Last post before the move

It's moving day tomorrow. 

I'm so excited for this to be over. To be moved in. To have our Christmas tree up. To be settled. 

I'm nervous for Vance. His last day of his current school is tomorrow. He's been strong so far but when the reality hits that he won't see his buddies, he's going to be a mess. He starts at his new school on Monday and it's going to be impossible dropping him off at a new school full of strangers. I don't want him to cry but I know that's what's going to happen. I know he'll learn to love it but it's hard not to feel guilty about all this.

This house has caused us so much grief but it's still going to be so hard to leave it. We've made so many memories here. Vaughn took her first steps in the kitchen. Vance learned to ride his bike on the driveway. We found a way to make the most of our small backyard. This was the last house that Daisy (our dog) was in. It feels as if we're leaving her behind. I could go on and on.  

Off to pack more boxes. 

Thanksgiving Eve

We celebrated Thanksgiving Eve with a trip to Crown Candy and the City Museum. I took only a few pictures at the museum because it's easy to lose your mind the kids if you blink let alone look down to dig your camera out of your purse. 

You'll have to take my word for it that the kids had a great time.     And that they survived the Dirty Ball Pit.

(Sometimes you just gotta let go.)

 After dinner it was time to get to work on Thanksgiving preparations. Vance wanted to help and we took full advantage of his eagerness. 

Vance and Vaughn tore toast for the stuffing.

(Soon after Vaughn announced that she was tired and needed to go to bed. It was 7:15 and donned a Thanksgiving miracle.)

Vance chopped the celery.

He mixed the sweet potatoes.

He made pumpkin pie.

He even crimped the edges. 

Next year he's on his own. We'll just get in his way. 

What's for Dinner. Or What's Not for Dinner.

Since we're moving soon I've been trying to clear the freezer and utilize the food that we have. We'll stay one night at a hotel before the move, therefore we won't be able to bring along too much refrigerated stuff. It's really a blessing because I seem to collect salad dressings. Time to purge! 


I'm getting back to the point now... Needless to say, dinners have been a bit strange.


Last Tuesday the kids and I dined on MorningStar nuggets, toasted ravioli, kiwi, and edamame. 


Tomorrow we're switching things up and having Mexican Monday instead of our usual Taco Tuesday. This will clear out the last of the taco shells, a few more of the tortillas, the refried beans, Spanish rice, and one of the 4 cans of black beans.


Black beans are one of the items that I always think we're out of when I'm at the store. We're never out and I apparently I never learn.


What's your item? What do you have too much of in your pantry?


This will be our last real meal and from that point on we'll be piecing or hunting or foraging or whatever you guys call it when everyone is on their own for dinnertime. 


I'm sorry to whomever gets stuck with the giant pack of wonton wrappers. Maybe I should say Good Luck instead.

Thankful!

Here's what our surroundings are looking like right now:

Hope it's not so "boxy" where you are!

Even though I'm up to my ears in boxes I'm thankful for the life I have and everyone that's a part of it.  

Thanks so much to those of you who take time out of your busy day to stop by here and read what I have to say.

I'm a lucky, lucky, lady! 

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

(For the first time ever I'm in charge of my sister's sweet potatoes. Hope I don't screw them up!)

Another Round Please!

Since this whole moving process has began we can't seem to keep enough alcohol stocked around here. 

Could moving and increased alcohol consumption be correlated?

I'm thinking yes.

****************

It could be that this is our first move without having people pack for us. We've been lucky to have great relocation deals with our other moves that included all the bells and whistles of moving.

They took care of pretty much everything for us. I've never packed a pair of my own underwear let alone a 6 foot paintbrush. Deciding on where to start has been a bit challenging to say the least.

Bartender!

Pack It Up, Pack It In, Let Me Begin

We're moving. 


As in we sold our house and movers will be here in less than two weeks from today.


The house had been on the market for 7 months and we had tons of lookers but no takers. Two days before our contract with our realtor was up we had a long phone conversation. We weren't comfortable dropping the price any lower. We had gotten in the mindset that we were going to have to stick it out for another year or two at this address. It was going to be okay.


That very afternoon someone walked through for the first time and made us an offer. 

...Repeat... 

Two days before we were going to take it off the market someone walked through and made us a great offer.


Irony? Kismet? Someone upstairs shuffling the deck? Call it whatever you want, but we're chalking it up to nothing short of a miracle. We're still in shock. That's part of the reason I haven't been writing about it. I thought that if I were to say it out loud I would jinx it and it would go away.


With the majority of the paperwork behind us I think it's safe to scream it out now...


We're moving! We're moving! 

November 14th for the past 6 years

This time last year Justin was in Singapore and I was at my parent's house for brunch. My sister and her family were getting ready to move to Texas.

This time two years ago Vaughn had found her pockets for the first time. 

This time three years ago we were in Scottsdale and it was nothing short of a spectacular.

This time four years ago we were in Florida. 

This time five years ago we were at home in Wisconsin, just being silly with moustaches. And thankful that there wasn't any snow on the ground yet.

This time six years ago we had sold our first house and were getting ready to move to Wisconsin.

We were supposed to be leaving this week for Florida, but had to cancel our trip. More on that later.

I think it's interesting to look back on life like this. Apparently we like to travel in November!

Today you'll find Vance at school, Justin at work (he's in town this week - woo hoo!), and Vaughn and I at the library.

Are you up to anything exciting today? 

Have a great Monday!

If I could get Tupac and Karen Carpenter to do a duet I'd be in heaven.

I like background noise. Nothing loud, but just enough to break up the quiet around the house. 


(Sidebar: If I ever fall tragically into a coma and am in the hospital, skip the flowers and please bring music. Preferably Tupac's greatest hits album. Or maybe Paul Simon. Or the White Stripes. I'm pretty much open to anything except the twangy stuff.) 


I won't lie. We've been listening to Christmas music pretty much non-stop this week. Yes, I'm one of those people and so are the kids. Don't give me any crap about it either. However we're all too jolly around here to even care if you did. That's a side effect, you know. That and wanting cookies and hot chocolate. 


When it's not Christmas music it's Pandora. The Radio for Kids Radio isn't that bad. Yes, there are some sickly-sweet kid songs but there's also Regina Spektor, Florence and the Machine, Adele, Buddy Holly, and Bob Marley. (I haven't found a Pandora channel that doesn't play Bob Marley. He's everywhere.) It's a random mix and I like that.


What do you listen to with your kids?


That's where I leave you today. Have a great Thursday! 

MIA

Life seems to be at its fullest right now and it's been hard carving out any time for extra stuff. 

*Justin gave me a new camera for my birthday and I haven't touched it yet. 

*My Google Reader is teetering around 400 posts that haven't been read. 

*I make coffee every morning and never get around to drinking it.

*Laundry? I'm actually caught up on laundry.


I tried embedding a clip of Vaughn singing the song from Tangled. I successfully converted it from an AAC file to an MP3 file, but still can't get it embedded correctly. 


Too bad, it's hilarious. 


Hope everyone has a great Wednesday! Today I'm hoping for the rain and wind to stop and for Martha to have a great birthday!

You say it's your birthday!

I'm a lucky lady.

Happy 33 to me!

Halloween 2011

 For the first time ever, Vance carved his own pumpkin, on left. Justin and I did the one in the middle and of course we helped Vaughn with hers. She wanted circle eyes and lips. 

Vance decided on being a zombie baseball player. Instead of buying a jersey, I used an old hot shirt to make him one. I made freezer paper stencils using spooky lettering to say the name, small number on the front, and the bigger number on the back, and used fabric paint. When dry we shredded and made holes in the shirt. Right before heading out I sprinkled baby powder on him and his hat to make him look old and dusty.  

We went to a Halloween party on Saturday night.

We went trick or treating on Monday night.

This was the only picture that showed how stinking cute Vaughn's costume was. Unfortunately she was making an equally stinking looking face, so I put a mask on her. 

Hope everyone had a great halloween! We sure did!