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Caffeinated and Calm in the Calamity! Buttt….and it’s a big BUT

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2 Alden Court

One week ago we closed on this gem (not the best pic but the photographer is 7 years old). Saturday we got right to work! Although we love our new house, we bought it for its good bones. As the new flooring was delivered (yay!) Shaun and I got to work ripping out the rugs. This was a bigger undertaking than I ever imagined and a lot of physical labor. I’m coining the term wife labor instead of child labor because I really didn’t sign up for this!

Thankfully the girls were just happy to be in the new house with their essentials, American Girl dolls, gymnastics mats, balance beam, Magnaforms, bikes and their new love, which was so very graciously left for them by the previous owners, a piano.

Packed in with the “essentials”
Pianists in the making

Then around midday, my mom aka “Mushy”, came to take the girls for a sleepover. This was such a blessing because Shaun and I powered through the cutting, ripping, rolling, and throwing the rugs and pads out our bedroom window. There was sooo much dust I could not believe it! We had to wear face masks almost the whole time. By the time we were done I could not feel my fingertips and the bottom of my feet were completely swollen.

The pic below is about 2/3 of what we ripped out. After, we went back to our boxed up house, scoured for food and passed out exhausted. The next morning we returned to our now carpet free home and started pulling out staples. Oh, I know this is an invigorating life I lead (insert sarcasm overload)! After that, the girls returned, we ate, they played some more, and got ready for a typical Monday.

2/3 of the rugs OUT

This particularly vitalizing Monday for me involved a 7:45am meeting, caffeinating, packing, inspector #1, packing, inspector #2, picking up the girls, homework and snack, caffeinating, inspector #3, dinner and crashing in bed.

The original plan was that Friday the movers would come and start Day 1 of the big move. Friday night we have our town’s Trunk or Treat. Saturday is Day 2, the last day, of the move. Sunday was emptying and organizing some kitchen boxes. Monday was the BIG DAY! The closing on our house in BT. The girls last day, and what a fun way to have a last day at their school, will be Tuesday/Halloween. For trick or treating we will enjoy our last Halloween on The Lane with all of our people.

BUTTTTTT plans change and we roll with it. The closing was pushed back a bit. The girls will go to school until NJ Teacher’s Convention week and the movers will also come then too. The silver lining, lemonade from lemons, break in the clouds is that the flooring should be done before we move in and potentially some painting, electrical work, more too.

So for now, we are cracking the tape on some boxes to get some essentials out, but not unpacking anything and the girls will remain in school. We continue to work on the new house and live a little in both places. I vow to continue to remain caffeinated and calm in all of the calamity!

I did get to enjoy coffee by myself Sunday morn on my deck aka my new fav place!

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Morning on the deck

Here’s a beautiful picture of driving to Home Depot for the 3rd time in one day

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Beautiful drives

Guess what’s happening Yesterday?! UPDATED

At 4:30pm today/Thursday, we are CLOSED on our new house at eLend!!!!!!! So exciting and made it a Hamman family event!!!!

Sealing the deal!
The Hammans are all smiles at eLend!

 

The hardwood flooring is being delivered on Saturday and I can NOT wait until the rug upstairs is out and the new floors are in. I really can not wait until it’s in the whole house but the top floor is getting done and needs it first. Have I mentioned how much I freaking love these floors…LOOOOOVE! Once there are a few boards down I will post more pics of the lovliness as whole.

Deep Condition
Final Results

Today I finallllly found time to get my hair done. It really needed it! So fresh feeling and new and revived a bit. Pics above. Another big moment this week was buying some furniture for the new house. We had a lot of cheap, hand me down, and generic furniture still because it was easy and just didn’t want to replace it until we knew what we wanted. The move has really opened our eyes to the modge podge and, thanks to my friends (I wish!) Joanna and Chip Gaines, we are going for the farmhouse style. It’s easier when a husband and wife agree on whatever it may be and for the most part in life Shaun and I do, including the style for our new home thank goodness.

A few days ago we ordered our new bed for the master (and a few other things, wink wink) and it was the first time I had something delivered to our new address which was special. Along with that purchase, we also acquired some antique furniture from a buyer for a famous designer. We brought home an apothecary chest, a cobblers storage hutch, two metal stools, a beautiful sofa table I’m going to fixer upper, and my favorite, an old school metal card catalog we will repurpose as a coffee table. If they weren’t stuffed in the garage under some lighting I’ve also purchased, I’d show some pics but it’ll be prettier in the new house so you’re gonna have to wait patiently for the big reveal. Facebook Marketplace has been an amazing place for me to find these really expensive items I think we’ll make the new house our home for a lot less. Also, setting up a Wayfair business account saves 15% on each order too.

I know I’ve said it before but it still befuddles me that I am still throwing bags and bags of stuff away and still donating bags and bags of stuff to Big Brothers Big Sisters. It’s so mentally cleansing to do this much cleansing of our crap. How did we acquire this much crap? Reading the above paragraphs may make it seem like I’m a big shopper/buyer but it’s not the norm for me at all. In all honesty we really did get great deals on each and every thing we’ve bought and they’re all pivotal items we need. What I’m throwing out isn’t furniture either it’s just shtuff. I’ve sold or posted any furniture we didn’t want to bring with us so that someone else can use it. At least we are moving with only what we need. The movers first day is next Friday so I still have time to purge more thank goodness lol. I’m moving so fast that I took this picture of me running img_6420rampant by accident with my phone

During all of this cleansing of excess and junk, I have donated about two-thirds of my clothing. One of the best parts of getting rid of the unessential, unworn, or cruddy clothing is that it opens the door to wearing more “adult” clothes and less lounge wear or so I thought anyway. I still find myself wearing sweats and yoga pants, especially during the packing/purging days that have been one after another the past few weeks. I’m still holding hope that once we settle I’ll adapt a new sense of adulting when I get ready in the morning.

Monday I called Shaun at work with tears in my eyes because I had to share with him my feelings. After spending the morning scheduling town inspections, dropping stuff at the school, and packing, I realized that I’m internally confused. Yes I am 100% not in denial that we are packing to move but I don’t feel like I’m going to leave this house at the same time. Ok, ok, ok I know that sounds a little cray cray and like I’m in a state of denial but to clarify, I half feel excited to move to our new house, have a fresh start, etc… but the other half doesn’t feel like we are really going to leave this house, the girls won’t stop attending their school, we’ll still food shop at the same stores, I’ll get mail from the same mailbox, Gilmore will still go out the sliding glass door to the backyard, and it’ll all remain the same. I’m torn.

Ok now that I’ve made the big announcement, it’s time to get back to work aka packing. I’ll have more pictures for you soon so you can see the new abode. Hoping things hit home and my emotions start to level out. Prayers welcome and as always, any advice or helpful hints please leave in the comments.

I ordered business cards and can not wait to show you when they come in! Exciting!

Become a FOLLOWER so you don’t miss any of the fun or at least the emotional rollercoaster I’m riding…

 

Guess what’s happening TODAY?! UPDATED

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At 4:30pm today/Thursday, we are CLOSED on our new house at eLend!!!!!!! So exciting and made it a Hamman family event!!!!

Sealing the deal!
The Hammans are all smiles at eLend!

 

The hardwood flooring is being delivered on Saturday and I can NOT wait until the rug upstairs is out and the new floors are in. I really can not wait until it’s in the whole house but the top floor is getting done and needs it first. Have I mentioned how much I freaking love these floors…LOOOOOVE! Once there are a few boards down I will post more pics of the lovliness as whole.

Deep Condition
Final Results

Today I finallllly found time to get my hair done. It really needed it! So fresh feeling and new and revived a bit. Pics above. Another big moment this week was buying some furniture for the new house. We had a lot of cheap, hand me down, and generic furniture still because it was easy and just didn’t want to replace it until we knew what we wanted. The move has really opened our eyes to the modge podge and, thanks to my friends (I wish!) Joanna and Chip Gaines, we are going for the farmhouse style. It’s easier when a husband and wife agree on whatever it may be and for the most part in life Shaun and I do, including the style for our new home thank goodness.

A few days ago we ordered our new bed for the master (and a few other things, wink wink) and it was the first time I had something delivered to our new address which was special. Along with that purchase, we also acquired some antique furniture from a buyer for a famous designer. We brought home an apothecary chest, a cobblers storage hutch, two metal stools, a beautiful sofa table I’m going to fixer upper, and my favorite, an old school metal card catalog we will repurpose as a coffee table. If they weren’t stuffed in the garage under some lighting I’ve also purchased, I’d show some pics but it’ll be prettier in the new house so you’re gonna have to wait patiently for the big reveal. Facebook Marketplace has been an amazing place for me to find these really expensive items I think we’ll make the new house our home for a lot less. Also, setting up a Wayfair business account saves 15% on each order too.

I know I’ve said it before but it still befuddles me that I am still throwing bags and bags of stuff away and still donating bags and bags of stuff to Big Brothers Big Sisters. It’s so mentally cleansing to do this much cleansing of our crap. How did we acquire this much crap? Reading the above paragraphs may make it seem like I’m a big shopper/buyer but it’s not the norm for me at all. In all honesty we really did get great deals on each and every thing we’ve bought and they’re all pivotal items we need. What I’m throwing out isn’t furniture either it’s just shtuff. I’ve sold or posted any furniture we didn’t want to bring with us so that someone else can use it. At least we are moving with only what we need. The movers first day is next Friday so I still have time to purge more thank goodness lol. I’m moving so fast that I took this picture of me running img_6420rampant by accident with my phone

During all of this cleansing of excess and junk, I have donated about two-thirds of my clothing. One of the best parts of getting rid of the unessential, unworn, or cruddy clothing is that it opens the door to wearing more “adult” clothes and less lounge wear or so I thought anyway. I still find myself wearing sweats and yoga pants, especially during the packing/purging days that have been one after another the past few weeks. I’m still holding hope that once we settle I’ll adapt a new sense of adulting when I get ready in the morning.

Monday I called Shaun at work with tears in my eyes because I had to share with him my feelings. After spending the morning scheduling town inspections, dropping stuff at the school, and packing, I realized that I’m internally confused. Yes I am 100% not in denial that we are packing to move but I don’t feel like I’m going to leave this house at the same time. Ok, ok, ok I know that sounds a little cray cray and like I’m in a state of denial but to clarify, I half feel excited to move to our new house, have a fresh start, etc… but the other half doesn’t feel like we are really going to leave this house, the girls won’t stop attending their school, we’ll still food shop at the same stores, I’ll get mail from the same mailbox, Gilmore will still go out the sliding glass door to the backyard, and it’ll all remain the same. I’m torn.

Ok now that I’ve made the big announcement, it’s time to get back to work aka packing. I’ll have more pictures for you soon so you can see the new abode. Hoping things hit home and my emotions start to level out. Prayers welcome and as always, any advice or helpful hints please leave in the comments.

I ordered business cards and can not wait to show you when they come in! Exciting!

Become a FOLLOWER so you don’t miss any of the fun or at least the emotional rollercoaster I’m riding…

 

Short, Sweet, and Spazzy

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In less than one week, six days, on October 20th, we will close on our new house! For a refresher, we close on our current house on October 30th. As usual the majority of this week was consumed with packing and on top of that I also subbed for three full days. I subbed in Brie’s, my younger one, class because her teacher went into early labor (both are doing well thank God). It’s fun to be in their element and see them do their thing. Also, a bonus is getting out of the house, being forced to look like an adult for the day, and seeing the outside world. img_6343On the other hand, being out of the house when I need to do so much within those three full days was not on the docket.

Monday we celebrated Natalie’s tenth birthday at Six Flags Great Adventure. It rained hard in the beginning, turned to a drizzle, and then let up. We went with her BFF, her mom and bro. It was amazing to go during Fright Fest on Columbus Day and ride the rides with no lines and repetitively without even having to get off. The day really couldn’t have gone any better and been more fun.

Ready to ride the rides
Natalie and her peeps

Thursday night we met one of my closest friends and her daughters who live in our current town for dinner and then we went for ice cream. I refuse to have any goodbyes, lasts, or farewell events and especially with someone I am so close to and who is such a great person and friend. I know that times will come when I say goodbye to some people but I know that my true friends will be in my life for longer than our time here in our current town. This friend, and her lovely daughters, are definitely in our lives forever and I’m so thankful for that bond. Not a million but some great bonds have been formed in our time here and I wouldn’t change that for the world.

Me and the 4 girls
Ice cream cuties

This week we emptied our walk-in closet into wardrobe boxes. This after we sold our bedroom set. So now all of our clothes, underwear, socks, etc… are all in boxes that we are living out of. Never did I think that when I got out of the shower I would rummage through three or four boxes to get dressed. It gives new meaning to the phrase “out of the box”. Almost all of the kitchen is packed and that is the hardest part. There’s a lot of paper plates, plastic cups, and other landfill filling items currently being used to eat.

The girls are super excited to have a basement! Natalie (and Brie) got two gymnastics mats as part of her birthday gift. They are more than ready to put them in the basement and get to flipping, handstanding, and whatever else that keeps them going.

Just a heads up, the next blog post is going to be from our new home. So, if it’s delayed a few days or week, please stay tuned and I’ll be back ASAP. It might be short and sweet and spazzy, it might be a few short updates that are short sweet and spazzy but it’s coming…

Here’s a fun picture of me and the girls in the rain this week. All smiling and happy! img_6298

Only Two Freaking Weeks and One Day

I know that this post will sound a lot like the last but my life is a repetitive reel right now. Wake up, caffeinate, get kids off to school, caffeinate, pack, eat, pick kids up, homework, pack, eat, try and chill out, sleep and do it all over again. The new news this week is that Natalie, my oldest, is turning TEN YEARS OLD!!! How the heck did that happen?!?!

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Baby Natalie

This baby pictured above had her 10th birthday party today, she will have her first sleepover tomorrow (because I required her to be ten years old before she could have one), and Monday, her actual birthday, we are playing hookie and going to have a day of fun. A true Hamman girl birthday celebration lasts for days, revolves completely about her, and is awesome! Her birthday party was at this great little creative place called the Culture Cabin in Boonton, NJ. Erika Domanico is the owner and hosted the party where the girls made super cool dream catchers. After crafting up a storm, they had pizza and cake, then went outside to the fun outdoor space. Their is ring toss with fun colored antlers, corn hole, a little play house, hoola hoops, and so much more! I can not say enough great things about this place and highly recommend it for birthday parties, girl scout troops, ladies nights (you can bring snacks and libations), there’s a store downstairs you can go and shop for great gifts, and more! (No I am not getting paid for this plug. It’s just a cool place with a great owner!)

Me and my birthday girl <3
Her and her awesome friends

Also, this week I substituted for a day with my favorite class at our school, the Preschool. They hold a soft spot in my heart because Natalie was in the class for two years, the teachers are ridiculously amazing, and I worked in the classroom full-time for an extended time. The school knows I can’t say no to helping out in that classroom…I’m a sucker lol. However, the one day I subbed this year there was a bomb scare. The first ever since we’ve lived here. I was really happy I was there to help with the class that knows me and I can be a help to comfort, especially since the ages are from 3 to 5 years old. It was a bit scary as a parent of two kids in the school but reassuring because both of my girls were within 10 feet of where I was standing. My husband was my knight in shining armor because I text him to pick up our girls so I knew for a matter of a fact that they were safe and he immediately left work. All in all the school, police, and RVS staff did a stellar job during the whole evacuation and some of the staff without knowing what was happening. It actually makes it harder leaving because I now know without a matter of doubt that my children, at their school, are as safe as they can be in other people’s hands.

Onto home life, I can not stress enough how much packing is happening and still needs to be done. This even after I purged all summer long and continue to sell and throw things away. I wish I had a fairy wand to just make stuff disappear. Our garbage men must be completely sick of us by now and think that what we pay for our service is not near enough. It’s also amazing to me how you’re supposed to pack/prepare for moving your entire life and still maintain cleaning, laundry, cooking, school, activities, etc… The purging has been super therapeutic though and like a security blanket for my emotions.

Shaun may not agree with the emotional part. He gets the Heather who cries, hysterically at times, over stupid commercials, taking pictures off of the walls, finding mementos, remembering certain milestones in parts of the house and realizing I won’t be able to relive it there again and the list goes on and on and on. Last Monday was the last Spirit Day the girls will ever attend at their school, this Tuesday is the last birthday celebration they’ll ever have there, soon the Halloween celebrations will be over, we’ll be moving on and it won’t be our home, hometown, neighborhood, etc… anymore.

I’m positive that there will be things, moments, celebrations that I won’t be able to imagine living without in a year from now in our new home, hometown, neighborhood, etc… However, for now, I can not imagine replacing all of these things I am so fond of with new. In short, I’m a highly caffeinated hot mess and not afraid to admit it!

19 days & 29 days

19 days until we are homeowners to our new home, and second home, and 29 days until we no longer own our current home, and will only own one home. Excitement to be the new occupants of our new home is bountiful. I can not wait to get in there! Our first step is ripping up the top floor rugs and laying this beautiful hardwood flooring. I LOVE it! It’s so very Joanna Gaines style and I’m obsessed. Next step, painting the kitchen cabinets white. Then I will really feel like we are making it our perfect home.

Today we sold our bedroom set and will temporarily be sleeping on our mattress on the floor. It’s a positive step though because it was never really our style and I was definitely ready to embrace a more farmhouse/Fixer Upper/Joanna style. It took me until I was in  my late 30’s to really know what interior style was really our comfort place. Now we are ready to start fresh and really embrace it.

On a different note, I CAN NOT wait to use our new RV! Shaun and I really know now, after our first two RVs, what we needed and what we didn’t. This RV, the 2017 Highland Ridge Roamer RT328BHS, is the ideal one for us! Roomy, snuggle space, big fridge, bedrooms on opposite sides, big windows for lots of natural light, and real toilets (yes, that’s a real concern).

This weekend Natalie and I went on a Girl Scout trip in the woods, which was fun and busied my mind which was great. We came home, sold our bedroom set and some other items we know we won’t use and started removing wall decor and frames. It’s hardcore packing time this week. The house looks bare and depressing. Starting yesterday it has been a lot of tears on my part and poor Shaun is taking the brunt of it because I’m hiding it from the girls.

Big changes equals big emotions and bigger tears. The fact that I love our house, our town, our lives here is NOT helping with the total anguish I’m feeling. So I’ll need two boxes this week for sure, packing boxes and boxes of tissue. It’s on joy, fear, anger, and sadness sans the animation.

 

No Sleep Till…Moving Day?!

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I wish I could say “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” because I’d grab the car keys and pop through the Holland Tunnel for a visit. (You probably have the Beastie Boys stuck in your head now too ha ha) However, I can safely say I don’t think I’ll be getting a good night’s sleep til moving day. This past week I’ve probably racked up about 30 hours…total ugh!

What’s happening this week with me, well here’s the short of it: still maintaining normal kid schedule/activities/life, trying to handle HSA president, getting HSA president info into some sort of order, new house inspection, girl scout leader’ing, preparing for girl scout camp this weekend (we signed up 6 months ago), still maintaining chef/cleaning lady/laundress/errand runner/gardener/pool girl/dog walker, starting to organize/pack, appointments for moving/flooring/painters, we had an open house (just in case), got the new RV, trying to make the transition as seamless for the kids and maintaining good emotional well-being with the big change, helping a friend through a difficult time and having my own personal conflict with someone close to me.

Phewwww…it’s been a HELL of a week! With all things I try not to let my exhaustion and stress transfer to my girls. So many times they feed right off of my emotional temperature and I am actively trying to just be the best support and comfort for them in such a transitional time in their lives. We aren’t trying to keep them in a bubble but this house, town, school, etc… is all they’ve ever known and it’s most important to me to check in on how they are. I know kids are resilient but this is my focus in the chaos of it all. If anyone has any tips or things that have helped them through a similar time pleasssse feel free to add them to the comments section.

For those that do not know yet, here’s the skinny on the move. We have had the inspection on our new house and it went well! The closing there is scheduled for October 20th. We are under contract on our current house and could not be happier for the family who will be moving in! They are lovely people and I think God hand picked them for this house’s next occupants. We’re scheduled to close on our current house October 30th.

Here’s a little Heather factoid, my least favorite thing is the gray area and we are immersed in it in all directions right now. Even with my personal conflict happening this week, it still feels completely gray. I’m not an anxious person but this has given me so much anxiety it’s making me crazy. I truly believe that I will be A LOT more myself when we close on both houses and the what could go wrong parts are over. I don’t necessarily want to leave here but I’m ready for the gray to be black or white at this point.

At the inspection of the new house, I got to watch the realtor add the under contract sign to the for sale sign which was super exciting and a WOW it’s real moment. Also, yesterday was probably the first of many of our lasts here, the last swim in the pool (a chilly one at that). Today, I packed our first box. It’s so bittersweet and emotionally conflicting but as I’ve been saying all along, I know that we are doing what is best for our family and are looking forward!

Under Contract in LV
First of many lasts in BT
First Box Packed…5 million more to go

The Next Step

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There are so many emotions when I look at this picture of our home. So many memories, holidays, birthdays, our second daughter’s homecoming from the hospital, and milestones. More often than not, it seems surreal and quick. We’ve talked about making a change in our lives for longer than most people realize. Choosing to downsize our outgoing bills, which in turn gives us the ability to RV more and feel free to do more outside of our home without the guilt of leaving it behind, has been in the cards for a while.

There are times in my life that I question what we do, but I do not question this decision to make life better for my family. Shaun and I, although a bit crazy at times, are a team through and through. We have sat down many nights talking this through, weighing our options, looking into school systems, communities, considering life elsewhere and we know in our heart of hearts that this is where we were meant to be at this point in our lives and the girls’ lives.

Our intent is to be in our new home until the girls are into college and who knows from there. Maybe we’ll RV full-time, go on safari, become cruise ship navigators (ok that’s a far stretch), but Shaun and I are up for adventures and that’s what this is kind of. I am not sure moving within the same county is a true adventure but it’s a choice to leave our secure and comfortable life in our town where we’ve grown roots for the past seven years and move into a brand new one where we need a GPS to get around in.

I know not everyone is a believer in Jesus Christ but for me there is nothing, absolutely nothing, more important to me in life than my faith in God. It is true that my family comes second to Him. I know this takes people by surprise sometimes when I say that my family comes second. But my faith, trust and love for God leads me on the paths we take with comfort and confidence because through all of our decisions I continually pray about it and know He guides us.

I am not trying to preach or convert anyone but to share with you how and why I don’t question this or how I felt confident very quickly after finding the house we are in attorney review. Yes, there are still moments when I walk into the girls school and get a little teary eyed that we won’t be a part of what we have here anymore. Yes, there are moments when I drive down my road, into our lovely neighborhood and wave to my lovely neighbors that touches my heart. Yes, when I walk through my mudroom door into my memory filled and beautiful kitchen and home and get a little choked up. I do know that our friends will still be our friends, we will still come back and visit “The Lane”, there will still be nights at Johnnys, we will still feel love in our hearts for BT and that won’t ever change!

But…now it’s time to take our adventure, move on, and take the next step.

What’s going on with the Hammans?

Where do I begin with “what’s going on with the Hammans?”  In short, we are selling our beautiful home in our beloved town. As sad as it is, we are moving to an equally lovely town and have found some homes that we can see as our forever homes. It’s so tricky the emotional waves that sneak up on me about it all.

We look at homes and its new, exciting, and another adventure with my loves. I know we are making the best decision long-term but pulling the girls from all they know is hard. We have so many roots in our town, so many great people, so much vested in it all that the thought of starting over is terrifying and unnerving. The hardest part is the emotional waves Natalie has over it. She also gets excited for the adventure and newness of it all but then has moments of not wanting to leave her friends, school, gymnastics gym, etc… She breaks my heart! In my heart of heart I know they are still very young and very resilient. I know that they will have bands of friends, activities, plans for play dates and we’ll all fall into a pattern.

This moves allows us to go RVing more and not feel guilty leaving our big house with the pool we spent so much money on behind when we do. We’ll be able to get our food straight from local sources. We’ll be able to bike for long distances, hike from around the corner, and be close to very amazing friends.

Many people move and many people move multiple times but I can tell you that except for some unexpected devastation, this is the last time we move until both girls are in college! It’s going to be an adventure, there’s going to be unexpected downfalls and happy surprises…wait and see!