Another reason Sept 11 is memorable.

September 11, 2008 was a very memorable day for my family. It was the day we moved out of our old home. Almost exactly 42 years since we moved in.

My dad had the house built in 1966 and we moved in September of that year. I was 2 years old. Not much has really changed in that house in those 42 years making it a bit of a time capsule. I started tackling this task seriously late August and just when I thought I had a handle on things I unearthed more stuff. My parents threw nothing out in all that time. My dad had paperwork dating back to the late 60's. His theory was we have the room so why throw it out.

I gave away many items. I did daily trips to Value Village over the last few weeks. I gave away furniture, clothing and tons of knick knacks. And there were many knick knacks. I had to fight tooth and nail with my mom over each item I threw away.

But that was the easy part.

I found them a nice condo not too far from their old home. 2 bedrooms, 1 bath with a lovely large patio. They are on the ground floor so they can walk out of their unit and access the buildings' gardens. It has a house feel without having to do the gardening. When I found out I was getting the keys on the Wednesday night, I decided to go in and paint. I managed to convince some friends to help and at 8pm Wednesday night got started. C & N met me at 8 and we started the prep. D showed up around 8:30. I knew it was an ambitious project but had no idea how ambitious until we started working. The job was instantly pared down to the master bedroom and main living space. There would be no time for trim.

The bedroom was a shade of blue and the rest of the place was taupish. It took 2 coats of primer and one of paint to make the bedroom presentable and 2 coats in the rest of the condo. D and I got out of there at 2 am.

The move was the next day. We were back at the condo by 8:30 am. I left D there to do touch-ups while I went to the old house to co-ordinate with the movers. The boys from Spartan moving were great. My thanks to them both.

Once I gave them their instructions, back to the condo I went. In the light of day, we saw how filthy this place really was. Fortunately, I had re-inforcements coming. H and J arrived at 11:30 and we all got to work. H brought along her new steamer and got going in the kitchen. Her Euro-pro Shark professional steamer is the cat's meow. As she got going in that kitchen, she couldn't stop. She spent 8 hours cleaning that kitchen. The condo is 900 sq ft. The kitchen isn't that big. I'll let you draw your own conclusions as to the housekeeping abilities of the previous owners.

The furniture started arriving after 1pm. I had left mom in the old house as it was easier that way. I know she felt helpless there but I didn't want her seeing the new place just yet. By the time the movers left, we had the place organized. I really wanted mom to have a nice first impression of her new home. By the time she walked in the door, my amazing helpers had furniture arranged so it looked like a home. Not a shell with stuff piled up.

Mom was overwhelmed. She didn't understand why it was taking us so long to clean such a small place. But when she saw the freshly painted walls and clean floors she was truly taken aback. She told me later that she never had so many people doing so much for her. It took her breath away.

Mom seems to be very happy in her new home. She is still unpacking. Hopefully, we'll have it all done by next weekend. She is really nervous about all the new things she has to learn to do. Such as how to get into the underground parking and which key opens which door. She also seems to have forgotten how to use the simplest of items. Such as the electrical outlet in the bathroom. I'm sure she'll have it all handled soon enough.

My thanks once again to all my amazing friends who helped me with this project. I couldn't have done it without you. If mom had walked into an apartment which reaked of curry, with grungy walls and filthy kitchen, she would have been in tears. Instead, she found a bright and cheery space that sparkled.

You've all gained major karma points. Or as I like to say........Princess Points.