November 1, 2026 Sunday

Greetings!

I was so excited to have all the main boxes unpacked that I couldn't help but keep going.  Thought the three big boxes I had them put in the living room were full of empty containers & boxes, so I started emptying those next.  

Why would I have that many empty containers?  Well, every time I moved I needed either more or less containers and different sizes as I unpacked and settled in.  By the time I moved up here in 1999 I had moved a little over 30 times since I left home after I graduated (lost count after 30 moves), so I had a lot of settling-in-to-a-new-home experience.  This is only my third move in all these years since I moved to Fargo.  I have settled down considerably--lol! 

Anyways, I got rid of quite a lot of the endless empties after I moved to North Sky.  I thought I was never going to move again.  It turned out only two of the big boxes were full of empty containers.  The third one just had a couple on the top and the rest was containers full of craft supplies--lol!  I piled empties all over the kitchen table, but later had to clear a space for me to be able to use.  So, I sent off a stack of cardboard or paper boxes off to recyclables plus a few plastic ones.

(BTW--plan to get rid of all extra empty containers after this final settling in.)

Can now walk around the other side of the table again and get to my "writing" rollie carts.

I had cleared off most of the center table in the studio--but now it is filled with the contents of the third big box from the living room--lol!  

How could I not have wondered where my embossing powders or my Misti were!  My brain has been on overload--lol!

I haven't mentioned to Leah yet...but I think I may go back to my metal paper shelves.  These cardboard paper shelves Leah found on Facebook Marketplace for so cheap...I thought they would be perfect.

But with the lip in front of each slot it is harder to get all the paper out...because the red trays are too small for the 8 1/2" X 11" to lie flat, so I can't use the trays for my cardstock after all...those were the largest trays I could get and just fit.  This has caused a lot of mind-wrassling.

I think I want to go back to my big metal paper racks.  (The other one is still in that big box next to it.)

We only paid $10 each for the ones from that office, so it's not like I'm out a fortune, or anything.  I'm 95% convinced to give them away.  Or possibly keep one and give one away.  One of those things that you find yourself thinking about as you are trying to fall asleep or as you are waking up--lol!  

Anyways, for a few more days I was hauling all the things from the three big boxes around and clearing things off tables...let's just say I overdid it--lol!  Could barely walk...neck, shoulders, and arms were also screaming at me.  Fibro and arthritis were both angry with me.  So I have had a forced vacation for a few days.  Am feeling quite a bit better.

In the meantime...Leah has pink eye.  So I have been quarantining myself from McFamily.  So far, no one else has gotten it in these past few days and Leah is doing better.  We might be in the clear.  Last thing I want with me finally feeling I am on the mend from the cough again and needing eye surgery--lol!  

I am thinking of switching the day I post the blog again.  I switched it because Dagan and Leah were helping me on the weekends and were usually down here on Sundays.  I used to write the blog on Sundays for posting early Monday mornings.  That's why I switched to writing it on Saturdays for early Sunday posting.  I think I am going to try switching to writing it on Mondays for early Tuesday posting.  The only thing I will have on a Monday will be the eye surgery.  All my other appointments have never been on Mondays.  It does take me a long time to write a blog post due to needing breaks for various reasons, so I have to write them the day before.  

Now that I brought it up...I will post the blog next time--not this coming Tuesday but the Tuesday after that.  Let me look it up.  Tuesday, November 10th!  Tuesdays will be my new blog day.  Okay--that's settled.

Really difficult to sneak up on a cat.

I've got little on my mind other than paper racks and the midterm elections, anyways.  I seem to be finally getting over the cough/cold so am hopeful I will be able to have surgery later in November.  I am about in decent enough shape to continue on with the organizing in here.  I will leave you on those positive notes.  See you in ten days!  Am hopeful for the elections, too.  Till then...

October 25, 2026 Sunday

Greetings!  Tons of pictures (showing the new form of chaos--lol!)!  As you know, last Saturday Dagan and Leah brought in another eleven boxes and then Leah spent hours tearing down the paper sheets.  On Sunday Leah came to cut down the tagboard so I could make labeled dividers for for the paper sheets...

...and she brought in a couple of big boxes fort me that had my old paper holders in them, too. 

 One on each end of the table.

I had stacks of the paper sheets piled around in the studio.

Brought the stacks in to the kitchen table one by one, labeled the dividers, and got the paper organized in the paper dresser.  Allie slept through most of that.  lol!

Took up four drawers.

Which means I have two drawers left over for paper tablets, art journals, etc!  Whoohoo!  Of which a lot of them are shoved into the hutch shelves over here.

Allie had decided to supervise at the end of that project.  When I was done she didn't want to leave the table.

I took a picture of how many boxes were left at that time in the storage room...only about half a dozen!

There are boxes that need to just stay in storage, bins of tools for the move (for attaching things to the walls, etc.), and Christmas decorations that will probably end up in the garage.

A lot of odds and ends, but not much left that I needed to unpack!  Whoohoo!

Dagan and Leah said they could come down Wednesday night since they would be gone for the weekend to Warroad (where they are now).  I started unloading the boxes they had brought in on Saturday.

I knew I would need the 12" X 12" plastic paper racks, so I wiped them all down clean and shiny.

I wanted to be ready for whatever time they had Wednesday night, right?  Well, Dagan and the boys came down after Dagan was done working.  Liam helped me move paper reams and Ian helped daddy move a lot of broken-down boxes and packing paper for recycling.  There wasn't much else for the boys to do at that point because I needed things done up high (like remove a high shelf and put things away up in the top shelves) so they went upstairs.  Dagan helped me move things around and took a shelf out for me so I could put in the 12" X 12" paper racks.  We started just kind of shoving stuff here and there.  No real organizing other than rudimentary--like just stick cardstock randomly in the paper racks--lol!

Leah came down after she was done working and joined in.  We just emptied boxes and stuck things here and there in the shelves.  I can organize it all later, right?  The amazing thing was...we got through ALL THE BOXES!!!  Yup!  Even the other half dozen in the storage room!!  (Blogger won't let me center this photo for some reason.)

There's chaos everywhere...but a new and better form of chaos--lol!  Kitchen table--found some boxes of letter writing materials that belong in the living room.

The big box by the kitchen table has the old metal 8 1/2" X 11" paper racks in it.  When I am done and know for sure I don't need them, I can donate them.  The smaller box has all my older wooden block stamps that I have no clue where they will go but these are the ones I couldn't part with.  ;)

The studio has no more boxes to empty under the table.  Stuff is stacked everywhere...but it is basically unpacked.

Found the rest of the art supplies for the old wall shelves finally.

Even with stuff stacked and piled everywhere...and just shoved here and there...I can tell it is all probably going to fit!

I had obviously downsized even more than I had thought I did.  Hurray!

Once Dagan took out that extra shelf up there, the 12" X 12" paper racks fit perfectly over the other office paper racks we got off of Facebook marketplace.

I had used a whole bunch of old towels and sheets for packing.  Had kept them mostly for paint rags, I guess.  Got shoved away and forgotten until they came in handy for packing.  Washed them all and they will be donated to Cats Cradle where both Blink and Allie were rescued.

I've got a donation box started by the bathroom again, too.  Will be more added as I organize all of this.  Those two big black boxes are for storing full size paper sheets.  Maybe somebody will want them on Facebook Marketplace?

Also washed some blankets while I was at it.  

Nothing more tempting to a cat than warm blankets thrown on the floor.  She slept there for hours!

Since Wednesday I have continued to just clear off some of the tables by continuing to shove things in the shelves.  Oh, and there is one more box under the table by the window...art supplies for painting...found it when looking for more rags to wash--lol!

I know it is a real mess...

...but this is just glorious to my good eye--lol!

I think I will be working at truly organizing all of this for a good long time to come but, technically, I AM UNPACKED!  Whoohoo!  When I asked for help...did I ever get some help!  I can't even express how grateful I am.  Getting to this point would have taken me months at the rate I was going.  It will still probably take me months to organize it all, but it is so different knowing it is all right there before me TO be able to organize, you know?  I am SOOOO HAPPY!!!  I am on (quite literally) the "home" stretch!  The light at the end of the tunnel is shining brightly!

I bet you are as surprised as I am--lol!  I was going to tell you about our newest plan with Allie and Blink, but my hand is really giving me grief today.  I will try to remember next week.  (Nothing major has happened yet, anyways.)  Till next week, my friends!  From one happy lady in Fargo!  :) :)

October 18, 2026 Sunday

Greetings!  

I am currently exhausted...but for good reason.  Will hopefully get the blog up on time.

Monday was the doctor, x-ray of lungs (fine), and a trip to a different lab for the bloodwork for the rheumatologist.  Dagan drove me around.  We were both coughing--lol!  I had to cancel the surgery for tomorrow.  Still waking up and coughing for hours...and occasional coughing jags the rest of the day.  In fact my hours got totally flipped for three days.  You know I was in bad shape if I was too tired to make coffee for two days--LOL!!  I am rescheduled for November 23rd.  Got five weeks to get well.  

I started putting together my Bullet Journal for 2027.  Allie watched me from afar--lol! 

I actually have used modified planner inserts for the past few years as my Bullet.  Works for me.

Went larger for next year.

Got a new binder, too.

The doctor on Monday also brought up an air purifier for me.  Leah had gotten one for work but it was too loud, so they've had it in their bedroom.  Dagan brought it down for me to try.  Not too loud for me because I can't hear very well--lol!

I also worked on setting up this year's bullet for both November and December.  Allie enjoyed the sunny days we had.  Most were cloudy.

Even finally got the shower curtain changed.

I decided to ask Dagan and Leah for some help.  Have just been barely functional for so long and I really want to finish unpacking!!  They said they didn't have anything planned for this weekend, so it was good timing.  Next weekend they will be gone to Warroad, MN to visit Dagan's half-brother and family and then Halloween is the weekend after that.  So, I got ready for them to come Saturday afternoon.  Got the table cleared off so Leah and I could tear the large papers down.  (Leah did all the tearing!)

I cleared off under the TV, too, so I could move the empty smaller containers into the living room so I had more surface to work with in the studio.

When they came down first they moved boxes into the apartment from the storage area.  Even a couple big ones with empty containers in them into the living room.

Got a lot of boxes under the table in the studio...

...and at the end of the center table.

Leah and I worked on the stack of boxes of large papers...tearing most of them in half.  Filled a couple of the drawers.

Just kept plugging away.

Allie is exhausted.  She couldn't sleep all day like she usually does--lol!  

I'll have to fill you in on the progress with Allie and Blink next week, if I can remember.  I am so tired and sore...even though Leah stood and tore paper for hours and I just moved things around and made index cards.  I'm writing this Saturday night, as usual, to post early Sunday morning.

The bottom half of the stack was watercolor paper, mixed media paper, pastel paper, drawing paper, etc. We had to hold them up to the light to look for watermarks--lol!  I should have kept them better organized than I did.  But they have been accumulated from between 25 to 40 years ago.  We sorted the best we could.  They are split up and piled around...but we got through all of them!  

This will be the first time ever that I have them sorted and actually accessible in all these decades!  I am thrilled!

It was like Christmas for me to see and touch all of the papers!  Been years!  Moving those huge boxes wasn't easy for me anymore the past decade and the huge, awkward boxes were always under a bed or on top of a high dresser.  Allie watched us from the top of her cat tree.  The last of the big boxes was up behind her there.

It took many hours.  I am so grateful to Leah!  She did all the harder work.

The plan for Sunday is to use the white tagboard I found to cut some dividers that I can use to label the types of paper in the drawers and to actually get all the papers into the drawers.  I may have a drawer or two left over for some paper tablets and such--whoohoo!  Then Leah and I are going to start to try to organize the cardstock into the paper shelves with the red trays that are in the bookcase by the door.  I hated to ask for help, but I really really needed some.  So their help is greatly appreciated!  

We are finally able to see an end coming to my boxes in the storage room.  Hallelujah!!  We couldn't find my rack of hooks I want hung by the door.  Must have ended up in the garage, we think.  I hope we can find that soon, too.  But right now--boxes are the priority.  

Soooo happy to be getting help and seeing progress.  Does my spirits a world of good, too.  I filled out my ballot and it is ready to go out in the mail on Monday.  And I actually worked on some letters owed--finally!!  Have two to go out with my ballot tomorrow.  Right now I can barely move.  Hope to be sleeping pretty soon.  Till next week... :) :)