Friesen Talk

Writing about all the big & little things

Category: Moving (Page 5 of 5)

Studio

April 5, 2013 / / 2 Comments

I’ll go room by room as I do our big “reveal.”  Well, actually, it seems like a big deal to us but it’s really a lot of tiny changes, so I don’t expect you to be able to see a lot of difference… 🙂  Anyway, here goes!

STUDIO:

Stager Suggestions:

  • Swap desk and piano
  • remove large teaching bookshelf
  • put teaching supplies I use on a regular basis into closet
  • reposition something in the corner with the mirror
  • remove teaching rolling desk and chair (for showings)

Before Picture:

Studio after

After Pictures:

DSC_0131

DSC_0135

Actual work we ended up doing:

  • cleaned carpet
  • touched up crown molding
  • touched up paint (unfortunately I can’t get rid of the shiny spots on the way… it’s just the way the plaster was applied…)
  • restaged room
  • replaced light fixture cover (after I took this picture, sorry!)
  • totally cleaned out closet so all my stuff can now fit in there
  • installed new transition piece in doorway threshold

 

Exhausted, but just about done!

April 3, 2013 / / 4 Comments

Hello everybody!

Look! I’m actually alive!  🙂

I’m sorry I vanished from the face of the planet (or at least via my website or answering or returning any phone calls!) for the past month. I THOUGHT things would settle down after my crazy contest weekend, but, alas, I was wrong.  SO.  VERY.  WRONG.

We’ve been working our tails off getting the house fixed up to list. It was my Spring Break week last week, but I had to teach on Monday still to make up for the previous Monday that I had to take off because of grading for contest… then Tuesday through today still we’ve been working from dawn to dusk on projects.  Dad was here on Saturday to help with the carpet and stairs (which, of course, turned into a much larger project than we had anticipated) but now it looks awesome!  Patsy and Jen also came on Saturday to help paint and pull staples from the flooring and steps as well as countless other random projects.  Then Bakers and Jen and Patsy were all back again on Sunday to help with more endless projects… (THANKS AGAIN EVERYONE!!!! ;))

I will say, however, that by the time Sunday (Easter) rolled around I was so emotionally and physically spent that I started crying 3 times during worship team rehearsal before church.  I was so tired and sore and stressed about the house being a mess and all the projects we had left to do–it wasn’t a pretty sight.  Luckily I was able to keep myself in check each time and wasn’t a blubbering fool on stage!

Anyway, you get the idea.  We’ve done a lot of projects.  And we’re tired.  🙂  I’ll stop being dramatic about it all.

I’m hoping to have some pictures to actually start showing you.  We have just a small handful of random odds and ends to finish up.  We were hoping to have those completed by today, but the bathroom upstairs has proven to be a MASSIVE headache of unexpected problems.  But, no worries, since Tim finally got that all straightened out tonight.  But it did end up taking us an entire day and a half longer than we had expected… so we’ll get back to the random odds and ends tomorrow.

And with all that said, we’re hoping to list next weekish.  We’re just waiting for the stucco guy to come and repair the outside and he can’t do that until it warms up to above freezing overnight on a regular basis, which it isn’t yet (whine, whine).  But soon!  Soon!

😉

I survived!!!!–bet you were wondering, huh?

March 20, 2013 / / 2 Comments

I’m finally done.   I spent yesterday cleaning out all of my contest stuff and enjoying a day of peace.  I knew that today would be busy again since everyone would be receiving their results–and I was right.  I did have a few things to deal with and smooth over, but the bulk of the chaos is gone now.  I can’t believe how fast this past week went–it’s CRAZY that tomorrow is already THURSDAY!

Here are a few interesting specs from this weekend:

  • 1722 students participating
  • a gazillion dancers also at the U of M for a dance competition in the adjoining building
  • 37 hours I was at the U or MMTA office in 3 days
  • 30 volunteers cancelled (shame on them!)
  • 11 volunteers didn’t show up when they were supposed to
  • 4 judging rooms missing piano benches.  Weird, huh?
  • 3 full days of eating the same box lunches (yes, that was 6 meals all the same!)
  • 2 college student violin players that I had to ask to leave since they were distracting
  • 1 volunteer fell down and hurt herself
  • 1 student threw up in the lobby (yuck!)
  • 2 of my students won and 2 are alternates (yippie!)
  • 0 unhappy parents yelling at me!

The dance competition, along with the bitter cold temperatures, were a bit of a nuisance, but we dealt with it all.  I had to rearrange the registration area after the first day because the cold air rushing in on the volunteers was just too cold.  Plus the gal in charge of selling the MMTA logowear ended up having to go to the hospital with her daughter–her gallbladder was just about to rupture so she was scheduled for an emergency removal.  It was actually a huge blessing because her daughter had JUST returned from college on spring break and she walked in and told her Mom that she was in severe pain and they rushed right to the hospital.  I’m just so glad that she made the trip home and didn’t have to deal with that on her own away at college!

Everything else went great.  Can you believe this is my 6th year doing this?  Wow!  I always forget what LONG days it is on contest weekend.  I was so sore by the end of the Saturday that I came home, kissed the kids goodnight, and then sat in the hot tub for a long time.  Plus I was really stressed about the weekend so I somehow tweaked my neck earlier in the week… grrr.. it hurt so bad, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to look down, or carry any of my bins of stuff to the U.  I just took a lot of Advil and tried to sleep propped up, so I wouldn’t hurt it again.  I mean, of all the weeks!  Ugh!  Anyway, I’m feeling much better today–not totally better, but close.

In other news we decided the time had come to rent a storage unit.  We were planning to put our stuff in the garage, but it became apparent to us as we started packing, that there wasn’t any way we were going to be able to fit that.  So, we found a place right here in town and have already started filling it.  It’s exciting.  I also sent out my note to all my students informing them that we are starting the process of looking for a new house.  I wanted them all to be aware before they discovered a “For Sale” sign in our yard!  So, things are really rolling now.

 

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