Thursday, May 28, 2009

It's Official...We Are Now Tarheels!

I wasn't entirely certain that we'd make it to a pleasant end of this moving marathon, were you? Well, as of noon yesterday, we broke through the tape and crossed the finish line! We signed all of the documents and closed on our house in High Point. As Gus would say: "Woo-hoo!"

Mr. T and I are camping out in the house now, awaiting the arrival of the moving van next week. We've got an airbed, camp chairs, and a card table...what more do we need?

Actually, we have much of the stuff that we used to stage the MO house, after our furniture went to storage and while it was for sale. I opened a box that we'd packed after that house sold, and I found candlesticks/holders, baskets, and a silk plant arrangement. Perfect for decorating the mantle in the new house! Plus, I ordered patio furniture to be delivered from Home Depot, and it arrived today. Great! Before we know it, it'll start feeling like home around here.

We've had all manner of folks show up for work: the telephone guy came to install the DSL network (hence, I'm able to post again so quickly) and the phone lines; the locksmith was here to re-key all the locks; the landscaper was here to arrange to mow the knee-high growth in the back yard (result of the almost-daily rains); and the water department guy arrived to switch over the meters. Next up: cable guy...fence guy...and painter-woman (uh...that last one would be me...:).

I want to get a head-start on painting some of the rooms, especially before the furniture arrives. So much easier. And, Mr. T will tackle painting the garage floor. He did that in O'Fallon, and we really liked how it turned out...and held up for such a long time. And, that's definitely one job that MUST be finished before the movers begin to stack boxes in the garage...we may not see the floor again for several months!

We do plan to take a little break from work tomorrow and head to Durham for a stay at the Washington Duke Inn on the campus of Duke University. It will be a special way to celebrate a special day: our 33rd anniversary!

Monday, May 25, 2009

Memorable Memorial Day

We couldn't have asked for a better holiday weekend. We spent two days working and one day playing...and will enjoy our memories for a long time to come.

Saturday and Sunday were devoted to creating Missy M's garden...or, maybe I should say "embellishing" her garden space. The landscapers she hired actually created the garden by making two raised beds filled with garden soil last Tuesday. But, she wanted a more defined area...and one that was a little more protected from the Drool Gang. So, Mr. T and I helped her paint and build a picket fence and lattice arbor (seen in the photo of her back yard, to the right)...using some ideas we had seen in the gardening magazines. She spent several hours filling the raised beds (left) with plants and mulching with straw. Doesn't it look pretty?





Then, we headed to Churchill Downs Racetrack today to enjoy the hospitality of the Yum!Brands Finish Line party suite. Wow! What a fantastic venue...a comfortable, air-conditioned indoor suite with snacks and beverages; our own personal attendant to take our food orders; and, outdoor seating on the private balcony overlooking the finish line. Missy M had reserved one of the smaller party rooms for us, but got a call that she'd received an upgrade...to a room that accommodated 40 people! She asked several co-workers to join us...and bring friends and family...and we had a wonderful time with a wonderful group of folks. I've posted some of the photos I took to my Flickr.com account, so they should show up in the slideshow to the left <-----.


Did you know how much Nana/Momma/Edith loves the horses? And, she's good at picking 'em, too! You'll have to ask her about her winnings sometime...:)

I took this photo of her (left), intently studying her program...I was standing on the balcony, looking back into the suite. I imagine she came in the money...she usually did!



The track started out as "sloppy" since we'd had a thunderstorm in the early morning hours. But the wind picked up, and the sun came out, and the track changed to "good" before the day was over. Calvin Borel...the jockey who rode both the winner of the Kentucky Oaks and winner of the Preakness (Rachel Alexandra) this year...along with the winner of the 2007 Kentucky Derby (Street Sense) and the 2009 Kentucky Derby (Mine That Bird)...is a favorite here at Churchill Downs and brought in several winners today. That's him (right), bringing in another one...way ahead of the second-place horse. I think I actually collected a little on this race...:)

Well, can you believe it? The time has finally arrived. Mr. T and I have packed up our cars to head to NC tomorrow. We'll be closing on our new house on Wednesday morning...hard to believe that the day is almost here. I'll be off-line for a few days, so keep your fingers crossed that all goes well!

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Home Stretch

We are almost home...literally and figuratively. If all goes according to the current plan, we will be pulling into our new driveway in High Point, NC (photo to the left), keys in hand, in just 6 days from today. It'll be ours...finally.

Everyone (outside of our immediate family) has said "wow, that was quick!" I cannot begin to tell you how not-quick it has seemed to us. Soon, I won't have to blog about waiting, waiting, waiting...I can blog about painting, planting, and unpacking. You'll have to remind me that I was wishing for that, won't you?

We got the call yesterday. The loan approval is final...the closing is scheduled...and the papers are all done and UPS'ed. Hooray and halleluiah! It's all over except the signing...and, oh yeah, the exchange of funds. We'll be doing the wire-transferring this time, and thank goodness they've sent us the instructions for that, as it's a first for us. Learn something new every day, as my dear darlin' Daddy used to say.

Meanwhile, here at Missy M's ranch in KY, where she's in Phase II of her master landscaping plan (Phase I...the front yard re-do was completed last year), we've had a lot of activity going on this week. On Sunday, Mr. T built her a fab potting bench by repurposing the railings from her deck (removed the first year) and some old boards. He then finished up painting the garden shed, along with making some repairs to the lattice privacy screens.

Then the landscape workers arrived early on Tuesday morning and began the day-long transformation from drab to dynamite! She now has beautiful raised beds for her garden, brand new shrubs and trees in front of the fence, and pine-bark and shredded mulch covering the remainder of the back yard. Yep...not a blade of grass to be seen...or to be watered or mowed, either! It's just beautiful, with her container gardens and potted plants strategically placed...and, now that she has the dedicated space, she's just itching to get her veggies growing.

Me? I've just thoroughly enjoyed having my morning coffee on the deck, looking out over the brand new back yard, not having to worry and fret about getting some documentation or other into the mortgage loan folks. Yesterday, I snapped this photo (right) with my phone of a male cardinal returning to the deck feeder after all of the previous day's activity. You might say...all's right with the world.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Another Sign of the Times

Now, this is the sign we are concentrating on these days..."Under Contract."

Mr. T took this shot (left) last week when he was in High Point for the home inspection of our next house. The really good news is that the inspection went well, and the sellers had their contractor and his team in the house yesterday to fix all of the issues we had on our list...and, thankfully, there weren't that many, nor were there any that the inspector deemed "major." Biggest problem? The compressor on the upstairs AC system wasn't working properly...and since Mr. T's office will be upstairs, he deemed that one "major" in his book. Fix it! I was more concerned with the kitchen sink's faucet not functioning properly and why that neat double-sided gas fireplace wouldn't light. Fix 'em! [Funny what will one will call "major," eh?]

What remains to be done? Well, it's all about the paperwork at present. I've been able to get all the documents requested for final approval of our loan to Quicken via scanning and emailing, as I don't have access to a fax. No worries...they're on board with the technology. I've whittled my "to provide" list down to one final document (the actual final closing document from MO...the one with the County seals affixed to it), and it should arrive here in KY any day now. You'll probably hear me shout "hooray" the moment I receive the message with "Final Approval - No Further Documentation Required."


I am so eager to get started on the yard and garden at our new house that I signed up for a Do It Herself workshop, on Yard and Garden Maintainance, offered here in Louisville at the Home Depot. One of the assignments was to bring photos of the current yard, so I asked Mr. T to go by the High Point house and snap a few more exterior shots. He had taken some on his initial trip, when he captured the beautiful pink dogwood at the front door in full bloom (left). When he went back, the blooms were all spent and replaced by a mass of green leaves (right).,.plus, you can see the azaleas in bloom, along with several hearty clumps of daylilies coming out of their Winter dormancy. How exciting! I can't wait to see what happens next!

As Cousin Ann says: "I'll bet you are fit to be tied for the next 2 weeks. Your mind must be racing but you can't do anything to get ready." And, as I responded to her: "You are so right about not being able to do much between now and when we actually move in...but, that hasn't stopped me from arranging and rearranging all the furniture, pictures, etc., IN MY HEAD. I've painted every room...at least a couple of times. I've planted daylilies, irises, daffodils...and then, moved 'em to a different place in the yard...in my mind. I even dug the fish pond and set up the waterfall! Whew...I'm exhausted!"

So, the sign may say "Under Contract," but what it really means is "You'll Have to Wait a Little Bit Longer to Settle In." And, we all know how much I love to wait...

Monday, May 11, 2009

Mother's Day Extraordinaire

"Say cheese!" And, we did...over there in that photo to the right. Nana/Momma/Edith got all dressed up in her gorgeous new capelet/shawl that Missy M gave her for Mother's Day; I applied my (much-hinted for) new makeup from her; and then we headed off to enjoy a lovely Brunch and the Annual Gardeners' Fair at Historic Locust Grove. [Read more about the Fair at the Courier-Journal's site.] Just before hopping in his new car, we handed a camera to Mr. T so that he could capture our moment.

It was a fabulous day from start to finish! The brunch was catered by Bristol Catering and featured Fresh Fruit, a Spinach and Sun-dried Tomato Frittata, Kentucky Hot Brown, Three-Cheese Grits, New Parsleyed Potatoes, and Biscuits...followed by quite a tasty dessert selection. [Of course, Missy M had difficulty in finding a favorite in that selection, but she was a trooper nonetheless.]

Then, we strolled off our calories with a walk through the on-site fair. There were vendors offering flowers, herbs, perennials, shade plants, planters, tools, gardening accessories, wrought iron sculptures, water gardens, and unique yard furniture. We came away with a neat handmade, hand-painted tile-top side table, a deep purple "Black Knight" Buddleia (butterfly bush), an Endless Summer Hydrangea, a patio tomato (with a couple of tiny tomatoes), and some herbs that Missy M had been searching for...not to mention at least 10 ideas for projects. The sun was out...there wasn't a cloud in the sky...and since we took the wheelchair, N/M/E got to see all the wares and wonders, too. We couldn't have scripted a better Mother's Day!

Back at the ranch, following a nice nap, we pitched in to help Mr. T finish mulching the front flowerbeds. He'd already done the majority of the work, but there were a couple of items we could do before the early evening showers arrived.

Now, that's how a lovely Spring Sunday should go...

Thursday, May 7, 2009

How Do You Spell Relief? S-O-L-D!

I have been waiting (and waiting and waiting...:) to post that photo, over there on the left, for what seems like an eternity. There was even a bit of apprehension in our family that I even allowed a SOLD sign to be added...might jinx the deal, don't you know?

Well, I am happy to report that Realtor Sue...a jewel if there ever was one...just called to say that the closing on our house in MO went through without a hitch (and thankfully, without either one of us in attendance) this morning, and that the funds will be wire-transferred to our account by COB today. Hooray! Have I said lately just how much I love technology (when it works, that is...:)?

The process to close in absentia was ripe for mistakes to be made: first, the Title Company emailed me the documents on Monday; then, I printed them out and signed them on Tuesday before a Notary here in KY, where I am; then, I overnighted them to Mr. T, who signed them before a Notary in SC, where he was this week, on Wednesday; then, he overnighted them back to MO to the Title Company, all to arrive in time for the scheduled Thursday morning closing...whew! What a production! And, it all worked...it actually worked! Will wonders never cease?

OK...so, that means we can direct all of our (dwindling) energies toward closing on the house in NC. I came to the (less-than-) brilliant conclusion yesterday (hey...sometimes it takes me a while to observe the obvious...:) that the reason this move has been so difficult for us is that we have been dealing with 2 houses at once...something we've never done in all of our many moves. In the past, we've taken it one house at a time...sell the old house, move stuff out to storage, move selves to temporary quarters while we find and buy the house that meets our family's needs at a price that is reasonable. Not so in this economy...we had to do it a little differently in order to reach the same goal ("buy the house"). Duh! No wonder we are all exhausted and having to tie knots in the ends of our ropes just to hang on!!

But, today, I feel as if a giant boulder has been removed from between my shoulder blades. A great sense of relief. I guess that's what a SOLD sign will do for you...that, and a closing that goes as planned.

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