On buying and selling a car

 At last, it's time to tell the tale of buying and selling a car. 

While my old car (2019 Corolla) had no issues with it, I was never happy with that car. I hated the navigation system (or lack thereof) and hated that it only had Apple Carplay - not Android. But that wasn't enough to warrant making a change. DH's car, on the other hand, was getting old, and it was showing. When I say old -- it was well over 10 years old - I don't even remember the model year. 

We had quite a few discussions about moving to a one-car family. ACK! Is that even possible? Since we both work at home or travel by air, we decided to go for it! We could have kept my car as there was nothing wrong with it, but it was small and had a manual transmission, which I didn't want DH to drive. OK -- call me petty, but I didn't want him driving my little car as if it were a race car! And that's what he would have done. Give a man a manual transmission, and they think they are driving a Formula One car on the Autobahn. 

So earlier this year, we, or should I say that "I," looked around. He wasn't interested, so I could buy what I wanted. Yeah - plus what he wanted, I wasn't prepared to pay for. I see ZERO sense in purchasing a $100K car that sits mostly in the driveway. Why not buy something cheaper and use the rest of the money for something else? That's my philosophy, and he couldn't argue! Well, he could, but he could not outlogic that one. 

So, in February, I put a small down payment on a Toyota Corolla Cross after test-driving the car and looking at other options (not other brands -- oh no!). Size-wise -- it's pretty close to what DH had before, but much bigger than my car! 

And then the wait began. We were told we'd likely see it in April 2024, and we were good with that. We prayed that DH's vehicle would last, but I swear it was dangerous to drive. I don't remember what day it was, but M and I had to drive his car to pick up something, and I swear we almost died of asphyxiation. The exhaust fumes INSIDE the car were horrific! That car needed to go!

Then, on November 3, I went to get the winter tires put on my car, and to my surprise, the salesman tracked me down in the showroom to tell me that my car would be delivered soon. WHAT? Yep -- he gave me a date of November 27. I WAS NOT ready, as November was my totally insane travel month. So I arranged for the second set of tires to be returned to my car and NOT stored.

When I arrived back at the dealer to pick up the car that afternoon, I was told that the car was in the parking lot! Oh god -- this is BAD news. I mean, I was excited, but how could I be excited when I didn't have time to deal with this. 

The dealer was also NOT prepared to buy back my old car. I didn't pursue that then but later learned that this particular dealer does NOT have an extensive used car division. 

I delayed the new car delivery until November 24, which was a Friday. I brought the car home and then left on Monday for Winnipeg! Now, we had three cars, but thankfully, one was parked in the garage and two in the driveway. 

I had my old car detailed, and it was so shiny and clean that it got parked in the garage. But I had to open the windows as it was full of condensation and wouldn't dry out. Plus, everything was slippery as heck, so I hated driving it!

Toyota has a delivery specialist who walks you through the new things in the car, which helped, but there are still many things we need to "find," and one day, DH and I should sit down in the car and figure them out. Let's say that we know how to drive it, but for the life of me -- I can't find the radio! And if I ask the car to play the radio - it tells me to do something with the apps. When I get in, I think I need to turn on the Toyota app on the screen to make it work. 

The radio worked just fine when I first got it, but now -- well, DH, with all his music, something has happened. If I need to go somewhere far, I just plug in my audiobook! Murphy loves the new car, and I must find the picture of her in the back! More stuff for tomorrow. 

We've barely driven the car between the two of us - except for local errands. Our other cars are gone, and I'll share that story tomorrow. 

Yesterday was another busy day with Monday sewing (on Tuesday) and me trying to organize everything in Studio B before the year's end. I have a plan - I'm not sure how long I can maintain that plan, but a plan is better than no plan. While planning can be perceived as a waste of time, it's a good habit to get into. And as long as you are realistic with your time, planning can save lots of time! So, for 2024, I hope to make it the year of the plan, along with many other good habits! 

This morning, I made a list of what paperwork needs to be addressed for each remaining days of this week. That's an excellent start to getting the paperwork done. There's more to add to the list, but it's all about baby steps!

While we were on Zoom, I tackled the stuff that needed to be done by hand. 

My handwork table

I got the sleeve hand-stitched to the Halloween quilt. 

The sleeve is on the Halloween quilt

I reattached two snaps on my jacket that were hanging by a thread. 

Snaps are now sewn back onto the jacket

I clipped all the loose threads on the mat. 

The threads are all clipped on the mat

And those things are now put away. That's a big lie -- NONE of them are put away. They are one step closer to their final destination but have yet to put away. That's a job for this morning. But I'm trying to put things away as soon as I'm done with them. I have to admit that it's kind of therapeutic to do that. It feels great to see stuff return to its home and not create clutter! WOW!!! And here's a secret - the more you do, the more you want to make this happen. It's a positive addiction! 

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm also finding cleaning therapeutic. Seriously? Who knew? But I'm trying to keep the dog hair off the stairs, so I'm out with my dustpan and little broom several times a week. Do NOT tell my mother that! 

I will have to address the huge number of quilts that are upstairs, and this tube is the first step to dealing with that. I've covered a tube from a roll of batting with some temporary quilt sleeves that I no longer use. So watch for what happens with that. 

A cardboard tube covered in muslin strips

Later in the afternoon, I sorted all my Husqvarna Viking machine accessories. It's so nice to have space to do that. 

Sorting accessories for Husqvarna Viking machines

They all got put into one drawer, making them easy to find. I have a little more work to do this morning on that drawer. 

The Husqvarna Viking Accessories

And this is what the handwork table looks like this morning. That orange basket is all the ripping or hand work that needs to be done. I'll keep adding to the pile and will address that stuff on a Zoom day. That works for me, and there are a couple of movies in there, which I can watch and do handwork if I don't have a Zoom call. But look how inviting that table looks to work at! 

My handwork table is nice and tidy!

Another customer quilt was finished. I need to do some trimming today. I've got big plans for today, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see what I accomplish! 

Customer quilt - DONE

And drat! I opened the next customer quilt bag to find TWO quilts, not one! Oh well, one more day of quilting is no big deal. These quilts are all behaving themselves and are easy to get done. Just the way, I like it. So, I'm a little behind where I thought I would be, but still on track and making good progress. I want to stay on top of those quilts in 2024 so I can tackle some of the community project quilts that need to be quilted!

Then, last night at dinner, we opened up the EXIT Game Advent Calendar to solve the next puzzle. Oh boy -- this looks hard. I put my first thoughts out there, and so did DH. Then I said I needed a break -- sometimes attacking the entire thing in one sitting is too much. After a 10-minute break, I was back. Some of these puzzles are so tricky, and this one involved sticky notes. One must also remember that EVERYTHING in the box, including the box, is used at some point. 

I'm sure anyone with the calendar is done, so I ended up with this, and the answer was correct! The first part of any clue (except one!) is pretty straightforward. Then it's taking it to the next step, and sometimes we overthink that next step. The logic hit me just by playing around last night, and I was good. It took about 2 minutes once I came back to find the answer, and we didn't do a second one. I didn't want to push my luck! This was excellent value for the money, so we'll get another one next year! OK -- I have three of them in my puzzle closet, but don't tell anyone! 

The Advent Calendar!

I chuckled this morning when I grabbed a sticky note from the VERY clean desk drawer. It's nice to see a FEW supplies, not an overwhelming mess. The more I do, the better I feel and the more I want to do to get everything in order. It's an addictive behavior, but one that I'll happily accept. 

Remember to look around your house and pick the area you want to tackle! What is driving you crazy? That drawer in the kitchen, the cupboard under the sink in the bathroom, or your cutting table. I don't care what you pick, but we must start somewhere! I hoped to start in the kitchen in January, but I think I would be better off focusing on the office. I hope to have Studio B in complete order by December 31. That's my goal, and wait until you see -- it's so close!

And now I'm off to the gym. It's time to get back into the swing of things, and I'm off to spin class. 

Here's the link for the New Year's Eve Virtual Retreat

Sunday, December 31. We start at Noon

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85786332961?pwd=QklPVDZkL3lEOGVXL3ZBQ29oU010dz09

Meeting ID: 857 8633 2961
Passcode: 084495

Have a super day!!!!!

Ciao!!!!