The joy of moving without actually moving...

If you take a vacation but don't go anywhere they call is a "stay-cation" so what to you call it when you move but don't go anywhere? A "stay"?  Instead of "we've moved" would you just say "we've stayed"?

Anyway, that is what we have done.  We packed up our house, moved it out to the garage, drove to Georgia, came home and moved the furniture back in the house.  All the other stuff is still out in the garage.

Seriously.

Yes, we have been home for a few weeks but I still don't have my act together.

Shocking, I know.

I have brought some things back in, essentials like the coffee pot, pots and pans and baking dishes.     My family insists upon eating.....every-single-day. They are very demanding.

When we got home from Georgia our house looked like this.

We really liked how open and big the house felt.  We were tempted to convert to true minimalism and get rid of all our belongings. But after a few days of sitting on the hardwood floors we fell back in love with furniture.

Before we could move stuff back into the house we had a bit of cleaning to do. Everything was coated in dust so we had to wash everything down.  Our dishes had a fine coating of dust too but we have just been cleaning those as we go along. "Pull everything out of kitchen cabinets and pantry, clean all items, clean shelves"  is still on my endless to-do list.  It will probably stay there for awhile.

This is what all the walls looked like.

Ainsley helping to wash walls. She did a good job on the area 36" from the floor.

So, to all the people who have asked "are you excited to be finished with the addition?" the answer is...we are not finished.

Close...but not done.

We have to finish staining the toe molding so that we can install that in the addition. (at some point we will have to quit calling it "the addition")  I still have to move/unpack/find a home for the stuff we hid in the garage. And in order to have the house put back together I have to paint/decorate both kids rooms, paint the dining room (and buy furniture) and paint the living room.

We aren't quite ready to pop open that bottle of champagne....but that day will come!

'til next time...

Photo summary of trip to Georgia (with a few captions)

Last month we took a trip to Georgia for a family reunion. We were celebrating a wedding, graduation, retirement and lots of birthdays. It was a fun, crazy busy time, too many things to write about but here a few pictures from our trip. 

Sumter, South Carolina - visiting some old friends. Wythe, being a good guest by relocating the sand to the back porch. It is a way to remember us when we are gone. 

Wythe enjoying seeing his friend again.

The three stooges reunited.

Miss Ainsley trying out the pensive look.

Ainsley and her friend at Swan Lake.

Checking out the turtles...

Athens, Georgia - Ainsley in front of a beautiful courtyard at a stunning house. 

"Wythe, do not push your sister in the river!"

This house was absolutely beautiful. The courtyard and gardens were amazing! In my dreams I will one day have this view out of my bedroom window.

Wythe, already having too much vacation.

I want this statue. 

Taking Wythe on a quiet time walk, one of many.  But the scenery was lovely!

Peter having one last moment with the Rightmyer Cup. Sometimes it is so hard to say goodbye!

Peter, relinquishing the Rightmyer Cup to his nephew, the tournament champion and new cup holder.

Wythe getting some billiard tips from his cousin.

Wythe and his first cousin-once-removed. You can tell by their hair they are related. 

Wythe, enjoying a treat from Starbucks before the wedding. 

Ainsley, fueling up for the wedding. 

All but one of the first cousins. 

T, getting his picture taken with some of the girls.

T with his parents, wishing he was back with the girls!

My sister-in-law, no party is complete without her,  and Mr. Bowtie, whom we all adopted into the family. 

A few of the cousins...

Ainsley playing cars with one of her cousins.

Wythe and his cousin. 

The newlyweds, my sister-in-law and her new groom. 

Ainsley with a couple of her aunts. 

This is what you do in the south...sittin' on the porch.

On our way home we stopped in Wytheville, Virginia. We wanted to get some pictures there, for obvious reasons, but there really isn't much to the town. It was the birthplace of First Lady Edith Wilson, other than that it is a small town with very little to see. 

The giant pencil is a landmark...

Skeeter's "World Famous" hot dogs. Supposedly the hot dogs were rated some of the best in the country by Rachael Ray. 

Sorry buddy, we know it isn't all that impressive. But don't worry, you weren't named after the town.

This is another landmark...

Now, you've seen Wytheville, VA.

We stopped in Lexington for lunch, this plaque would have applied to Wytheville.  Don't worry Wytheville, at least we like the name of your town!

'til next time...

Swan Lake ~ Iris Garden, Sumter, South Carolina

While visiting our friends in Sumter, SC we went to Swan Lake Iris Gardens. We were lucky enough to be there while the iris were in bloom.  According to the history of the place the iris bulbs were dumped in the swamp after failing to grow in another location. The following spring they bloomed, creating an accidental garden. Now the park is considered one of the finer botanical gardens in the nation.

.

The park is home to eight different species of swans.  My favorite was the black swan.

You can take a walk on raised walkways through the swamp. 

A talking tree....really.
You push a button and he talks, telling you about the history of the trees in the area.
Fortunately he doesn't wave his limbs or throw things at you like the trees in Wizard of Oz.

'til next time...