Ten Things I Love About Being an Empty Nester

It has been not quite two weeks since DS1, K2, K3 and Toad moved into their own home.  And, while they still have a few things here, so pop in and out a couple times a week, I've moved on to the empty nest phase of my life.  So far, here is a list of ten things I've found in the last week or so that I am loving:

1. It's so quiet!!  Being an introvert by nature, I am absolutely loving the fact that I have the house to myself all afternoon, every afternoon, once I get home from work.  The peace, the calm, the solitude. . . 
2. I can do laundry any day of the week I want!  For years, since my kids got old enough to be responsible for their own laundry, I have had two assigned days each week in which to wash my and DH's laundry.(Because, after much bickering among the kids, I made a laundry chart and each child had one day, I had two days, and there was an OPEN day each week for catching up.) And if I happened to be sick, or out of town on one or both of those laundry days of mine, oh well, had to wait until my next designated day rolled around or hope someone else didn't need the washer on the OPEN day.
3. The groceries I buy aren't mysteriously disappearing before I can eat them!
4. I have more time for riding my horse.  Because, when I get home from work, I have about six uninterrupted hours to get tasks done before DH gets home from work and it's time for dinner.  Daily housework does not take that long, so why not ride?
5. Without so many bodies at home, the house stays cleaner longer.  Which means less time spent in housework (and more time for my interests).
6. I can leave my knitting bag next to the couch, and my knitting project--and needles--will still be safely in it the next evening when I sit down to knit while DH watches TV.
7. Likewise, I can leave a sewing or quilting project in-progress out in my work space until I have a chance to work on it some more.  No more safely stashing things from little hands after each session, then spending a portion of the next session hauling things back out or wondering where I put them!
8. Dinner is always something I like to eat!
9. The afghan that resides on the back of the couch is never found wadded up on the floor (a multiple time per week occurrence for just about forever. . .)
10. There is always toilet paper on the roller in the bathroom!

I am sure this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the 'rewards' of having all my children grown up and moved out.  After only a couple of weeks, it's hard to see all the ways in which having only DH and I at home is beneficial.  I mean, we won't know the impact on the electric bill (or the trash removal) until next month.  But, we're anticipating some extra money being left once all the bills are paid from now on.  And, since he and I don't generate much trash--since we compost the biodegradable, recycle the recyclable, and burn the burnable--we are probably going to cancel the trash service and just take a bag into the township collection site once a month. That right there is a savings of over $150 a year.