Swingin' Good Time

After we had a full day Saturday and returned to a light meal of various leftovers (given that we had enjoyed fresh peach milkshakes on the drive home), the girls asked what we were going to do next. Uncle Jeff offered the idea of a dance lesson in the big shop, and it was quickly and excitedly accepted. I'm so proud of him for coming up with the suggestion all on his own initiative, given that he wasn't a huge dance fan only a year or two ago!

We thought a single swing would be a good starter lesson, especially since it's frequently done at camp and church dances. So we taught both girls the basic, the rotating basic, the lady's underarm turn, and the cuddle, with a little general dance technique thrown in for good measure. They were quick learners and we had music going in no time!

I danced the lead's part for the first time ever (so both girls could have partners simultaneously), which was a very good exercise. I have been gaining appreciation for the man's role in ballroom, and this really reinforced it! Oh, what you men have to go through to show us a good time ;-)

So much fun, so little time!

Jeff and I have been enjoying my nieces' visit. We have been packing the days full of activities and local adventures that we have either never visited or wanted to see with fresh, young eyes.

The weather has been okay; not great, but not miserably hot and humid either. We are thankful for that! And the girls have needed very little adjustment period since even the northern part of the country has been under such a heat wave lately.

Hanging out at the children's center in the Botanical Garden

Silly photos at the Botanical Gardens

Catching butterflies at the butterfly house

The girls enjoyed "petting" koi at the aquatic center

Touring the eclectic mansion at Burritt on the Mountain

Enjoying the view from Monte Sano mountain


Playing with period toy that teaches milking technique in the 1850s historical village

Windows? Why yes, we do windows!

With this farmhouse, I don't get to "don't do windows". They are filthy. The whole house was rather dirty (enough to have me scrubbing porcelain surfaces and sweeping all the walls and ceilings). But it's amazing the difference the windows make. These are single pane (that was almost a Freudian slip; I didn't catch that I had typed "pain" until a last minute edit!), weighted sash wood windows with old aluminum storms on the outside. The poor windows have paint, nicotine, dirt, cobwebs, you name it, all over them inside and out. I've only gotten to the insides of several rooms so far, but it has a huge impact on the light quantity and quality. I can't wait to take off the storm windows, clean both layers, and replace the torn and dirty screens.

Enjoy your tilt-in, thermal double paned, grids between the glass windows for me, y'all. I'll be thinking of them fondly as I wash and repair my way through 27 double hung multi-lite elderly windows.

Found It!

If you read Wednesday's post, you'll remember that we were missing two major items. By today, it became three. The elusive third was my handy-dandy flat plug extension cord for the kitchen, which had been conveniently placed in the top drawer of a hutch destined for the farmhouse kitchen, but then got removed and "packed in a better place". If only we knew where that better place might be.

We theorized that these items must all be in the same location, a last minute box or something, to be still MIA after unpacking and organizing so much the last few days. We would have moments of inspiration and hopefulness as we discovered a random box with some leading words in the label, only to be let down as we viewed the contents. I would have "imaginary" memories of perhaps packing it here or there or the other place. But I was always wrong.

It was Jeff who unearthed the little buggers. Somehow, somehow, he thought to look in the Neon car trunk. I must explain that this is DaVinci's car. Not that Alabama licenses doggy drivers, but that this is the old, smelly, noisy, just-runs-enough-to-get-around-town car with 230,000 miles on it that we don't mind getting dog hair in. So we basically keep it to take DaVinci to the vet and kennel (and because it still gets 35 MPG)! The trunk has leaked forever, so what possessed me to pack anything important in it is beyond me. I put a bunch of paint and stain cans in the boot, and I guess in my midnight delirium, I found it to be the perfect place for sundry critical items as well. Out came the plumbing box, my lamp harps, the extension cords, and quite a few odds and ends we didn't know we were missing yet.

Lesson learned. If you're ever playing hide and seek, try the car trunk. No one will think to look there!

Missing!

Imagine it is after midnight. You are tired and hungry. You are packing the moving truck for the third time and the floor lamps just won't fit. So you take off the lampshade harps and tape them together carefully. And tell your spouse that you have the perfect place for them. And then what?

This is more than hypothetical. If you would have put them somewhere brilliant for protection, please tell me where so I might look there!

This has been my past few days. We carefully wrapped, boxed, and taped just about everything we own, and now I can't find anything! I tried to label thoroughly, but short of putting an inventory list on the box, it is difficult to be all-inclusive.

Jeff has been hunting for a box of plumbing supplies, with which to stem the flood of water from the hot water shut-off valve under the sink (we finally broke down and just bought a new cap at Lowes after three days of no hot water in the kitchen). I'm still looking for those silly harps so I don't burn my retinas from the bare bulbs in the lamps. We imagine both of our sought prey are lurking in the same unmarked location, giggling gleefully at their successful game of hide-and-seek.

Honey, I'm home!

It has been a busy, exhausting week! We were bruised, sweaty, tired, hungry, and dirty for the past several days. Moving from a four bedroom house with large garage and yard means a lot of stuff. How can two people have so many belongings?! The amazing thing is I sold a number of items on Craigslist just prior, and I still marvel at how many boxes and furniture pieces are piled everywhere.

We took three trips in a 20 foot moving truck (that's counting the little "attic" area, so it was more like 17 feet plus a few boxes); one of those loads was packed after midnight in the dark with headlamps! Thankfully, Jeff hired two undergrad students to help us for several hours on Tuesday, so they got the majority of the heavy, bulky items. That includes the antique upright piano, vintage armoire, sturdy leather sofa (dating from back when quality items were still made, and made in the US!), appliances, etc.

Moving day was 110 degrees with the heat index, and don't forget that we only have one window unit in the whole farmhouse! The metal ramp on the U-Haul truck was so hot from sitting in sun, it was almost impossible to handle. The first night we stayed in the farmhouse, the pilot light on the gas water heater wouldn't stay lit, so we had no hot water. Thankfully, I had an electric tea kettle, so I boiled several pots of water to mix with the cold and bring the temperature to a tolerable tepid. It was certainly hot enough out not to be too uncomfortable, but aching muscles would have enjoyed a soothing soak.

But we're here, and we're loving it. The lightening bugs, cool breezes, big blue sky overhead, songbirds, and shady old trees already make it feel like home. This evening we enjoyed a few moments sitting out on the wooden swing in the back yard at dusk overlooking the pasture and watching DaVinci nose about in the shrubbery. This is the life!

Cobbled Together

I had to find a purpose for some blackberries I was cleaning out of our refrigerator in preparation for the move. Cobbler it is! I had already packed my pie pans, so this was created in the tin of the "to go" leftovers from our anniversary dinner. That was Jeff's brilliant idea (never one to let lack of equipment stand in the way of dessert)!

Sarah's Blackberry Cobbler

2 1/2 cups fresh blackberries
1 cup raw sugar
sprinkle of cinnamon
zest and juice of 1/4 lemon
1 cup flour (I like to use half whole wheat pastry and half all-purpose)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, stir together blackberries, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon zest and juice. Let stand about 20 minutes or until fruit syrup forms. Meanwhile, in large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, milk, and vanilla (some lumps will remain; don't beat too hard). Stir in melted butter until blended. Spread in ungreased 8" square pan or 9" pie pan. Spoon blackberry mixture evenly over batter. Bake 45-50 minutes or until dough rises and is golden. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

So much to do, So little time

Happy Cow Appreciation Day! You should take a much-needed break and head over to Chick-fil-A for a peach shake (only available in the summer and absolutely delicious). If you are in a cow costume you get a free meal (and if you're not, you get to enjoy watching those who are)! Jeff and I were hoping to go for lunch but got too swamped.

And since today is our 10th anniversary, Jeff decided to take me to dinner at a slightly nicer establishment than Chick-fil-a ;-). But, in all our running around with responsibilities, errands, jobs, etc., we missed the televised last shuttle launch. We were almost hoping the mission would get scrubbed so we could watch the rescheduled date on Sunday while we pack boxes, but I would have felt sad for the estimated one million people who came out in the rain to see Atlantis!

So, just to recap, what a historic day. Cow appreciation day, tenth anniversary, last shuttle launch. We will certainly have many reasons to remember July 8, 2011!

Sold!

The sign in the front yard of our current house is unmistakable. The only one in a large sea of "for sale" markers around the neighborhood. What a blessing! Jeff and I feel rather soothed by the whole miracle of it. If troubles and difficulties and trials arise at the farmhouse (wait, not if; when!), we can be comforted in the knowledge that this was an incredible open door and we walked through as God intended.

I try to be a "can do, go to" woman, but sometimes I worry that, in doing so, I push too hard on doors that God is leaving closed. But we prayed for this door to be kicked off its hinges or slammed shut. We asked and God answered.

Crazy

No, not the Patsy Cline kind. The loco kind! If you've ever thought the whole "old farmhouse purchase" sounded a bit crazy, just know you are not alone. We think we're a bit nuts, too! Here we sit in peace and quiet and safety, and now we've decided to go and upset the apple cart. But Jeff and I frequent remind ourselves: Comfort is overrated. That includes physical comfort, not just the oft referenced "comfort zone".

I had a moment of fears and tears a week or two ago when all the inspections on our current house passed and there were no more obstacles to the sale. Maybe somewhere deep down I thought there would be a hold-up or a problem that derailed the purchase (well, not so deep down, because there were some issues we thought were going to be deal-breakers, but God worked them out).

So once there were no more outs, I had a small panic moment as reality set in. At night was the worst, when the realization of no air conditioning, no kitchen appliances, lack of outlets, crazy wiring, peeling paint (lead based, I'm sure), problematic plumbing, no laundry, muggy basement, lack of doggy containment (how does one begin to fence an acre with a roaming dog on a somewhat busy road with speeding drivers?), propane and septic tank dealings (I've always had the luxury of city utilities that pump my necessities to and fro), and numerous other concerns, decisions, and factors weighed on my mind. I think it really hit when the fridge and window units we had been relying on (to get us through a few months until major renovations) were stolen. What kind of silly people sell a perfectly good house to live in 100 degree weather without the cooling comfort of AC or ice or cold beverages?

I have to admit, we hadn't bargained on that situation developing quite as it did. But, in for a penny, in for a pound! Perhaps this is something like the couple who decides to bring another child into the family. The idea is lovely at first, the dream builds, then the recall of all the labor and difficulties set in, but the decision is already made. And of course there is never any regret afterward. I think we are in the third trimester phase and labor is about to begin. I know it will result in a wonderful end product, but sometimes it would be nice to fast forward to the finish line!

Happy Fourth of July!

We had a lovely, busy, fruitful Independence Day long weekend at the regional campout. I had more responsibilities than ever before and was in the camp kitchen before, during, and after almost every meal. Preparing, serving, and cleaning up food for 140-160 people three times a day is quite an experience!

I must admit, I had to make a bit of an attitude adjustment early on. I had brought my favorite knives and kitchen tools preparing to perhaps lead one (maybe two) meals and enjoy some fellowship and relaxation the rest of the time. Instead, I was assigned supervision of 10 teams of multiple ladies and teens, responsible for all the serving and clean-up activities of every meal. I didn't see much of Jeff for three plus days, but when I did, he was always there to bring me a drink, retrieve some necessity, save me some food, assist where he could, and encourage me along; he was my watering station in the marathon! It was exhausting at times, but I honestly must say it was the best campout I've been to yet. It really is true that you gain the most by giving.

If only we could have given away some gnats and flies! More than the heat and humidity and sun, the bugs were the main nuisance. We had to work extremely hard to prevent the food from being contaminated. Raw meat was not their only target; eyes, ears, nose, any exposed flesh, they were not picky. I was also on first aid, and the poor kids who suffered any cut or scrape had their boo-boos instantly inundated with pests. We tried all the natural and less offensive repellent products with minimal to zero success. If anyone knows a reliable bug spray with low risk, please let me know so I can stock up for next year!