Comfort & Joy...Kind of, Sort of, Not Exactly!



Warning: Lengthy Post ahead...Read with a Cup of Tea or Coffee in Hand, add Chocolate as needed!

 

 





Soooooo.....the moving saga continued with the arrival of The Best Moving Team in our moving history...and after 11 moves, we've had History! The Prestige Allied Moving Co. in Bend were "fantabulistic!" So on Monday, June 18, our house got emptied of all those boxes....our "stuff" weighed in at 22,000 lbs!

 

 

On Wednesday we headed south....Papa Toad drove the RV and towed the Escape and Mom and I followed in the Explorer...it was 33 degrees in Bend that morning! And for some reason, my heater decided not to work...and my sandaled tootsies couldn't wait to hit warmer California!

We arrived safe and sound, a day before the movers and were greeted by a house cleaner and carpet shampooers busy at work. We were having all of the interior repainted and since we'd closed on Monday, only the ceilings and closet interiors were able to get painted on Tuesday which meant that the walls and woodwork would all have to be done after we moved in....Joy! Oh, but the best was yet to come!

So, on Wednesday, June 21, the movers arrive and Papa Toad shows them around the house, which room is which and what goes where.....and he steps off the one and only little step into the garage (guess he didn't think they knew what the garage was!) and his foot lands wrong on a floor mat...and breaks his foot!!!  Yes folks, life changes in an instant! For the next 10 weeks he became "Crutch Man" and didn't even bother to get a Blue Cape to match...which would've helped him fly since he couldn't put any weight on it walking.

 

He chose blue...closest to denim! And the Hot Pink choice didn't really go with his personality!

Meanwhile, the 3 painters showed up the following Monday...so we lived with "this" for 7 days:



Now you know the story...the next 10 weeks were filled were all kinds of adventures and I learned a lot of new skills and have a whole new set of muscles! My best girlfriend (sista) Sharyn came out from NC for the first 2 wks and we muscled nearly every piece of furniture and box in place, learned a lot about plumbing (after the 1st 10 days and all 3 toilets clogging 9 times, we, well, the plumber, replaced them with Totos!) and electricity and construction. Everytime I had an issue, I'd take a picture on my phone and ask Papa Toad what to do.

 

The best part of the move was being 2 1/2-3 hrs away from our son and his family and have them come visit our chaos for the 4th of July weekend. Having 4 1/2 year old Callie and 3 year old Josie actually playing in our home and yard was way toooooo awesome....even with all the boxes 1/2 opened! And then being able to babysit them for a week at the end of July was way too fun...exhausting, but fun!

 

Upward and onward. We've made some progress in getting settled. Here's our front door. I love the glass entry:



Here's just inside the front door....I think I like this setting...but I'm anxious to get a quilt hung there too.

The Dining Room is twice as big as the Bend house and I'm enjoying the additional space...empty walls again...(soon, Nadine, soon!)

The kitchen is coming along....I'll show you more on another day.

Aaaaah, and now, the Comfort part.....The Ark! Now, going from 400 sq ft to a regular "bedroom" space has been a bit of a challenge for this chick but I think I'm liking the restrictions. It's teaching me to put things away and keep it somewhat organized. I still have to figure what kind of storage to get in there but I know that will come. It's located right behind that entry setting wall I showed you earlier and right across from the Living/Family/Great Room area AND it has double GLASS doors...Soooooo, yes, it's all very visible. That's the scary part!

 

Oh look what's on the cutting table:

My copy of Silver Thimble Quilt Company's "Comfort and Joy" pattern all ready to go! 

Right before my move I decided to join a group of gals doing a BOM using this pattern and their stash. (I was experiencing temporary insanity at the time) My friend and former neighbor, Anne of Cottons 'n Wool Blogging fame is the moderator for the group. They post their blocks every month and it's fun seeing everyone's interpretation. So yesterday I decided it was time for me to do some "Stitchin' for the Soul!" Seriously, I hadn't turned on the machine since we got here, and my mental health, or lack thereof,  proved it! So, I found the appropriate bins of fabric and started to pull backgrounds and homespuns and wools, of course.

Time to pull the wool too!

Here's 1/2 of the stash closet....See all those project boxes? Yep, stuff that's ready to sew together or embroider or dare I say the F-word......FINISH! I told Papa Toad I'm terribly anxious to start un-crowding The Ark 1 yard and 1 project at a time! In his wisdom he just smiled and nodded his head.

Needless to say, things have progressed rather slowly. After I experienced my first Panic Attack I had to add a new Mantra for my life: "Rome wasn't built in a day!" Since my personality is one of "busy-ness" and loving it, I'm trying to learn how to relax again. For me that means a little (or a lot!) of sewing everyday. My whole self requires that...just ask Papa Toad. He'll be the first to agree...even after he already knows he owes me BIG TIME! I told him I was up to 2 cruises and 20 karets after this escapade.

Starting tomorrow he will be able to do 25% weight bearing, next week will be 50%, then in  FOUR MORE weeks he'll be 100%....that'll bring us up to a total of 14 weeks...........

Breathe in.....Breathe out....Breathe in.....Breathe out.....Breathe in......

Rome wasn't built in a day.

Think I better go do some Stitchin' for MY Soul....and find some Comfort & Joy!