De-cluttering, Renovating and Moving

I'd like to say that I don't know where the time has gone since I last posted - but I do know - it's been taken up with looking at homes and going back to homes to measure and see what will fit where and painting (oh the blisters from painting for 3 days) and weeding and more weeding and getting the front garden ready and the front front garden ready and the back garden and the house.

Thank goodness I was able to take 3 days leave last week to get some of the above done but it seems that every time I turn around, there is something else that we 'have' to do before we put our home on the market.

The de-cluttering has been good - and so cathartic.  It is also very stressful because I am married to someone who likes to hold onto things.  I'm not sure if you would call him a true hoarder but he doesn't like to get rid of things - even if there is only a very teeny tiny possibility that we may use it, he likes to keep it - just in case !!!!!!  It does drive me insane but I am sure that there are things that I do that drive him insane - so we sort of cancel each other out like that.

I am enjoying going through our stuff and finding little treasures that I had forgotten about - a letter I wrote to my Upstairs Gran when I was 4 yrs 8 mths old, photos of family members no longer with us, writing paper/notelets I never even knew I had, 50c stamps that I will need to buy 10c stamps to go with on a letter and so it goes on.

The bookshelf, which is floor to ceiling and 1500mm wide - is full to overflowing with books - some of which we will never read again so Lifeline will get those as well.  I know that there is someone out there who will read them.  The ones we don't give to Lifeline, will get packed away so that we only have shelves that have books one row deep instead of two rows deep !!!

Ideally I would love to live in a minimalistic home, but I understand that living with someone who likes 'stuff', it probably isn't going to happen.  All I can do is hope that what we keep is worthy of the space that it takes up.  And really, do we really have to have more than two sets of anything - be it towels, linen, table cloths, place mats, coffee machines etc etc.  I am sure you get the picture.  It seems that Lifeline is going to be getting a lot of 'drop offs' over the next couple of weeks - I know that there are people who will actually make a lot more use of these things than we do, having it sitting in our sideboard, linen cupboard, bedroom cupboard or kitchen.

We have taken a storage shed that we are moving 'stuff' into this weekend which means that this week is the week that I pack up as much as I can and send it off to storage.  I know I can take it into storage at any time but I would rather do it all now and then they will cart it there for me instead of us having to do it later.

I don't know how much I am going to be around over the next couple of weeks - last week we worked pretty much until we collapsed into a bath and then into bed.  There is nothing quite as exciting as weeding by torch light - but it was so much cooler than what we had put up with from 8-11 in the morning !

Joining in with Jess for #IBOT because it's Tuesday and I like to join in with such a fun linky !

Have the best week !!

TFTD : Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart.

What Do I Know ?

It's Friday which means it's time for us all to tell each other what we know - because as MC always says, we all know sh*t.

This week I know that :

- I have been stressed and so eaten more junk food that is good for me and definitely a sh*tload more than I wanted to - it was like I couldn't help myself at times - which is really a sucky excuse because it wasn't as though anyone had a gun to my head forcing me to eat the junk !

- I will be back in the gym next week

- I will plan my weeks better in future so that I can get to the gym as well as go and look at houses

- A may not be going away on Monday because, apparently, now they have realised that sending guys from the Gold Coast up to Mt Isa when they don't have the equipment to actually install is probably not the smartest move they could make

- I think I may have mentioned the words -  A's company, p*ss up and brewery in a previous post

- I am looking forward to catching up with BIL and SIL for dinner tonight.  There is a lovely little place, good food, reasonably priced, just around the corner from us and we all walk there for dinner every couple of weeks - it's great

 

What do you know this week ? 

Have you joined in ? 

Why not share your knowledge for the week ?

 

Have a fantastic Friday and a great weekend !

 

TFTD : Integrity is choosing your actions based on moral values rather than personal gain.

First World Problem

And so it begins.  The constant phone calls and viewings and indecision about what to do.  Weighing up the pros and cons and trying to make the best decision for all concerned when really, all I want to do, is find a little corner to hide in and rock myself to sleep !

I'm talking about house hunting and selling our house - and dealing with the dreaded estate agents (having said that the two we have dealt with so far have been very nice).  I have been involved in buying precisely one house - the one we currently live in.  A had bought his house just when I met him so I wasn't involved in that in any way.  We sold that to move to Australia and after renting for 6 months we bought our current home.  It wasn't an easy process because we didn't know good and bad areas, and, if we had listened to some of the agents, we would have landed up in a house built on marine mud where whole streets are subsiding or in a dust bowl that gets all the afternoon sun and no breezes.  But, it was an easy process from the point of view of being able to buy for cash.

This time around, it's not so easy - we need to sell in order to buy BUT A doesn't want to sell if we can't find somewhere suitable to buy - I feel like I am living the chicken or the egg scenario - which comes first - selling and hope we find somewhere to buy or buying and then hope like hell we can find a buyer so we aren't left with two mortgages and finding a suitable tenant.

Like I said before, first world problem !

Factor in a very fussy child (who will have some say but not a lot of weight given to said opinion) and parents who are going to live on the property with us, menopause cr*p happening and a husband who is now leaving on Monday for a month away - and my stress levels are probably reaching an all time high.

So, today I am thankful that I have a home to live in, that I have the opportunity to buy a property which may, or may not, have something suitable for my parents to live in, and, if there is nothing suitable to live in, we will build something suitable for them.

I am thankful that a typhoon hasn't come through and taken my home away.

I am thankful that my husband has a job.

I am thankful that I have the opportunity to have my folks live close by so we can keep an eye on them as they get older.

I am thankful for Rhianna who hosts Thankful Thursday because it makes me take stock of what is happening in my life and realise that, while there may be a lot of cr*p going on, I certainly have a lot to be thankful for !

What are you thankful for today ?

 

Have the best Thursday !

 

TFTD : People who lack the clarity, courage, or determination to follow their own dreams will often find ways to discourage yours.

One Republic at The Tivoli

Last night saw A and I drive up to The Tivoli to see One Republic.  They are one of my favourite bands.  A few months ago I had a look on their website but didn't see anything about a tour to Australia.  Last week I heard they were in Perth so had a look and found that they were in Brisbane after that.

K didn't want to go with me (although she did say if I couldn't find anyone at all she would go - sweet child that she is) and I don't know that A was too keen but on Friday when I checked to see what tickets were available, it said that there were't many left so I called A and sweet talked him into coming with me so I didn't have to go by myself !!!!!  Once he had said he would come with me, I couldn't get onto the ticket website and I was starting to panic just a tad, obviously someone else was trying to buy tickets and they were held for 10 minutes for them.  To say that I was excited when I finally managed to get them is an understatement - I may have even done a very happy dance around the office seeing as I was in there alone !!!!

The trouble with buying tickets so close to the event is you don't have the anticipation of counting down until the show. But, hey, that's OK.  I can live with that even though it was only 3 sleeps away !!!

We left home earlier than we needed to (well earlier than we thought we needed to) because we were going to look at a house on our way up before heading off.  The house we went to look at wasn't suitable BUT we did see another one that has huge potential and looks like it is the right price as well !!!  Anyway, we called Don Angelo's to pick up dinner only to find that they were closed for a private funcion :(

We got up to The Tivoli at about 7.15 (having never been there before we weren't sure about parking although they did say there was plenty of parking in the surrounding streets) - well apparently not if you get there at that time when the doors opened at 6.30 !!!  We drove around for about 20 mins before eventually parking in a garage (for a cost of $13 which is heaps cheaper than I thought it was going to be - I had figured if we had to pay for parking it would cost us about the same as a ticket given what we paid when we parked to go to the police information evening with K last year !!!) and walked in the rain back to The Tivoli.  The good thing was that by the time we got there, we could walk straight in without having to queue.

The support act was playing and we managed to find standing space near the back - luckily near the door so we did get the occasional cool breeze coming through.  They had said that OR would start at approx 8.30 - I think it was closer to 8.50 by the time they started but I didn't mind the wait. 

Once they started the time just flew by.  They sung a mix of old and new songs although mainly songs off their new album, Native.  And they were fantastic.  I don't do standing very well and had said to A at the beginning of the evening that I would have seriously have not even considered going had I known that it was standing only, but I am so glad that we went - it was worth every cent of the ticket.  He then pointed out that it said Standing on the ticket which I would have seen had I bothered to actually read the ticket instead of getting so excited and doing a dance because I got the tickets in the first place !!!!!

There was a really wide range of ages in the audience with some of the blue rinse brigade in attendance as well as kids who looked like they weren't even 18 although you had to be 18 to go to the show.

Anyway, even with my dodgy back and dodgy knees, I thoroughly enjoyed the show (and A did as well just in case you were wondering)  - so much so he asked me to put their new CD on when we were driving home !!!!

If you are One Republic fans, I would definitely recommend seeing them if they are at a venue near you.

Joining in with Jess from Essentially Jess because #IBOT.

Have you been to any concerts lately ?

Are there any bands you would

recommend seeing on stage ?

 

Have the best day !

 

TFTD : Don't just look, observe. Don't just breathe, smell. Don't just sleep, dream. Don't just think, feel. Don't just exist, live.

Things I Know

Today the Things I Know linky is back with Miss Cinders at The Miss Cinders - thank you to Rhianna from A Parenting Life who has been hosting this while MC had a break.

This week I know :

- that I have still been wishing my days away so that the weekend can be here

- that I shouldn't wish my life away

- that I am happy that today is Friday

- that One Republic are playing in Brisbane at The Tivoli on Monday night and I REALLY REALLY want to go (Finally managed to get through and got two tickets - YAY !!!!)

- that I got a gold star from the dentist yesterday

- that I managed to get home after the dentist in time to make it to my fourth gym class this week

- that I liked this lady more than I like the lady who does spin class on a Thursday so I may change and add another pump class to my schedule and pick up a spin class on a Wednesday

- that I plan on being kind to myself this weekend

- that I am loving having a Blackberry phone again even if I can't load photos into Instagram (yet)

- that I am loving having the features back that made me fall in love with Blackberry in the first place

We all know sh*t so

why not join in with

the easier linky of the week ?

 

Have the best weekend e.v.e.r. !!!

 

TFTD : It is more important to know where you are going, than to get there quickly. Don’t not mistake activity for achievement.

Thankful Thursday

It's time for Thankful Thursday again and this week I truly am very thankful for A who puts up with me so patiently.  Honestly, I am sure that if I was him I would have given me my walking papers by now !!  In fact, I have suggested I leave but he keeps telling me to stay !!!

I don't know what I want. I know I am tired. I can't be a*sed to plan or cook meals.  It's all I can do to stay on top of our laundry although last night he got home from work and put a load of washing on and then took it out and hung it up so clearly I missed the boat on that one.

I am feeling very 'blah' at the moment and don't really know why.  Life is good - in fact life is bloody fantastic and yet everything seems such an effort to me.

Last Sunday I think he was up at about 6.30 - I think I woke up at about 8.00 - wandered through to the lounge and he was watching something on National Geographic - so I lay on the couch with my head on his lap.  At about 9.00 he got up to go to the loo - came back and I was sprawled across the couch so he went to potter around outside.  I walked outside at about 10.30 and said "I think I am awake now."  He just laughed at me and said "It doesn't really look like you are."

I know my sleeping patterns aren't the best - OK, who am I trying to kid, they are cr*p. But I don't really know what else to do.  People have said - exercise, you'll sleep better (In fact, I was one of them because that is what happened to me years and years and years ago, before K was born) - not so much now - even on the nights I go to gym - my sleeping is still not that flash.

I know I am going through menopause, but honestly, I thought it was all under conttrol.  Clearly some of it is because I don't have the depression or anxiety attacks that I was suffering from but I certainly don't feel like I am entering the best years of my life or anything like that.  In fact I feel like I am slowly just breaking down into a feeling of 'blahness' !

Is it just a mind set that I have to change ?  I have been checked out medically and there is nothing wrong with me from that point of view.  Is it just near the end of the year and everyone feels like it's all just a little bit too much ?  I don't know.  But, what I do know is that nearly 26yrs ago, I married a man who has stood by me through thick and thin (literally), who is as patient as the day is long and who gets that right now I just need to be, and not do (which can be frustrating, I know, when we have so much we want to do to the house before we put it on the market - I get that totally). 

I just wish I knew the right way to tackle this - do I throw myself into busyness over the weekend and then start off next week even more tired than I am now or do I just say, you know what, maybe the house has to wait.  Except then I feel selfish because it isn't only us wanting to sell our house and find another house to move into, it's my folks waiting to sort out their future.  I know that it isn't a big thing for them but, my Mom being my Mom, this appears to be stressful for her too - waiting to see where they are going to live.

I think that this weekend may be the weekend we decide what to do and take it from there.  I do know that with all the painting that needs to be done, I am going to have to take some time off work because painting only on the weekend or trying to paint at night in the dark, is not the best way to get the job done.  Maybe I need to get a quote to get the two loungerooms, diningroom and kitchen painted - that would help but, of course, it depends on the cost.

What I do know is that nearly 26yrs ago, I married a man who has stood by me through thick and thin (literally), who is as patient as the day is long and who gets that right now I just need to be, and not do (which can be frustrating, I know, when we have so much we want to do to the house before we put it on the market - I get that totally). For this man, I am totally thankful !

Linking in with Rhianna from

A Parenting Life

for Thankful Thursday.

Have you linked in yet ?

Have the best day that you can !

TFTD : Love yourself for what you are, instead of hating yourself for what you are not.

I Must Confess : I Am Fussy

Today I am linking in with Jess from Essentially Jess for #IBOT and Kirsty from My Home Truths for I Must Confess because, when you have a bit of writers block - it helps that I can use one posts for two linkies !!!

As you may, or may not know, I am a remedial massage therapist in my spare time.  And I have a standard that I have set for my clients in terms of the treatments that I give.  I have to assume that I do a good job otherwise I wouldn't have the repeat appointments that I do have.  My aim for a client when they leave my therapy room is that they have had a great experience and would like to repeat said experience when they can get back to me.

The problem comes when I am getting a massage - I have high standards for the therapist that is giving me a massage.  And, sadly, I haven't been able to find someone who is able to meet those standards.

For me, these are HUGE no-nos :

- having a fan blow directly onto a client (and having two fans blowing onto me is likely to make me twice as cranky

- taking your hands off me once you have started the treatment - unless it is to hold the towel up so that I can turn over, is a big no-no

- I know that I am not small by any stretch of the imagination, but giving me a towel that is only slightly bigger than a hand towel is not going to do it for me.  Lying on my back and having it barely cover my 'bits', never mind about keeping the areas you have just massaged warm is not going to let me enjoy the experience

 - having loud 'doof doof' music is not going to see me coming back to your practice

- rubbing my skin is not going to see me coming back to your practice

- rubbing my skin so vigorously that my teeth chatter is just plain annoying

- if I ask for you not to do tapotement on me, I mean for you not to do tapotement on me

Do you have anything you could add to the list ?

Do you live on the Gold Coast ?

Can you recomment a good massage therapist ?



Have the best Tuesday and take care !

TFTD : You can have all the knowledge in the world, but it means nothing without building up the confidence to do something with it.

What Do I Know ?

What do I know today ?  Sometimes I think I know nothing - other times I realise I do know nothing and then, on very rare occasions, I realise that actually, I do know a lot of stuff - it's just stuff that is not worth blogging about !!!!

So, here goes for what I do know this week that I can blog about :

- I know that last week while looking for a 21st birthday present, I found that Pandora make a unicorn charm - so now I have to buy another bracelet because how can I not have the unicorn charm ?

- I know that I found the BEST (well I hope it is !!!) Christmas present for K (but I can't mention it on here just in case she reads this !!!)

- I know that my foot is heaps better and I will be back exercising next week

- I know that I feel bad about wishing my weeks away so that the weekend will get here

- I know that even though I had a day off this week, it seems to have been the l-o-n-g-e-s-t week ever

- I know that I don't like not having my posts scheduled

- I know that I haven't been commenting as much as I would like

- I know that I am waiting to hear from Optus today as to whether my new phone has arrived

- I know that I am grateful to K for letting me get a new phone on her contract because she is happy with her phone and doesn't mind waiting another three months until my contract expires

- I know that Christmas is just around the corner and I don't give a rats butt for it

- I know that I feel like the Grinch of Christmas - and honestly, I would be more than happy to spend money on presents if someone would just tell me what to buy - I HATE having to think of what to buy - I am no good at present shopping - unless it/s for me, in which case I am absolutely fantastic at present shopping !

What do you know today ?
Have you linked in with Rhianna

at A Parenting Life ?

If not, why not ?



Have the best weekend and take care - the silly season is nearly upon us and I want you all to be here, safe, sound and healthy next year !

TFTD : You are far from what you once were, but not yet what you are going to be.