Bless this house

We are slowly getting settled in to our new home.  I am anxious to pick out paint colors and rugs and really feel settled.  Most days I love our new place.  However, the combination of grey days (LOTS of them) and fewer windows in this house, make me long for the vast openness of our old living room.  We had tons of windows and no blinds, so it was never dark in the house.  I loved that about it.  I miss that about it.  However, for every one thing that I miss about that place there are ten things that make this one better for us and our family. 

 

We had our house blessed this weekend.  I had intended from day one to do it with our last house and then, well, life got in the way.  It felt like something that I wanted to make a priority in our new home.  Our pastor came and said a blessing related to each room.  I love that there was a distinct blessing for a "teenager's room" that he had for Sierra.  The choir director played her flute at the end of each prayer.  Our dear friends and family who joined us took part in the blessing.  We ended in the basement where everyone wrote their own "blessing" on the beams of the unfinished room.  A word, scripture, or phrase that filled them with the idea of a happy, loving home.  Something for the figurative foundation of our lives on the literal foundation of our home.

 

A few of the writings:

 

"The family is one of nature's masterpieces"

 

"Peace be within your walls and serenity within your towers"

 

Sierra: "It is not a bad things that children should occasionally and politely put parents in their place" (My dad gave her that one.  Thanks Dad!)

 

I wrote what the pastor opened the blessing with:  "Peace to this home and all who enter"

 

I love that.  I'm big on peace.  In the world, in one's heart, in one's house.  Granted, with three kids there isn't much peacefulness, but I strive to find peace within when I am able.  It was a wonderful afternoon to in our home.  It was sunny, warm, the windows were open, and we were surrounded by those we love.  Feeling very blessed.

 

After the move (delayed by a broken computer!)

There have been a few tears in the week since our move. I gathered our Christmas decorations from my parents house on the 23rd. Upon opening the back of the van I discovered that the ornament box had shifted as it fell out of the car. Ornaments all over the road. A friend walked out and said "... and that's the straw". Yes, the tears came then. After our tree fell over two years ago and we lost many special ornaments, I'm thinking that we will stick with plastic ones from now on. Walking down into our basement to see boxes stacked three high covering half of the rec room. That was not so much tears as full on moaning, groaning, and whining. From me.

But while there have been a few tears of sadness and exhaustion, mostly the tears have been good ones. Tears of thankfulness and gratitude. Tears when a woman, someone I only met months ago, offered to wrap our Christmas gifts - 2 days before Christmas! As if she didn't have enough to do, she knew that I was probably overwhelmed and took time out of this busy season to help me. Tears when a friend brought enough dinner to feed us for days. In the midst of pizza, take-out, and more pizza for many days in a row, we had a delicious homemade meal to include dessert and champagne. There were tears when neighbors brought cookies and cupcakes to welcome us into our house. This was something that I was love doing for people when they move in. It makes it feel like a true "welcome" to the neighborhood. Then our neighborhood had a "Light up OT" where people lined their drives and home fronts with luminaries. The weather outside wasn't optimal, but some still showed up and it was beautiful. When I posted to the neighborhood google group that we were looking to borrow a dolly to move out of the apartment I had at least 7 replies with offers of a dolly and countless people offered 

to help us move.

Some of the best tears have been tears of relief to be in our house. It has felt like "home" even before we moved in. Granted, I loved so many things about our farmette and the house itself, but it didn't feel like this for a long time. This house is cozy and comfortable. Everyone seems to feel their place in it. The house and the neighborhood feel like home. Those are the good tears. Merry Christmas!

Moving day

I figured that things weren't quite crazy enough with the holidays and all so we decided that we would move right in the middle of it all!  I mean, why not, right?!  Over the next few days we will move into our home.  I am so excited for so many reasons.  Can anyone say "kitchen"?  Yes, that's at the top of the list.  I'm ready, as are the girls, for them to have their own bedrooms again.  Sierra is ready to have a quiet place to do her homework rather than one big room where everything is going on around her.  And let's discuss the place where I can banish the kids to finished basement.  Sigh.  Yes.  It's going to be good.  And it's going to be the LAST time that we move (at least until kiddos are out of the house).  I realize I said this before, but the next time I pack up a house someone may end up locking my up in an insane asylum.  I don't use this word lightly, but I HATE the process.  I know that most people feel this way.  We've just done it way too often lately.  Cadence has been home with us for 3 years and 3 months.  This will be the 5th house she has lived in since she's been in the US.  Excessive moving.  Thank God that child transitions easily! 

Our new home isn't on a lot of land, it doesn't have a two story living room or a double sided fireplace (all of the "must haves" for our last home).  It is in a fun, safe place for my kids to play.  We are surrounded by some of the most welcoming people that I have met.  I'm finally feeling like this area is "home" and very soon we will be in our own home.  And most importantly it will have my family.  I am feeling very blessed.  Okay, I'll feel VERY blessed once the packing/unpacking is done, but it's on the horizon!

Denial by cookies!

We are supposed to move into our new home in 5 days.  I've been asking Santa to send the  packing fairy to our house early but to no avail.  When I think about packing my right eyelid would start to twitch.  So, I've moved to the land of Denial for now.  I decided it was time to bake.

 

 

The supplies

The results

 

I intended to double everything but after the doubling the chai eggnog cookies and salted chocolate caramel pretzel bark I decided single batches of the rest would due.  I used almost everything that I bought.  That's a LOT of butter!  I'm not sure why I made so much.  It was a good distraction and possibly to make up for the fact that we have a little four foot tree and exactly 3 Christmas decorations up.  If baking wasn't it's usual cathartic experience for me then I was just going to eat my way through the depressing state of our apartment.

Luckily though, the baking got done even in our tiny kitchen and I feel a little merrier.  Needless to say the kid's teachers will be getting plenty of treats to start their break!

Hotel creeps

Brad had a conference at the Greenbrier resort and my parents were kind enough to watch the girls for a few days so that I could tag along for a mini-getaway with him.  It had previously been used as a hospital during WWII and then became a hotel in the 1940's.  I don't believe they've redecorated since then.  Seriously.  Check out the pictures!  It's a neat experience though... feels like you're thrown back a century or so.  The service is fabulous and all of the food is to die for.  And it was just Brad and me!  Our first getaway in a few years was much needed time to focus on us.

The only problem is that I have trouble sleeping in these type of hotels.  The first one that we ever went to was the Homestead resort in 2007.  We went on a Wednesday and it was fairly empty.  I commented to Brad as we walked down the long, deserted, lush hallway that I felt like I was in "The Shining".  I probably psyched myself out a bit as I taunted "Redrum, redrum". Anyway, we got to our room and saw that there was a door inside, as if there was an adjoining room.  There was only a deadbolt though, no knob to actually get into the room.  We looked out in the hallway where the adjoining room would have been.  There was a door there, but again, only a lock. No knob, no room number.  It did looked like it had been painted over, not used in a long time.  

We had a fabulous dinner that night and basically a relaxing time.  That night, though, I had a dream.  I dreamt that there was a little boy standing in front of the door to the adjoining room.  He was dressed in 1920's period clothing and was definitely a ghostly presence.  When I awoke I was so shaken that I couldn't get back to sleep for a while.  Now, this isn't unusual for me.  I have strange dreams all of the time.  Not necessarily dreams about ghosts but dreams that I cannot tell if they are real or not.  Dreams that leave me feeling as if I have truly experienced them.  It happens so often that by the morning I didn't even mention it to Brad.  He doesn't usually have similar dreams and he doesn't believe in ghosts or spirits.

We checked out and had just gotten into the car.  Brad told me that he had a hard time getting to sleep.  When I asked him why he said that he kept feeling like he heard children laughing on the other side of the adjoining door. C-R-E-E-P-Y.

And that... is why I don't sleep well in old, historic hotels!

Cadence's dance recital

I'm determined to get caught up on 2013 before it ends!  Cadence performed in her first dance recital back in May.  She was going to stop taking dance in December but then saw their outfits for the recital and decided to stick it out.  She knows that you have to sacrifice for cute clothes sometimes!  She was in class with three of her best buds, so she had fun.  Cadence did great at the performance.  "Great" for me means that she walked onto the stage and stayed the whole time.  Cadence even danced too!

 

Showing off her outfit

Lila Kate, Cadence, and Blair

 

What a cutie!

Catching up on birthdays

Since we were moving two weeks before Sierra's birthday we had an early pool party/ mini birthday celebration for Sierra.  In the month before we moved we had a few pool parties.  Part of this moving process has opened my eyes a bit.  We'd wanted to have a lot of gatherings after the pool went in but kept waiting until it was "perfect".  Sadly, we moved before things were perfect.  I wish we would have just bit the bullet and had all of the parties that we wanted despite any "flaws" that we saw.  Sigh.

Anyway, Sierra had quite the group of friends over for her celebration.  They had a blast!  So much fun to watch them be silly together!

 

Love this one!

Sierra's actual birthday at our apartment.  She was too tired to "bust into a new year".  It was more like a stroll.

She had a couple of friends over for a small celebration

 

I'm not going to lie... it's hard to look at the pictures of our old house.  I miss the house, the land, the chickens, the pool.  I miss watching the girls play with abandon in the pool, not worrying about who might see them (Sierra's hang-up).  I miss our open living room. wall full of windows, and the fireplace.  I know that some of this is being cooped up in this apartment while half of our belongings are in town.  I'm sure it will be better when we our own house.  And I know that we made the right choice to move for so many reasons.  I just need to focus on those reasons and this view...

Off our balcony

 

I struggled with what to do for Laurel's birthday.  In the spirit of biting the bullet, I went ahead and had her party here in our tiny apartment.  I realize it's not that small, but when you get 15 excited girls in here... it sure feels like it!  Her obsession with "Teen Beach Movie" gave me an easy theme.

 

The cake

Congo line to the soundtrack

Pin the flower on the surf board

After decorating picture frames they watched the movie

 

I had thought that they would all settle down when they watched the movie.  It was great for about 30 minutes.  Then, half the girls wanted to sing and dance during the musical parts and the others wanted them to be quiet.  So... they all got a little rowdy by the end.  Laurel had fun, though, and I think most of her guests did too.  I'm glad that I bit the bullet and had her party here.  It reminded me why I'll have parties at venues other than our house for the next few years!

Late night fun!

The grandparents came for a birthday celebration too (and Laurel got her precious Saige doll)

 

Laurel asked for cat donations for the animal shelter instead of gifts from her friends at her birthday party (in memory of Rummy).  The parents  kids were so generous!  We took the items to the shelter and were able to watch some of the cats play with the toys.