Freedom, Family, and a Front Porch.

July 3, 2023

We celebrated the Fourth last Saturday with the Smith crew.   (Gage had to work so he and Sarah weren’t able to join us.)

Meagan and Nathan prepared a wonderful meal with grilled chicken skewers, fruit, macaroni and cheese, and a potato, squash, and onion casserole. Delicious!

This was just one of the handsome dudes who was present for the evening.

After dinner, we drove to Kannapolis where the Charlotte Symphony did a pre-fireworks concert.  It was such a special evening to hang out with 8,000 of our Charlotte area neighbors and our fabulous fam.

I especially loved seeing the grandkid’s chairs in a row.

When the symphony played The Star Spangled Banner, our crew tried its best to sing along, even though it was pitched in a key so high that only the angels could sing along.

I still had to give them kudos for the effort.

I love the great expressions here.

I didn’t even attempt to sing all those notes; I just posed with the note-singer when it was all over.

And yet another handsome dude.

Of course, I always love people-watching at an event like this. This little girl spent almost the whole evening dancing in the aisle. She was so unself-conscious and lovely; I was envious of her complete enjoyment of the moment and not caring what anyone thought.

I also loved the moment when the symphony played the Armed Forces medley. The conductor requested that when various veterans stood, the people around them should shine their flashlights on them.  What a great way to literally and figuratively shed light on their service and sacrifice.  If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have been in that park celebrating our freedom.  So grateful.

I never would have dreamed last year at this time that we would be celebrating  Independence Day 2023 with Nathan and his family.  So many times throughout the evening, as friends and family gathered, the symphony played, children danced, and veterans were honored  I thought, “These are the good ol’ days.”

In other news . . .

I’m taking today off from work and the company is closed tomorrow so I’m enjoying a 4-day holiday. Lovely in the extreme.

Steve’s and my goal today is to venture down into the overwhelming space of our basement and try to figure out what to do with the stuff that lurks down there. I’d estimate we have about 100 hours ahead of us before everything is gone through, gotten rid of, and/or organized.  But spending at least a few hours today is a start.

But this is the thing I don’t get.

We have lived quite happily for nine months without any of the items from down there.  So just what is all that stuff and what is it doing there? I am not asking this facetiously. I am genuinely perplexed.  I mean, genuinely and seriously perplexed.

And this is just the double car garage. There is also a large rec room across the hallway and beyond that, a boat garage.   Wish us luck!

In closing . . .

Meagan has wanted a porch swing for a very long time; unfortunately, they were unhappy with the quality of the one they purchased from Lowes for a pretty good chunk of money.  And then Steve happened to notice a sign near their house advertising handmade porch swings.  Turns out an 80-year-old man custom-builds swings for about 60% less money than Lowes charges–he even adds cup holders to his.

So Steve spent yesterday afternoon and evening helping to put up the swing which turned into quite the challenge–something having to do with the porch being wrapped in vinyl and something called soffits. I don’t understand any of that but it took many hours in the hot and humid Carolina weather to figure it all out and get it installed

No matter what Steve or Nathan do around the house, there is always at least one grandchild who is there to “help.”

They have a couple more hours remaining to finish the job but at least it is “sittable” and everyone is thrilled–most of all Meagan who is beyond happy to finally have her swing.

So there you have it. Freedom, family, and front porches. 

It’s been a great weekend!

What about you?

What has your weekend held?

Do you have any good advice for sort/cleaning out stuff? 

Do you have any stories of when you moved or had to clean out for some other reason? How long did it take you to get everything unpacked/sorted through?

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20 comments so far.

20 responses to “Freedom, Family, and a Front Porch.”

  1. Cindy says:

    I have quite busy the past few days and I am drying my sheets now. This after three loads of wash, I have to many clothes I guess. Tromping up and down the stairs isn’t fun. I am down to my sheets finally. Milo ( my cat) is not happy he can’t get into my bedroom.

    Tomorrow I get a new roof on the house and garage due to hail damage over the winter. So I and two friends moved all the yard furniture out of the way. The house is also being painted which will be a lot of work as the paint is peeling. It is a giant mess! I will sit outside and watch the free entertainment. In a little while I am making brownies for the crew.

    Loved all the photos!

    • Becky says:

      Cindy,

      Your house will look like a brand new place with a new roof AND a fresh coat of paint. Quite a facelift!

      And so nice of you to make brownies for the crew. I know they appreciate your thoughtfulness.

  2. Phyllis says:

    I do not envy you at all going through boxes of your stuff and Ken and Vernie’s. In the last 4 years, I have helped get my aunt’s house ready to sell and for a garage sale after she went in a nursing home, gotten my parents’ house ready to sell and for an estate sale after they went into a nursing home, helped a friend pack to move to Texas (she definitely needs to do some purging and decluttering). With my parents and aunt, everything went – whether it was to the sale, a family member wanted it or to thrift store after the sale. Because of all that work, I have tried to be more mindful of getting rid of things I don’t use anymore. I can’t say I have been completely successful with that effort though. We worked on my aunt’s house one entire week. There were 5 of us doing the work. The garage sale and prep was another week. With my parents, it was primarily me although one brother came down a couple days to help and their caregiver helped some. I think I was at their house most of 5 weeks. I usually came home Friday or Saturday and then back down on Monday.
    I have a sort of funny story about a porch swing. My parents had a metal frame that a swing hung on. The swing had seen better days and had been replaced at least once. One afternoon my mom went out to sit on it. After a while, my dad came out to sit with her. Fortunately he had his cell phone with him. When he sat down, the swing broke and they both went tumbling down, my mom pretty much landing on my dad. They called my brother and he was able to get my mom up but couldn’t get my dad up. Keep in mind, my dad was probably 93 at least and my mom 88. Their neighbor across the street happened to notice what was going on, she is an RN and was a tremendous help to them over the years she lived there. She was just sure my dad had broken a hip or some other bone. She was able to get him up. The swing went in the trash but the frame was still in good condition. She said we can get you a new swing to which both my parents said a resounding NO! The frame moved across the street, she got a new sturdier wing for it and uses it to this day.

    • Becky says:

      Phyllis,

      I loved your swing story!! Amazing that neither of your parents were injured in a fall like that. And thank the Lord for an RN close by ready and willing to help. I love that she is still using the frame for the swing.

      I think you need to give yourself the title of Pro Cleaner Outer. That is a LOT of work you did for so many people. Kudos to you for keeping up with it and not giving up. A huge accomplishment.

  3. Kristi says:

    Hi Becky!
    I have been on a decluttering journey for nearly 2 1/2 years. I have learned to what brings me joy and what doesn’t. I also try to be intentional about what I buy. I have made a lot of progress since February 2021. I have learned what works and what doesn’t for me as far as organizing goes. There are tons of decluttering videos on YouTube.

    • Becky says:

      Kristi,

      I think the word “intentional” is a great one to use when it refers to things we choose to buy. It’s so easy to buy things on impulse but more and more, I stop and think long and hard about whether or not I really need or want the item. It’s such a rewarding journey to work at being clutter-free, isn’t it? Glad it’s going well for you.

  4. SueEllen says:

    So happy you’re able to enjoy the 4th with all the little Smith’s and their parental units!! But OH MY, that garage looks so daunting. Is all of that stuff you brought from the OBX, was it inherited with the home, or a little of both? Just take it a box at a time so it’s not quite as daunting. Meagan’s swing is lovely and I bet it lasts a lot longer than any commercially made one. Saturday we went to my brother-in-laws as we do most Saturdays and opted for a nacho bar so no one had to be out in the Texas heat checking the grill. Later we gathered around their pool for a little while. Tomorrow (the actual 4th) we’re making King Ranch Chicken for everyone and enjoying the luxury that is air conditioning! Wishing you all a wonderful 4th of July and God Bless America!!

    • Becky says:

      Sue Ellen,

      The garage is a mishmash of our stuff and some of Ken and Vernie’s stuff. We made good progress and got rid of over 300 books!

      Sounds like air conditioning and King Ranch Chicken are two great choices for a Fourth of July celebration. Enjoy!

  5. Sharyn L. McDonald says:

    Cleaning out boxes is sometimes a challenge but guess it just takes time (which since I am retired I do have a lot of). Thinking just grab a box and have about 3 different piles, keeping, tossing and one for thrift store.and maybe one for family (do you want this?). Those are such great pictures and knowing you are all togther is so special. We actually don’t have to go anywhere to see fireworks. If we go to a bedroom upstairs, we have been able to count up to 15 going on at the same time. We aren’t up really high but just enough to give us some great look/see of fireworks. Cooking Brats and having Capt. Ken’s baked beans. If there are any posters who live around this area and have had these – these are the best. Have a safe and great time together tomorrow.

    • Becky says:

      Sharyn,

      Wow. Fifteen different fireworks shows going on at the same time? And all from the comfort of your bedroom window? You have got it made!

      My brother and sister-in-law live in Roseville so I’m sure they’ve heard of Capt Ken’s baked beans. And cooking brats is definitely a great midwestern tradition!

  6. Patti says:

    Are those flamingos on Steves shirt? Love it.
    Our weekend was quiet and no special plans for the 4th. Your concert sounds fabulous. My husband did sub for the pastor on Sunday and having not preached for over a year, it was a lot of stress. It all went well and the kids enjoyed the American and Christian flags that he had for them.
    We moved to our retirement home in 2010. We still have some boxes that we have not gone thru. These are labled well so we know what is in them and it is mostly collectables or family pictures etc. It is why we are not wanting to move to a condo like all our friends are doing as we don’t want to go thru all the “stuff”. We fortunately have a large storage room in our basement so it is not in our way. My goal this year is to get out all my Christmas decore (something I haven’t done since covid) and decide what to get rid of. We also have some camping gear we are no longer using that we need to wean out.
    When going thru all my moms pics I just set out 4 tubs (one for each of her grandkids) and shuffled all the pics and memorablia between them. That allowed them to sort out what they wanted and it was out of my house.
    Happy 4th to you all

    • Becky says:

      Patti,

      Sounds like you had a good plan for your mom’s pictures. That is one thing that is overwhelming me right now–there are SO many pictures between all of Ken and Vernie’s and all of mine from pre-digital days. It’s just going to take some time to sort through all of those. Your idea of putting them in tubs for each person to keep or not keep is a good one; it’s a matter of finding time to get them sorted into the tubs!

      I’m glad your husband got to preach again. Even though it was stressful, hopefully he enjoyed being back in the pulpit again.

  7. dmantik says:

    The pictures of the three intrepid Smiths trying to hit the high notes made me laugh out loud. As you said, such great expressions! 😁

    And a porch swing for dear Meagan–yay! I’m so excited for her! I too have always had a warm place in my heart for porch swings. The guys did a great job getting it up there.

    I will be with you in spirit as you advance upon the Great Collection of Unknown Items in the basement. I know it will feel so good to have it all sorted out and be able to enjoy useable space down there! But I’m sorry for all the work it causes you.

    Love you guys!

    Deb

    • Becky says:

      Deb,

      Yes, they certainly gave it their best shot and it was fun watching them try to get those far away notes!

      Wish you were here to help with the basement sorting process. Now that I’m working full time, it’s harder to carve out time to get down there and actually get stuff done. I’m going to head down there again today.

      Happy day to you!

  8. LeeAnne says:

    Oh boy…we are in the midst of packing, sorting etc. We sold our house and bought a house only 11 miles from our kids and grandkids! We will move mid-August. I totally understand your situation with the basement. We just cleaned out our attic this weekend. 40 years of stuff!! We took one whole pickup load to the dump, and one whole pickup load to Goodwill so far. There’s still a whole lot more left to go. Our time crunch is that we leave in 2 days for Florida and will be gone for 2 weeks and then we get home for 10 days and then we are gone to South Dakota for a week. So much to do and so much time that we’ll be gone with things we already have committed to.
    Happy 4th of July!!🇺🇲🧨😊

    • Becky says:

      LeeAnne,

      Oh my. I just read your comment and immediately started feeling anxious on your behalf. Sorting, packing, traveling, moving. Good stress but still, stress. Just getting the attic cleaned out was a huge accomplishment–congrats on that big deal!

      Just think. Six months from now it will all be done and you’ll be settled into that wonderful place of being 11 miles from the grands. Worth it all!

  9. Stefanie in Lake Saint Louis says:

    What a fun weekend with the Smiths! I absolutely love that porch swing, too. I would enjoy one but we don’t have anywhere to put it!

    I took today off for a 4-day weekend too. 🙂

    As for the stuff in the basement – if you haven’t even opened the boxes in 9 months, you clearly don’t need anything in them! I’d be tempted to donate them or dump them, and be done with it. 🙂

    • Becky says:

      Stefanie,

      Donate or dump. Definitely a temptation. We got rid of about 8 boxes of books yesterday so that was a good start. Steve’s got a ton of RC airplane stuff that can be consolidated and then we have musical gear, Ken and Vernie’s remaining stuff, holiday decorations, pictures, etc that will need attention. Thankfully, we sold Ken and Vernie’s dining room set yesterday so that will be moved out of the rec room and give us more space. It’s a process, for sure!

  10. Ruth Rehberg says:

    Bec, watch a few minimal videos to inspire you into the wonderful mental world of…
    “declutter- mode”!
    They always help me get going. Ruth

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