Our House

I thought I’d share a few pictures of the inside this time. These are all from the real estate brochure, so the furniture is not mine. Besides, mine won’t be delivered for another week or two. I’m not going to be in a huge hurry, since tomorrow our stuff from South Africa will be delivered. Looking forward to cooking with a complete assortment of utensils, pans and dishes!!! I had planned to make a chili for supper last night, but realized that I would be cooking in an aluminum pot- an that does not go well with tomatoes. So I switched gears and made Sloppy Joes in a non-stick skillet I purchased for cooking in the hotel. BTW- a note about cooking Sloppy Joes, it tastes just fine if you don’t have vinegar and make it anyway!!! Because of US Customs rules and regulations, bringing food into the US is difficult, I have to rebuild my pantry. Its amazing how many things you keep on the shelf that you don’t think about not having…. like white vinegar!

The house is 4 level, almost 5 because the garage and laundry are on a level of their own level. On the main level, we have the Living room, dinning room, family room and the kitchen as well as a half bath.

The interior is very formal. I will have to order some window coverings for the living room. I don’t know how anyone every lived in this house without some privacy! This was a model home…. when built, so the curtains at the front windows are just for show, they don’t close. I will be ordering some top down-bottom up honeycomb shades for these windows. Light plus privacy.

The dining room is next to the living room, and shares a fire place with the family room. I doubt we will ever use the fire place… because its gas, and well not for heat… on the other hand, it lights with just the flick of a switch… may have to rethink that!!!

The kitchen has some cool cabinets, very tall. The best feature if you ask me is the gas range!!! I have missed gas cooking. The second best feature is a cast iron sink that is deep and a disposal! I still find myself scraping plates into the trash, though. It will take some retraining. The cabinets are Brazilian Cherry as is the floor. It will show all the dust and dog hair.

The family room is also minus some window covering- there is a huge sliding glass door that leads out to the deck. The room is not huge, but it will do for when we want to stay in the same space…. and not go to our own project/hobby rooms/level!

On the bedroom level, there are 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms… nothing really special… well there is another fire place in the master bedroom.

On the lowest level is another family room. It also has a bathroom and a sliding glass door. Eventually a small concrete patio, will be put out there, for the dogs to land on when finished with morning and late night business. We are in the process of getting a fence, but that will take a bit of time too. We have an HOA, so everyone has to sign off on it. There is a 1/2 flight of stairs going down to it, and this picture was taken from the top. And yes that is fireplace #3.

The last and best space is the Loft! It is at the top of the house and is my sewing space. It is quite large and has lots of built in shelves, a walk in closet and a bathroom. All I need is a refrigerator and tea kettle and I could stay up there all day!

This picture was taken at the 2/3 point in the space. Just to the right is the stairway down and the last full bathroom in the house. To the left is the walk in closet, behind the photographer is an office area with glass French doors and more built in shelves! The window seat next to the bed will be removed so I have all the wall and floor space. Besides it is not really comfortable for seating. The table will become the cutting and all other things area… It’s at a good height and I have 2 stools that will fit the table height.

In the end, we will put a sleeper sofa in the lowest room and a futon up in the loft to accommodate any overflow guests. We haven’t tested the full capacity of the water heater yet… but I’m sure it could be managed.

More Later- Beth

Half Settled

Yes again I have been quiet, because I don’t have much to report.

We did make it back to the states and into a hotel in the DC area. This is where we are calling it “HOME”.

It’s a very nice place that allows dogs, even big dogs. Of course we are at the limit size… for big dogs. They have been very good for 2 dogs that have not been able to run and play for more than 2 weeks now. Some how, in transit, there vaccination records have been lost… and getting a rabies tag is not possible without them, so no opportunity for dog parks.

The hotel is a suite with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, living room, kitchen and a table for eating at. If we were going to be here much longer than the middle of October (we hope), then I would consider requesting all the furniture from one bedroom be removed, for a bit more breathing space for the ‘stuff ’.

We have made an offer on a house, it’s been accepted and now we WAIT. So more about that when it looks more like a reality, so stay tuned.

Our ‘air shipment’ is here, and thank the lord for family…. DH has a sister that lives close and has graciously offered to house the nearly 700 pounds of stuff… for bit.  

To keep myself and the dogs sane I take them for a couple of walks a day. There is a walking trail nearby, so we take plenty of opportunity there. One day we found this guy. I didn’t have the camera with me, but I did have the iPhone…

a turtle, don’t know what kind

and we found some of these. This one came towards us for a better view. 

There were several and a youngster, but since he was smaller than the dogs, I suspect he was questioning whose mealtime it was.

Today I am meeting my Aunt for breakfast. I haven’t seen her since 2007, so it will be a nice treat to see some of my family.

As always, there will be more later- Beth

 

Empty Space-s

To borrow a title from another blogger (thanks Wolfie). I have been busy lately segregating, sorting, and simplifying our stuff. Which has resulted in this.

The study being packed

and this

The kitchen being packed

and this.

This the sewing room and most of the guest room.

On Tuesday 3 gentlemen, Louis, Franco and Aaron, arrived to start the packing process. They got here around 9 and by 4 just about everything was boxed that would be going by Sea Freight.

Today, the same 3 arrived at about 8:30, I served them tea and then they got busy and completed the boxing by 10. Then the big truck came, with an additional 4 men. Stanford, Paul, Bob and Charles. Again I served tea and the business of loading the truck got started.

We arrived with 4 containers and we will be leaving with 4 containers.

By noon, the truck was loaded, the boxes were closed and labeled and tied down. I made them lunch… and that was it. 

We are Packed Out!

Sewing room on the left and guest bedroom on the right

The crew!

The only things we have left are the Air Freight and the luggage items. Simple living for the next 3 weeks and then the fun begins! House hunting, car shopping and worrying about the dogs and their adventure which is separate from ours. They will be leaving a day or so after us, stopping over in Amsterdam… for a ‘rest stop’ of about 8 hours and then continuing on to Washington DC, where they will be met by an expediter and whisked away to a kennel for a night and a bath.

More Later-  Beth

A Question Posed

This next week will be very busy, so I am going to try and see if I can setup a post…. to post while I am at IQCAfrica.

When I told my sister that I was moving back to the USA, she asked me what I would miss about living in South Africa. I gave her a couple of things…. but I can think of several more.

1. The FRIENDS I have made. Those that sew and those that don’t.
2. The WEATHER. It’s hard to leave a place that is warm for most of the year, and the few cold days are just that, cold, but NOT freezing.
3. The VEGITATION. So many different kinds and something is in bloom all year long.
4. The WILDLIFE. Birds and animals, just like the flowers, there are so many different kinds… and they are very entertaining.
5. The opportunity to EXPLORE. New cities, places, people and customs.
6. The VETERINARIANS. They practice old fashioned medicine, and know what they are doing. Axel has done very well here, and we are not looking forward to the difficulties in the USA, again.
7. THUNDER STORMS. Not that we don’t have them in the USA, but the intensity is amazing.

Of course there is the flip side, things I am looking forward to having again.

1. FOODS. I have missed Cranberry Juice, cottage cheese, apple sauce and cheeses.  They have these here, but they are just not the same!!!
2. QUILT STORES. Not just the quilt shops, but the choice. We don’t know how lucky we are in the USA. The cost of the goods is much less and the choices are much larger!
3. DRIVING. On the correct side of the car and road, again.

As you can see the list of things I will miss is considerably longer that the things I am looking forward…. to.

As usual, I’ll have More Later- Beth

Big News… no pictures

Well the date I alluded to in the last post is now a known thing!

I have another date to share first. Next weekend is IQCAfrica! The International Quilt Convention Africa. It’s a big deal for South Africa. It’s only a 3 day event. I don’t think there will be much in the way of a quilt show. But there are workshops and vendors (many from the USA). I am taking an all day workshop on all 3 days. I will be spending time with Susan Brubaker-Knapp on Friday and Saturday taking her “Dragonfly Sketching” and “Start with a Photo” workshops. On Sunday I will be doing the “Goodbye to the Grid” with Dena Crane of Kenya. I will be staying at the venue- something I wouldn’t do if I were in the states, but the traffic daily between Pretoria and Johannesburg is just too unpredictable…. and why should I waste 2-3 hours a day driving?

I am looking forward to a weekend to myself, sewing and relaxing…. no meals to cook, no dogs to look after (not that I mind), a small break before the pace picks up.

The other date? We have orders! That means we are now able to start the move. In just a bit over 6 weeks we should be back in the USA. Our next location is Washington DC…. Of course we will be in a hotel until we find a house, which might be a little iffy, since we have 2 dogs. Everyone ‘says’ they have good dogs… even if they aren’t. The good thing is, mine are -Good Dogs. Neither chews on furniture or digs in the yard…. and are generally well behaved. But we will have to try and convince property owners of their good behavior. So if you are a real estate agent; or have a house to rent or sell…. let me know!!!

To complicate things, the office I work for is being relocated to Johannesburg right now too. Next week I begin the physical move of our warehouse of parts. Not a small task!!! It took me and a crew of four workers to get everything palletized and wrapped to move. Next week we take the first load of shelves and pallets…. and begin to unload and shelve the stuff. I think it will take me 4 weeks to get it all moved, organized and situated….

As usual, more later!  Beth