Day #16

Storage Room move.

I think we moved in maybe 400 or so boxes from our move to CT from IL. So I was exaggerating when I said 1000. But if you count every bag, bin, box and other containers, it may have been many more than 400.

And, over the five years we were at Bigelow, we did clear out many of the books, clothes, and other items, paring down the box count to maybe something like 200–again not counting all of the other containers which I carried in my car to the river house.

So now that I have unpacked well over 100 boxes, and now that we just moved another 20 or so over from Bigelow today, I think I may not have 100 days of unpacking to do after all. It just sounded better in a blog heading, don’t you think. I mean 100 days, 200 boxes hardly sounds like a big deal at all.

So tomorrow, I will get back to letting you know what I am unpacking, or not.

Thanks for your comments, and your encouragement.

Day #14

I have decided to take a two day break on unpacking. Besides, it looks like I do NOT have 1000 boxes.

Quite a few boxes are still at Bigelow in our storage room.

These will arrive in parts, because we still have to put in radiant heating tubes, and climbing around boxes will be difficult.

I did re-find my bag of SOCKS, so I don’t have to wear Hub’s anymore.

And Box #122 contained his bedroom slippers for which he is grateful.

So stay tuned. And in the meantime, enjoy the pictures of the renovation at www.spinningstrawintogold.readmstradinger.com

Would love you comments.

 

Day #13

Box #121   th-5

This box counting idea is getting more and more difficult. Not only do I not really want to unpack all of these boxes since there is still no place to put stuff while we renovate 1000 sq. feet of 1600 sq ft., but now I need to RE-PACK some boxes in anticipation of spray foam insulation coming in, hope fully this week. Spray foam is toxic, and so I cannot have my “kitchen” out in the open, inhaling all of the poison fumes, which they say for 12 hours can be harmful. I don’t trust even covering my dishes, pots, pans and food with plastic.

Oh dear. So Box #121’s contents of condiments, vinegars, oils and other pantry items, will have to go into the entryway along with almost all of my other BEFORE  kitchen table (see www.spinningstrawintogold.readmstradinger.com) items. And, I know I already had another box of vinegars and oils. What can I say. I forget how much supply I have. You never want to run out of Balsamic, right?

Box #122

th-4    Popcorn. Microwave and non-microwavable. I know I already had some in one box. We like popcorn.

Box #123

Games. Scrabble, Wahoo, Stratego, Risk.  RiskReinvented

Box #124

Towels. Kitchen dishtowels.

Box #125

Sheets. Other linens

Box #126

More books. Remember we moved 4,000 pounds of books from Illinois in 2008. Most of these have stayed in boxes. I have given a lot away.

Box #127

Unknown-2   Mic’s Owl collection.

Box #128

Peter’s files from high school. Wish I had his poetry and his novella from 11th grade. Maybe it’s here somewhere.

Box #129

Glass bowls. Vases. Frankoma.   Unknown-1

Box #130

Candles. Lots of candles.

Day #12

Box #111

th   Oh goodie. I found the ground coffee I bought so that we didn’t have to find our grinder to do beans. Too late! I already had to find the grinder (thank you) and grind the beans for Sunday’s coffee. Saturday I used those bags of hotel coffee I seem to collect. It isn’t superior, like our Kirkland (Starbucks) beans, but it was OK for one day. Sunday was our delicious Kirkland. But, now, when I run out of what is in the grinder–at least I know where the coffee is.

Box #112

More New Yorker Magazines. Mary be prepared. I know, one at a time–or two??   steve-jobs-the-new-yorker

Box #113

Books. Cookbooks and children’s books. There are really a lot of these.

Box #114

Salad spinner.  salad-spinner

Box #115

Blendtec and its extra jar. Boy do I miss having my green smoothies.  th-1

Box #116

Clock radio. I didn’t realize my clock radio had a dock for my iPod. Now I have music in the entryway. How wonderful to hear Hillsong every morning.

Box #117

Purses. I wish I could remember where I put the sock box. The other trouble with opening all of these, is I am not telling myself where they are being stored, so I still have to look for them. A thousand is a lot of boxes.

Box #118

th-3  not this.

Unknown     Baking soda. I learned on You Tube that if you fill pantyhose with baking soda and sprinkle it on crabgrass, you can kill it without the Round Up or harsh, toxic chemicals. Then you wet it down with a mix of water, detergent and molasses. I will be doing this.

Box #119

th-2   Welcome mats. At Bigelow I would change the mat outside seasonally. Not sure what I should do here. It is still a major construction area.

Box #120

More garage stuff for Jay. Fire extinguisher. We have a big one of these, but not sure it is live.

Day #11

Box #101

China closet items from IL move. These were never unpacked and the box was marked Office-Basement, like so many others in the Realtor-driven de-cluttering project. This box should have said Dining Room, and was lost to me for six years in the Bigelow storage room. It will be unpacked when we have a kitchen cabinet with glass doors. th-2

Box #102

VHS movies

Box #103

VHS movies. At one time, my youngest daughter could tell you exactly where each and every one of our 1000 movies–recorded three to a tape–would be found. Now, sadly, we know where they are, but probably will never see what took hundreds of hours to record, and hundreds of dollars to buy.  th-3

Box #104

VHS movies

Box #105

VHS movies

Box #106

VHS movies

Box #107

th-4  Coffee grinder. Ah, so that’s where that ended up. Probably no grinding till we have a kitchen.  Oh how we miss those weekend mornings in bed with our dark roasted French press coffee.

Box #108

CD’s

Box #109

Mic’s stuff.

There was a time when this little collectible was joy itself for a little girl. Now he sits in a box forgotten. We do grow up. th-5

Box #110

Garage stuff. Battery charger.   Unknown-2

Day #10

Box #91

Linens. These are a perpetually packed storage of delicate linen napkins, an inheritance from my Aunt Mildred. I love them–but who uses white luncheon-size napkins with embroidered, eyelet edges? Ladies who lunch now go to Panera. Those must have been wonderful coffee klatches.   th

Bo #92

Cream pitcher, corks immersion blender.

Box #93

Scarves

Box #94

Office files.

Box #95

Unknown      Frisbee, fishing pole. We have a river. We have fish.

 

Box  #96

Nativity scene    th-1

Box #97

Another Christmas Nativity.

Box #98

Books. I told you there would be a lot of these.

Box #99

Books.

Box #100

Unknown-1      My shoes.

Day #9

Box #81

IMG_1258    Tea brick. We bought this in Las Vegas. It is literally a brick of pressed tea with decorative engravings. It is unique. That said, not sure why we bought it, keep it, pack it, move it. It is unique. It is a display item, not an item to be dismantled and used. I think this may be the form the Tea Party (original people) threw into  Boston Harbor.

Box #82

Stationery, stamps, address labels (now outdated). Throw these away, I tell myself.

Box #83

Crystal bowls, glass cutting board (Van Gogh tulips) and other glass bowls from sold dining room set.   th-2

Box #84

 

th-3

Rubber Ducky, hand-carved toy cars–Peter says he wants these. That’s code for: Please ship them to me at your expense Mom. They are wonderful memories, but expensive. I imagine they will be delivered one at a time on our trips to California in our free bags with Southwest.

Box #85

Jay’s shoes. He has been looking for these. They are one of two large boxes being used as support for a plywood table, with…

Box #86

th-5    Kitchen utility drawer inserts and assorted kitchen jars and bottles. Interesting that the online picture is so similar to my draw contents. Does this mean I am not the only homemaker with a messy, disorganized utility drawer in her kitchen?

Box #87

My Bible study ladies agree with me that some boxes need unpacking, and others need to wait for unpacking until their rightful place is established in our remodeled/renovated house. Jay told his boss we are “remodeling” our house–which I told Jay sounds like we are rich people putting in a new $20K kitchen or something. Well we may be doing that, but remodeling isn’t what I call this complete gutting of a first floor, new ceilings, new walls, new floors, new wiring, new plumbing. Jay is an understater. In South Dakota on the ranch, they have a torrential thunderstorm that wipes out half of everything and they say, “We’re getting some moisture.” See what I mean? So Box #87 are dishes and china closet stuff that will stay packed and safe for now.  th-4

Box #88

Wardrobe clothing–mine

Box #89

Wardrobe clothing–Jay’s

Box #90

Wardrobe–coats.

Day #8

Box #71

Light bulbs. Been looking for these.

Box #72

Cleaning products. Scrub buds (can’t live without ’em) and Dish Drops–also a must have.  th

Box #73

th-1  Food. Microwave popcorn. Crackers. More spices and herbs. Toothpicks.

Box #74

Books. Sheet music. Original HSA corporate medical plan.

Box #75

Shoes. Good ones. New ones.

Box #76

Summer dresses and T-shirts.

Box #77

Beanie Babies.  Anybody out there want some? Good collection. For sale. maQt9PKAB8lJjk8haY48LYw

Box #78

Guitar stands.

Box #79

Perfume. Dresser top.

Box #80

Beans. Oats. Beans.

 

 

…making the best of unpacking stuff