The lasts

 It's been a month of lasts.  Today was my last install into my legacy system.  Tomorrow will be my last data conversion.  It's strange, but I'm ready.  I'm starting to make schedules and plans on what I want to accomplish my first month not working full time.  I've been buying paint and the things I'm going to need for a super deep clean and painting.  This weekend I'm planning on get the dresser that has been hiding in the garage out and get it prepped to paint.  I haven't done a project like this since Sprout was born and I'm so ready.  

The basement is calling my name too, to start sorting things out and taking stuff to goodwill or putting them back for the fall 4H sale.  I think it might get stiffed this year just so I can get things cleaned out and arranged while I have the time.  My closet and storage totes are going to be shrunk down.  I'm hoping in half since I won't need office type clothes as much.  It's time to just be ruthless about what is in my closet.  I have way too many clothes.  Shoes are a hard thing for me.  I love shoes and really do have too many, but it's the hardest area for me to purge.  I wear a lot of different ones all the time so it truly is hard for me to decide.  

A long time ago I received some salvage trim as a gift.  I've been wanting to get it all cleaned up and painted so that as I paint a room in the house the cheap trim comes out and the nice old trim goes in. I'm going to try as hard as I can to make this happen this year.  I'm hoping that as FarmBoy see progress on all of my plans that he's happy and wants me to continue.  There are several house projects that need done that no one has the time to do and I'm hoping to get to them.  I know I'm biting off more than I can chew, but if I do it in little nibbles then I think I can make a big difference by the time snow flies.  At least that is my current plan.

During all of this I need to sew a quilt that I've had cut for years that FarmBoy is waiting on.  I've got a plan on how to do this so that he doesn't know I'm doing it.  It's hard to keep secrets in the tiny 2 bedroom house that we have, but I'm determined to do it.  Now I need to get Sprout on board with all of this.  When she sees that I'm really serious I think she will get on board a little easier so this all depends on me.  I'm so ready at least I think I am.......

Cleaning out the office...

 I've been in the same office for more than 10 years.  Slowly over the last few weeks I've been taking things down and taking them home.  I never realized how much stuff was in my office.  The usual pictures and dishes, but there were lots of little things too. Things that the company had given us that I had on display, some Christmas decorations, and technical books.  Some of these books are for old systems that I have supported in the past and still do.  All of them will eventually go home with me.  It's policy at work that we get to keep our books.  I still have several months left before I go so I have just been slowly taking things home.  The books will be the last to go.  

The walls are almost bare and the top of my desk area is pretty much empty (I'm not taking all the stuff that work has given us. ) and the drawers are much lighter on things.  Some stuff I trashed and some stuff is still in a box at home and I'm deciding what to do with it.  The sentimental value is there and I'm not quite ready to let it go.  Maybe this summer I will be able to do this.

It's closing a chapter in my life that has been a bit hard, but I'm so looking forward to the next one.  The green house has part of it's film on it and I'm ready to start planting seeds, but the freezing temps just won't stay gone here.  The purge of the house is still happening too.  The 4H sale is the weekend after Easter so I've got to get myself in gear and get stuff gathered up to take.  My pantry area and closet are next.  There are definitely clothes I just don't see myself wearing much if ever again that need to go go go.

Time is flying by.....

 I've given the date that will be my last day at my job.  It's surreal somehow.  This has been my job for most of my adult life and I won't be coming here anymore.  Sprout is looking forward to it and FarmBoy is too in a way.  The loss of my full time income does put a burden on him, but with the house and cars all being paid for it is much less than it could be.  It's my job now to concentrate on shopping a little more wisely and to stretch things as far as I can.  When Sprout goes back to school in the fall I'll be looking for something part time to help out, but only during her school hours.  This will still allow me to help out at her school sports events and go to games, help taxi during harvest, etc.  I would like to be able to take summer's off too, but I will cross that bridge next summer.  

I'm planning for painting and for gardening and massive decluttering.  That has already started.  I had a mouse that managed to get into all my kitchen drawers before I got rid of it.  Every dish in my lower cabinets had to be taken out and washed so as I was putting things back I tried to sort through things.  I did pretty well, but I need to do another pass after living with it for awhile to see if there is more that I could part with or sell.  I was thinking of a summer yard sale, but the 4H in my county will be having a spring garage sale fund raiser so some it will be going there.  I have one more lower cabinet that the critter didn't make it to and the uppers to do before the first pass is done in the kitchen.  I'm hoping this weekend to be done, but with Sprout's birthday it might be next weekend.  

We had the roof replaced recently and they took the chimney down to below the roof line so we just need to finish dropping it all the way to the basement and haul it out.  My hall closet can then be totally redone and I'm so looking forward to it, but it will also need decluttered before that can happen.  Actually it needs emptied out so we can get to the chimney so as soon as I get all the Christmas moved back to the attic ( it was in the basement while the roof was being done so it wasn't in the way ) I will have room to pack up the shampoo etc. and store it in the basement while the renovation is done.  We decided not to go to the beach this spring break, but move it to fall break so I've got most of a week off to box it up, gut the closet and drop the chimney.  Sprout and I are going to see my new great nephew for a few days during that time so I don't have full week, but I think it can be done.  FarmBoy isn't sure how he wants to do it so I might just get started and see how it goes on my own.  His knee is having some trouble so he's not looking forward to crawling up and down the attic ladder so I think Sprout and I will try it.  She likes getting into things like this.

The only remaining "big" project is to redo the bathroom.  We only have one so that might be something we pay someone to do while we are on fall break.  It has loosely been discussed.  I think it will all depend on the cost.  I will be doing all the painting myself so that will save us a bunch of money and I don't mind doing it.  Slowly but surely the house will be decluttered and painted by the time I start looking for something part time.  I will have the payout from my unused vacation to cover during this time so I won't feel so stressed.  Bonus has been good this year so I have some extra in my mad money account to cover the paint supplies.  The garage sale could cover some additional things too like maybe some new baseboards.  The previous owners had them all replaced at some point and they are just yucky.  They installed them after some awful carpet was put in over some decent hard wood floors.  I pulled the carpet up and it just looks odd.  The drywall is a little sketchy behind it too so I think some taller baseboard would cover a lot of problems.

It's obvious that I have projects lined up for at least a little while....

The transition has started.

 Well I'm starting to train someone to do my job.  It's strange, but that was the company's decision.  I'm not sure it will work since the system is so old but I'm doing my best.  Retirement accounts have been adjusted and I'm starting to make some plans for the house like all the rooms need painted.  Some haven't been done in the 20 years we've owned it.  I'm picking paint now and as I have mad money I'm purchasing paint.  My first few weeks are going to be spent decluttering and painting.  I'm getting excited.  Some decisions still need made for expanding into the attic and creating another bedroom as well.

We keep thinking we might build on some property we already own, but with the way the economy is I think we need to fix what we have and sit tight for a bit longer.  When we had the roof done earlier this year we had the old chimney removed to just under the roof.  We will be dropping it all the way to the basement and fixing the hall closet where it was in the corner.  I might tackle taking it down to the first floor on my own.  I'd like to have my hall closet all done and rearranged before school starts in August.  The drywall will have to be patched, etc for this to happen so that is a learning curve for me.  

There is so much more, but I'm starting to ramble.  I need to make lists and just get moving when I have time.  Some of it is making supply lists so that I have stuff bought or money to purchase it put back while I'm still working.  The list is growing and I'm excited.