Photo by Michaela S.
Life Updates
Michael moved into his new townhome two weeks ago. It’s quiet at my place now…lol. The funny thing is that his place is probably 90% put together already. My place looks a little more of a wreck since there’s odds and ends of his stuff still lurking in each room. I’m compiling little boxes of those odds and ends though and handing them off each time I see him, lol.
So far, it’s been fine for me though. I had a brief period where it kind of hit me that they most likely wouldn’t be living at home again now that they’re homeowners. It’s all good though. I’ve been helping Michael still with moving some stuff and shopping for a few things he would need. Work has been busy, as usual. We had extra activities going on around the city that took up some of my weekend time. I’m also headed out of town for a conference for a few days next week. And I’ve been sick. Basically, lots of distractions to keep me busy and not overwhelmed with the quiet. I’m officially calling this stage The Next Chapter. I’m excited about this too, not sad like I thought I would be.
Making Plans
I said in my last post that I was thinking of turning the second bedroom into a cozy little reading nook. A spur of the moment trip to Lowes this week led to the discovery of a teal green accent chair I previously had admired that was now on clearance. I debated for a day and then decided I would head back to the store and buy it if it was still there. Thirty minutes later a nice, random guy was helping me load it into my Murano. A phone call to Nick and he was soon on his way over to help carry it up my stairs. (Sorry Nick, you’re now the closest to me and should probably expect more frequent calls).
I’m still in debt-paying mode so this was a bit of a guilty purchase for me. Buying things for myself is sooo very hard. I’m trying very hard to change this mind-set but it’s a process. I can drop money randomly on things for my kids without hesitation, and I certainly did the last few weeks because you know, Michael needed some new stuff for his new place. Buying something for myself?? I will talk myself out of that the majority of the time. I love this chair though, it’s a nice burst of color and comfy, and it was on clearance so I bit the bullet and purchased it. It will be the anchor piece for my cozy, Zen, reading nook I hope to create.
My son pointed out tonight that I should really be resting and taking it easy while I’m trying to recuperate from this ongoing mysterious cough instead of running around town. I acknowledged he was right but it’s really not in my nature and thus the desire for a creating a space I love and adore. Surely that will make me more of a home-body, right?
Still On the Fence…Move or Stay Put?
As much as I love Michael’s new place and would love to upgrade my own living quarters, I’m not sure I want the higher mortgage payment this would create. That being said, there are things that bug me about my current place that can’t be changed, or at least not easily. Keeping that in mind, I’ve got a list already created (of course I have a list, lol) of the things I want to fix/upgrade in my place that will hopefully not be crazy expensive. These are things that in the short-term will make a more pleasant living experience for me but also be good for resale value if I decide to list my property eventually.
New carpet and windows for the bedrooms will be the first purchases. A new washer and dryer will be next. I’m considering one of those combo washer/dryers since they have to be tiny-sized to fit into my space and the dryer has to be ventless. Guess what? Tiny washer and dryers are somehow double the price of regular ones. Ridiculous, I know. Any of you have one of those combination washer/dryers and can give me the pros and cons on it?
Any other empty-nesters out there? What are you doing to stay busy and productive?
