Sunday, March 19, 2023

More Spring Break-Ing

I was right to make this a two-poster. I know me. 

The Sunday after the party it rained. Hubs and my son-in-law managed to get the rented u-haul loaded between cloudbursts, no easy feat.  The rain wasn't so much a problem as getting the furniture that was going up the steep part of the hill it needed to climb was a problem. 

But they made it eventually, and then the big guys took the little guys bowling which they loved. 

When we redid the office we downsized from our big desktop computer set up on a huge mahogany desk to a laptop on a simple table that can be moved around as needed. Daughter1 and her hubs needed a desk so we offered them ours and just had to figure out how to move it from Point A to Point B, with point B six and a half hours away. 

Also I'm sure I have pictures of the desk somewhere because it's been in every single house we've owned, but you're not getting them today. 

I asked for quotes on a site called ShipIt and was overwhelmed with how many responses I received. The cost range was enormous, and everyone I chatted with was very nice, but in the end we decided to just rent a u-haul and take it ourselves. We had better control over the timing this way. Also, my son-in-law needed to leave our house for an out of town work assignment so it made sense for us to drive my daughter and her kiddos back home.  Hubs drove the u-haul and I followed with everyone else in our vehicle. 

A six and a half hour trip is easily eight hours when you have a baby on board. Everyone was so good about the long ride, but babies need to eat and change and eat and it all just adds minutes to an already lengthy trip. 

Question-this desk was one of the first pieces of furniture hubs and I bought in the early years of our marriage. We bought it at the furniture mart in High Point NC in 1986, some 37 years ago. Does that make it an antique? 

Nope. Just old lol. To be considered an antique the item must be at least 100 years old. I like to think someday this desk might sit in one of my great grandchildren's homes and then it really will be an antique. 

Besides the big desk we also had a desk chair and a couple of bins we'd been holding for my daughter and son-in-law since they moved overseas, so this was a good way to get all their belongings back to their rightful owner. 

Maybe not all because I do still have an attic full of American Girl Dolls and furniture. Daughter1 and I rifled through some of that while she was here and she can tell you I basically have a Pleasant Company franchise in my attic. Hubs would not disagree. All the dolls we own were pre-Mattel days, the originals. My momma bought almost all of my inventory for my girls when they were growing up and I look forward to passing them down to Little Miss in a few years. 

On top of all those items we had one more thing to move-

When I was about six years old my parents bought a small desk and chair from an unpainted furniture store to go in my room. My dad sanded it, and painted it white, and it was part of my childhood forever. When Daughter1 was about six years old we took the desk from my parent's house, hubs sanded and painted it white, and it was part of her childhood forever too. When we came back from England the movers wrapped it up and that desk sat in our basement under cover for six years, and until last week sat in my attic here for another six. 

The week before the kids arrived hubs got the desk down from the attic, and sanded and painted it. Navy blue this time to fit in the mancub's room. He's turning six soon and life comes full circle in so many unexpected ways. 

I bought new knobs with military planes on them to go with some of the artwork in his room and it all makes me really happy. Also, this picture is not his room. The desk was in the hall waiting to be moved but then the stomach flu hit and it will get there eventually. 

This desk is over 50 years old so well on it's way to becoming an antique. I know my parents didn't pay a lot for it back in the day, but it has surely had a long and useful life. 

Okay, enough about moving furniture. We made the trip to daughter1's house on Monday and had a happy couple of days playing, driving the boys to school on Tuesday, lunch and shopping in the afternoon, and a long late night conversation with my girl because with three kids now those don't happen as often as we'd like. 

Our plan was to leave Wednesday morning, but the terrible awful no good very bad stomach flu struck me first, at 2 AM. No way we could possibly leave on Wednesday. We were hopeful it was a 24-hour thing (it most definitely was not!) but I hung in to make the long drive home Thursday, where I promptly fell back into the bed. Then hubs fell and then daughter1 texted to say three of the four of them had succumbed (not the baby thankfully!) and oy. Ugh. I do not recommend. 

But! It's a new day, a new week, there are new mercies, and we're over the hump, gently easing back into life. 

Which, all things considered, is still so very very sweet. 

11 comments:

  1. Enjoyed your newsy post here. Maybe about 10 years ago I transitioned from a desk-top computer with monitor to a lap top and I have loved it. So easy to transport to any room in the house. When the whether is good, I can blog outdoors.

    So sorry the stomach bug hit with such a vengeance and I'm glad it's all behind you. As always your descriptions and photos are very well done.

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  2. Oh, my goodness! I had that wretched stomach bug 3 weeks ago and it took me down! I was a good week getting my full strength back. Ugh! We know all about that moving stuff. We've taken a couple of U-Hauls to Oklahoma but after the last one (about 4 years ago) we swore off of ever doing it again. :o)) They will just have to come and get it themselves. Always enjoy keeping up with you and your family.

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  3. So sorry y'all got a nasty bug. Not fun at all. The desk re-do turned out great! Your mancub will get a lot of good use from it. I love all the photos in post 1 & 2!! The kids are all so precious and growing up so fast. Bowling! What fun! Thanks for sharing and I hope you feel much, much better now. xo

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  4. I love the idea of an attic full of American Girl dolls. Especially, the originals. What keepsakes those are. Your grand will adore them.
    Glad you were able to get the desk moved and the second desk revamped. Perfect drawer pulls and the navy is just right, too.
    Traveling with little ones is completely different from road-tripping just the two of you. So many more necessary breaks. And for us, traveling with the littles often included traveling with a giant dog, whose toileting never coincides with anyone else's. Good times!!

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  5. I just love reading your posts and catching up with your life but so sorry to hear you've all had such a nasty bug. I hope everyone is recovering by now.

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  6. Oh boy, that stomach bug has been going around. It hit our dear grands twice in the last month, ugh. So sorry. What a fun desk tradition is being passed on to mancub! Love the knobs and the new color. Our sweet Addy turns 6 today and we celebrated her this past weekend. Happy Spring to you and yours!

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  7. Bowling, that was certainly a fun time! Yes, that was quite the road trip. Sounds like you have a lovely collection in the attic. The desk looks great! Love the drawer pulls. So sorry about the stomach flu. Such a sweet photo with baby girl and hubs.

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  8. How sweet to pass that desk on to the next generation. So glad you guys are feeling better.

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  9. Hi, I enjoyed both posts. I love the story and memories about the desk.
    The photos made me smile. I love that you are outside on the lawn, we still have 7 feet snowbanks. Hee Hee. ;-)
    Happy Spring,
    Carla
    P.S. We got that same illness three weeks ago. NO FUN!!!

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  10. As is so typical of God's grace, your story ended on the sweetest note. Absolutely adore this picture. And yes, ever grateful for grace and healing and rest and remembering.

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  11. So sorry you all ended the trip getting sick but I love seeing how those items of furniture keep getting new life and new purpose.

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