Hey crafty friends! I know it’s been unusually quiet here at CraftTestDummies….and on my YouTube channel, too. I have some good reasons for being preoccupied.
So just when I think I’ve got my life kinda under control, I get a curveball and POOF- my life goes all “PLOT TWIST” on me.
About three weeks ago, my husband (who has been working in NYC for the past year and commuting weekly) and I had a text convo that went something like this:
HIM: Hey look at this cool NYC apartment
ME: Wow that’s cool. When do I move in?
HIM: I’m really rethinking this commuting thing. It’s a drag.
ME: Yah, me too. Maybe we should all be together.
HIM: Really?
ME: Yah.
And so, we decided to reunite our family in the Big Apple. That means letting go of my new craft studio, our house of seven years, my friends, the kid’s school and activities, and pretty much my entire way of life.
I’m pretty much from Ohio, my husband is from Ohio…and well, you know. Mid-westerners like me are dependent on their cars, large pantries, lawns/backyards, and Target. (!) But now, we are going to switch it all up for a smallish apartment, Central Park, and Amazon Prime Now. (Getting my groceries delivered in an hour was Life (capital L) Changing (capital C.)
So now we’ve been in the City (Manhattan, y’all) getting an apartment, kids schools, and now back for a week before the BIG MOVE.
(Now is a good time for a little video, no?)
So never fear, I’ll be back & doing reviews and making videos soon. If you’d like to leave a comment with your packing/moving suggestions, that would be AWESOME! And make sure you catch me on these other social channels if you’d like to see the ‘behind the scenes” of what’s happening day-to-day.
Thanks for joining in my crazy adventure!!
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jengd says
Enjoy the adventure!
Susanne says
Be sure to swing by Boston–we’re only a 4 hour ride from Manhattan…well I am up further north in MA…..Hope you like NYC….
Lisa M says
Congratulations! Native New Yorker here and still living here! The Big Apple can wear on you at times but I love it! I’m sure it will be quite an adjustment but adventurous for sure!
Rose Paul says
ONLY 2 pieces of advice, and I offer it only because we had to move every 5-6 years due my husband’s job transferring him around to put out fires and rebuild IT departments. I had gotten pretty quick in packing our household, but when we moved here, I had just had 2 back surgeries and a diagnosis of Degenerative Disc Disease which would worsen to the point of a pain pump implant which I have now. Now to the advice:
1. If there is time, yardsale. If not see donate stuff. Our last move, I had over 100 packs of cardstock and design paper that I would never use in my lifetime, plus retired stamps, ink pads, punches and stickers. Since the local elementary wouldn’t take the ink pads due to chemical concerns, I donated them to a local daycare center and they were thrilled with the crafting items.
2. The most important for us last time, We found a moving company who came in a packed for us. All we needed to do was pack what we needed for a few days in the new house and our suitcases. Everything else was done by them. Only 1 thing was broken in the 766 mile transit. A tea cup. This company was perfect for us as hubby was here looking for a place for us to move into and I was back in upstate VA with the packing
Unless you really like to pack, I’d call around to see who can do it and their prices. We were fortunate as his company pays TOWARDS the moving expenses, we were more than happy to pay the difference.
I wish you well in your new endeavors. It is always scary to move, especially to what would seem to a midwesterner or a southerner like us, a different planet. But life loves its curveballs. It won’t be long until you are so settled in that you will be playing Menu Roulette like we did when we lived in Pittsburgh. It’s fun and only works in a city where there is a lot of different restaurant delivery places. If you want, i can tell you how to play it when you have time. Take care.
Joan Smith says
OMG Jenny What a cutie of a family…..That was so awesome to see you, your Handsome hubby..and your cutie boys…..Enjoy your adventure and love your texting…that was totally cool and the best things happen spontaneously ENJOY ENJOY all sounds so exciting and actually your conversation the your hubs is romatic….stuff movies are made of. I love it. YOU ROCK!!
Melanie says
We moved from St Louis to Pittsburgh a month ago. The movers we hired were awful!!! Contact me for who NOT to hire! Good luck with your move!
Betsy Cosmos says
Make lists of absolutely everything you pack and in which box (number the boxes, number the lists). We were almost all packed and then were invited out to a fancy restaurant for a goodbye treat…had to find hubby’s dress shoes. Thanks to the lists and numbering the boxes, it was a quick task to complete. I LOVE NYC!!! Enjoy it (and your family will be make the Big Apple even better!)
Susan G says
I’m from Brooklyn, OH…enjoy Brooklyn NY. Only thing I do to keep me sane: Slap a big numerical sticker and the final destination room on each box..list the contents of each number in a notebook to help you find which box you’re looking for. So simple and so time saving in the end.
Laurie Hunt says
Good Luck Jenny! Two years ago we moved from Michigan to Arizona. Culture shock! Everything I thought I new about home ownership and Midwest winters went right out the window. The first thing we did was try to educate ourselves in home ownership in the desert! You won’t have the extreme weather change but it will be a culture change. Good luck!
Georgia Browne says
You are moving to the best place in the US. New York has everything that you could possibly want – anything else in the US is not worth the effort to get there. Good for you and enjoy all the good things/places that we have to offer here.
Pat Schwab says
Jenny, Wow, this is big news!!! I can’t wait to follow along on your big adventure. I am wondering about the local show you filmed here (in Ohio), were you still doing the show? Good luck and have fun! Pat S
Traci says
All the luck in the world to you and your family as you change lifestyles. I know you’ll do it beautifully because of your positive and upbeat outlook. I have a niece in NYC and she doesn’t know that there is anywhere else TO live!
Mary Schmidt says
Your last blog talked about cube versus Shelf storage by IKEA. I use IKEA BESTA shelving & love it. The Kallax dividers all take up space and someone mentioned that you end up with wasted space in the cubes where you can’t something next to something else. Besta shelves are adjustable in height. I buy extra shelving ($5.00 each) and have some shelves close together for trays of things and some shelves far apart. You can purchase drawers, doors, and glass shelving to fit Besta. You can have someone add trim pieces to the top & bottom if you want them more custom. I can fit a LOT of stuff on the shelves. I have 3 shelving units plus other IKEA pieces. Check out the AS IS department. Sometimes it is display items with nothing wrong with the pieces. Good luck with your move. I wish I lived close enough to go to your estate sale. I’d love to help you unpack & set up your craft room. I live in Charlotte, NC area so guess that is not possible.
Julie Hulver says
The thought of packing up/purging craft supplies sounds very daunting! Good luck on the move and in NYC! Are you having a yard sale (I’m local)?
Rufus says
Good luck on the move. The one piece of advice I have to offer on moving, take out the EXTRA moving insurance!!!!! I won’t even go into how I know that, just trust me on this one! Oh yes, if you can afford to have the movers pack for you that’s great. Under NO circumstances let them unpack!!! Hubby said sure when that was offered. After a couple of boxes said NOPE, not gonna work. They literally took it out of the box and put it on the nearest surface. Total chaos in 15 seconds flat.
It’ll be worth it to be together again as a family. Enjoy your great adventure. Will be looking forward to seeing and hearing all about it.
Mary Okleshen says
Good Luck to you and your family. Many great experiences ahead for you. Just want to know how your weather test went on the welcome home sign with midge podge!
Mary Okleshen says
Sorry… modge podge