Austin Adventures: Chapter One

 Well, the past 5 days have certainly been an adventure for the Powers/McKenna clan, and appropriately, it has been a tremendous one as “everything is bigger in Texas”... apparently even problems.
We drove our first 11 hours on Monday and made it to Nashville by 9:30pm, where we settled in to the Best Western Music Row for the night (note the suede guitar on the pillow and the gold satin sheets). In the morning we continued our journey to Austin, Texas, passing through Memphis, Little Rock and Dallas on our way.

We set up camp at the La Quinta in Cedar Park, Texas on Tuesday night, finding comfort knowing that we would be settling into our new home on Thursday (even if our furniture wouldn’t be delivered until Sunday). As they say…”Even the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.” No exception in our case.

 As some of you may know, the owners of the home we were purchasing were “pills,” to say the least. Seems their new home in sunny Florida didn’t change their dispositions.

Because of delays, we were unable to close on Thursday, and our agent was working on setting up a lease for us to be in the house even for a week until the home formally closed. Well, no dice. The owners, who had originally agreed to the lease, changed their minds and headed back to Florida without a cell phone.
Long story short (and $2000 of earnest money later) we have walked away from the home and are starting over.
There is truth in the saying that “everything happens for a reason” because we have realized that Leander was not the right place for us. We are now searching closer to Austin, and Chris’s work. We will be getting much less for the money, but don’t fret fam jam, you will all have a place to stay when you come…our number 1 criteria is plenty of bedrooms.

On a happier note, Austin is treating us well, although we brought the cold with us on Tuesday. There was even an older lady in Target ‘stocking up’ for the ‘big freeze'!.

Chris has been working away and I am starting volunteer work on Monday evening. I will be working at Manos de Cristo with low income, mostly immigrant adults, for 3 hours every Monday night until December, teaching them computer skills. Finding the place was an adventure in itself as I walked into a building with a no firearms and weapons sign on the door next to a tattooed girl. My feeling that I was in the wrong place was confirmed when a man asked me if I was here on probation…good thing I had my guard dog Gracie with me!

The actual facility is very nice (not like the probation office!) and the people are very friendly. *Bonus: I can even listen in on the Citizen classes and get a few pointers!

I have bought a Kindle (courtesy of my Birthday) and am attending my first book club on November 5. I am working on my listening skills so EVERYONE has a chance to speak too.
We miss home desperately, but we are starting to adapt. It will be easier once we have a home to call our own…for now we call Extended Stay America ‘home.’
Love and miss you all.
 
Meg, Gracie, Sadie…and oh ya, Chris too!
xoxoxo

Label Lust

 Armed with my label maker, I feel as though I can conquer the world; or at least household clutter anyways. From identifying the contents of your pantry shelves to keeping your personal documents organized, labels will help simplify your life.

These labels are not only practical, they are pretty too!

Great for the Kitchen – use & reuse for food identification & organization – keep up with your changing pantry with the help of Michael Yates.




Help save Mother Earth in style with these recycling bin labels from Poppytalk.





Keep your boxes organized and your sanity in tact with these printable moving labels from Martha Stewart.





These monogrammed wrap-around address labels from Paper Patch Ink add a fun touch to sending and receiving ‘snail mail.’

Movers & Shakers

There just isn't enough information out there on moving and packing. Not organized moving and packing anyways. So it's a good thing I started organizing our move to Austin back in January before we even knew it was confirmed...hey, you can never be TOO organized!

For those of you who, like me, love to plan, prepare and perfect just about everything you do, I am going to share what I have learned (through trial and error) about how to keep it together while organizing a long distance move.


Boxes & Paper & Labels, Oh My!

So when my moving company quoted me $38.49 to pack a box (yes that’s $38.49 per packed box) I said what I say anytime I need/love something …”I can do that.” …and so I did…

Here’s what you need for a successful packing kit (quantities will vary by household):


Labels

 I, personally, am partial to the Chateau brand labels (available at Solutions). This kit includes labels that are colour-coded by room and include labels for the STUDY, MASTER BED RM, KITCHEN, FAMILY ROOM, LIVING ROOM, among others.

There are a variety of brands out there, so research the ones that work best for you.In my case buying, rather than making, my labels was the most cost-efficient method (once you factor time, convenience, ink and labels). These labels will help to keep you and your movers organized on moving day.


Paper & Bubble Wrap

Here’s where you have an opportunity to save. Start saving those old newspapers and flyers!! I save the newsprint for padding so that the ink doesn’t transfer onto my hands, or my belongings. When you run out of newspapers, stores carry large packing paper in rolls or sheets. For me, the loose sheets are more efficient because you don’t have to whip out the scissors every time you need a piece. For your more delicate items, use bubble wrap. BUY BULK! Trust me, you will always need more than you think. I am using U Haul’s small bubble wrap (you get an extra 10 feet of wrap with the small bubble’s versus the large) and love the perforated detail. Instead of cutting, you just choose your size and tear. VOILA!

 
Boxes

They make a box for pretty much everything, but they often don’t come cheap. U Haul has a buy back program where they will buy back any unused boxes, but they are still pricey. Check your local Kijiji or Craigslist for anyone selling used boxes, or alternatively, sell yours once you unpack and recoup some of your costs. You can get anything from sport boxes for your golf clubs to wardrobe boxes for your clothes. These wardrobe boxes are great when you don’t have the time to take your clothes off their hangers, fold, pack, then repeat (in reverse) once you get to your new home.
If you have musical instruments, such as guitars, call your local music store and ask for some boxes, they are usually happy they don't have to break them down and will give them to you for free.
Buy boxes to suit you size and dimensions of the items you are packing. That way you are ensuring that your belongings will arrive in one piece.


Don't Forget....

-Tape
-Permanent Marker
-Wine (that's the part that will keep you sane)
-Utility Knife


Now you are set to Pack the Perfect Box!

Moving Announcements

My First Shot a Graphic Design...

With our move to Austin just weeks away I wanted to make sure that we shared our new address with our friends and family in a unique (and inexpensive) way. I found my inspiration on Etsy, where there are dozens of custom & stock designs to choose from.

Here are a few of my favourites:



I love the simplicity of this one from Four Harp Designs:

And check out this carborard box-inspired design from Viavacious Designs:

This modern postcard design from West Willow also caught my eye:

It is really gratifying to create something personal to get the 'moving' message out...in style!