The Move.

I think I've been avoiding writing this post because I don't want to relive the whole thing. Really, we had an "easy" move. Not too much went awry. BUT, it was still a heck of a lot of work. A LOT OF WORK.

I'll start with the week between when we moved most of our stuff OUT and when the people finally moved OUT.

Cats and tv on the floor. With dust.


A final mark on the growth chart. Kinda sad for this Mama. We did transfer all the data to a portable piece of trim...yet to be transfered.


(And there's Dewey. He became Colin's safe object. He helped Colin get through the move mentally and emotionally.)

Weasel really enjoyed the lawn chair action.


High style living right here. Floor tv and a lawn chair. And pancakes mixed in a sauce pan.



And our last family dinner in the old place!



And our last bedtime in the old house. Sniff, sniff.






Next morning we were up early and went to grab some breakfast.




And one last family picture before the kiddos headed to gymnastics camp and then up north with Grammy and Papa.



Then we got BUSY. Grammy, Papa Frank, Daddy and I worked our bums off. What little was left in the house (and, really, I think it multiplied while we weren't looking) went over to the new house's basement and we cleaned up the old house for the new owners. And we sweat. We sweat A LOT. By lunch time we were done, the kids and grandparents and cats drove north, and Daddy and I showered at Uncle D's and were ready to head to closing! Close went smoothly and we were VERY happy to be temporarily homeless for the weekend!

We spent a pretty laid back, carefree weekend at Grammy and Papa's house. Momo and WeeWee too.






On Sunday, our 12th wedding anniversary, Daddy and I headed back to the 'Burgh. We stopped for a yummy Thai anniversary date and a made (the first of many) runs to the home improvement store. We spent the night with Uncle D, Aunt Cedes, and Tommy. Bright and early we were up, grabbed some breakfast, and headed off to close.



AND NEW HOUSE! YAY!!


I'll take you on a quick wallpaper tour. By tomorrow at dinner time...it will all be GONE. Thank heavens. But I do think it needs to be preserved for posterity.





(Yes, that is wallpaper on the ceiling.)




Moving helpers.


Frig delivery and cable installation. Woo hoo! Both needed some "over hauling" later in the week.


So, that was the start of our new adventure! Within three weeks we had 95% unpacked and were able to park both cars in the garage. YAY.

Eggie Tree!

Last year the house down the road had this lovely little tree in their front yard that was hung with Easter Eggs. The kids LOVED it. They looked for it each time we drove past and squealed when they saw it. And they were sad when, after Easter, the eggs were gone. So, since we have a cute little Japanese Maple in our front landscaping that isn't doing much this time of year, I thought we could have our own Eggie Tree this year!

Pre-Eggie shot:


My trusty sidekick, Gillian, was very, very helpful. She handed me the correct color egg when I asked for them and helped me arrange the colors just so. Colin was helpful in a way that involved driving his truck through the mulch.

So, TA DA! Our eggie tree!

Fix It Helpers

Last Sunday Daddy asked Uncle D to come over to help him put in our new storm door on the front of the house. Uncle D kindly agreed to help. We fed him dinner as payment. I was trying to finish watching the Steeler game, so I sent the kids out to "help." I'm so kind.

Colin had been telling us all day that he was going to get his tool box out and help fix the door. I don't think ever got out his tool box, but he did help. Gillian mostly supervised. And banged on things with the rubber mallet.



Apparently Colin got in on the rubber mallet action too.



Uncle D and Daddy did a great job. Not much cursing. Nothing broke. No extra runs to the hardware store. It was done and done correctly in 2 1/2 hours. Just in time for dinner. Oh, and the Steelers won.

Applesauce and Candid Cameras

Our assignment for Thanksgiving at Great-Grandma's house is applesauce. Oh, and green salad. GraGra gave us a big bag of apples last weekend when we were visiting, so I thought it would be a fun post-nap afternoon activity to whip up our applesauce. (And then freeze it until the big day)

I cut and cooked the apples while the kids napped and let it cool for a bit. Then we set up the food mill and off we went.



While it was Gillian's turn to turn the mill, Colin got bored. He found the camera and wanted to take some pictures. Ok, fine. Here's his handy work:




(I need to get him to work on taking FLATTERING pictures)

Of course, then G wanted a turn. She took a more "still life" approach.



So, our applesauce turned out super yummy. GraGra had GOOD apples. It was so good that we volunteered to bring applesauce to Grammy's house for Thanksgiving too!