  Everything will need a good wipe down.  Some trim needs to be caulked and painted.  The counter on the left needs it's cleaning.... But I'm not going to dwell.  I know what needs to be done and I will get to that room a bit at a time.  My main goal is to finish the dining room.  So tomorrow, I paint.  That is my only goal.  Anything else is dessert!  Next up will be the living room.  It's trim also needs the caulk, prime, and paint treatment.  And maybe some touch-up around the window.  Once all of these open rooms are done, I plan on touching up any paint that needs it on the walls with my artist brush -- makes it less noticeable.  But as I was working today, I didn't see much.  I think just the kitchen and transition wall. 

I'm not sure where I will go next.  I'm thinking that I should finish the kitchen, but I may save it for a bigger stretch.  I may go to the bathroom next.  It only needs minimal stuff like the paint on the ceiling where I decided I didn't like my patch job and re-did it.  Then another coat of paint on the trim and door.  Other than that, it's done.  I guess we will see when I get there. 

I am struggling with what to do with the bedrooms.  Both rooms have trim that needs another coat.  I swear, painting old wood trim is such a pain.  I wish I could've saved it, but it's needed so much repair that paint was really our only option unless we replaced all of it.  And that was NOT an option.  I'm thinking of putting the kids together in one room over a weekend (we have another long weekend coming) and moving everything out so I can do it then.  With open space, I can work MUCH faster.  I have also decided to spend the time taping.  I can paint darn well, but taping allows me to go a bit faster in cases like this.  So, I think I will.  I need to do some taping tonight, actually.  See if it works out or not.  I always worry about it making a huge mess...I'm not sure why.  I may change my mind on that.... it seems to take forever to tape and then when you pull it up, it's a guessing game of whether it will leave a splotch or tear!

Everything else is on hold now.  I weighed the other day and was 179.  I'm ok with that.  I'm not really trying although I'm trying to be busier, not eat as much, and I am working on getting in more workouts.  I need the stress relief.  And the 'me' time.  We are still working on eating out of our pantry and freezer.  And so far, we are ROCKING that.  You can actually see the back of the upstairs pantry on certain shelves... there are empty spaces in my freezer... and the downstairs pantry is looking like we are a bit 'low'.  It's unreal, really.  I have been to the store but it was for fresh items.  I'm telling you, it's been good on the ol' pocketbook!  We've only eaten out like, 2 times.  Just got to keep on it. 

I guess that's about it for now.  I probably should go catch up on some of the blogs I've been unable to get to.  Until later...