blog
i can't believe we are moving
It's been a crazy couple of weeks around here!
About 10 days ago we found out that our landlords planned to sell the condo we have rented from them for the last 4 years and so would not be renewing our lease.
We had a couple of months to look until our lease was up to find a place. But we knew the DC rental market is really competitive and with summer fast approaching it will get harder and harder to find a new apartment!
So we decided to start looking right away!
And then we found something right in the first weekend of looking. Only a couple blocks from where we live now, in a building that was built in the early 1900's but renovated in 2003.
We love it! The new landlords are pet friendly, it's still in our neighborhood so we jumped on it and now we are moving in starting May 19th! I can't believe it! If someone had told me just a month ago that we could be moving in mid May I would have laughed and laughed! But here we are :)
I can't wait to get my new studio space all settled, it's been so hard to work with knowing that this move is fast approaching, but I still have deadlines I am frantically working on to get finished! So I won't be able to blog much in the next couple weeks, but make sure to stop back by tomorrow, I'll be doing another stamp sheet giveaway!
It's been a crazy couple of weeks around here! About 10 days ago we found out that our landlords planned to sell the condo we have rented from them for the last 4 years and so would not be renewing our lease.
We had a couple of months to look until our lease was up to find a place. But we knew the DC rental market is really competitive and with summer fast approaching it will get harder and harder to find a new apartment!
So we decided to start looking right away!
And then we found something right in the first weekend of looking. Only a couple blocks from where we live now, in a building that was built in the early 1900's but renovated in 2003.
We love it! The new landlords are pet friendly, it's still in our neighborhood so we jumped on it and now we are moving in starting May 19th! I can't believe it! If someone had told me just a month ago that we could be moving in mid May I would have laughed and laughed! But here we are :)
I can't wait to get my new studio space all settled, it's been so hard to work with knowing that this move is fast approaching, but I still have deadlines I am frantically working on to get finished! So I won't be able to blog much in the next couple weeks, but make sure to stop back by tomorrow, I'll be doing another stamp sheet giveaway!
Labels: moving
catch-up post about the move!
Here's my long over due catch up post all about the move!
My Dad helped me pick up the Uhaul last Friday and that was an event! Uhaul.com sent us to one of those self storage places that also rents out Uhauls. Never again! They obliviously didn't check it out or service it because as soon as I was driving it, the check engine light came on. We took it to the nearest Uhaul place and they fixed it up. I was panicked that it would break down on our 900 mile drive to DC. Dad was a huge help wit the Uhaul. That was stressful!
Saturday morning Paul, my Mom and I along with Toby, Stanley and Mable set off on our drive up here. It was really hard for me to leave the house and my Dad and also for Paul to leave his family. I did have a cry before I left. But once on the road we were having a good time. Mom and I were in the Honda with the pets, with Paul in the Uhaul in front. The cats meowed at first but then settled down and Toby is used to riding in the car, loved it. Especially all the rest stops with lots of doggie smells!
That night we stopped at a Holiday Inn in Fayetteville NC. The cats were a little spooked but Mable was more adventurous and was soon lounging with us on the bed Stanley didn't want to come out from under the covers so I fed him under there. Toby was fine as long as he was with all of us.
On the Sunday we arrived here in DC in the early afternoon. We quickly got the cats and Toby up to the apartment and unloaded a few items from the Uhaul. We had to park the Uhaul 1/2 a block away so we loaded up the Honda and drove that back to the apartment to get as much back as possible.
The next day Paul went to his new job and the movers arrived to unload the Uhaul. I couldn't keep it in the parking spot in front of the apartment until Paul got home so I had to drive it back to Uhaul to turn it in. I was a little nervous about driving it in the city but it worked out OK. The GPS helped but it sent me around Thomas Circle (I hate going around that circle - even when walking!). I kept missing the turn-off from the circle and then had to circle around again. After about 3 times I made it and the rest of the ride to Uhaul went just fine. I didn't run over or into anybody so it was a successful journey!
Mom stayed and helped until Wednesday and we got so much done! Without her this place would still be a pile of boxes. By Monday night just a few hours after the movers had left, we had the kitchen set up, the living room ready and the bed set up too.
All I have left to do this week is finish organizing the studio and figuring out where all the supplies should go.
I can not believe it was only a week ago that we arrived here in DC. We are almost all set up and slowly getting used to city life. it has been a bigger adjustment than I thought it would be. Especially because I have lived here before!
I love being only 2 blocks away from the Saturday morning Farmers market. And I can walk to the bank, the grocery store and all the wonderful things that DC has to offer. Paul loves being able to walk to work too! I love our little apartment and it feels so cozy here. I don't even really miss all the extra space that I was used to. The second bedroom looks like it will work out just fine as my office/studio. Only a little bit less room than I had before in our house, so I can make it work!
The only thing I don't like is when we have to take Toby out for a walk, we have to go down the hall, down the elevator, and then outside. Toby hates the hallway and the elevator so he has to be carried the whole way until we get him outside. Once outside he gets all distracted by the cars and the people he sits down and wants to have a nice look around. We're lucky if we get him to go 1/2 a block!
So that's the big move story! Of course I didn't take any photos, we were too crazed with stress. But I do want to take some pix of our neighborhood there are so many cute shops and stores around here. I promise to show you some of the places I discover!
My Dad helped me pick up the Uhaul last Friday and that was an event! Uhaul.com sent us to one of those self storage places that also rents out Uhauls. Never again! They obliviously didn't check it out or service it because as soon as I was driving it, the check engine light came on. We took it to the nearest Uhaul place and they fixed it up. I was panicked that it would break down on our 900 mile drive to DC. Dad was a huge help wit the Uhaul. That was stressful!
Saturday morning Paul, my Mom and I along with Toby, Stanley and Mable set off on our drive up here. It was really hard for me to leave the house and my Dad and also for Paul to leave his family. I did have a cry before I left. But once on the road we were having a good time. Mom and I were in the Honda with the pets, with Paul in the Uhaul in front. The cats meowed at first but then settled down and Toby is used to riding in the car, loved it. Especially all the rest stops with lots of doggie smells!
That night we stopped at a Holiday Inn in Fayetteville NC. The cats were a little spooked but Mable was more adventurous and was soon lounging with us on the bed Stanley didn't want to come out from under the covers so I fed him under there. Toby was fine as long as he was with all of us.
On the Sunday we arrived here in DC in the early afternoon. We quickly got the cats and Toby up to the apartment and unloaded a few items from the Uhaul. We had to park the Uhaul 1/2 a block away so we loaded up the Honda and drove that back to the apartment to get as much back as possible.
The next day Paul went to his new job and the movers arrived to unload the Uhaul. I couldn't keep it in the parking spot in front of the apartment until Paul got home so I had to drive it back to Uhaul to turn it in. I was a little nervous about driving it in the city but it worked out OK. The GPS helped but it sent me around Thomas Circle (I hate going around that circle - even when walking!). I kept missing the turn-off from the circle and then had to circle around again. After about 3 times I made it and the rest of the ride to Uhaul went just fine. I didn't run over or into anybody so it was a successful journey!
Mom stayed and helped until Wednesday and we got so much done! Without her this place would still be a pile of boxes. By Monday night just a few hours after the movers had left, we had the kitchen set up, the living room ready and the bed set up too.
All I have left to do this week is finish organizing the studio and figuring out where all the supplies should go.
I can not believe it was only a week ago that we arrived here in DC. We are almost all set up and slowly getting used to city life. it has been a bigger adjustment than I thought it would be. Especially because I have lived here before!
I love being only 2 blocks away from the Saturday morning Farmers market. And I can walk to the bank, the grocery store and all the wonderful things that DC has to offer. Paul loves being able to walk to work too! I love our little apartment and it feels so cozy here. I don't even really miss all the extra space that I was used to. The second bedroom looks like it will work out just fine as my office/studio. Only a little bit less room than I had before in our house, so I can make it work!
The only thing I don't like is when we have to take Toby out for a walk, we have to go down the hall, down the elevator, and then outside. Toby hates the hallway and the elevator so he has to be carried the whole way until we get him outside. Once outside he gets all distracted by the cars and the people he sits down and wants to have a nice look around. We're lucky if we get him to go 1/2 a block!
So that's the big move story! Of course I didn't take any photos, we were too crazed with stress. But I do want to take some pix of our neighborhood there are so many cute shops and stores around here. I promise to show you some of the places I discover!
Labels: moving
back online!
Just a quick note to let you know we are here in DC, and we have internet! I'm working hard on getting this place together, everything unpacked and my studio set up. whew! I'll be back later with more posts :) Oh and Project Runway is on tonight. I made sure to get the cable installed right after we moved in so I wouldn't miss an episode!
Labels: moving
headed to DC!
We're almost ready to go. Still lots of packing that needs to be done, and lots of racing around, touch-up painting and things like that for the renters!
We head off officially on Saturday AM. Paul will drive the UHaul and I'll follow in our Honda with my Mom and Stanley, Mable and Toby! We'll spend one night on the road with all 3 pets, should be a fun experience. I hope they don't get too freaked out!
We don't have Internet anymore at home and won't be online again until Wednesday, if all goes well.
I'll be updating my Twitter from my cell phone. Follow my adventure via Twitter here. Or in the sidebar right here on my blog!
In my next post, I'll be a DC resident! See you soon!
We're almost ready to go. Still lots of packing that needs to be done, and lots of racing around, touch-up painting and things like that for the renters!We head off officially on Saturday AM. Paul will drive the UHaul and I'll follow in our Honda with my Mom and Stanley, Mable and Toby! We'll spend one night on the road with all 3 pets, should be a fun experience. I hope they don't get too freaked out!
We don't have Internet anymore at home and won't be online again until Wednesday, if all goes well.
I'll be updating my Twitter from my cell phone. Follow my adventure via Twitter here. Or in the sidebar right here on my blog!
In my next post, I'll be a DC resident! See you soon!
Labels: moving
still packing!
Paul's safely in DC and his first day of work is tomorrow. Sending good vibes his way!
I'm here holding down the fort and cleaning and packing up all the rest of the goodies. I have SO many books. Like crazy amounts of books. I have even started pairing down the ones that I thought were keepers. There is no way we can (or that I even want to!)move all this stuff so some more things just have to go. Getting down to the last 3 days of packing is a big motivator to get rid of more!
I think I'll have to buy one of those Amazon Kindle things so I don't end up with many more books for the next move. That way they are all digital and the real keepers are the art books anyway!
I am going to have a really early night so I can be up early and back at packing. Nighty night!
I'm here holding down the fort and cleaning and packing up all the rest of the goodies. I have SO many books. Like crazy amounts of books. I have even started pairing down the ones that I thought were keepers. There is no way we can (or that I even want to!)move all this stuff so some more things just have to go. Getting down to the last 3 days of packing is a big motivator to get rid of more!
I think I'll have to buy one of those Amazon Kindle things so I don't end up with many more books for the next move. That way they are all digital and the real keepers are the art books anyway!
I am going to have a really early night so I can be up early and back at packing. Nighty night!
Labels: moving
boxes boxes everywhere
Still packing up boxes here at the Hellmuth-Lester household. Paul is only here tomorrow and then he goes to DC on Saturday. The rest is up to me to get packed and ready. So everything I need him to do gets done tomorrow.
I finished up my last set of custom artwork orders today before the move, everything gets shipped tomorrow and then I can start packing up the studio. That will be a big undertaking! That is the last room that we haven't touched and it's up to me to wade through all the art supplies and figure out what gets donated, and what comes along with me. Decisions! Decisions!
I finished up my last set of custom artwork orders today before the move, everything gets shipped tomorrow and then I can start packing up the studio. That will be a big undertaking! That is the last room that we haven't touched and it's up to me to wade through all the art supplies and figure out what gets donated, and what comes along with me. Decisions! Decisions!
Labels: moving
getting things done!
It's packing and organizing here almost 24/7 as we get ready for this move! Paul will leave Saturday and then I will follow the next Saturday. So that means we have to have everything in this house packed and ready to go in 9 days!!!
Today we moved a bunch of furniture that we can't take with us to my Mom and Dad's house. Did another run with stuff to Good Will. Then went and sold my car at CarMax. My car was 7+ years old and only had 32,600 miles on it. But we can't bring it with us to DC. Only one parking spot for us and no way are we paying for another one! Paul's car is a Honda which will last forever and it's only a couple years old. So I said goodbye to my 2001 Yellow Beetle. I was sad. I couldn't look at it as we left.
I have to say though, all this getting rid of stuff does get easier and easier. With the exception of my car, I look around the house and there's nothing that I feel that tied to. I am half tempted to get rid of everything and start over again. Would almost be cheaper than what we are paying to move it all!
I am starting to feel pretty tired tonight. Just have a couple custom orders to pack up to ship out and then off to bed. I need to wrap these up so I can start packing up my studio!
Today we moved a bunch of furniture that we can't take with us to my Mom and Dad's house. Did another run with stuff to Good Will. Then went and sold my car at CarMax. My car was 7+ years old and only had 32,600 miles on it. But we can't bring it with us to DC. Only one parking spot for us and no way are we paying for another one! Paul's car is a Honda which will last forever and it's only a couple years old. So I said goodbye to my 2001 Yellow Beetle. I was sad. I couldn't look at it as we left.
I have to say though, all this getting rid of stuff does get easier and easier. With the exception of my car, I look around the house and there's nothing that I feel that tied to. I am half tempted to get rid of everything and start over again. Would almost be cheaper than what we are paying to move it all!
I am starting to feel pretty tired tonight. Just have a couple custom orders to pack up to ship out and then off to bed. I need to wrap these up so I can start packing up my studio!
Labels: moving
whirlwind weekend
Of course as usual the weekend sped by. Paul was in Cleveland for our Nephew's high school graduation and I held down the fort here. Working on the long list of things to do. I got pretty far and the load is starting to feel lighter!
I got 19 (yes NINETEEN!!) custom Sitting Pretty Poppets® all glued down, now I just have to cut them out and add trims and drawing etc. But the hardest part is behind me. Then I finished up both of my CHA Power Point presentations. One for my class and the other for a lecture I am giving.
On Friday our property manager let us know that a couple put in an application to rent our house! yay! great news! But the crazy part is we will have to be out of here sooner than we thought. Like in TWO weeks! Akk!
On Saturday, I called the DC Police to find out about this permit we need for our moving truck to park in front of our building. Apparently you need to physically post the signs yourself 72 hours before the movers arrive. I didn't even bother to ask what happens if you weren't in DC when you needed to post the signs.
This also poses a problem because the moving company told us they only give us 24 hours notice that our stuff is going to be delivered. All our stuff will be on a big truck with other people's stuff which is why they have a window of 3-13 days for delivery. yes, THIRTEEN DAYS!! This is "high season" for moving so it's a longer window.
Tomorrow I will call and see if they can work with us on the delivery notification. I also found out that the regular 53ft semi that they use is too big. They will have to decant our stuff onto a smaller city truck. Will be interesting to find out how much that would be.
So UHauling it is starting to look better and better for ease of dealing with these DC City permits. I'll have to see what the movers say when I call them tomorrow. Lots of logistics to work out!
I got 19 (yes NINETEEN!!) custom Sitting Pretty Poppets® all glued down, now I just have to cut them out and add trims and drawing etc. But the hardest part is behind me. Then I finished up both of my CHA Power Point presentations. One for my class and the other for a lecture I am giving.
On Friday our property manager let us know that a couple put in an application to rent our house! yay! great news! But the crazy part is we will have to be out of here sooner than we thought. Like in TWO weeks! Akk!
On Saturday, I called the DC Police to find out about this permit we need for our moving truck to park in front of our building. Apparently you need to physically post the signs yourself 72 hours before the movers arrive. I didn't even bother to ask what happens if you weren't in DC when you needed to post the signs.
This also poses a problem because the moving company told us they only give us 24 hours notice that our stuff is going to be delivered. All our stuff will be on a big truck with other people's stuff which is why they have a window of 3-13 days for delivery. yes, THIRTEEN DAYS!! This is "high season" for moving so it's a longer window.
Tomorrow I will call and see if they can work with us on the delivery notification. I also found out that the regular 53ft semi that they use is too big. They will have to decant our stuff onto a smaller city truck. Will be interesting to find out how much that would be.
So UHauling it is starting to look better and better for ease of dealing with these DC City permits. I'll have to see what the movers say when I call them tomorrow. Lots of logistics to work out!
Labels: moving, this and that
stressed out beyond belief
I am so stressed out with this move and then getting everything ready for CHA. I can't believe the CHA show is next week. NEXT WEEK PEOPLE!!! AKKKK!!!!
I have been working in a frenzy on custom artwork orders, as well as getting artwork done for the Ranger booth for CHA, my CHA classes (two of them WITH power point presentations!!) and primping the house to show to possible renters. I have never cleaned this much OR made this much art in such a short period of time in my life!
We had a very sweet couple who was interested in renting our house today but that fell through when it was discovered they had a German Shepherd. The property management company we hired doesn't allow a certain list of dogs for liability reasons so we are stuck. My heart ached for them because we got turned away from a place we liked in DC because of having 3 pets.
That was a major upset. We would have felt so happy to rent to these people. They were super nice and I imagine we could have even become friends. Maybe there's another nice couple out there with a small dog like Toby?? One can hope!
I have been working in a frenzy on custom artwork orders, as well as getting artwork done for the Ranger booth for CHA, my CHA classes (two of them WITH power point presentations!!) and primping the house to show to possible renters. I have never cleaned this much OR made this much art in such a short period of time in my life!
We had a very sweet couple who was interested in renting our house today but that fell through when it was discovered they had a German Shepherd. The property management company we hired doesn't allow a certain list of dogs for liability reasons so we are stuck. My heart ached for them because we got turned away from a place we liked in DC because of having 3 pets.
That was a major upset. We would have felt so happy to rent to these people. They were super nice and I imagine we could have even become friends. Maybe there's another nice couple out there with a small dog like Toby?? One can hope!
Labels: moving
what a weekend!
I knew this whole moving thing would be emotional. But I was totally unprepared for just how emotional!
Last weekend was probably one of the most stressful two days that I can remember.
We raced all around with a Realtor and also by ourselves. We quickly discovered that what they call a den in DC is about the size of our master bedroom closet here in Florida. We thought we could get a one bed + den and I could put my studio in the den and boy were we wrong!! Never ever could I get any work done in that "den", maybe one table could fit in there but not all my other art stuff.
Then we found a place that we liked in a row house in Kalorama and the person wouldn't rent to us because of our 2 cats and one dog. Which seemed ridiculous to me because the person who rented the other unit had a Cujo-esque German Sheppard barking all the time. Cats are very quiet even if there are two of them. And Toby, we practically carry him from room to room. Can't get much more quiet than Toby. We started to get worried we wouldn't find anywhere who would take us and our pets! I had a major meltdown when this place rejected us because of our furry family members!
In the end we ended up renting a place that a friend of Paul's lives in and they need to move back to Orlando. They literally just discovered they are moving back to Orlando and it seemed to be fate that it worked out. They need someone to rent their condo and we needed a place to rent. perfect! They don't mind about our pets and even better it's two bedrooms. It's on U street , (which when I lived there before you didn't set foot in that area) but now 11 years later it's very trendy with jazz clubs and cake and coffee shops. I even found the organic pet food store which made me feel at home just knowing I can get the pet food near by. And it's 3/4 of a block to the metro. yay! And it has garage parking and 24 hour security. Double yay!
Because we are moving from our house which is 1700sq feet to the new place that is 800 sq feet, we have to get rid of more than 1/2 our furniture to fit in the place. I keep telling myself "it's just furniture" still I am so attached to it. Which then makes me mad at myself for being so attached to objects. Letting go of all this stuff is really a lot harder than I thought it would be. A lot harder.
My mom and dad are trying to work as much of our furniture into their home as possible which is so sweet of them. We don't know how long we'll want to live in the city so we'd love to hang onto as much of it as possible for at least a year or two to see if we end up moving to the suburbs for more space.
Now praying that someone will come and rent our house!
So that was our weekend!! whew!!
Last weekend was probably one of the most stressful two days that I can remember.
We raced all around with a Realtor and also by ourselves. We quickly discovered that what they call a den in DC is about the size of our master bedroom closet here in Florida. We thought we could get a one bed + den and I could put my studio in the den and boy were we wrong!! Never ever could I get any work done in that "den", maybe one table could fit in there but not all my other art stuff.
Then we found a place that we liked in a row house in Kalorama and the person wouldn't rent to us because of our 2 cats and one dog. Which seemed ridiculous to me because the person who rented the other unit had a Cujo-esque German Sheppard barking all the time. Cats are very quiet even if there are two of them. And Toby, we practically carry him from room to room. Can't get much more quiet than Toby. We started to get worried we wouldn't find anywhere who would take us and our pets! I had a major meltdown when this place rejected us because of our furry family members!
In the end we ended up renting a place that a friend of Paul's lives in and they need to move back to Orlando. They literally just discovered they are moving back to Orlando and it seemed to be fate that it worked out. They need someone to rent their condo and we needed a place to rent. perfect! They don't mind about our pets and even better it's two bedrooms. It's on U street , (which when I lived there before you didn't set foot in that area) but now 11 years later it's very trendy with jazz clubs and cake and coffee shops. I even found the organic pet food store which made me feel at home just knowing I can get the pet food near by. And it's 3/4 of a block to the metro. yay! And it has garage parking and 24 hour security. Double yay!
Because we are moving from our house which is 1700sq feet to the new place that is 800 sq feet, we have to get rid of more than 1/2 our furniture to fit in the place. I keep telling myself "it's just furniture" still I am so attached to it. Which then makes me mad at myself for being so attached to objects. Letting go of all this stuff is really a lot harder than I thought it would be. A lot harder.
My mom and dad are trying to work as much of our furniture into their home as possible which is so sweet of them. We don't know how long we'll want to live in the city so we'd love to hang onto as much of it as possible for at least a year or two to see if we end up moving to the suburbs for more space.
Now praying that someone will come and rent our house!
So that was our weekend!! whew!!
big news
Paul has accepted a job offer in Washington D.C. He'll be a Web News Editor for the Guardian America, in their D.C. office.
We are so excited about this amazing opportunity but also sad because we'll be leaving friends and family. :(
The good news is since The Guardian is a British company, Paul will get 6 weeks of vacation so we'll be able to come down a lot! And we'll get to go London too! I used to spend every summer in London with my Mom and Grandma so it feels like a second home-town to me.
It's going to be a whirlwind the next few weeks. We have to get Paul up there to start work by July 28th. Then I'll follow by the end of August if I can get everything wrapped up here in Orlando.
This weekend we are going up to do a mad dash to find an apartment. I have been looking on Craigslist like a crazy person. I pray we find something. At least I know the area from living there before. But still, it's nerve wracking. Wondering how I will fit all my art supplies into a tiny apartment -- Then we have to figure out how to rent out our house here in Florida. If anyone is interested in renting a cute 3 bedroom home in Orlando, email me!!
On top of all this I have so much to do to get ready for CHA and also Martha Stewart show submissions are due, and custom artwork orders and other deadlines. My brain feels like it is about to explode. I am trying to take things one at a time, but my mind is whirling. We only found out about this late last week, so it's been insane with me out of town at Ranger U and trying to make all these arrangements!
So that's my big news!! Akkkk!
Paul has accepted a job offer in Washington D.C. He'll be a Web News Editor for the Guardian America, in their D.C. office.We are so excited about this amazing opportunity but also sad because we'll be leaving friends and family. :(
The good news is since The Guardian is a British company, Paul will get 6 weeks of vacation so we'll be able to come down a lot! And we'll get to go London too! I used to spend every summer in London with my Mom and Grandma so it feels like a second home-town to me.
It's going to be a whirlwind the next few weeks. We have to get Paul up there to start work by July 28th. Then I'll follow by the end of August if I can get everything wrapped up here in Orlando.
This weekend we are going up to do a mad dash to find an apartment. I have been looking on Craigslist like a crazy person. I pray we find something. At least I know the area from living there before. But still, it's nerve wracking. Wondering how I will fit all my art supplies into a tiny apartment -- Then we have to figure out how to rent out our house here in Florida. If anyone is interested in renting a cute 3 bedroom home in Orlando, email me!!
On top of all this I have so much to do to get ready for CHA and also Martha Stewart show submissions are due, and custom artwork orders and other deadlines. My brain feels like it is about to explode. I am trying to take things one at a time, but my mind is whirling. We only found out about this late last week, so it's been insane with me out of town at Ranger U and trying to make all these arrangements!
So that's my big news!! Akkkk!
Labels: moving
Name:claudine hellmuth
