Home - is where I want to be / But I guess I'm already there /I come home -
she lifted up her wings /
Guess that this must be the place...
- Talking Heads, "Naive Melody"

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Hoping to Come Back Here Soon....

Everything is still rather blurry and busy, but now that the move is behind us I am finding--much to my relief--the desire to cook, to think about food, possibly even to write about food, coming back. Slowly. So I have some hope that once we are more fully settled, I'll be able to act on this returning itch.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

We made it!

Thursday was hectic, as all moving days are. Dinner: Bertucci's (again!). Yesterday was slightly less so, but still really busy. I am focusing on getting the kitchen unpacked. Visited our new grocery store, a Stop N Shop not far away. Looks like a nice place. The furniture store delivered the frame for L's bed (the rest of her stuff won't get here until Thursday) and the cable guy came by to set up our internet service. For our first cooked meal in the new place, I made chicken with Penzey's lemon-pepper, cauliflower, and couscous. So far the move's only casualty has been a coffee mug. The Bigfoot guys did a great job.

Today we are headed back to Worcester to clean the old apartment. Not exactly looking forward to it, but it has to get done. If I can unearth the rest of my kitchen stuff, I am hoping to bake something tomorrow.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Almost There!

What a week it has been, and it's only Tuesday. To recap, with product placement:

On Saturday we drove in to "the city." A quick stop at the Harvard Book Store to unload a few more books, and then we were off to examine our new apartment in more detail than we had before, including measuring rooms and such. After lunch at Bertucci's we headed out to Natick and the fabled Jordans furniture store, so many of whose radio ads I have heard over the years. We had never been there before, and were somewhat floored by the sheer showmanship of the place. In short order we found a couch, a TV stand, and a bed for our daughter, then retreated from the sales onslaught. More packing followed.

Sunday morning was the last day for church in Worcester. I cleaned the oven, did laundry, and packed. In the afternoon, one of my co-workers visited to pick up a bookcase we are offloading on her, and then we headed back to Rotmans (which is a lot quieter than their competition) to finish our furniture shopping, which consisted of a mattress and dresser for L. More packing.

Monday I took the afternoon off. Stopped at Petco to get a new litter box for Jasper, drove home, took L over to the store to pick up her cake, and did more packing. In the evening was her birthday party at Pump It Up. It was a short guest list, but the kids all had a good time, with only one episode of tears (when one child wanted a balloon that someone else had already picked out). By the time it wrapped up, we were all pretty well exhausted. Drove home through a sky that threatened to unleash a thunderstorm at any moment but never did, though it was a gorgeously dramatic frame for the sunset.

Tuesday has been pretty quiet, but then I'm at the office, doing normal things, wondering if I'll manage to finish up the kitchen packing tonight and if I'll need to take another half day tomorrow.

I am so, so, so ready for this to be over and done with. I want my life back!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Countdown: The Final Week

Last night I made chili without a recipe. I didn't even really think about finding one, just threw a bunch of things that seemed right into a pot, based on memories of the first chili I ever made. Ground beef, onion, green pepper, chili powder, cumin, a can of tomato puree, and some kidney beans. It turned out just fine. 

A week from today we'll be moving into our new place, and starting the business of learning a new town and sorting our lives back out from their current boxed state. The moving company has been around to give us an estimate. The packing is going well. We are excavating things that were shoved into a closet when we moved into this place, and throwing a fair number of them away, or giving them to the thrift store, hoping to avoid last-minute craziness as far as possible.

We'll be leaving some furniture behind when we go, some of the unfinished pine we picked up cheap in our first Boston years, and replacing it with what I continue to think of as "grown-up" furniture. Last night I packed up the baking ingredients--two entire boxes' worth.

27 weeks pregnant and things seem to be fine. She's an active little critter, just like her siblings. I got my packet of preregistration paperwork for the hospital, and started making a list of the things we'll need to get.

Last but not least, today is my daughter's birthday! 6 years ago we were well into the second day of labor, with five hours still to go before meeting her. It's been a wonderful time, full of adventures. Yesterday while I was working at home, I tried to assuage her disappointment at not being able to spend time with me by suggesting that she write me a letter. "Dear Mommy, I love you. Love Lydia."