Making a House a Home

“New toilet’s in!” 

Some people have to wait a lifetime to hear the three little words Derek said to me on Friday. 

I don’t want to linger on this topic too long but I think we can agree that there are certain things you want your bathroom bowl to do and ours was failing at most of them. We knew at first sight that it would need replacing. The seat decided to snap down the middle in the midst of a “visit”. A little online shopping at our local Rona and the low-to-the-floor relic, circa 1950 (I’m not kidding!) found its way out the door. Thank goodness Derek is handy at these things. 

The rest of the main bathroom will get attention in due time. Moving in is all about prioritizing. 

It took the better part of last week before we felt like we were making any real headway on unpacking. Three filled dumpsters, about a dozen trips to Goodwill and hazardous waste depot/recycling later and we still have far too much stuff. I love to cull (lucky for me!) and I’ve set a goal of ridding myself of one-third of my clothing and two-thirds of my bathroom stuff. 

We also needed to divest ourselves of a beautiful, but not-to-our-taste china cabinet that the previous owners left behind. 

It has leaded glass, recessed lighting, glass shelving and loads of room for stuff. It’s seven-feet wide for goodness sake. I listed it on Kijiji in neighbouring cities for best offer. It wasn’t ours to begin with so we didn’t feel right selling it for what it was worth and anyway, it’s Christmastime! We made the taker very happy and that was totally worth it. 

Now we have to figure out a few things such as the kitchen table not fitting in the kitchen but the dining room is currently chock full of stuff without a home yet. I found the Christmas decorations downstairs (thank you label-maker!) and I realize no one cares whether the house is in disarray. It will get done when it gets done. But I’ll also admit to having a few moments where I feel like a Border Collie whose sheep aren’t all staying together. I’m trying to suppress the urge to bark!