Where I have been and what I have been doing!

I decided to take a necessary break to talk about what has been going on here with me. I say look here and join me in my mess!

It was last year about this time that we decided to sell our house and make a move to the coast of Georgia. While at an Alive Leverett workshop (http://www.justalice.com/) hosted by the Golden Isles Doll Club, I fell in love with St. Simons Island. Skipping ahead past the boring bits, I will tell you the highlights. It has been some year. Our large house we occupied for 15 years was cleaned up and cleaned out, placed on the market where it languished for some months. While it was being kept all spic and span, we were looking for a new house to downsize and get ready for “retirement” years. (We are not yet retired, but soon. We are lucky my husband’s company is such that a person can work from anywhere.) We wanted a couple of houses with more room, but they were under contract, sadly fell out, while we contracted for some new construction. Our goal, be moved by the next Workshop, All Aboard for Baden-Baden! This would be held in February 2013. As things go in life, nothing happens and then everything happens all at one time. Like Morton Salt, “When it rains, it pours.” It became quite an emotional time. My sweet cat Jack was diagnosed with diabetes, nothing abnormal for many older cats, but we did have a time of it getting his insulin right. Our house new house was scheduled to close in January, but as with new construction, it was delayed for three more weeks. Our house had not yet sold. Mid January, Jack had a stroke and his heart was giving out. We had to euthanize him. In hindsight, it was probably better as he was a sensitive kitty and the move would have killed him I am sure. I have to admit I had a place for him to sun all planned out and it absolutely broke my heart not to bring him with us. I miss him still. Two weeks later while the movers were in the house packing and loading the truck, our agent brought us a contract on the house. Amazing! The movers finished on the sixth and I drove down to St. Simons. On February 8, my birthday, never mind which one, we closed on the new house, the movers delivered our household goods, and we began the box emptying process. Duane went headed back to Franklin, to finish cleaning the old house and getting ready for it to close at the end of February. Following the workshop, which was wonderful and exhausting, it has been boxes, boxes, boxes and quite overwhelming. We thought we did a great job of cleaning out for downsizing. Apparently not! We have taken three boxes of books to the library, two trips to Goodwill with a filled SUV, and weekly trips to recycling for all the boxes. I am anticipating the need for a yard sale or a consignment shop as soon as I decide what to give up. I have bought all the supplies for the Workshops I am giving in Washington DC for the UFDC Convention in July. As I am improving the projects and hope, they will be a success. I am excited about going and will probably blog about it as well. All the while, I will keep squeezing into the house in time to make family and friends comfortable for visits later this year. I have promised to be done for a beautiful decorating for Christmas this year. We missed it last year. So, watch for more notes, I’ll try to do better keeping up.
Kathi