Tomorrow is a Big Day

I haven't been posting as much as I would like.... but I have been BUSSSSSY!

I have been scrubbing, bagging and hauling junk and a few treasures.  I had to empty out 3 closets and the everything out of the living room.  This weeks big news is the carpet is laid.  It is amazing how much it changes the character of the house. Most of the house is hardwood floors.  The kitchen vinyl plank and now the living room has fresh new carpet.  Yep, I checked, its my things in the rooms, but I'm not sure it is my house anymore.  The new owners just haven't looked at it yet and I have a new job to keep it clean for the new owners!  So here are some pics of the living room from different angles. 

 The picture above the couch is painting of the old family homestead.  Check out the baseboards that I cut and installed myself.

I did the wall treatments, painted the fireplace.... it was previously all white and built the cornice board above the drapes.  These have been like this for several years so I was able to enjoy them.

 

 The clutter is all gone (and NOT coming back!)  I think it is at the garbage transfer station by now.




          Sooooooo....

 Tomorrow is a Reallllly big day.  The realtors photographer is coming to take the picture for the on line add and flier.  After that I will sign the papers and my house will be officially on the market.  I have accomplished a lot in a short period of time.  I did make some steps towards making my dream a reality but just when I was gathering steam, I broke my leg.  I was not able to get back to it until after Christmas.

Right now my biggest fear is the realtor will come and make another big list of things to do.  While things may need to be done.  I think I am about done in.

It will be a long night tonight and tomorrow.  I'll be doing the spit and polish thing and then I will take more pictures.  That way you can see what I have been up too and they will be good for me to have for my memory photo's.   I think I see the finish line up in the distance.

 I may just fall over the finish line.

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

It seems that most women hate the whole birthday gig.  They ignore the celebrating the day and deny their true age.   Once more in my life I'm not like most women.  Now don't get me wrong I generally don't make a big fuss about my birthday but that probably has more to do with the fact I don't like to be the center of attention.

But this birthday is special.
It is not at all like the others.

Today is SS Day (No I'm not celebrating the Gestapo).  Today I become officially eligible for Social Security.  I embrace it.  I'm excited by the prospect of entering this new phase of my life.

When I was young I was in such a hurry to grow up and be afforded all the rights and responsibilities of adults.  I was married and a mother before I legally had the right to vote.  My years of mothering my children and the worlds children in my home came to a close just this past October.  I decided I was moving on to another life phase and choose not to take any more foster children into my home.  I broke my leg a week later while taking a picture of a sunset and after Christmas began the crash course of getting my house in order and enter the world as a full time gypsy.

People have said that I think in bumper sticker slogans.  There is probably some truth in that.  There seems to be an old saying to cover just about every situation in life and for some reason I remember them all.

So there seem to be a few to cover this getting older routine too.  So here goes. 

Life would be infinitely happier if only we could be born at the age of 80 and gradually approach 18.  Mark Twain

I don't let old age bother me.
there are three signs of old age.
Loss of memory... I forget the other two.  Red Skelton

If I had known I would live this long,
   I would have taken better care of myself  H. J. Springston

When you get old, you might lose some of your marbles.  But don't lose your marvels  Taylor Morgan

You know you are getting older when you stoop over to tie your shoes and wonder what else you can do while you're down there. George Burns

I intend to remain young indefinitely.  Mary Pickford

Inside every older person is a younger person - wondering what the hell happened.  Cory Harvey Armstrong

And lastly, Dr Seuss, who seems to have wrote some incredibly funny, yet true words.

I am what I am!  that's a great thing to be!
If I say so myself,
Happy Birthday To Me!!

I haven't bought myself a birthday gift.
I already have what I need.
My Birthday gift to myself... is permission to live my dream.

The House has a new Hat

it has been an eventful week.  Last Wednesday the roofers started tearing off the old roof shingles.  In two and a half days they had it all done through some of the worst weather.  It was below freezing, sleeting, hailing, snowing and blowing.  I certainly admire their dedication and fortitude.  This was one project my feet stayed firmly on the ground.  My only job was to provide steaming coffee to cold workers.

Watch out for Lolita!!

On Saturday morning at 6:30 the truck arrived to deliver the shingles.  My nerves were frazeled by the time they had them on the roof.

 

Fortunately, the experienced driver moved the shingles onto the roof without any accidents.

I however, may never be the same!   

The roofing was done in one day with the ridgecap installed the next morning. 

And the finished roof will satisfy any inspector and homeowner.

     It feels good to have one more step completed.  

I'm certainly ready to be DONE!

 

Are You Ready for the The Pantry Challenge?

The elimination of all the things that I have accumulated over the years certainly didn't end in the kitchen. I have already purged a large accumulation of appliances and kitchen gadgets. But it doesn't end there. After cooking for children and groups of people I have also accumulated a large pantry of spices and and food items.
  

Here is my pantry in all it's glory

Some of the items are no-brainers.  When I applied the "have you used it in the last year, they didn't make the cut. Then of course there are the items that are clearly outdated!!  They won't be making the transition to the trailer either.  I certainly can't take them all with me so I have been using an interesting method to use up the remaining items that I have on hand.

I have found a number of online recipe sites where you list the ingredients you have on hand and a list pops up with recipes with the ingredients in them....  See good things come to those who spend time on computers!

So here are a couple of my favorite sites.  These will come in handy in the RV when food storage is limited. 

Ingredients on Hand
http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,ingredients_on_hand,FF.html  Type in some items you have on hand and the web-site will give you a number of options using some of the items. 

  The Leftover Wizard
http://www.bigoven.com/recipes/leftovers  Search 160,000+ recipes at once. This one is kind of fun, because it seems more interactive than most. As you input each ingredient, the # of recipes available to you automatically changes — as do the photos of the ingredients you just entered.


 Play with these planners and enter some unusual combinations of ingredients and see what creative recipes you come up with. So whether you are starting with raw ingredients or using up leftovers... these websites will help you make the most of the ingredients you have on hand.

They are helping me to use.... reduce....eliminate!!

Are you ready for the pantry challenge?


So what unusual ingredients can you come up with for dinner?

When I Grow Up

 

 
 

 

 

I Don't Want to be

      Average!

 

I have spent my entire adult life trying to chase the American Dream.   Oh, there were moments of enlightenment (in the early 70's I participated in food coops, natural childbirth and parent run preschool groups.)  There were lots of moments where money was scarce and I was only able to plan to buy the American dream.  But I bought the American Dream, hook line and sinker. So after nearly 45 years of accumulation of debt, junk and shattered dreams, I am embracing a new dream.

LIVING DEBT FREE WITHIN MY MEANS

What's that you say.... Not exactly a novel thought.  You are right!  It has been talked about for a long, long time.  The problem is it hasn't been practiced for an even longer time.  We look back at our Grandparents generation, who lived through the Great Depression and don't understand their frugality.  But they lived the consequences of grand dreams, short-sighted planning or an unstable economy.  They lived with World Wars that changed the landscape of their personal economy and availability of goods and services in a way that today's hoarders have no concept or understanding.  

I bought in to the dream.  I sought to have a better life.... (defined as more stuff, bigger house, fancier car ) than our parents and Grandparents. 

Don't get me wrong....This is not a judgement as I have been in the cashiers line accumulating my stuff with the best of them.  I have bought the best I could manage and hope for the best.  I have a five bedroom house that has been crammed to the rafters with the stuff I couldn't live without.  After a while, the stuff owned me.  I kept accumulating the newest and the best and continued to maintain and store the depreciating or outdated as I was never quite sure when I might need it. 

Here is a perfect illustration. After all how many saddles does one horsewoman need?  I still have my first saddle I ever bought, a show saddle, a kids saddle and and English saddle.  I can only ride in one saddle at a time.  I even have a tack room to house all the tack for my horse.

So again.... How many saddles did I need? 

I discovered a long time ago, the rush from obtaining the new and best item only lasts a brief moment.  The cost, upkeep and time needed to maintain or repair it all lasts much, much longer. So the pursuit of the American Dream then involved buying large and eventually small items on credit.  The weight of carrying the payments around has fueled a false economy based on what you can finance rather than your incoming currency.  In addition, I had no time or energy to enjoy it all.  The job to earn the money to pay off the ever accumulating debt and the energy required to maintain the stuff already possessed was crushing me.

I have observed many who have traded the bills and credit of living in a mortgaged life  in a sticks and bricks house for the best road vehicle and home with wheels  that (all) their money can buy....

Have they traded one master for another? 

I can't answer for them.... I am not sure I can even answer for me.  But I can say that it is not important for  ME to continue down that path.

This is not intended as a judgement of any life style or path that someone might choose.  It is only a reflection of my path and current thinking about my future. 

               So.......

I am at a cross roads.  I am unable and unwilling to maintain it all. 

I am on a path of reducing what I own and what owns me.

I am planning a budget that includes an emergency fund but NO credit or debt.

I am determined to live life rather than juggle it.

I ask .... Why try to fit in when you were born to stand out?

What a Difference a Day Can Make

This is part two of the bathroom makeover. 

I could just kick my self for not taking a picture of the bathroom before I started.  It seems to be my forte to begin (often before thinking it through) and then take a picture sometime in the middle.  

Hence, the gutted bathroom of yesterdays picture.
It took longer to paint the bathroom than it did to put it back together again.

I have always loved the home remodel shows on television although I could never understand why people put money into their houses to sell instead of putting money into their houses to enjoy.  Well, now know I've learned why.  You are spending money to make the house more marketable, competing with houses at the price point you want to be.



During the thirteen years that I lived here there never seemed to be enough money to invest in the house.  All of my investment capital lived in the pasture eating hay and well, you get the picture! 

So here is the finished bathroom..... 

I'm pretty pleased with the finished product.

The view from the throne

It sure beats the 1970's bathroom!!

It All Started With a Little Paint...

March 1 is fast approaching.  The date I selected to have the house ready and will be signing the papers to have it listed to be officially for sale.   While getting my house ready for the real estate market I have walked through the house with 'buyers eyes'  looking for all the little defects that will catch a buyers attention.  I have been attending to some of those details such as re-staining all the moldings and doors and re-calking in the bathrooms.   I also noticed that condensation in one of my bathrooms caused some mild mildew stains.  So I decided to paint the bathroom.

I finished painting the bathroom last night.... See what you think!

 The bathroom is now a soft beige and most important without any mildew.  A little paint should do it!!

What's that you say..... "Where is the rest of the bathroom?" 
It's in the front yard!

don't you love the blue and white patterned linoleum.  It was matched up with a blue marbled countertop!

Don't you love how when you start with one little thing it leads to one more little thing?  And before you know it..... It is a really big thing.


Lesson to be learned..... beware of a determined woman with a hammer!!

Stay tuned .... to see the finished bathroom.