This Saturday was Halloween! Sure it was different, but at least I got to hang out with my school friends!

He said

You can get a lot done in a week if you have the time! Having some vacation time that needed using up, a long time ago I decided to book the last week of October off work. It gave us last weekend off to spend camping at the trailer to celebrate Danielle’s birthday and the wrap up to the camping season. But, it would also give me this week to help Mom & Dad get settled in at their new pad and finally open some of the gazillion boxes that had all their belongings trapped inside. The only thing in the way or that was a COVID-19 test for me a week ago last Friday which I passed (by coming up negative). With the all clear, it meant I could be their primary and was allowed into their suite to help them out.

Monday after I got done my daily bike ride, I was over at their place to start the work. We made some pretty immediate progress on Monday which was focused on getting a bit of Mom’s stuff out and her new, more compact computer desk set up so that we could get her iMac out and operational. Quite a few bags of packing paper and empty, broken-down cardboard boxes went out that first night before I left. It didn’t look like a huge dent in the unpacking but I could sense a lot of relief in both Mom & Dad, finally being able to get some of their life back into order.

But, the other amazing thing to happen Monday was their house that had more than a few showings over last weekend was open for offers for one hour at 11:00am. By the time I got to their new pad they had 8 offers, and they had one that they were happiest with. It wasn’t the highest offer, but the family most closely matched what Mom & Dad were hoping would take over the house, and it came without any conditions. So, with that, the whirlwind last couple of months the whole family came together to pitch in and help was all over. The relief of Mom & Dad was clearly evident. Now, they could focus on their new pad.

I spent the rest of this week doing more of the same: getting my bike ride in and then heading over to Mom & Dad’s to help them unpack. By Thursday, we had made some real, serious progress and we were getting close to having all the major things they needed out and into places. Friday was a shorter day as we were heading up to the trailer after (more on that in a bit). But, by Friday I could really sense that Mom & Dad could really use a couple days of rest after getting so much done this week. With most of the stuff out and just organizing and figuring out final spaces for all the stuff which they could manage, I gave them the weekend off the hard labour. We were all very happy with the progress that was made.

So, Friday once Danielle was done work we headed straight for the trailer. But, not for our usual weekend of fun and frivolity—this trip had a sadder purpose. We were headed to finally button up our campsite for the season and pack up the trailer and pull Wolfie III out to bring her to her winter home on Saturday. We spent as long as we could (chilly) by the cozy fire. In fact I am surprised at how long we made that fire keep us outside—it was after midnight by the time we gave up on the evening and went to bed. First thing Saturday morning we were up and packing it all up. By 12:00 noon we were pulling out of the site, saying our goodbyes, and by 12:30 on the road back home. It was bittersweet, but with the snow, rain and cold in the forecast for Sunday we also knew it was time.

The last day of my wonderful week off ended today with getting a lot of stuff that has be lingering around here for like ever. We finally got the workout/entertainment room sorted out in the basement. We finally got the shed organized and changed over for the season (lawnmower to the back, gasp snowblower to the front) and we got a lot of stuff that we have been meaning to do for some time, done. While this last week didn’t really feel like a glorious full week off work as there was a lot to do and it felt like I went from one thing to the next, it certainly does feel like we got a lot done, and that feels really good!

She said

This week was bonkers. As John and I were talking tonight speaking about the blog it blew my mind how much went on this week. No wonder we are tired!

The week started out on a very positive note, the house sold. Months of work paid off, not only did it sell within an hour of the offer day it went way over asking price and more importantly to Helen and Doug it went to someone who needed the home the way it was. The family who bought the house had been looking for months for the right home so they could take their parents in but needed a home that had accommodations for their needs. It was perfect! Helen was over the moon that someone could use the home as it was and that all the additions they added on over the last few years were going to be used by the new family. The house closes in 6 weeks so we do have a bit more work to get done but at least the worst of it is over now.

In the midst of the week John was able to take on the huge task of unpacking Helen and Doug’s new home. The last few weeks has been so hard on the family, especially Helen and Doug, they have been living in the middle of a cardboard fortress, unable to safely unpack. Thankfully John was able to take this week to get them unpacked, purged a bit and settled into their new place. There is still a bit more work to get done but at least now it’s safe in there and Helen and Doug can start enjoying their new home a bit more. John will go back on some of his upcoming days off to finish things up and they can finally feel more like they are at home.

In the middle of this we have been prepping for Halloween as well as packing the trailer for the winter season. Halloween has always been a holiday Emelia has loved, it’s a pretty big deal in our area. But this year with the pandemic it was different obviously. We opted with accommodations to let Emelia go out with her closest school friends, they all wore masks the entire time and went to the houses that had their candy collection spaced out. Emelia was allowed to bring her closest classmates home here after and the girls opted to watch a horror movie. It was a different year for sure but Emelia and her best friends made the best of it. They all had a blast for sure.

Yesterday, before trick and treating we focused on packing up the trailer for the season. It was a sad day for sure, that campground with close friends has been a sanity saviour for sure. We had so much fun with the Sherwood’s this summer and I couldn’t imagine being social distanced with anyone else, we all made the best of a crazy situation. The kids loved having a sense of normal and so did the parents. I will miss our time there but are already counting down already to our next season.

Today we flipped gears, with everything going on with Helen and Doug’s house/apartment, packing the trailer, adjusting to me working outside the house life around our house has been nuts. What this has meant was everything we were dealing with got shoved in various rooms in the house and generally our house has been neglected. We promised once the house was sold, the trailer was packed and the season was over we would deal with the chaos here. Today was the day. John and I focused first on the shed which was a hot mess, we wanted it organized before the snow flew. Once that was done we could organized the storage room and basement. We got a lot done today but there is still so much to do.

Our winter projects is to make this house a bit more organized and less cluttered – today we got a good start. What a busy week!