We’re about 90% packed, which is a good thing with moving day looming around the corner (we’re packing the truck on Sunday and officially moving on Monday afternoon if all goes well and our closing doesn’t get bumped to Tuesday). Cross your fingers for us!
Here’s how we’re doing on our little to do list that we shared on Wednesday:
- remove every single item from the wall and patch/paint every nail hole in the house (this was actually about 500 times easier than I expected- just remove all the nails at once, spackle everything at once, and then paint room by room. It’s a lot faster than doing those three things in each room before moving onto the next one since you’d be opening and closing the spackle and cleaning the putty knife about a million times).
- transfer all of our utilities so they start over at the new place on move-in day
- pack the entire bathroom (except for travel sized shampoo & conditioner, our toothbrushes, and the shower curtain)
- pack all of our frames, mirrors, books, ceramic animals, and 80% of the breakables (still need to do our dishware – yikes!)
- rake the yard so the new owners don’t think they’re moving into a giant leaf pile
- oversee the completion of a few random inspection items (some flue work is being done by a pro)
- get our oil measured for closing (new buyers pay for the oil that’s left in the tank, isn’t that a nice fair way to do it?)
- wave goodbye to our tan slipcovered Pottery Barn sofa in the den (someone from craigslist is supposed to be picking it up)
- pack the rest of the kitchen along with about 10% of the other rooms that still need to be done
- clean the oven and the fridge (can’t really do this until right before we go)
- vacuum/sweep before locking the door with a tear in my eye
Not bad right? Just that last 10% of packing along with some cleaning is left and we’re on to the new place with a spring in our step (ok, maybe no spring if we’re carrying heavy boxes). After a long and stressful day yesterday – all the last minute closing details and papers are keeping us on our toes! – we went for a drive over to the new house and just gazed at it through the car windows. Even Clara and Burger looked. It definitely got us back into the excited state of mind that we’re trying to live in for the next crazy few days. Ah new house, how do we love you. Let us count the ways…
And for those who love to see our house tore up from the floor up, here’s how things are looking right this moment:
Oh and since a few people have been wondering, here’s what is conveying (staying) with the sale of our house:
- all the appliances both in the kitchen and the laundry nook
- the storage pieces and cabinetry in the basement
- the built-in wardrobes on either side of our bed & the bed frame itself
- the floating shelves in the dining room
- all hardwired light fixtures and the plug in swing-arm lamps in the bedroom (except for the chandy from Clara’s room, which we replaced with a standard light)
- all of the blinds, shades, curtain rods, and curtains in the house (except for the curtains in Clara’s room- I’m just too sentimental to walk away from those)
- a folder of manuals and house info along with all the exterior & interior paint (labeled by room)
We’re actually really happy to leave those things behind (they added up to a nice quick sale and an offer above our asking price). Now for another bulleted list (I’m on a roll here). These are a few packing things we’re doing that seem to work well for an obsessive type-a gal like me:
- John came up with the genius idea to use blue painters tape to mark boxes that are breakable so we can easily identify the ones that we should be extra careful with
- He also decided to put a piece of painters tape on the cabinets in the kitchen that aren’t empty yet (so we don’t keep opening all the doors to see which ones are done and which ones still have to be packed)
- We’re using a sharpie to write what’s in nearly every box (so if we have to find Clara’s bath stuff in a snap, we know where it is).
- Thanks to lots of recommendations, we hit up our local wine store for a few more boxes (they’re free, sturdy, and some even have handles).
- We’ve packed a “vacation stash” of clothes, toiletries, baby stuff, etc that we’ll rely on for the next few days here and the first few days at the new place (so there’s no rush to dig through boxes for the essentials).
- We also packed a “good to have around” box for the new house that we’re keeping in the car (with toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap, cleaning supplies, cups for water, and a few other things we’re sure we’ll appreciate having right away for our friends & family members who are helping us move – and also for ourselves once they leave).
So far so good. Eye on the prize (aka: the new house). Eye on the prize…
You’re satiating the wildly-organized side of me with your move!
* When I bought my first house, I drove by it all.the.time – Honestly, I probably freaked out the owners, but I was so very excited for that chapter to begin!
* When we moved from Nebraska (holla Lincoln!) to Minneapolis, we had everything we owned (except the kids and cats) in the moving van. I just could not get over that fact as I watched it drive away…”there goes my entire life!”
* OK, I know your buyers weren’t YHL followers when you met, but how about the new house; had they heard of ya?
Best of luck and enjoy every single emotion filled second!
xox
Hey Renee,
They hadn’t heard of us but a friend of theirs was a reader, so when they showed her our house flier (which they had since our purchase was contingent on selling our house) she immediately got all excited and showed them our site. They are very sweet, and have been reading ever since! They even threw us a welcome to the neighborhood party last week at their house so we could meet all of our new neighbors. Amazing!
xo,
s
Hi there! I’m a long time reader, first time commenter. Best wishes on your move & new home!
I was wondering if you could share some insight on what should be tossed rather than donated or sold. I’m gearing up for a move myself and coming across items that I don’t feel good about donating/selling (such as sheets/blankets/towels in good condition or books from college), but it feels so wasteful to throw away! Any thoughts or general guidelines?
Hey SKJ,
We always donate sheets, blankets, towels and books that are in good condition! They’re definitely what lots of people need! We usually donate everything that isn’t broken, dirty, or so outdated that it looks like trash. But if we look at something and think “someone less fortunate than us could use this” it’s in the bag for sure!
xo,
s
Geez, you guys are so nice! Maybe too nice!
The last house I moved into had old, dried dog poop in the basement, scratched up doors (from the dog I assume), small plastic BBs EVERYWHERE (inside and out – I picked them up for months), an old Christmas tree on top of a huge pile of pine needles stashed alongside the house, random glasses tucked far back into cupboards, etc.
To move in without all that stuff, and just have little nail holes in the walls would have been great! (Especially since I had to paint over the hideous pink walls anyway.)
I think it’s wonderful that you go the step beyond, but don’t overdo it or exhaust yourselves for nice touches. Leaving the house in such good condition as it is, is enough I think!
Aww- congratulations! You’re doing so well. Just a thought- we kept our passports and important documents in an expandable file folder so we would not have to dig through boxes for them. It saved us since it turned out we actually needed them!
It might be too late or not, but I used different colored sharpies to let others know if it was heavy or not-
so red was STOP this is heavy. Regardless of the room it would let others know what they were lifting…
but then we ended up hiring movers which was the BEST 800 we ever spent!
I’m happy to cross my fingers for you!
Same day – no layaway – closing – fingers crossed for you guys!
Best,
DE J
When we were moved into our 1st house(6 months ago!) we used multi-colored duck tape to match boxes to rooms. So we labeled all boxes for the bedroom red, all boxes for the living room green, and so on. Then we taped a small swab of that color to the door of the room. So it was really easy to tell the movers : “the red boxes go in the red room”.
Packing according to where things will be in the new house (as opposed to where they were in the old) really helped speed up the unpacking!
How did you decide what to leave/convey with the house? I have heard of appliances often, and totally get the built-in in your bedroom (which rules and wouldn’t really move well!), but did you ask the new buyers whether they were interested in things like the curtains, basement storage pieces, and floating shelves in the dining room? I’m not sure I’d want to leave pieces I had personally picked out without knowing the new owners liked them too — but maybe I’m being crazy! And I know you guys are excited about a fresh slate, so it’s pretty cool to just throw stuff in like that and make things so ready-to-live!
Hey Marilyn,
They actually requested that those things stay, so we knew they liked them in particular. And because they gave us an offer above our asking price and were willing buyers in a not-so-good market, we were happy to work with them!
xo,
s
You two look organized even through the moving process! I must admit, the photos make me feel kind of sad :(
Your house is packed up! You two are so good at documenting your lives, being organized and checking off your to do lists! So impressed! I’m sentimental like Sherry is but, not the organized kind the keep everything and pack rack kind. I hope to grow in that area!
Not sure how you guys stay so positive and keep your can do attitude! You do it all without breaking a sweat!
~ Ali
I can’t believe moving day is already here! You made such a huge amount of progress in a short amount of time. I must admit, I’m a little jealous. DH and I have been ready to leave our first house for, oh, about 18 months now and haven’t fallen in love with anything. We’ve revised our wants/needs list several times and I’m beginning to lose hope that our perfect house is out there! It’s a problem. With a newly mobile 1-year-old, it’s becoming painfully obvious that we’ve outgrown our space.
Do you think you will get Claras picture with santa taken this year?
We wanted to go somewhere to get a photo last night but we were too buried in boxes to make it in time! So sad. We’re hoping to find a moment after the move for sure!
xo,
s
One of the high schools in my town (I’m a sub) was having issues with kids lingering in the halls during passing periods. They started playing bits of that song when there is one minute left to class. Though, I think it’s the Madagascar version.
Don’t forget Clara’s pack and play incase you don’t get to close on Monday or you don’t feel like setting up the crib the first night. We also made sure our dog’s kennel was with us in the car so we could set it up right away and keep him out of everyones way and knew he was safe with the doors constantly being open. Good luck with everything!
Great ideas! We’re planning to implement both of them!
xo,
s
I’m assuming you guys already packed the TV and the cable box…How are you guys going to watch the Dexter season finale?!?!
Didn’t pack it yet! We wouldn’t dare! We will have to pack it by Sunday night though, so we figured out how to watch it online through our cable provider. The bummer is that there’s a day or two delay for it to come online, so we might have to wait until we’re in the new house and we get internet all set up there. So sad! But we’re sure it’ll be worth the wait!
xo,
s
As a military wife who has moved 4 times in 3 years, here’s another tip. Keep some garbage bags with your cleaning supplies! I’ve always needed them!
Good luck!
Again, these pics make me a little sad. I absolutely hate moving…so much work! You guys are doing a great job! Can’t wait to see the new place.
This is a really random, non-moving-related question, but I’m curious – how much did you guys use the basement once you refinished it? I never seem to see action shots of activities in the basement so I’m curious! Was it mainly storage space or did you work on things down there?
Good luck with the move!
The basement was always designed as a storage spot (it’s not heated and cooled, and has a separate entry door, so the desk was just there to sort through boxes when storing them or looking for something so we didn’t have to crouch on the ground down there). The basement definitely served it’s purpose holding all of my maternity stuff, our holiday decor, our paint, and our baby clothes that Clara has already outgrown! So glad to have it.
xo,
s
oh you Youngsters have come a long way in your first home. {sniffle, sniffle} I just went back to the first few posts, what a transformation you made. Very inspiring. I can’t wait for the road ahead of you in your new home. All of the great projects and the new transformation you will make in the new home. I’m so excited for next week to see pictures and video of your new Home. Lots of luck at the closing. Fingers crossed that all goes well with both closings.
I’m very excited to watch this transformation from Day 1 with your 2nd Home. It’s going to be a great ride for all of us. :D
Another thing to in the “good to have around box”…is the shower curtain and shower rod. It’s hard to wipe off the moving day ick, without that darn shower curtain (and a new liner). :-) Unless you have glass doors on your shower of course.
Thanks for posting these pictures! Can you post pictures of what it looks like when it’s completely empty too? I think it’s encouraging because you see that a lot of the charm is really in the stuff and the way it’s decorated. Don’t get me wrong – the house is adorable and is in great condition. I just think it’s nice to see that the people really make the house.
It’s also cute that someone wrote “longtime reader first time commenter”.
Yes! We definitely plan to post pics of the house all empty and ready for the next chapter in its life!
xo,
s
The best moving suggestion I saw online (after we had already moved quite inefficiently) was to make color coded labels for boxes based on the rooms in the new house. Purple=office, green=kitchen, etc.
We did this for my parents’ move (they hired movers, so it went VERY smoothly and I got to practice my Spanish in a big way). At a glance things can be placed in their appropriate rooms without the homeowner having to look at each box as family, friends, or movers are carrying them in from the truck. We used avery label sheets, colored sharpie markers, and stuck a label on two sides and the top of each box to prevent people turning and flipping boxes looking for the labels intended for EASE of moving. Having all English speaking/reading helpers might cut down on the “where do you want this” questioning, though.
Do you have access to PODS in Virginia? I highly recommend them for moves. My poor co-worker is a week ahead of you in that her dual closings were to happen this past Monday. Sale closing was perfect, Purchase closing was incorrectly categorized by the appraiser and she was finally able to close around 4pm yesterday! She was very grateful her belongings were in a POD so she wasn’t incurring a daily truck rental fee in addition to all the other stress the situation created. Wishing you very smooth closings and move! :)
We do, and we’ve heard they’re amazing! We actually looked into PODS but we opted for a U-Haul because we could get a much bigger truck for a lot cheaper (and it was only $30 a day to keep for any extra days, so it’s not a big deal if we go a few days over – and it’s still much cheaper than movers). Thanks for the suggestion though!
xo,
s
Good luck with the closings and the big move! Can’t wait to see pictures of the new house…
Congratulations and best wishes for a smooth closing and move! You guys always impress me with all of your organization. Can’t wait for all the fun that comes with your new casa.
I’m feeling ridiculously sad seeing everything all packed up :{{ Of course when we all see the prize…..
Before I forget.. I have always wondered where you got the yellow rug that was in your living room?? I love it!
It’s the Moorish Tile Rug from Pottery Barn (it’s no longer for sale but you might want to try ebay). Good luck!
xo,
s
Wow- I feel kind of pathetic being so wrapped up in YOUR move, but I actually have that nervous/excited/pit-in-my-stomach-because-I-don’t-do-well-with-change feeling that I get when we have moved ourselves!
All the best to your whole family as you face a busy weekend and hopefully smooth closing/moving day!
Before you guys pack up the laptops… I wanted to wish you a Great Move and blessings to the new house as it welcomes you with open arms. And giant alligator tears as you hand the keys over to the new owners of this sweet home.
Major hugs to all you’ve accomplished and for all yet to come. xox Jeanne
Just heard about the delay. Sooo sorry. I hope everything works out fine
Thanks Sevi! Fingers crossed for good news!
xo,
s
What’s this about a delay? Not with the closing? No!!
I know. Boooo! We’re posting little updates over on our Facebook page. Here’s hoping it works itself out and we’re still in the new place on Monday!
xo,
s
If you need more boxes, the produce department at the grocery store is always willing to part with their spare banana boxes. They’re sturdy and have handles. You just have to put something in the bottom to block the hole. I’ve moved a bajillion times, and banana boxes are my dear friends.
Your stock just went up so much just now – I mean, not that it wasn’t way the heck up there anyway! Why? Because of that video! Loved it so much! You could have just posted a link but you’re so cool and laid-back like that you just put the whole video up there! It’s so great to see y’all ‘let your hair down’ like that. ;-)
Good luck on the move and I hope your delay isn’t too long!
how come you guys sold your pottery barn couch that was in the den?
Hey Jenn,
My dream has been to own a big family friendly sectional for a while now, and thanks to a bigger living room we can finally make that a reality! So since we still have another two sofas and two daybeds, we figured we didn’t need that third sofa so we could sell it and put that money towards the new sectional (we couldn’t find a place for it in the new house).
xo,
s
We downsized and moved twice in eleven months so I had packing down to a science! Things like taking digital photos of what was packed inside my boxes…printing out the photos and taping them to the boxes. THE movers had never seen anything like it and asked me if I wanted a job…HECK NO! Best of luck to you ;)
woot woot! almost there! <3
Please, oh please tell me where you’ve gotten this wonderful screensaver, if it is a screensaver, that is. Upon looking at the last picture, I instantly fell in love with it.
P.s.: Good luck. I have probably moved about 9 times till middle school and I know from experience that leaving one’s house is very tiring and but also very exciting because it seems like you can get a fresh start at life. When you move, you often find stuff that you thought you had lost forever.
P.p.s.: Clara is getting more adorable by the day :)
good luck with the move and congratulations on your new home!!!!!! wishing you all the best! xoxoxo
Can’t wait to see the inside of the new house!
on a random note….
I was in the big apple today, thought of you guys, and while shopping in H&M I ran into Angelina from Jersey Shore. Dragging around a poor fellow forcing him to try on different articles of clothing.
I was wondering if you guys ever ran into anybody famous or semi- famous, even if they were annoying to you or whatever?
Haha that’s too funny! We both had our brushes with celebs from working in advertising (we both met Kelly Clarkson, I met the cast of The View, we both met Becki Newton from Ugly Betty, I met Will Arnet from Arrested Development, I met Alicia Keys and Lenny Kravitz, etc). And on the streets we randomly ran into everyone from Kevin Bacon to Meryl Streep (my friend and I actually have a picture with Kevin Bacon haha). Everyone has been amazing and so nice except for a famous diva from The View who was a total tyrant- but that was still fun because it was such a good story to tell after that shoot wrapped.
xo,
s
Good luck on the move and fingers crossed the closing goes well…on Monday. Can’t wait to see pics of the INSIDE of your new digs.
Just wanted to wish you a happy moving day!!!!!!!!!!!
The “blue painter’s tape on fragile boxes” idea is PURE GENIUS. However — and remembering last year’s disastrous kitchen-painting fiasco at my house you’ll know how I know this — if you leave it on your kitchen cabinet doors (also genius) for too long it’ll take the paint right off when you remove it!
I don’t know how long “too long” is, but … yeah, well, two weeks is for sure too long, but I don’t know if three days is too long, too…
WAY excited for you guys!
Good Luck with the move! I think you two are the most organized movers I’ve ever seen. I could use the tips the next time I ever need to move. Random question, where did you get your TV console? And have you ever found it hard to hide clutter with the glass doors. My husband and I have been shopping for a TV console for months now – and are just not having any luck.
Again, Good Luck!
It’s from Target a few years back. We love the glass doors and use two baskets in the cabinet for hiding clutter. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
aww I still can’t believe you guys are moving! I’m so excited for you {and I can’t wait to see your new place and all of the glorious DIY projects that will take place}, but your amazing house transformation is what started me blogging in the first place. It’s been fun watching your journey as you made your house a home! It’s going to be wonderful to see what you do with house #2! :)
Good luck with the move, hope everything goes smoothly. I can’t wait to see the new place and all the plans you have for it.
Random question: where did you get your glass coffee table? LOVE it, and I’ve been looking for one with no luck.
We found that at a thrift store for $30 but Pottery Barn sells something similar. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Good Luck tomorrow guys! I’ve been thinking how impossible it would be to move tomorrow if you were in Minnesota where I live, we’re in the midst of the 5th worst snowstorm in MN history. About 12-18 inches on average.
Can’t wait for all the exciting posts to come.
One word of caution. Don’t assume Burger will take the move in stride. Our mini dachsie disappeared from our yard (while my husband was watching her!) recently and was found by her “chip” and returned to us- guess where she went? Our old house which we rent out! We have not lived there for 6 years! Please put Burger in a safe place during the move!
Wow that’s crazy! So glad she was found and returned! Our new house has a fenced in yard for Burger but we plan to keep him in his crate while we’re unpacking just in case he tries to slip out the front door while we’re going in and out. He actually loves his crate (it gives him comfort and farmiliarity in a new place). Thanks for the reminder!
xo,
s
We just moved into our first house after a three month backpacking trip and a 3 month stay in my fiance’s parent’s basement, and the remains of our apartment were packed up in liquor boxes and moving boxes in four different places in three cities. Our move was absolutely chaotic and we never knew where anything was.
But we found out very quickly that frozen meals were AMAZING to have. We stocked up from a good grocery store sale on pizzas and hot pockets and that saved us a lot of stress because we didn’t have to go searching for kitchen stuff between all the places our boxes were stored and we didn’t have to go out!
Just read your comment about different celebs you’ve met or seen – LOVE Meryl Strep so that is so cool. But, you’ve met WILL ARNET?!?!??!!?!?! AHHHHH I LOVE him – everytime I see him all I can think is “GOB BLUTH!” lol.. He seems to be funny in everything he’s in. Anyway.. just had to gush a little at how amazing that is :)
Eeek – moving day!! Hope everything is going wonderfully for you guys!