Organized Chaos (and life as I know it)

The movers arrived and the stuff was placed where it goes (sort of).  For people like Hoosier Guy (who haven't moved complete residences -- e.g. all your belongings from House A to House B), the boxes, furniture and assorted madness was and is overwhelming.  He keeps a clean and efficient household, with not much nonsense to spare. I have some level of nonsense - and it is all now in residence.

Good news is that things are coming together.  I have some stuff that needs to be dispatched to others but overall it is starting to come together.  I have plenty of work to be done yet but it is showing signs of improvement. 

I'm happy to be here and ready to start school (one week from tomorrow).  Life as I know it is still changing and I'm so excited for all the promise of what is to come.

This weekend was our first weekend with his boys post move-in.  I'm still learning the intricacies of "boy" as I have only had a sister, so the notion of "boys" and their particular brand of nonsense is all new to me.  It will be an adjustment for all of us but overall, it is going quite well.  They are great kids and I enjoy learning about them. 

Overall, a good life change.  I'm happy, life is good.

The moving truck is headed north.

Saturday was the big moving day.  The movers arrived at 8 and left right before 11. 

I am left with: an airbed, bedding, clothing, some cleaning supplies, snacks, and some household stuff.

I slept a few hours after they left, then was in bed by ten that night -- sleeping until 10 Sunday morning.  I was/am exhausted.  Now for a week of 'see ya later' lunches and dinners as well as a few peaceful days.  Next stop: Tampa -- to Dad's house for the weekend.

Advanced Camping -- that's me this week.

Moving Update

Kitchen is done, except for junk drawer and a few decorator items which seem to defy packing (I think they hide when the boxes/tape come out, and return when I say "eff-this, I'm done for today").

Good news from yesterday, yours truly has a graduate assistantship at my new university!  Bonus +2 is I will a) get paid and b) get some tuition and fees paid.  Woo to the Hoo!  The best news about this is that it is minimal (10 hours per week) and I will be scheduled around my class time (very good news).

I have been writing thank you notes to coworkers here at the current job.  My last day here is July 29. 

I had a raging bout of insomnia last night - dreamt of a huge-ass spider crawling on me (in the dream, it was the size of my hand and HAIRY), so I was in no great hurry to shut my eyes again.  I think I passed back out an hour later or so.

Hoosier Guy has sanded, stained and poly'd the wood floor in our living room/office area.  I am dying to see it, but will see it August 2, so trying to contain my need to know, albeit unsuccessfully.

Am giving a few furniture items to a coworker - she is a single mom, living on her own for the first time since her daughter was born a couple years ago.  I know what it is like to move into a place with jack-shit-nothing, so giving stuff to her seems like good karma for the future, no?

It is hot here.  It is always hot here.  Repeat these statements daily from April to October.

Storage Unit (Check)

My next two weeks look a lot like this:

Monday: Storage Unit organization & labeling (check)
Tuesday: Kitchen
Wednesday: Remainder of kitchen, deliver plants to KC
Thursday: Guest room remainder & office stuff remainder
Friday: Bedroom, last minute stuff
Saturday: movers
Sunday:  Sleep until I cannot sleep any more.
Monday: Give remaining furniture to a friend.
Tuesday - Friday: Lunches/dinners with friends
Saturday: Carpet cleaners, then turn in keys, head to Tampa
Sunday: Tampa
Monday: pick up Hoosier Guy in Tampa, head north!

Yes, dear readers, my time here in Florida draws to a close. I am nearly ready and can see the light at the end of the tunnel :)

Pictures from My Weekend

The movers arrive on Saturday, July 23.  This has been my weekend. For those new to the blog, on my last move I hired movers to pack my fragile items.  The descriptions on the boxes were priceless ... see first pic below.  For those of you who don't know what a door reef is, please consider this as movers-to-English translation: door wreath.

6 Word Fridays: Line

This week’s Six Word Fridays topic? LINE. Line ‘em up, toe the line, walk the line. Draw a line in the sand. What’s my line? Tell me Friday, won’t you?

Double stacked, in a long line
the moving boxes stare at me
now packed tight, with precious belongings
they await their turn in line
to be loaded onto the truck.

These are the days I think
longingly, lovingly of a backpack lifestyle
two pairs of panties, two bras
some socks, two tshirts, jeans, shorts
in a backpack on my back.

instead I look at the boxes
lined up, ready, waiting, nearly there
and wonder how - how - even with
Goodwill, resale shops and giveaways, that
I have this much stuff boxed.

line it up boys -- headed north!

Booked the Movers.

I have been waffling, dear readers, over whether or not to hire movers.  I did when I moved here (I had my employer pay for part of the costs) and the thought of 'self-moving' the amount of stuff I own seemed like a good idea for about ten minutes.

Then reality set in.

So I looked into renting a truck, driving it with Hoosier Guy, but hiring movers on both ends to haul stuff inside.  Add price of fuel, packing supplies (moving blankets, etc), insurance, hassle -- well it seemed perfectly reasonable to let "someone else" deal with it.

So I've priced movers, several of them, in fact.  Moving prices ranged up and down, with a high of $4800 (bwahahahahaahaha cough cough gag) to a low of $2300, all supposedly guestimated with "DOT rates."  I did find a mover that I liked who was midrange in this range and he agreed to come down after we discussed the rates I'd received.  Granted, he still isn't the lowest rate, but he is much more reasonable after he sharpened his pencil a bit.  Lesson to be learned -- always negotiate.  Always.

The movers are scheduled to arrive at my house on July 22, 2011.  They will deliver on August 3rd in Indiana.  

Now I have to giddyup on getting the rest packed up. :)

Moving on ... back to Hoosierland in 41 days or so.

What A Weekend.

I was a whirling dervish of activity and fun --

Friday was dinner with my extended family here -- big fun, lots of wine, good times.

Saturday was hauling furniture from A to B and from C to A, a stop at the fleamarket for some necklace restringing, making pies and veggie pizza for dinner with friends.

Sunday was lunch with friends in St. Pete, dinner with Dad, Stepmom and Stepgrandma in Gibsonton and then a return home.  Finished some laundry, got my day completed.

I was tired when I passed out last night.  Still a little tired today.  It is clear I have a lot to do and not a lot of time.

55 Days until I move.

Wow.

The "Scrapbook Box" and how I freed myself from its grip.

I should say that I admire, greatly, those who scrapbook.  Those who take the tidbits of life and make beautiful, gorgeous pages for all to adore. 

I am not of your ilk. 

I have had a box of "scrapbook" stuff that I have hauled:

from Maple Lane
to Liberty Creek
to Rose
to 1st Ave NW
to Sea Oats
to Reflection Cove Drive.

Yes, friends, six addresses, 13 years. The box has been opened on occasion, to find what it is I believe I want to see, but never truly been explored to its depths. 

On Saturday I looked through it.

I found hundreds of pictures.  Some good, lots meh, lots bad, a few great.  The bad pics (out of focus, blank pictures, blurry) went straight to the trash.  Nothing to see here.   The meh pictures were sorted to determine if anyone else may want them (because I don't anymore).  I found a virtual treasure trove of pictures of old, good friends.  So I sorted those and some of you will receive pictures in the mail soon. 

The good and great were sorted again -- into pictures to keep and pictures to pass on.  The keepers were resorted into a now much-depleted basket.  The others were put in the "pass it on" file ...

Thus, the tyranny of the scrapbook box and my guilt over it was ended. 

I think.

I woke up this morning in a panic over one (1) of the hundreds of pictures that I had trashed.  It was a picture of me and my sister on my wedding day as she hooked grandma's necklace around my throat.  To think of that moment, that picture, pains me more than it brings me pleasure.  I had such hope, such promise in my eyes that day and the picture captured it perfectly.  I know the rest of the story now -- and that is where the pain comes in.

It is okay, that one picture that I miss.  It is in my mind's eye ... I don't need that sadness following me around any more. 

Guilty as Charged

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/moving

I have been this person.  I don't want to be this person any more. 

So I'm working on it, throwing out trash, giving away what is good enough to be given away and sorting through the rest.  Trying like hell to make some sense of this two bedroom apartment to which I now reside.

Trying to be rid of what isn't necessary for this next phase of life.

Here's to hoping -- and hiring movers, because it is the least I can do for the people I love.

I have a lot of crap.  Time to get moving, er, sorting.

Every step a little closer ... a recipe!

I'm currently in the process of "using up" the food/spices in the house.  I don't want to move much, if anything, in that department so I've been cooking like mad. 

This week's experiment?  Quiche -- which I always thought meant 'difficult' in French since nearly every restaurant that makes quiche acts like they have the secret to turning iron into gold.  Not true, dear readers, not true at all.

Easy Quiche -- or "quiche doesn't mean 'difficult' in French"
350 oven, 30 minutes, muffin tins - greased

1/2 cup flour
5 eggs, beaten
2 T butter, melted
1 cup fat-free half and half
1/2 cup fat-free milk
6 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
1/2 cup matchstick carrots
1/2 cup sliced, then diced (small) potatoes -- I used red potatoes
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup minced green peppers
1/2 cup minced mushrooms
1/2 cup zucchini, shredded
1 cup grated cheese (I used colby-jack, but your call)

Mix flour, eggs, butter, half and half, milk, bacon, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, zucchini and cheese.  During this time, saute the onions and green peppers, then add to the mixture.  Scoop into greased muffin tins, then bake for 30 minutes in a 350 oven.  Turn the pans once, at 15 minutes, to ensure even baking throughout the tins.  Makes approximately 18 quiche-muffins.

To reheat these little darlings -- 45 seconds on high in the microwave.  Mmm mmm.

**********************
This was a combination of a few recipes on AllRecipe.com.  I wanted something with less refined carbs (i.e. no crust, little flour), and more heavy on veggies.  I added bacon because I had it, but it isn't necessary.  This is truly delicious and I've eaten it for every meal since I made it. I add a salad at lunch and dinner just to get a few more veggies.  Yes, dear readers, I am trying to pay attention to my veggie count. 

In terms of what veggies I used, this is what I had on hand.  Clearly, any combination of veggies in 1/2 cup or 1 cup combinations would work too.  I only wish I had remembered the sun-dried tomatoes I had -- those would have definitely made the cut. 

Next time.  There are more veggies in the fridge which need consumed.