The new house

Over the past few months, I've had a few moments of WHATINTHEWORLDAREWEDOING thoughts, silly ones that I can laugh about. But I woke up at 5 a.m. this morning filled with a sense of overwhelming dread.

WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE WE DOING?
(And how can we get out of it?)

I frantically searched my mind for encouraging scripture to calm down. I did not like that feeling at all, and it took me awhile to shake it. (And I'm sure Robert was quite thrilled by it too.)

I'm feeling back to normal this morning. We close on the new house in two weeks. Our realtor took pictures for us yesterday, and we've looked at them a dozen times. Okay, more like two dozen. They are finishing up minor details. The new kitchen looks a lot like my current one. (This is the new one.)


It's not 1:00 p.m. yet, and so far today:

• kids had DDS appointments (no cavities, they clearly have Robert's teeth)

• installers replaced two basement windows per our buyers' inspection request

• a friend picked up a bunch of furniture that we are not taking with us

• we've eaten lunch

I plan to pack up more of my kitchen this afternoon, and as long as the weather's good, we'll be going to a minor league baseball game tonight.

Oh, yeah. And I'll be taking a nap too.

More moving

Understatement of the week:

Robert and I are not very social, and we like our routine.

However, it's become obvious to both of us that we should be, and want to be, working on hospitality. I don't really mind having people over. I just don't do it. And I don't do it particularly well. The truth is that I'm a Martha hostess, not a Mary. But if I'm working on it, at least I'm starting somewhere. (Right?)

In what can only be attributed to dual fits of dementia, we've grabbed several opportunities in the past week or so. Steve and Nanci came over for dinner on 7/20. Robert and Steve have known each other for several years, but the four of us have never gotten together socially.

On the 22nd, we had an afternoon bbq and invited more of Robert's former work friends. Holly's friend Mackenzie was already visiting for a few days, and Trevor's friend Tucker was here playing. (At that point, what's two more kids, and besides, they are nice and get along with everyone.)

Sarah worked for Robert for a few years, and they've kept in touch. Again, we chat occasionally, but we've never visited at each other's homes.

Sara, husband, and baby

Sara's dd

Sara's baby

Sara's ds, Trevor's friend Tucker, and Trevor

Dan and Christine and their "baby" came too. Robert and Dan are also work friends, and we've gotten together with them frequently over the past year or so. I am really glad we've gotten to know them!

Little Sam looooves Trevor. Isn't he a cutie?!


The next day, Monday, my dad and Sherry came for several days. Usually I get quite stressed about everything being perfect before my dad comes. I know he likes things "just so," and this is totally pressure I put on myself. Hah, not this time! After he left, I realized I'd never cleaned the crumbs out of the toaster. I'd also wanted to run diluted vinegar through my coffee pot, but I hadn't done that either. I am quite sure he didn't even notice. :) (Thanks, Dad!)

Proof that I need to work on hospitality: they played video games with the kids, lol.

We had our neighbor over for dinner tonight. He'll often come over in the evenings for a beer (or Robert will go to his house), but it's a sit-on-the-patio kind of thing. We've never "had Mike over for dinner" before. He even changed his shirt before he came. (But I don't think I even put on shoes, lol.)

Usually, "having friends over" means running around like crazy, doing (my idea of) last minute perfection cleaning, planning the perfect meal, making sure everything is just right. If I stress out, Robert is there to rescue me and take care of everything else. By the time the guests are actually here, it's all I can do to sit in a chair and exhale.

In the midst of moving, however, my house is a disaster. The best I can do is vacuum between the packed boxes. My kitchen table is pushed against the wall, so it's helped that we've eaten outside. I didn't even check to see how clean the bathroom was before my dad came. I haven't hyperventilated when a kid eats a chocolate cookie over my carpet. There are several stacks of things on my counter that have been there for days. And that alone would normally send me over the EDGE.

But with everything so topsy turvy, I've had no choice but to relax and refocus. While this has been a little extreme, I've really enjoyed ALL of each day of it. It's given me something to think about as we consider the more limited options we'll have for meeting people when we move too. We will be trying to concentrate more on our guests instead of US as we prepare for them. This is good practice, and a good way to start. But I'd prefer to find a happy medium in here somewhere!

:)

Blogger Award

My loopy friend Debbie at Following the Narrow Path has chosen me to receive an Inspirational Blogger Award. I don't know what I did to deserve that, but I'm flattered. Thanks, Debbie!

Weekly menu

My challenge now is to use up the rest of the food we have in the house--and still make dishes that appeal to my family. So far, it sounds pretty good!


bratwurst, new potato salad recipe, fruit

BLTs, cottage cheese, chips and dip

Q-Doba takeout

Southwestern Pasta Salad, quesadillas

grilled flank steak, salad, artichokes

dinner with friends

something with hamburger



On the back burner:


Chicken and Spinach Pasta Bake

one pound of hamburger

pumpkin pie

Grilled Fusion Pork Chops

I had pork chops to use tonight, but no one was excited about bbqing them (execpt for me). I stumbled upon this recipe, and it was a big hit. Holly and Trevor even finished their meat before I ate mine!

GRILLED FUSION PORK CHOPS

1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. lime juice
1 T. garlic paste
1 T. ginger paste
1 T. oil
4 pork chops, 1" thick
1 T. garam masala (see below)

In a large ziplock bag, mix together soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger, and oil. Add pork chops, lay flat, and remove all air. Seal bag and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours, turning occasionally.

Place pork chops on preheated grill. Sprinkle with garam masala as they cook.


GARAM MASALA

This is an Indian spice. There are several different recipes, but this is quick, and I had most of the ingredients on hand. I reduced the recipe, eyeballing the "odd" measurements. I really don't need any leftovers right now!

1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. ground coriander
1/2 t. ground cardamom (I didn't have any so just skipped it)
1/2 t. black pepper
1/3 t. ground cinnamon
1/6 t. ground cloves
1/6 t. ground nutmeg

Stir together in small bowl. Can store in airtight container in cool, dry place.

Book Review - There Are No Shortcuts by Rafe Esquith

This book was briefly mentioned on a hs board that I visit occasionally. Rafe Esquith is an inner city 5th grade teacher who has won a number of teaching awards, including the American Teacher Award and the Disney Outstanding Teaching of the Year Award. Apparently, Oprah is a big fan of his too. (Visual note to SHSers: [eyes rolling].) And Mr. Esquith is a quite a big fan of himself too.

He is an extremely dedicated teacher and prefers to teach his gifted students Shakespeare, algebra, and classical music and read books such as The Autobiography of Malcolm X--every year. He puts in a lot of hours, guiding students in his classroom from 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and his claims of working every Saturday and every vacation day just don't ring true. Neither do his claims that his students travel to places such as Disneyland, Washington D.C. and Shakespeare Festivals every year. These are only the beginning of his laundry list of accomplishments.

This doesn't seem to mesh with his statements that these are very poor children. "Most" (his word) come to the school not knowing any English. How in the world is money raised to pay this classroom's incredible travel expenses? Mr. Esquith is not rich, and one chapter is dedicated to the lack of (financial) support from the community. I also tired quickly of his many repeated conversations with administrators/other teachers, who always came out looking stupid.

I'm still torn over this book. It was entertaining, yet I tired of reading of his self-proclaimed wonderfulness. I have his second book already from the library, and I may or may not read it.

Not recommended.

Murphy's Law

With apologies to my loopy friend whose last name is Murphy . . .

This is the wall at the end of the upstairs hallway. It didn't look like this a week ago. Suffice it to say we've never had a wall accidentally broken. Until now, two weeks before closing on the house.


Note that the point of impact is about shoulder height for a tall 8 year old boy . . .

My "junk" kitchen drawer also broke yesterday. All of my junk is now on the kitchen table, as the drawer waits patiently to be fixed. (I only wish I had such patience.) Meanwhile, we have no place to eat.

I'm scared to live here for 11 more days. I really don't want ANYthing else to go wrong. Since Robert will be fixing both of these (and anything else), I'm sure he's more worried about it than I.

* * * *

After typing this post, I was cooking fish in the oven. It was quite smoky and when I opened the door, FLAMES were coming from the back. Go figure. (smirk)

"Is this hair too wacky for you?"

That was Trevor's question before we left the house yesterday. I'm not sure if he was hoping for a yes or not!


Instead, I asked him to try this later to see how well it would dry. I wonder if he'll try it again today, lol.

Follow ups

Suzie asked off the blog about the squirrel. The squirrel died on Wednesday. We knew he would, but at least he had fresh food and water. Trevor was quite upset and was really bothered when we told Lucky to go chase squirrels. (Lucky loves to chase them, and of course he couldn't catch one.) But shortly afterwards, Trevor was out chasing the squirrels back into the trees.

* * *

While visiting, my dad and Sherry commented about the open toilet post. They both said that they were extra careful to put the lid down while visiting. This was definitely not my intent when I blogged about it--but I'm thinking that pre-posting thoughts has ENDLESS possibilities, lol!

Book Review - A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah

Although Sierra Leone has been in the news for a dozen years, I'm grossly unfamiliar with this country's political conditions. (Can I admit that, for a few years, I assumed it was in South America?)

This is a brutal autobiography of an orphaned boy who becomes a national soldier--at the age of 12. It tells of Ishmael's family life before their town was attacked by rebels, follows him as he fights a violent, drug filled war for three years, and details his struggles after his removal from the army by UNICEF. It is an enlightening and shocking narrative although not as gripping as I'd hoped. I would have liked to have read more follow up to Ishmael's life in the U.S.

I definitely recommend this book.

Thursday and end of the visit

Holly had a riding lesson in the morning. It was beautiful out, not too hot, and even sprinkled a few times.


Dbl Shot taking a peek.

Holly on Scarlet.

We hung out for most of the afternoon. I like hanging out; I worry that my dad and Sherry get bored if they sit still for too long. They took us to PF Chang's for dinner. We've had one nearby for several years but have never gone. I am quite sure Roanoke does not have PF Chang's, so this was pretty much our last chance. (Heck, it doesn't even have Q-Doba or Chilis, and I really don't know what I'm going to do!)
Sherry and my dad.

Robert and me.

As expected, the food was awesome. The surprise hit was the Vegetarian Mo Pa Tofu, which everyone liked (including Holly and Trevor). I was quite impressed with Holly, as she ate her entire meal with chopsticks (and Dad did too). I used my fork.

I think he worked for three days to get this smile!

Excuse me, have we met?

My dad and Sherry are visiting. Sherry mentioned a place she'd like to visit, and Robert and Holly readily agreed. Holly's friend Mackenzie was also visiting, and she was eager to come along.

As we left our house, we found the sick squirrel that we've seen for the past few days. He's blind and slow. Robert was looking for him earlier to give him food and water. Surely the squirrel doesn't have long, but at least we think we can help it a little bit. (And yes, I read about the plague in our county today, so please don't comment on that.)


Off we went. Does this look familiar?


I've lived here since 1983 and finally visited Pikes Peak for the first time on 7/3. I visited the second time three weeks later, lol.


It didn't snow this time. It wasn't windy at all on top, but it was pretty cloudy and hard to see a view.

Sherry and my dad.

Robert made friends with various dogs who'd hiked up with their owners.

Trevor, Holly and Mackenzie. It was a balmy 45 degrees this time, and Holly didn't need her sweater.

We made our way back down.

Eight miles down the mountain, each car passes the brake check station. Brake temperatures are checked. We came in at 360 degrees, high enough to be asked to pull over for 30 minutes, allowing our brakes to cool before continuing down the mountain. There were about 20 cars waiting with us.

I took advantage of this by getting a few more shots.

And me and my dad.
So a nice day, and I think I'm set to go another 23 years before visiting once again. Or twice.

Today's verse

Considering my Sunday post about "home," today's sidebar verse is interesting:

Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”
For it is not wise to ask such questions.
Ecc. 7:10

I don't think the old days were better, they were just different. This is a new season, to be treasured for different reasons.

:)

Who's packing?

Hah, we are!

I am thankful for a husband who is SO organized. (It's one more positive with that anal personality.) With just over two weeks to go, all of our photos and other wall decor is down and packed, along with all knickknacks, books, and many non-essential kitchen things. All furniture that we are not taking is in the garage, ready to be picked up before the movers come.

It's looking empty! (The movers will crate this giant picture.)


And if it doesn't look empty, well, it's a collection point!


The living room is the downstairs packing room, and my bedroom is the upstairs packing room.


Just in time. We'll be able to enjoy my dad and Sherry's visit--although I'm also wondering where can I put them to work?!

Weekly menu

taco salad

pizza

salmon/burgers, corn on the cob, bread

P.F. Chang's

Encore Presentation (thanks, De'Etta, for this lovely name for leftovers!)

YOYO

Grilled Fusion Pork Chops, corn on the cob, salad



On the back burner:

BLTs, cottage cheese, fruit

bratwurst, chips and dip, ______

grilled flank steak, new potato salad recipe, creamed cucumbers

Ginger's pizza, she put artichokes, red pepper, and feta on top too.

some sort of pasta, maybe pasta with fresh basil, tomatoes, garlic, feta, and olive oil?

Rocky Mountain salad

Home

Dorothy wondered a while back if I was homesick before I even move. I will say that the thought has never crossed my mind. I love Colorado, and although we've lived in Colorado Springs for five years, I don't consider it "home."

August 2001

"We" painted the walls peach, put up white crown molding, painted all the trim and ceilings.
Robert replaced the brick fireplace with marble tile, and we had the floors refinished.

Colorado Springs is very transient; the large military presence plays a big part in this. Friends leave, and people are almost always from somewhere else. The safest question to ask someone you've just met is, "So where are you from?"

December 2001Robert and his dad refinished the kitchen cabinets, replaced the countertops,
put in a new sink, replaced the oven, and installed a microwave above the stove.
They replaced the linoleum, and Robert wallpaped the room and painted the ceiling and trim.

We've changed churches a few times, and while Robert has been at his job for many years, the managers come and go quickly. We've had several homeschooling friends over the years, but they aren't committed for the long term, and almost all are now attending public school. (Nothing wrong with that, it just makes it harder to get together.)

Home to me is Littleton. While I didn't grow up there, I lived in Littleton from 1983 to 2002. Robert was born there.

The house where Robert was born, three blocks away.

We met each other in Littleton, bought our house in Littleton. We lived three blocks from the house in which he was born, and right down the street from the elementary school his brother and sister attended. Robert's parents lived less than a mile away from us.

Mike and Barb's elementary school, a block from our house.

Our wedding reception was at our house, and that's also where Holly and Trevor were born.

Littleton Hospital, where Trevor was born.

Robert renovated, in some form, every single surface of that house. Family helped on a few of those projects, and I'll never forget all the work that was put into that house. (Let me make it clear that *I* didn't DO that work, lol!)

The street was full of terrific people, neighbors you dream of, neighbors who you remember for all time, who make a place special, neighbors with whom we still keep in touch.

Our street. That's our old house with the white van in the driveway.

The houses weren't fancy, and they weren't big. I liked it that way. That's where all my memories are.

Easter 2002

May 2005

Our bedroom. We rewallpapered, painted the ceiling and trim,
put molding around the room and windows.

July 2002, just before moving out.

Robert had recently built this deck.
He did an incredible amount of yardwork over the years, replanting gardens,
transplanting, always working on something to make the house our home.

I've never regretted moving. It was time for our lives to take a different turn. But I'm sure this is the house I will hold dearest in my heart. This is the one that is "home."

July 2002, at the time we moved out.

Not the most flattering picture, but one I could find on my computer!
When we first moved in, we replaced the front door first thing.
Rob cut down a few trees, planted several others.
He painted the house and put up the shutters.
We had a sprinkler system installed and the driveway/garage floor mudjacked.
Robert got the urge one day to move the lamppost
from near the front steps to out by the sidewalk.
Home.

And pics of the week

We spent the afternoon in Littleton earlier this week. Our former next door neighbor is in hospice care, and we visited with him and his wife.

We visited some old haunts, and I think I found the only piece of undeveloped land, lol.

Harley store sculpture.

Of course, we had to eat at Romano's. One last time. (This is the third "last time" we've eaten here in the past few months!)

We stopped on our old street and visited with another neighbor.

I got my hair cut--one last time at my favorite place. It might seem silly, but I'm a little concerned about WHERE I'll get my hair cut when we move. I've been going to the fabulous Toni & Guy training school for several years. My hair is difficult to cut, and I've always been very pleased. To top it off, it only costs $15, but worth about 5x more.

Look how cute she did the back of my hair! I wish I'd been paying attention, I don't know how I'll replicate this on my own!

Trevor's friend found a baby bird in our lawn. We've watched this nest be built over the past few weeks, and this baby was too small to be out of it. Robert put the baby back in the nest. The momma bird didn't realize it and was quite frantic for awhile. We checked on them later and all was well again.

I guess my arms aren't long enough to get the perfect shot.
It's been a good week.