First let me say, Real Estate agents (or at least our current one) are FAIL!  As previously posted, we applied for a great place on Saturday (and the potential agent seems very nice, good vibes there) and it started the approval process yesterday morning.  Several friends and family members have reported they were called and gave us glowing references, which we so obviously deserve *gryn*  so all is well on that front.  So when the phone rang this afternoon I assumed it would be the YES you got the property call... but it was the 'we are having trouble getting your current agent to return the rental reference' call.  *sigh*   So I ring their office and am told they are 'waiting for information' but that yes, it will be faxed back today.    What information they could possibly be waiting for is beyond me and also beyond the new agents, since they merely want to know if the rent has been paid on time and if the property is maintained in a good manner.   The new agent said she'll give them another half hour (they've faxed them the paperwork 2times over 2 days) and then she'll ring back and tell her that I'm in their office waiting to sign the lease, so we REALLY need that reference now ;)     What a winning, proactive attitude that girl has... I am going to like these guys LOL.

I really sorta need to know, so I can transfer the absurd amount of rent & bond money into our daily account and get a bank check to pay them. @@  On the packing front, there are currently five boxes packed *yay*.  All my craft stuff, most books, the magical cupboard contents are all happily packed & stacked.   

AND I just got a call from the new agent, everything looks good from their end, they'll call us back as soon as the owner agrees to the lease, which they are recommending  (because we are simply put, awesome fucking tenants)  WOOT!   We have just rang & booked the moving truck as well as the crapet cleaning for this place.  Yes... I said crapet, because this stuff is so faded and discoloured with age that it's pathetic... ffs you can SEE the backing grid in spots all over. CRAPET SUCKS... TILES ARE WIN!

In other news, some of our new History Odyssey books have arrived at mums!  I had them shipped there because amazon.com estimated that it would be mid to late April before the last of the 3 shipments would arrive, so I didn't want them sent here in case WE were no longer here.   I can't wait to get them so we can have a good browse through... it's like Yule morning when new school stuff comes in the mail :D

I am off to enjoy a cuppa with my hunny in celebration of all these joyous things :D

Gone!  are the TWO deceased television sets that inhabited my shed, and the broken baby cot (thanks 4yo son), and the sad ancient lawnmower...and the pile of musty mildewy cardboard boxes saved from our last move.  And probably a lot of other crap that doesn't come to mind right now... DH loaded up his van and for the bargain price of 5bucks, dumped it all at the landfill.  I say landfill, but according to him this was no great gaping pit in the ground like 'dump's used to be.  There was a huge area for green waste where it composts down over time.. and a giant metal barn with sections for non working electronics (yay our tvs went there) and companies come take them for parts and such, and cardboard/paper/glass recycling too.   I hated having to put all that in landfill, so I'm glad that at least some of it might be reused & recycled by someone.   

Either way.. it had to get OUT of my house, because we are at T - 10 days till the 'moving' starts, and it wasn't going with.   Tonight Strider & I will both take a box and fill it with something we won't need for the duration.. I'm heading for my craft supplies, and I'm tasked him with the magic cupboard and other assorted books.  Then we'll sit and watch Taken, just because we love that movie and we both have had a stressful few days.  Maybe I'll see if we have a bottle of wine hiding somewhere...  

Think good thoughts, tomorrow arvo or Tuesday we should hear about the application we put in for a house we liked.

Let me start by saying I'm not loving the new layout I picked... so I'll go back to the drawing board on that one!  Needs more colour definitely, and I think I want a 3 column thingy... but not sure.

Now.. for the stuff.  I'm talking specifically about our household stuff.  Since we have decided to wait out our time to buy a house in a new rental (where all small people can have their own bedroom YAY) we are commencing THE PACKING.   We're going to hire boxes for this from these guys , for several reasons.  One, they get reused and I'm all about recycling & reusing stuff. Two, it will cost less! and Three, I can arrange for them to pick them up anytime within 3months and *I* don't have to have them hanging out in the shed/garage.  Win win situation really.    

Anyway, I was looking at the presets on their 'how many boxes will you need calculator' and was astounded to see that for 2adults and 2 children their hire history shows you will need 25large boxes, and 50 smaller ones.  Now we have 3 children so I'd guess they would suggest like 28large and maybe 60smaller ones for us.   OMG that is a lot of boxes!   We have actually looked around our house and decided we will order 15large, and 20small plus 2 'wardrobe hanger' boxes (so we can be lazy and just move our hanging stuff without unhangering it :)   Hubby is actually thinking that may be slightly too many even, but I think better to have too many than not enough! 

I was just in my bedroom (air conditioning ftw) relaxing and looking around at what needs to be packed in there.. There's my jewelry & perfumy stuff, which will go in a reuseable shopping bag and go over in the car; the contents of the night stand drawers and the altar bits on my dresser.. those can go into a small box; the top of my closet has my massive collection of craft mags & supplies... LARGE box there, except the giant bag of polyfill stuffing, which will be it's own packaging :P, hanging clothes = wardrobe boxes; folded clothes not in drawers = large box; clothes folded in drawers = will ride in the drawers.  I'm not 'packing' anything that doesn't really require it I guess.   So that's maybe... 4 boxes (2lg, 1 wardrobe, 1small)  I suspect most of the rooms in our house will be 3-5 boxes (even the kitchen) ..not counting the bathroom that's 6 rooms or at most 30boxes, WAY below the box hire guys estimates!

We live a pretty simple life but I guess it never ocurred to me HOW different my mindset is compared to the average Aussie.  I have NO need to fill my space with 'crap' just for the sake of having it filled.  Hell, it's a million times easier to clean WITHOUT all that stuff!  Granted there ARE a few things I'd really love... an expedit bookcase from Ikea (for our homeschool stuff) and a few items to use for storage in the kids bedrooms.   But I have no interest in the very latest household gadget that does one thing only.. even if it DOES do it very well ;)     I can't imagine how much money people spend on that kind of stuff!   

And know what?  I'm going to declutter more stuff before we go even, so HA! take that consumerist society! ;)