Stuff...reunited!

Our stuff arrived safe and sound on April 12 and we've been busy unpacking ever since. My computer was one of the first things to move to the new house, so I've been a little behind on my electronic communication. My phone only does so much.

I call the Pod our giant present box to Penny. It really does seem like a treasure trove of exciting things. From the cookie cutter kit to my seashell collection to our beautiful royal blue couches. They all smell a little musky because they were stored somewhere with cat access, but I'm sure a little Febreeze will straighten that right out.

Lest ye think we were kidding about the scorpions...here's a sample from one of our mixing bowls. We've also found them stuck to packing tape, tucked into the pockets of binders and all kinds of other exciting places. Only dessicated corpses so far, but we haven't been doing 24-hour watches yet.

We almost have enough put away to actually reside with our stuff and two young kids safely. Tomorrow's big task is grocery shopping to stock the pantry. Then Thursday I can do some cooking once a few more of the cooking utensils are de-furred. I missed our kitchen! Our utensils are so thorough, though the kitchen itself is a bit stupidly designed. How many people can say they have four different tools for preparing cheese? No real counter space, alas. We've got some furniture to help with precisely that problem and a strangely large amount of kitchen floorspace. The design of the place isn't always logical, but it is workable.

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New Digs

We're making bold strides preparing our new place for moving in. Dan's brother kindly packed all our pre-SGU belongings from his garage into a Pod. Those items are due here next week. At that time, we'll be able to determine whether the scorpions and salamanders he spotted in our stored stuff took up permanent residence there or were just using our stuff as a proving grounds. Thankfully, our new place has a small paved pad adjacent to the house, so we don't even have to get permits and things to receive the pod and cautiously remove our long-forgotten treasures.

The landlord recently purchased, gutted and totally refurbished this duplex, so my task was to wipe all the grit off the windows. I also used my rummage sale skills to procure window treatments, rugs and other details for the house. Here Dan demonstrates his tool-weilding home decoration prowess. It's a dangerous thing putting two perfectionists in charge of decorating a home. This first curtainrod took an hour to hang - there were a lot more steps than you would think in those directions. The remaining ones went faster once the process was familiar. This pic is some final tweaks a few days later. Why he needs a laser level eludes me - he can spot a difference of 1/4cm over three feet with his naked eye when he stands across the room. He did most of our decor in Silver Spring back in the day and he's been trying his hand at the garage sales as well.

As you can see, we've got all hardwood floors. Sends me back to my childhood. I grew up in a Victorian farmhouse. We started with all hardwood and somewhere along the line coverted to wall to wall carpet. I remember as a kid tossing pillows on the wood between area rugs and hopping across the hardwood "quicksand." Why is everyone so impressed with hardwood when the first thing you have to do is figure out rugs and other covering to keep it from getting scratched up? I am proud of myself for remembering that carpet stores sell remnants at slight discount and can bind the edges, so we'll have one new item in the living room and linings for all the scary-floored closets.

Penny and Paul are enjoying all the empty space to run around in. Paul gets a bit spooked by his own voice in the echoey emptiness of the place right now. He has been remarkably cooperative in letting me clean. I moved his Moses basket to the new place and he has even gotten in a couple of naps there so far (something he has never done at home during the day!). Today Penny even said she didn't want to go home to Nanna's when we finished our cleaning spree.

Tuesday our carpets will be done, Thursday our Pod arrives - we could be sporting scorpion stings by this weekend!

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Meal Time Nightmares

In hopes of getting a little more than three houurs of sleep at a stretch, I tried introducing rice cereal a few days ago. Either I've caught him at a time when he's not hungry, or he's really not liking the taste. He hasn't eaten more than a teaspoon each time I've tried. The first night I tried, he even protested by waking every hour and starting his day at 5am. At least no repeats of that so far.


Meanwhile, my big cutie is an ongoing feeding challenge. Every day she requests candy hearts, gummy bears or cookies for meals. When we finally get past that, the rest of dinner is a process of negotiation. "Penny, do you want carrots or celery?" "None of those. How about pasta? Is it a deal?" "Pasta isn't a vegetable. How about baby tomatoes?" "Baby tomatoes are yummy in my tummy!" We usually end up with a peanut butter sandwich and a veggie/fruit. It's not too terrible. We finally got eating at the table for lunch and dinner to be more of a habit. It's a battle, but some nights have some really pleasant stretches. Some nights I get to eat as well ;)

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