Tag: Moving

Shopping in Waynesville, NC and Mid-Week Update

On By BackporchwriterIn Decor, Shopping, Travel12 Comments

Sometimes instead of buying things, I just take pictures. But this mountain community of Waynesville, NC is so fun to shop. It’s the perfect amount of stores and filled with several restaurants and even the Boojum Brewery, and a little convenience store or market. The Mast General store is there and filled with goodness and the most interesting squeaking wooden floors that amused me with the sounds. It made me smile really big! I cannot remember all the names of all the stores and I will not laboriously look them all up and list them here. No need. Just know it’s a wonderful place to go and browse and especially to Christmas shop. We always find some different things there that you don’t see in all the chains! Let’s re-live some of our day last Friday. Here we go!

Affairs of the Heart: Unique Gifts, The Old, The New, The Handcrafted

We bought quite a bit here from this store. I’d say we mostly bought “unique” gifts. And no we did not buy any Sasquatch shirts, but for some reason Sasquatch gifts were popular. Sas used to be in Washington and Canada border line at least when I was kid. But apparently he has been seen in these parts. I think he is even seen in our neighborhood at last report in the woods behind us. One day George and I will go on a video Sasquatch hunt – just for you guys and show you.

There’s so much that sometimes it’s hard to take everything in.

Then of course there is the furniture store which has it’s cabin type furniture for sale and I love the decor and especially the animals.

This decor was neat above. I mean – who would have thought of this way to decorate a plate for table setting. George held up the piece so you could see how it worked.

There are lots of local crafts and things you don’t see anywhere else.

I might have bought some Ginger snaps to much on. 😉

Look how much the 3 vanilla beans cost! $23??? Wow! There was a spice, olive oil, cooking shop. George bought some spice mixes. Of course he did. lol

And there were lots of Christmas decorations! Some handmade. Some not. And most of the time they were very reasonable in price. I remember last time it was hard to contain myself. But I did.

Since I’ve been watch Cecelia’s Vlog in Svalbard up close to the North Pole, I took special interest in the Polar Bears. So cute to behold as a stuff animal but they are curious and can be very very dangerous at times. There have been several incidents in Svalbard as Cecelia mentions – even an attack close to her house and they have to have rifles with them just to go outside their cabin.

Then there was the Blue Ridge Beer Hub which had a little tap area too but George just bought some of the local brews. George thoroughly enjoys looking for craft brewing that we don’t have in our area. Well he likes our area too, but he enjoyed the “hunt” for other things. I told him to go crazy with it b/c his father always bought him a fridge full of beer for Christmas – especially in his last able days. He would take George and have him “go wild” buying whatever he wanted. I told him to go ahead b/c likely I’d not get out and do any beer shopping for him this year. This is it. I can’t top that. lol

And of course there was a book store which George loves. I enjoy them too but I just don’t buy many any more. I have more than I will ever read in the rest of my lifetime. And I have to pretty much do audio books while I work. And with Mom as an added responsibility (and another full time job almost) I just don’t have time to sit and enjoy a read anymore. One day.

Isn’t this a charming place? I realize I’m not even half way through our day in Waynesville so I’ll have to come back tomorrow and finish. Just way too many pics.

Midweek Update

So, the last two nights we have eaten at Mom’s. She fixed chili and hot dogs, but last night we supplemented with pizza and a salad from a nearby Italian sub and pizza place, Bellacino’s. We had gone to get Mom and she spent the night so she could be here for the dishwasher install while we worked. We appreciated this so much so we didn’t have to take off work. (It was a payroll day for me and would have been difficult to work in and of course George works almost an hour away.). So the dishwasher was installed and while we were at Mom’s George did or tried to do a few things. He put the bed together in the guest room I think and then tried to get Mom’s mirror on her dresser but didn’t have the right screw/bolt so has to go to Lowe’s.

Mom gave me a list of things she needs for company coming (Aunt Martha and Uncle Ken) as they arrive this weekend. The room is not ready for them in any shape or form, so we are scrambling. Well not really. We don’t have time to scramble even. My first impression is to panic. But the second reaction was also George’s reaction “yay, they can help us with this project”. lol. More hands!

So I will be going to Target tonight after work to buy sheets and a shower rod and shower rings and Christmas cards and also hopefully get a few things for my list as well. Although I haven’t had time to update our lists and don’t really know what is left to even people up. So I’ll be in a Frenzy this weekend and next to finish and get wrapped.

I knew these days would be hard. They are very challenging and each day’s list just sits there unworked. I mean by the time we get off work, deal with “life at hand”, do one or two chores – the day is over. But I have prayed and God is giving me this Friday off which I didn’t ask for. But by default will really be kinda half working and half not. We will all be “on call” or “working from home”. If I’m going to be checking email and taking calls then I’m not turning in a PTO day. I will if I have to but at least I can get a few things done to give me an edge up as our offices are closed that day but we still have to be “available”. Although there is not much I can do from home for that one day – no files and I’m not setting up an office for one day with a keyboard, monitor, mouse and ethernet to a pop up desk of sorts. Nah. Not gonna. I have the laptop and can try to connect if needed but….I don’t do well with the touch screens on our company system which is not mouse click oriented but a series of PF keys and arrows. It’s different on a laptop than connected with keyboard and mouse. So nah. But it gives me some unexpected time to —-probably not catch up or get ahead but at least maybe keep from drowning.

So Mom said last night that her Security Install was yesterday and she thought it was today. So they were able to move it to today. I wish I could be there to “hear” how the things work with it. We will get it second hand through Mom. I’m sure I’ll end up setting off the alarm, lol. So I dread that. Mom will have that place so secure that even she won’t be able to get in and out.

The more we try to do at her new place, the more I see that assisted living would have been the better choice for Mom. I think she is frustrated and exasperated. At least I get that impression. She says she will like it eventually and I’m sure would like to have us working over there 24/7 but it’s not possible. As it is this week we have already been over there two evenings and will be shopping for her tonight and then tomorrow night taking her to get groceries for her upcoming company. So at some point we also have to live for ourselves too.

The jumble of responsibility on top of a move and a Christmas season is pretty overwhelming. We are in the thrust of it all. Add an office move on top of that. Which is helping me not to go in sane by an extra day “sort of” being off. I keep reminding myself to just breathe. So grocery night (Thurs) I guess I’ll be putting the guest bed and shower together after Wed night which is Target night where I buy the things needed. And just so you know, Mom is NOT pushing us. None of this is a fault on her. Except for perhaps assisted living might have been a better option but she chose house instead. So we are trying to accommodate her wishes. But she is a woman that likes things done and done now and we know that and so it’s requiring a little patience on everyone’s part and we all know that both she and I have a shortage of patience. But it can’t be helped. We can’t quit our jobs. It took months to move her out and close out the other house and it’s going to take months to get this one up and going like she wants. We’ll get there at a snails pace.

And it’s these times when I wish my sister was part of the family so she could help with her mother too, the lady that bore her and gave her life and being. Mom is just not able to move around much or do much at this point. And we can’t live there 24/7 to work there on things every day – although one could argue we have pretty much except for the travel days. We could really use the help and George could too if my BIL could pitch in with some muscle and a screw driver. But it’s not to be. It’s clearly been established by the sibling that it is our job and our job alone and were left with a “good luck with that”- but there have been offers that if Mom left the house they would gladly come over. Hmmm not so sure but they are welcome to “send groceries” or drop things off on her stoop or send some hired help.

So yeah, we are on our own here to try and take care of two households. And we are ok with doing that except for the fact there is not much time to do it. And everything is so needy right now on top of the holidays. I’m freaking about to lose my mind.

But this too shall pass. Soon Christmas will be over. We will travel to Texas. It’ll be Year End and I’ll be slammed with work. We’ll have to find time to put up Christmas and then hibernate in February and come out on the other side in spring with a new energy. One can only hope. I don’t want to wish my life away though. I’m trying to enjoy each day. Trying not to complain. But as I type here I type the reality. My hopes of having time to accomplish all that everyone needs me to. It is why we work so hard. To keep ourselves and others happy, to enjoy the days we have, and to toil and sweat to be able to look around and have a neat and put together house and have a little bit of 30 minutes to an hour to call our own to do whatever it is we want to do in “said house”. That is what we do. Keep or put houses together, eat, and try to keep us all happy. That is our job. We fail every day. LOL

Sadness, Moving Things Around, and Decorating for Christmas

On By BackporchwriterIn Home, Uncategorized10 Comments

My bedroom is back together and the cat is back in his weekend winter spot. I had been missing Maisy and Roger yesterday as they would lay and watch us decorate and flit about the house. It just especially hit me yesterday. My shoe rack is back together and no longer in two baskets of piles where I couldn’t find anything. Now I need to locate my other winter things downstairs that includes my scarves so I can put them out in the basket on top of the shoes. I’ve missed them last week. I could have used them on those 20 degree mornings we had.

I now have two drawers of pajamas! I can fit them all in. Not shown is the 1st drawer. I have more winter PJ’s coming – likely in the same tub as the scarves. I have to locate them in the basement storage unless George brought them up already. They may be in the kitchen. There’s a tub of clothes in there. But I had to stop working on clothes to get the Christmas done. I’m only about half way through considering the tree is not done yet. It seems we are always having to buy a string of lights. The middle section of the tree never wants to work on any prelit tree we seem to have. So we have to buy more and it’ll have to be today because I need to get the tree done today. We go back to work tomorrow.

My sock drawer is back, complete with section of Christmas socks and one bathing suit in case we go to a heated pool or hot tub in the winter time. It’s rare but possible.

I listened to Christmas Cafe Jazz on YouTube- just a pretty scene filled with beautiful Christmas music. I listened while decorating and moving stuff around.

Mid-day we took Mom some Turkey and Dressing and other leftovers and the rest of her clothes. George had to check a fuse. A fuse had “tripped” or whatever that meant on one side of her cabinets. I don’t know what would make that happen. But I guess it was an easy reset.

She wanted us to put her clothes we took over on her bed. She was going to put them up later in the day. It took us about 5 trips with the two of us to bring them all in. We had two complete car loads again. I think there are a few more things downstairs but mainly yard critters, some videos, and we’ll just have to go through and move things around as we straighten the basement and make sure we took everything over.

I had tears while putting up Christmas. Just so many emotions. First, I miss the love of my Maisy dog who loved me unconditionally. I am also upset that I couldn’t get Mom’s house put together more for her with the time we had the past few weeks. It was just the weirdest move ever. The boxes went in before the furniture making it very difficult to unpack. I had thought the last out items from the old house would be the first in. If we had done it that way it would have been easier on the unpackers (mainly me). But it was first out (all the unneeded items) and first in to the new house which meant we were accessing and unpacking a lot of boxes that were not needed. There are so many boxes and so many of the needed boxes have been on the bottom or where we can’t get to them and many of them heavy. George moved boxes around two or three times trying to find things. We still don’t have her TV hooked up and can’t find the remotes.

Since Mom can’t do much, everything totally falls upon us. I saw a Facebook post yesterday indicating she had made a mistake by moving. I think that is because so many things are still in boxes and she has downsized (well the space has) but her things have not much other than furniture. But with her statement on Facebook It makes those of us who have worked so hard to please her, feel bad. However, she didn’t have anyone to take care of her in Columbia as she and my sister quarreled and had a falling out and my sister has set a boundary with her to never see her again. So she gets no care from that side of the family. Mom would not hear of assisted living as an option, which I can see now would have been the best of options seeing that she is winded just getting up out of the chair and moving three feet. But it is what it is. There are just some facts that can’t change. And a big one is that it was her decision and we have all worked hard to make it come true. It’s a beautiful place and once we get the place together it’ll be recognized, one can hope. But there are only three of us trying to work on it and Mom can’t do much, and now I am paying for it with being out of line and I am having to quit lifting so much. Although I don’t seem to be doing a good job of it. Last night I was in so much pain with my rotator cuff and back that I had to take Tylenol and put a heating pad on my neck. Jaw still not right and will go to doc when we are back from our trip. I just don’t have time this week. I can open my mouth wide now but there is this one section of my jaw that is hung and will not open up.

There are a few facts that cannot be changed.

  1. We can’t and won’t be there 24/7. We are trying to accommodate the best we can. But we don’t and can’t give 100% of our time.The move details are going to take a while to sort out. We knew it wasn’t going to be overnight.
  2. It took several weeks to move out of her old house. It’s the same moving in and setting up.
  3. It takes patience and resolve – which are things both Mom and I – I get it honest – are not very good at. We want it and we want it fixed right now.
  4. She knows where she wants things. I don’t. When I try to ask where things go she doesn’t know yet. I get it. Somethings she just has to figure out.
  5. The most important thing to remember is that: This was her decision.

I think George is going over there for a few things today. After sleeping I can’t remember what for, but maybe something for the TV or the rails. Not even sure. My mind is all over the place. But she has some mail and a flash light and some things he is taking over today. He suggested I stay here at the house and do what I need to get done being that today is our last day to get Christmas up and my winter clothes out and finish our laundry.

We also have to pack for our trip that we go on later in the week. Also Lowe’s has not called about the dishwasher we just had to buy and paid for install. It’s been two days. But I understand it’s been a holiday weekend and all and things are not normal. I figure they will call on Monday.

Mom was nice to buy a tank of gas for me yesterday. I had to stop and get gas. It does not take long for the gas to go when I’m driving to Nashville every day and then several trips to Lebanon in the other direction. So I appreciated that. She has taken us out to eat numerous times too in the last month and I appreciate that.

So today’s agenda:

  • Finish Putting Christmas out
  • Obtain Christmas lights and get that figured out. (I hate having to add the lights. I hate that part with a passion. And it makes me in a horrible mood.). Mood gets better when putting the ornaments on.
  • Moving my summer clothes over from the coat closet to the office closet
  • Moving the coats back up to the coat closet
  • Looking at this week’s to do list
  • Redoing my vitamins for the week
  • Putting a few things on the iPhone to do list
  • Changing George’s sheets – bless his heart I think it’s been 3 weeks.
  • Find my winter clothes container
  • Begin packing for trip – no more off days til then
  • Wash dishes
  • Fix eggs for breakfast
  • Wash 2 to 3 more loads of clothes
  • Vacuum
  • Watch a show mid-day with pop corn when I get tired
  • Might stop for an hour late afternoon and work on the iMovie and drink coffee when my back starts to hurt and my energy wanes.
  • I’m sure there’s more stuff but I am not sure what it is.

I did some Christmas shopping at 1:30 a.m. night before last – it’s kinda the only time I have had. I have asked God to help me and I think he wakes me mid morning to shop. lol. Mom also needs some things to be ordered. Once the move started it has been hard for us to sit down together and do it. She said she would try to send me the link. Or at least a picture.

I got a full night’s sleep last night of 8.5 hours. That was nice. I am a little stiff this morning but at least not in pain. The icy hot also was a quick remedy.

The alerts seem to be working for some of you and I have one person saying theirs is not working via email. It’s the strangest thing. I wonder if it is sending to trash or junk? Maybe it’s a sign, lol! It will need to be on the safe list. I need to sign up for my own blog with another email address and see if that works for me, lol, so I know if I get it or if I don’t.

So I’m off to it this morning. This big long list. What all are you doing today?

Moving Continues, Antique Revolving Bookshelf, and Cedar Tap Brewery Visit in Lebanon, TN

On By BackporchwriterIn Brewery, Home6 Comments
Mom’s Antique Revolving Bookcase, aka “The Beast”

Yesterday, instead of doing Christmas decor, I decided it best to go on and get Mom over to the new place and do the Christmas decor Saturday. I’ll be a day behind on the decorating and I might have to short cut some of it, but it is what it is. I can decorate better when there is less going on in the house, so it sounded like a better plan.

So much to my surprise we had two full car loads of Mom’s stuff and could have used a 3rd and 4th if we had included the remnants of the basement too, with the fragile lamps and clocks. We also were not able to get all of her clothes. We plan a 2nd double run to her house today to take things and unload, further disrupting my Christmas decorating. Mom said not to come, but we forgot to send Thanksgiving leftovers and quite honestly I need the closet space as I’m also moving bedrooms this weekend. And George is just going to have to help decorate the tree while I get the other stuff going. I’m not going to have time to do it all this weekend. I don’t even need to be writing this blog but – old habits die hard and I like to do something enjoyable while waking up and drinking coffee.

So for the pic above, George is working on Mom’s revolving Antique book case. It doesn’t matter how hard I try, I end up getting involved in having to move this darn beast. If this house sells, the book case sells with it. lol. I’m just kidding. But it hasn’t stopped me from nicknaming it “the beast”. It’s too fragile to hold books but Mom puts crystal bowls on it for display – you know – she loves her glassware.

George was able to get it on the dolly – only one wheel was on it properly but somehow we managed to balance and toggle through her house to the farthest corner (of course) of the house and I was leading. The dolly wanted to slide away so and the bookshelf fall back onto George. I had to have the dolly slide into my foot to stop it continually and every time I did it hit George in the head, lol. Mom had to go hide and couldn’t watch. I don’t blame her. I didn’t want to be there either. I had begged for us to get help – someone other than me. There was not much lifting involved but there was some when things would start to go awry, I would put more weight on me and we had to move it further back into the corner once we set it down.

I tried to help Mom do things but I don’t know where she wants anything to go and she didn’t either. She said she wanted to figure it out on her own little by little. I would be the same way I guess. She is functional with kitchen, pantry, fridge and appliances, washer, dryer, clothes, and finally bed set up. She has all of her day to day items there now moved from here. So it’ll be pieced together over time and we’ll bring in more boxes and such week to week.

We went and did her huge “move in” grocery run. She is well stocked. The store was out of her frozen corn she likes but we’ll get it next time. Since we had forgotten the Turkey and dressing – I felt bad and it wasn’t near as good of a dinner but we brought in Fried Chicken and Baked Beans and Potato Salad for her dinner – already cooked so she would have something good and not have to cook anything.

We surprised her on her store run by throwing in a few treats for her sweet tooth – butter pecan ice cream, nutty buddies, and ice cream sandwiches. George threw in a few things he knew she liked. Mom was paying for it, but she still seems to like the surprises when we throw them in. She had wanted to go to the store but decided against it after packing her immediate day to day things. She had to stop several times – she just can’t move much without overworking her heart.

George had been wanting to try out Lebanon’s new tap room “Cedar Tap” near the square. So we went there at my suggestion beforehand. We often like to catch a brewery and tap rooms are ok too that have the local favorites from around and also even some from other cities craft breweries to try.

They had a Czann’s on tap and even though it was dark I liked it. It didn’t taste stout but tasted like a medium brewed beer as I call it. I like one large on taste and have kinda left behind the pilsners and lighter beers for the kolsch, hoppier, and even IPA’s – east or west coast, and also the hazy too. My taste is evolving over time. It was a nice and fun much needed break in between our little work day there at Mom’s.

We then did all the grocery shopping, and put all that up and George worked some on her “flex room”. And then headed home.

Tired as I was, I moved Mom’s hanging clothes to the sofa until we load the car today. And I made my bed up with sheets and pillows and moved my night things over – I take a probiotic at night and have some sleep spray I use, Vicks under the nose if my nose is stuffy, and iPhone charger. I will say that the bed felt good and was more supportive of my back and frame – especially if I sleep in the middle where the old mattress has not worn down. The mattress in my office served me well and was quite supportive for what I needed as well as soft, but it felt good to sleep on a more firm mattress. I think I like a soft top but firm underneath. It felt good to be back in my own bed.

I’ll eventually get all my clothes moved over to the other closet. Not sure how much time I’ll have today and tomorrow to do so. But I am going to go get another cup of coffee and see if I can rustle up George to bring up the Christmas boxes. I don’t think I can do it this year getting them from the basement all the way up here. My body has taken a beating this year and I’ve aged tremendously from the last, my muscles are deteriorating for some reason. I may have to go back on the wellness company’s vitamins that I do only periodically now, and make myself to do the shakes, because I felt the best when I put the nutrition in my body. My muscles were the main reason I joined the company in the first place.

Anyway, I’m going to get off of here and go get the 2nd cup of coffee. Here are some of Mom’s lamps and clocks we will be taking to her. They are in the basement downstairs which is a storage area of sorts where the previous owners took the upstairs cabinets and installed them downstairs when the remodeled and we are glad to have the extra storage space. I didn’t want you to think this was my kitchen, lol.

The lamp on the left is an old lamp from George’s parents. A nice lamp but needs new shades. We just don’t need it upstairs right now. But Mom’s lamp is the white one. And below in the pic, the pretty beige one is hers.

I’m hoping these are the missing TV remotes. I had texted Mom to ask but she just said “ok” so I’m not sure if these are the ones or not. But there might be some cords in there that they need for her Roku. So the TV is not set up yet.

Oh and Fancy dog, the statue – we gotta get it over to her.

Ya’ll have a great weekend. It’s going by too fast. But I did get my Christmas cards in the mail. Wooooo Hoo. Something accomplished. And we are waiting on Lowe’s to see when our dishwasher will arrive and be installed. They were supposed to call yesterday but we heard from no one. So hopefully they will call today. Might not be delivered until next week though. We shall see.

I am going to go work on Christmas decor or swapping my closets if I can’t get help.

Ya’ll take care. What you doing this weekend? And are you getting alerts? Or just having to remember to come by and see me? Trying to figure out what is going on.