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Wow. You guys? Ross and I moved this weekend. I'm slowly going crazy. I miss my old house in Hyde Park, all of five miles away, we don't have internet yet (the horror!), and we are bickering about the most ridiculous things. Example:
Me: I feel strongly that the armoir needs to go against THAT WALL. [Emphatic pointing finger]
Ross: Why don't we take out the armoir altogether, and try using these neat antique drawers instead?
Me: No, no, no. That just won't work, it won't look good because --
Ross: [Removes armoir]
Me: What are you doing!
Ross: Here, now we have drawers in the living room. This is awesome.
Me: [Resolves to choose battles wisely]
Ross: Ok, couches.
Me: Oh no. What about our couches?
Ross: Let's have them directly facing each other.
Me: No!
Ross: Why not?
Me: Because it will look like the people sitting on them are on a panel, judging the people across from them on the other couch.
Ross: ... ?
Like that.
I was beginning to feel really sorry for myself yesterday, when it took me approximately 18 minutes to find a spoon, then I heard about Osama Bin Laden and realized: Perhaps there are larger issues in the world.
Anyway. What I really need is to get out, take a break, and absorb some creativity and inspiration. I am going to this awesome art show in my old hood (tear) on Thursday night, at Gallery Black Lagoon:
Back to moving.
Do any of you guys have tips on moving? On getting settled? On what is a reasonable time frame to feel like your new home is truly "yours?"
One positive outcome of the moving stress is that Claudia, our demon cat, has now transformed into the sweetest pet EVER. We think it's because she's not allowed to go outside yet and kill things. In other words, she's finally becoming domesticated.
8 comments:
1. Put things away every day until there are no stacks left. Everything seems uncomfortable while you have stuff sitting around waiting for a home. Think of those plates. You're sitting here waiting for your new place to feel like your home, but those plates don't even HAVE a home yet.
2. Put things on the wall. Art, pictures, anything. Empty walls make a dwelling feel so empty.
3. Paint walls where possible. Christina and I have painted our last three places within the first two weeks of moving in. White walls are fronwy-times.
All this being said, we didn't feel at home for quite a while, maybe even a year. We still change rooms, reorganize and re-decorate.
The best advice is probably to get a room feeling "good" and don't stress about it feeling "perfect".
Moving is such a pain in the butt! I try and focus on one room at a time. Tackle the essentials first (bathroom/kitchen) and don't panic if you can't find a spot for everything. Set it aside in a box that you can sort through later once everything else is settled. I moved a month ago and am still living in boxes. Have patience, my dear. You'll feel at home in no time.
I love you guys. @Tony -- genius idea -- I can buy art at THE BICYCLE POSTER SHOW! Bam. Also, you and Christina are such master decorators that I totally trust your judgment. I would hire Christina in a heart beat to by my personal interior decorate. :) Word up on painting, white walls make me depressed. The walls are painted now, but I'm itching for more vibrant colors.
@Heather -- That makes me feel SO much better! And seriously, we need to make this meeting a reality. Remind me what area you live in?
Awesome advice from Tony & Heather - adding it to MY strategy since I'm barely post-move as well. I'm finding that it's all in the balance: staying consistent with tackling all that needs to be done, but also remembering to stop and savor the fact that you're in your NEW HOME! Don't forget to take a break & have those little life celebrations, like enjoying dinner together in your new kitchen.
I have moved many times due to work or really the husband's work and find that it takes a few months to "get to know" your new home. As Heather said start putting away the essentials in bathroom and the kitchen. Eventually your house will tell you where to put the furniture and you will think "of course that is where the armoir should go!".
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I feel you. The difference between you and I, though, is you were EXCITED about this move. I wasn't. The few things that helped me get settled, though, may help you even more since you actually are excited. The things that got me settled the most quickly were, one, making sure to do the same things we did in the old house--strange, quirky things, like watching tv shows in bed at night while eating ice cream, having Sunday be a family day, going bike riding - things we do normally but that get thrown off kilter and forgotten about but still desperately needed in the hustle of a move. A second thing that would've helped had I done it, but I didn't do it the entire year we were there because I didn't want to be there, was decorate and make it feel comfortable immediately. Make sure to have the same or new cozy type of spots you had in the old place. A third thing that I didn't do until way too late, but did end up making happy memories in the place was make new traditions--find new nearby places to walk to or drive to that are different from the old places you walked to and drove to but are just as unique and enjoyable. Finally, scout all the eating places in a one mile radius. We tend to eat out a lot and a few times we ended up driving fifteen minutes away to near our old place to eat solely because we didn't scout out the places near us and when it got time to eat, we were too cranky to do it. If I think of more, I'll let you know. So glad you asked, I've been meaning to write this down, and now that I have, I will save it for a post : ) !
@Camille -- YOU ARE SO RIGHT! I finally have a big, beautiful backyard -- with a hammock! -- that I have frankly ignored, being too busy to find a spatula or whatever. It's so important to savor this sense of newness, of a fresh start -- thank you for reminding me of that.
@Laura -- You are so wise, about the house telling YOU where the furniture should go. Yes. We finally got the bathroom and kitchen both stocked so life is more manageable day-to-day now -- which is a relief. Anyway, I think once the furniture finds its "home," and I have decorated, this place will finally start to feel like ours. Still seems like this random, messy bed and breakfast that we just happen to be crashing in for a few nights, but I know that will change.
@Womans World Magazine -- You are so sweet! Thank you. I will definitely check out your site!
@Pink Sun Drops -- Hi Rose! Oh my gosh yes -- rituals. Amen to that. We don't have our TV set up yet, but I am dying to have a little movie night at the house like we did at the old place. And I totally agree with you about decorating! Which is good, since decorating is one of my true joys in life. Also -- yes to walks and getting to know new restaurant haunts. God, walks especially are so important to me, and I just haven't made time for them yet. Now that I've heard from you how helpful they are when readjusting, I will.
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