2013 REVIEW AT THRIFTY PARSONAGE LIVING

It's hard to believe that 2013 is already coming to a close. With the new year right around the corner, it has us looking back at what the years has held.  Below you will find a collection of events and projects that have happened at Thrifty Parsonage Living.

MOVING ACROSS COUNTRY

Hi everyone!  I'm glad to be back after being absent for a few weeks while we were moving across the country. A BIG thank you to everyone who helped me with guest posts.  I'm thankful to report our move went well.  I was a bit nervous about the thought of moving and traveling 1700 miles on winter roads, and many miles on mountain  roads. I'm thankful for answers to prayers, the Lord provided dry roads and safe travel.

Today I thought I'd share a few photos of  the final days - packing up the trucks.   The final day of packing we woke up to a beautiful morning and this was the view across the road from our home.  Oh how I will miss the breath taking view.

We rented two 26 foot trucks along with a dolly to tow our car.  Four men from our new congregation in Minnesota flew out to help with the packing and driving the trucks, while my husband and I drove our pickup pulling out boat.

Everything had to be packed very tight to save space and ensure no shifting while on the road. Heavy items such as books where placed in the front of the truck.

You can't have to many blankets.  We had 10 dozen blankets and used all of them.

The furniture was covered with blankets first, followed by shrink wrap to keep the blankets in place.  We wrapped the legs on the furniture with bubble wrap and then shrink wrap.  We used up two small and two large shrink wrap rolls.  I think we also used up 10 + rolls of packing tape for all the boxes.

My husband built a plywood ramp out of the house for easier loading, eliminating the need to go down steps.

We were so thankful for all the people who helped with our move.  We had help from our congregation in Lynden along with the men from Minnesota.  Our granddaughters even gave us a little help.

One to supervise and the other to help pack boxes :)  

My husband built some wracks to place odd shaped furniture on.  This made it possible to stack other items on top of furniture.  He also built crates around items like the lawnmower and exercise equipment.  By doing this we were able to make use of all the space in the trucks.

The men giving their backs a rest.

We finished loading the trucks by noon on Saturday, giving us the opportunity to show our guests the beautiful country side we lived in.

Mt Baker and the Twin Sisters - view behind the Parsonage.

The  Puget Sound.

Deception Pass

My next post I'll share about our new home....

The Parsonage.

FAREWELL AND SAYING GOODBYE

Saying goodbye has always been a difficult thing for me to do.  I guess I'm like my Dad in that respect, he and I would always cry when our vacation ended and we'd  leave my Uncle and Aunt in Michigan and have to go back home to Minnesota.  Tears come easily for me, and I know how hard it is to move! I remember our last move all to well.  I have such a mixture of emotions - excitement for the move, making new friends and settling into a new home, but sorrow for what we will leave behind.

 The Parsonage that we called home for sixteen years.

I'll be sad to leave behind  family and also the friends we've made in this home.

MOVING TIPS (part 3)

Here are just a few more trips to help make your move a little less stressful.

Relocation Reminders

(I have this in my moving binder.) 

 Change of address forms sent to post office.

Change of address to all subscribed papers and magazines

Transfer insurance policies or set up new ones before leaving.

Notify electric, water, gas and phone companies when to discontinue your service.
Children's school records
Doctor and Dental records

Pack a box with first arrival essentials.

(When our daughter went off to school , I told here she needed one of these boxes.  

She thought it was a bit silly, but thanked me for it later!)

 Light bulbs and flashlight 

 Medicine, Shampoo and soap

 Trash bag

 Towels

 Toilet Paper 

Paper plates and cups along with plastic silverware

 Basic tools - hammer, pliers, screwdriver 

Paper towels and napkins

 First aid items 

 Make sure this box is in an area in the truck that will be taken off first, and placed in an area that is easily accessible.

(Here's my arrival box that I've started to pack.)

TIPS FOR MOVING (part 2)

In my last post Tips For Moving   , I covered making a moving binder and packing essentials .  Today I'll be adding a few more tips.  We have always done all of our own moves, and never had the privilege of having professional movers do the job for us.  The tips I'm giving are what I've learned doing our own moves and could be different if you are dealing with a moving company.

3. Pack efficiently.

-Try to pack one room at a time placing items for the room in clearly marked boxes.  If you mix things from different rooms in one box it makes for mass confusion when unpacking.

-Make sure all the items you're packing are clean and or laundered.

-Place sheets for bedrooms in a dresser drawer .  This makes it easy to find the bedding when you are setting up the beds.  

-Use suitcases to pack extra clothing to save space.

-Fill every available space - we have packed clothing in our freezer.  Dishtowels in our microwave and light weight items in the washer and dryer.

- Do not pack items that are combustible.  If packing liquids such as laundry soap, place it in a plastic bag and then in a plastic tub with a lid.  If the liquid leaks it will not be running over all your other items in the moving truck.  When moving in the winter time and cold weather, I don't pack any of the liquid items just to avoid any items freezing.

4. Label Each Box Well

Place a label on each box and at the top of the label write which room it is for.

Under the room name include some of the main contents in the box,

marking fragile items clearly.  ( I mark FRAGILE in red).

-I used recipe cards and self stick labels for marking our boxes.

TIPS FOR MOVING

Hi everyone! I'm planning to share a few post over the next few days on moving tips. My post may be a bit brief for a while because of being so busy with moving.

Tips For Moving

# 1  Create a moving binder.

Keep track of everything in a binder - moving costs, estimates and an inventory of your items.
Keep a log of transfer of records - school, dental, medical records, newspapers, magazine, change of address and change of email address.

#2 If you're doing your own packing, 

get the essential supplies. 

Collect boxes from grocery stores or buy them from a moving company or large stores such as Home Depot.   Mattress bags or boxes are a must to prevent damage to your mattress.

We have found these items to be essential along with many rolls of packing tape and paper.  We usually go to our local newspaper office and buy unprinted paper end rolls.  This works great for wrapping and does not give off ink like newspapers do.

Shrink wrap and bubble wrap are also two must haves. 

You can use this to wrap around mirrors, photos, and other delicate items.

AN UPDATE ON THE PROGRESS OF OUR MOVE

 I know I've been MIA this past week, but it's been a bit busy here with packing in full bloom.  You might be wondering about the progress of our move.  I'm starting to feel like I'm drowning in a sea of cardboard boxes.  The parsonage isn't that large and with everything having to be placed in boxes, we are now walking through allies of boxes.

If you've ever done a large move across  the country yourself, you'll know what a HUGE and daunting chore it is.  First it's the going through and sorting of everything.  Then the endless yards of paper and wrapping of each item.  There are the many trips to the grocery stores for FREE moving boxes, and numerous trips to Goodwill to get rid of the stuff you've purged.

I feel like I'm living in limbo, our house doesn't feeling like home anymore.  Once the pictures come off the walls and curtains come down the house starts to have an empty feel to it.

I'm hoping to do a post (if I have time) on tips for moving. I think I've learned a few things along the way that are helpful, since this is our 13th move in 33years of marriage.  I'm also still looking for a few more people willing to do a guest post for me.  The post doesn't have to be a new post, you could share a post you've done on your blog already.  Please send me an email if your interested.

thriftyparsonageliving(at)gmail(dot)com

Thanks!

Joy

LIFE CHANGING NEWS

Happy New Year everyone!   

I wanted to pop in quickly and let you know that I haven't forgotten about you completely.  There are many changes taking place here at Thrifty Parsonage Living.  In fact we have taken on a HUGE life changing project.

 My husband has had several inquires over the past months and now has received a call to serve as pastor to another church.