Packing - Packing - Packing!

All is full steam ahead on both the sale of our home and the purchase of the next one.

Yes, after only three days on the market, we got a full price good solid offer from pre-qualified people with an accepted offer on their own home.

Contractual contingencies almost all satisfied, and both deals are moving forward to successful closings next month (fingers crossed).  If there is a gap between one house selling and not closing on the other one on the same day, we have the motorhome to live in during the transition.

We started packing all of the things we are not currently using. Ohhhhhh boy where did all this stuff come from?  The dogs are getting quite curious as to why I keep putting stuff in boxes, labeling them, and Steve carries them out to stack in the garage.

As long as I don't pack their doggie toys, dishes, or beds,

they are content. 

They were concerned by the "Chewy" box on top of that pile.

 I had to show them it contained extra bathroom supplies.

We are also using plastic totes for the bottom layer, and stacking the cardboard ones on top of those.  That way if there is some snow melt run off into the garage, we will be safe.

We bought about 30 boxes at Walmart and Home Depot of a good sturdy quality. Then also we got on a list at our local Walmart who saves us a pallet of 30 to 40 boxes at a time. How nice is that?

I am trying to stay on track and just pack up one room at a time.

Starting with my sewing room. Oh boy.

Four sewing machines, many many many boxes of fabric and tools and supplies as well as the actual big quilting frame, cutting table, sewing table, bookshelf etc.

Some things that we don't mind freezing are being carried in boxes out to the garage. From there we are going to keep stacking them up and haul a load at a time up to a rented storage unit in Oconto. Steve's cute little trailer behind the Tracker works for light loads.  But we will rent a big enclosed Uhaul truck a few times to get larger batches moved.  The kids will help at the end with the big furniture.

It was kinda funny driving down the highway 

with this grinning halloween pumpkin 

peeking out on one side,

and two Snowmen on the other, 

with a small Christmas tree in the middle! 

Lawn chairs and seasonal things are now stowed away...

Don't think we are using them during the next 50 days with all the snow we have! 

(and more coming this weekend!) 

We did drive up the other night to meet again with the sellers of the property we are buying. They are doing a long-distance move to Georgia, and didn't want to take both of their lawn mowers. They sold one to us and we moved it out of their way over to our storage unit.  They are so busy busy busy packing as well because they are taking multiple trips to get all of their items down to Georgia.

In the meantime, the buyers of our home would like to come back on Sunday with their children. The children would like to pick out their bedrooms and help them visualize their upcoming transition to the new home. I think that helps a lot with moving anxiety because the children were not here when the parents viewed the home. Actually, when the parents came to look at the home, they were here for only half an hour and immediately went and wrote an offer asking for a very quick acceptance time. They did not want to lose it to anybody else. Even though there were two more showings scheduled for that evening and the next day, the full price offer they tendered asked for a response by noon. Smart people. We felt we should just take it and be happy rather than hold out for something else. You know, the bird in the hand and the two in the bush type thing. Full price offer was just fine with us.

As for the house we are buying, I don't want to jinx anything by talking too much about it.

It will be full of fun projects for us to work on, but all the main expensive stuff is already been updated: new roof, new furnace, new water heater, new air conditioning, new kitchen appliances, and all newly refinished hardwood floors. But best of all, there is a brand new huge garage for Steve. Two stalls wide by two stalls deep, plus an RV parking pad already in place for our motorhome.

I am not saying it's better than we have now, nor worse, just different and full of great possibilities and added to the enjoyment of being nearer to ALL of our grandchildren.  Even the two in Green Bay will be closer, because it's a few miles shorter, and a much faster route to get there than from where we live now.  So ALL of the children will benefit by having us closer.  As well as Steve and I will be benefiting from having them close to help US as we age. (and watch over our house while we travel in the motorhome).

Sooooooo it's back to packing and I will let you know more details as we go along....