Going once, going twice...SOLD!

We went to an auction the other day.  A real auction.  The kind where the auctioneer talks a thousand miles a minute and is all 10dollarsdoIhear10dollars10dollars1250doIhear1250,125015doIhear15151515soldto864for15dollars.

It was loads of fun.  I think I could turn into auction junkie.  Except that's just not in my nature to turn into a junkie of anything.  But it was surprisingly fun.

We were looking for furniture.  My husband is furnishing an office and we are furnishing a house that is 3 times bigger than the house we currently live in. 

So, we were looking for furniture.

We tried Craigslist.  Nobody got back to me.

Secondhand Furniture Stores. Still too expensive.

Thrift Stores. Nothing that we want.

Yard Sale. Too time consuming, people want too much and just overall too annoying driving around and to all different sales.

And then a friend tuned us into the auction. So we went.

It took us a little while to figure out what was going on.  But once we did. 

Jackpot!

Do you see those finds!  A gorgeous dresser and vanity for $60!

An executive desk for $80!

After all the time we spent scouring thrift stores and Craigslist and yard sales....I can say with confidence that these items would be at least $300 in those venues..

So...if you need furniture...I highly suggest checking out estate auctions.   

Plus, they are just fun...in a country sorta of way.  Standing around in a hot barn, people watching, seeing what people do and don't bid on.  It's fun.    

While I was in the bathroom, my husband got this rocking chair for $5.

Perfect for wild kid rocking.

It was great fun until my own husband bid against me.

He bid $10 at the exact same time I bid $5 on this cute little dresser.   And then the auctioneer called me cheap.  Humph.  True..but still.   Anyway, we got it for $10 and it's perfect for holding all of John's clothes. 

So, go check out at out an auction.  Just don't let this happen to you.

Go Midwest Young Woman

Well...I like to think I'm still young at age 36. 

So, this East Coast gal has moved Midwest...again.   I like the Midwest.  It's hard to get used to being so far west that it's still bright, sunshiny daylight at 9:00 PM.  

The move went about as smooth as could be expected.

Except for the one last minute doctor's visit for Elsa who woke up last Wednesday with her eyelid almost completely swollen shut.  Dr. Google said it was periorbital cellulitis (a very serious disease) but thankfully her real doctor said it was just a stye.  It's all back to normal now, even without ever giving her the anti-histamine medication the doctor prescribed (because that's the sorta mother I am). 

Our drive up was smooth and uneventful and we even survived driving through the longest, hilliest, most carsick inducing roads ever in West Virginia.  Ben was a rock star for driving the Penske truck up and down these steep mountain roads.

Thanks to a TON of help from my family we got everything packed and cleaned up back in VA (and we even get our security deposit back....a minor miracle for us) and unloaded and unpacked here in our TINY house in IN.  We are 4 kids, 2 adults, 1 cat and 1 guinea pig in a 2 bedroom home...with no dishwasher, no central air conditioning and smelly, sulphur-containing well water.  The lack of air conditioning is about the only thing that bothers me (and it's not even that hot yet).   Supposedly the sulphur containing water is GOOD for you. and the price is right, so here we are for the time being at least.  

We're all really hoping this is our last long-distance move for...well....forever.  We are so ready to settle down.  I know we'll be moving locally again...but really hoping for no more long distance treks.  Three long distance moves in the span of 13 months is just TOO MUCH.  I am DONE. 

----------------------------------------------

Greta just walked into the living room carrying a bunch of boxes and informed me that she was packing to move to Kansas.

Well..it was nice knowing you kid.

Apparently,  Kansas is in the backyard and there is a beach (sandbox) there.

Who taught that kid her geography anyway?  Someone is slacking here. 

_______________________________________

For the first time in about 9 years we have a landline phone with long distance (because we bundled it with Internet and it saves us installation fees...blah, blah, blah). .  I tried to call someone today and actually FORGOT that you have to dial 1 before dialing long distance.   The little operator lady who lives in the phone had to remind me.  Who forgets that you have to dial '1" first?

________________________________________________

So...here we are. 

Living near family is nice...it's nice to be able to visit and then go back home again.  It's so much nicer than living super far away. 

_______________________________________

Still asking/begging for lots of prayers...for Ben as he takes the Indiana bar exam and for his job search as he really needs to find a good lawyer job.  Please, please, please.  Thank you. 

__________________________________________

And, since this is an update post of sorts...I'm linking up with Jenna for tl;dr.  I'm not really sure what that means, but I think it stands for something like too long, didn't read and is a way for bloggers to update about their lives, so all their slacking readers can catch up with what's going on.  Not that any of my small handful of readers are slackers or anything. 

7 Tips for More Compact Packing During Your Move

We're in the mist of our 3rd long-distance move within the last 13 months..  

Yes....I am just as pained by this as you are.

Moving is expensive and tiring and all sorts of annoying.  Trust me..I KNOW. 

One of the hardest parts is trying to fit all your STUFF into a moving truck, the back of your car or in a trailer.

We've done one long distance move where we took nothing with us other than what we could fit in the back of our two vehicles.  Yes...there was LOTS of declutterng and selling of furniture and wailing and gnashing of teeth going on.  But, you know what...we honestly never missed that stuff. 

And, we still had to pack what we did take in the most compact way possible.

So...over the years, I've learned a trick or two. 

1. Get rid of ALL THE STUFF.  Have a yard sale, donate it, give it away, throw it away...whatever you do, just get rid of ANYTHING you haven't used in the last year, anything you've never used, anything broken and anything you have duplicates of.  In my current stage of frantic declutting, I realized we have no less than 5 extension cords.  Do we need 5 extension cords.  No, no we do not.  Off they go. 

Scale back as much as possible.  Does your child really need 24 t-shirts?  Probably not?

That pair of shoes you never wear because it doesn't match anything you own....donate it.

That third winter coat...donate it.

“The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry man; the coat hanging unused in your closet belongs to the man who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the man who has no shoes; the money which you put in the bank belongs to the poor. You do wrong to everyone you could help, but fail to help.” - St. Basil the Great. 

Pretty convicting...no?  So, donate everything. 

2.

So, now that you've gotten your possessions down to the bare minimum...how can you pack it the most compactly.  Or, in other words, how can you cram the most stuff into the least amount of space? 

Avoid space-wasters. Things like newspaper and bubble wrap are space wasters.  You don't need that stuff.

Use your stuff to protect your stuff.  Wrap your breakables in towels or blankets or t-shirts or pillow cases.  Yes, it might make a few extra steps when you are unpacking..but extra steps is good for you, right?  Just think of it as a way to get more exercise.

3.

No Empty Space in Furniture.  None, zero, zilch.  Pack every drawer full.  This makes it easier to unpack.  Leave your clothes in the dressers (and fold/roll them so they take the least amount of space).  Leave papers, pens, batteries and odds and ends in desk drawers.  It helps if you pack up those odds and ends into bags or little baggies or pencil cases.   Heck..if you have a paper shredder...open it up and put stuff inside it.  Just don't forget what you put in there, so you can be sure to unpack it. 

4. 

No Empty Space Anywhere. Put your silverware in your Tupperware.  Put your spices in your blender. Put your dishtowels in your food processor.  Anywhere you see empty space...stick something in it.  It may be weird, but it works. 

5. 

Boxes are not your friend. Boxes are actually a pretty inefficient way to pack stuff..space wise.  Bags are much better. You can always shove another bag in.  Sometimes one more box just won't fit..but a bag, a bag can be shoved in there.  It's flexible and smooshable and can take up a lot less space than a boring ole', inflexible box.  If you have one last box you can't fit in, unpack it, stick everything in a bag and you just might find that your stuff fits after all. 

6. 

Leave a kitchen box. I'm a real-food, gluten-free, make everything from scratch girl...which makes it super hard to pack a kitchen.  Because I need my kitchen...I use it all the time.   So, what I do is plan out our last meals (that sounds pretty ominous) and then leave one box with things like a knife, a cookie sheet, a pot, a wooden spoon.  Those items which will allow you to do some cooking while most of your cooking stuff is all packed up. 

7.

Think of things in a space/cost way. Get rid of things that take up a lot of space and are cheap to replace.  This includes things like stuffed animals, super large toys and beach balls.  Totally not worth keeping. 

(Linking up with Team Whitaker who is hosting this weeks 7QTF). 

My Life is Crazy and Other Quick Takes about Sleep, Lent and Random Questions.

1.

Linking up with Jennifer Fulweiler who says that when she evaluates opportunities she decides if it makes a good story or not. 

Well....this ought to make a great story...some day.  For those of you don't know....it's a long story but my husband was a teacher for 10 years when he decided to go to law school to become a lawyer.  So, off he went to law school....with a lovely wife (that's me!) and 3 darling children in two.  He graduated last year, he  took the bar in Virginia, passed it and moved to Virginia with his lovely wife and now 4 darling children.  However, he was unable to find a lawyer job so ended up going back to teaching. 

Well, he decided that taking the Virginia bar was so much fun, that he's going to take the Indiana bar this summer.  Just finished the application process (which is long and involves basically telling your entire life story in minute detail to the law examiners) . Of course, he's still looking for a job here in VA, but also looking in Indiana.  

Why Indiana, you may be asking?  Don't worry, I'm asking the same thing myself.  Actually, I grew up in Rhode Island, but this past September my parents moved to Indiana.  Ever since then, they've been trying to woo us out there with promises of plentiful Catholic home school groups, cheap living, low traffic and tall corn. They didn't mention the oodles of free babysitting they will provide, but I know they meant that too.  Anyway, who can resist the lure of tall corn? So hi ho, hi ho...maybe it's off to Indiana we go.  Or maybe not....depending on if he finds a job here. 

Anyway, this a long way of pleading, begging, or stealing prayers for us.  For our discernment, for the bar exam and for him to PLEASE find a lawyer job so he doesn't have to spend another year trying to teach Spanish to a bunch of teens who don't believe in school or studying or homework or anything like that.

2.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the worst sleeper of them all?

3.

Actually she's not the worst sleeper.  She's just the worst alone sleeper.  My other kids were taking like 2 hours naps at this age (18 months).  Not Elsa.  If she sleeps for 45 minutes, I consider it A VERY LONG NAP.  And, nighttime...well she's gotten better.  Let's just leave it at that.  If it weren't for co-sleeping, I'd be a walking zombie.

4.

Let's compare.  Here is a picture of all my kids at around age 1.5. 

Heidi

Greta

John

Elsa

Why, oh, why, oh, why is it only the boy that has any kind of hair to speak of?  Although Elsa is doing better than Heidi and Greta were at the same age.  She still has nowhere near the hair John had.  I mean, he had already had a few HAIRCUTS by that age.  Why does the boy get the best hair? 

5.

Is it still Lent?  Anyone else feel like this is the LONGEST LENT EVER. Maybe because Easter is so late this year, but I feel like we should be done by now.  Or maybe my life is just one, big, long Lent.  That could be it.

6.

Or maybe I'm just too melancholic which is why I say exaggerated things like My Life is One Big Long Lent, when really compared to most of the world, I have a very easy life.

7.

I can't think of a last quick take, so I'm going to make this a slow-take and answer Kendra's questions.  Now, I can double link-up. 

1. Where do you live? And why do you live there?

See take #1

2. What's are you currently watching and/or reading?

Reading: The Theology of the Body for Beginners (Christopher West)

Beyond the Birds and the Bees, Raising Sexually Whole and Holy Kids (Popcaks)

Watching: I gave up watching alone for Lent.  So, I just watch Psych with Ben.  Except I usually fall asleep, so I end up not watching much and never finding out who the murderer was. 

3. What kind of Catholic are you: cradle, or convert? (Or considering?)

Cradle

4. Can you point to one moment or experience that made you a practicing Catholic? (Or want to be?)

Well, I was raised Catholic, but it was through attending Youth 2000 Retreats in College that I began to understand the Catholic faith even more and grow deeper in my faith. 

5. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

1 pair of tall boots

1 pair of sneakers

3 pairs of flats

2 pairs of sandals

1 pair of high heeled pumps (I haven't actually worn these yet, I just got them for my brother's upcoming wedding in May). 

Hmm...that seems like a lot, but it really doesn't feel like that much. 

6. Are you a good dancer?

No. 

7. Who usually drives, you or your husband?

My husband, usually.  He says I'm a bad driver. I'm really a very good driver, except for the fact that I learned to drive from my dad.  Anyone who has ever driven with my dad knows exactly what I'm talking about. 

8. What's your favorite holiday and how do you celebrate it?

Any holiday we spend with friends or family. 

9. Which is correct? Left or right?

Left

10. Do you have any scars?

I have a scar on my right ankle from a roller skating incident when I was a kid.  I also have three scars from where I had three (non-cancerous) moles removed.

11. What's the most famous thing you've ever done? 

Well it's a toss-up between this decidedly un-famous blog or having my name published as one of the authors on a scientific paper published in the Journal of Dairy Science.  Clearly, I am not that famous. 

Where nobody knows your name

Awhile ago I wrote a post entitled The One Homeschooling Item I Couldn't Live Without.  It was all about (surprise, surprise) the one homeschooling item I couldn't live without...friends. 

Well, seeing as how we just moved to an entirely new state a mere 2.5 weeks ago....I'm living without it.  And it's hard,  Super hard.  Harder than I thought it was be.

This picture really has nothing to do with this post..but hey..what's a post without a picture?

You see, I had been really spoiled.  When we lived in Naples, it was easy to make friends.  We lived on campus, we knew all our neighbors, I had a friend who introduced me to someone who introduced me to somebody...so I actually already had an "in".   Over the course of three years living there, we had an awesome community!  And, everyone was nearby. And, then we moved back to RI, where my kids and I already had friends...and it was great.  We jumped right back into park days and beach days and morning hikes.  And, it was wonderful.  

And, then it all happened so fast...Ben got a job and before I could blink I found myself smack dab someplace where nobody knows your name. And frankly, it's been tougher than I thought it would be.

And to be fair, some people do know our names.  Our neighbors are very nice...we don't have much in common with them...but they are very nice and even helped us put our lawn mower together.   And, I've joined a coop, and have attended a mother's rosary group at a church which is not as local as I would like.  And, we've gone to chess club...and there's homeschool PE and various other activities....in fact we could easily get way overstretched with activities (that are spread way too far apart).  And, I've emailed back and forth with a few people from a large, yahoo group I joined.   And, everyone has been very, very nice and welcoming.   So, we are very, very, very slowly meeting people...but they are just acquaintances. And, it's tiring and draining because nobody knows us...not really.   I'm tired of always introducing ourselves.  I'm tired of initial chit chat.  I'm tired of not knowing people and them not knowing me.  I want to go someplace where people know me and I know them.  I want to walk into a park day, already knowing people.  I want people to already things about us...little things, like we're gluten-free, or into natural health or have always homeschooled and aren't in the military.  And, I want to know those things about other people.  I want to know who else avoids high fructose corn syrup or uses essential oils or blogs or uses this curriculum or is into gluten-free baking.  I want to know who is into sewing or crafting or shooting or football.  I want to know those little things about people that make a friendship....and I want them to know those little things about me.   I want to know people well enough to feel comfortable having them over, or meeting at the park...or exchanging childcare.

Random Picture #2

And, I know that will happen...eventually...but it takes time and, I'm impatient, very, very impatient.  So for right now, we're just biding out time, spending way too much time driving around to various activities trying to find our niche, and just longing to go someplace where everybody knows your name.

HoWDI: Finding a Place to Rent Sight Unseen

I'm starting a new series...with the super lame title of  HoWDI, which, stands for How We Did It..  Get it HoWDI,... Howdy.  Just smile, and pretend to laugh, okay.

Each part in the series will talk about how we did something...and this first one will be about how we found a place to rent, sight unseen in about 24 hours time.   

So....this is How We Did It. 

First

 Make a list (either mentally or on paper) of things you absolutely want in a place to live...and then (again either mentally or on paper), rate them as negotiable or non-negotiable.

These are the things we wanted.

• Allows pets (We have a cat.  My parents have so generously kept him for us, for the past three years while we were in Fl, living on campus, but once we moved off campus, we wanted to take our precious cat with us.  Sorry Mom and Dad...I know you are crying buckets over missing William). 
• Hardwood floors.  Not totally non-negotiable, but fairly important.  Our kids tend to be a bit "rough" on carpet (rough is putting it mildly) and hardwood is so much easier to clean.  We really wanted to avoid carpet and all the cleaning and hassles that comes with having carpet and kids. 

•  Free-standing house with backyard.  This was more important to me, than to Ben.  In fact, Ben is totally happy in a condo.  In fact we had a bit of an um...disagreement over this.   I really, really, really like the privacy of having our own house and backyard.  Once kids are old enough to play outside without direct supervision, it is just golden if they CAN do so without being in a public area (like in a condo). Call me paranoid, but I'm not too likely to let my kids play outside without direct supervision in a public area, the same way I am in a private backyard.    And, it totally saves my sanity to be able to send everyone outside to play and give me a bit of peace and quiet.  As a bonus, we even found a house that already has a swingset/climbing structure.

• Safe neighborhood (more on that later).
• Within 30 minutes drive of Ben's work (the place we found is right at 30 minutes)
• Within a certain price range
• At least 3 bedrooms and 1400 square feet.
• Good place for walking around the neighborhood...quiet, safe streets to walk.  We really enjoy walking and walk A LOT, so living in a safe neighborhood with safe streets to walk on is really important to us.   

Second.

Go to www.neighborhoodscout.com and put in the city/town you are looking in.  This maps the number of arrests and crime in a given neighborhood within the last two months.  It's invaluable for finding a safe neighborhood.  Determine which neighborhoods you want to look at and which ones you want to want to stay away from.

Three

Go to zillow.com and do a search for rentals in your city/town.  You can filter the results by price range, number of bedrooms, allows pets, etc., etc.   Zillow is invaluable....BEST. TOOL. EVER for finding a place to rent (or buy).  It shows you the prices ranges of all the other houses in the neighborhood,  shows you if the house value has increased or decreased over the last few months and maps where each house is, so you can tell at a glance where it is located.   Plus, it has all the information on it you would find if you were looking to buy (age of house/condo, plot size, square feet, etc.)

Four

Once you find a few places you are interested in...put them into google maps and look at the house, look at the street, look at the surrounding houses.  You can tell if the yards are kept up, what kind of houses are in the neighborhood, how far apart the houses are, etc., etc., etc. 

Five 

Once you have a few places you are interested in....call up the Realtor and ask questions, questions and more questions.  Ask about the heating and cooling and neighborhood and utility bills and lawn maintenance, and just about everything you can think of.  Explain your situation (if you are in a time crunch, don't have time to look around, etc).  The Realtor we worked with, even offered to make a little video with his phone and email it to us! Now, THAT is service. 

Six 

To avoid surprises, think about the time the house/condo/apartment was built and then do research into styles/sizes/layouts from that area.  Most houses built around a certain time, tend to be pretty similar.   The house we chose, was built in the 50's, which means small closets, and less closet/storage space than more modern houses.  I knew this house had been built in the 50's, so this wasn't a total surprise when we got here and saw the size of the closets, etc.

And, that's basically it...thanks to the internet, you can do all sorts of reading of leases and filling out applications and everything all online! I hope that somehow, someday, somewhere, this post will help someone.

7 Quick Takes Friday from VA

1.

Blogging to you live here from VA.  We somehow managed to get it together to find a place to rent, find movers and move down to VA...all within the span of one week.  Whew...I'm tired just thinking about it.

2

During that time, we also, inherited,  were given via family transfer,  from my SUPER generous parents who don't need it anymore,...this vehicle.

I call it Gus the Bus...,short for Augustine...cause ya know, it has to be a Catholic van.   Our other van, which was in pretty bad shape, would not have passed inspection in VA, so we bid it a fond farewell, cried many tears and sold it for a few pennies. 

I was really scared to drive Gus as first, but I quickly got used to it.  Backing up is still a pain, but I'm getting better at it (knock on wood).  

The nicest thing about Gus.... unlike other vehicles, it has air conditioning. 

3.

On the drive down, we were once again stuck in major, major, major traffic in NY and NJ (amazingly CT was fine).  I think it took us like 3 hours to go 40 miles or something.   At least I found a news radio station that assured me that the "alternate" route would have been even worse due to a jackknifed tractor trailer. 

4.

Not to make this all doom and gloom...yesterday was a lovely day of driving...clear sailing, no traffic and a fun visit with a friend we stopped off to see on the way. 

5,

And, this is the best thing about the house we are renting.  See those things? 

 Those are trees!  TREES!!!  Nice, big, shady ones.  Something you don't really see in FL.   And, the swingset in the backyard is fun for the kids as well.  

6.

Today we had to make a run to WalMart and when we came back to the house, our cat was missing.  MISSING.  I KNEW he was in the house, (all closed up) when we left, and when we came back, he was nowhere to be found.  I called Ben up, crying and screaming and cursing the landlord who I was SURE had come to the house and let him out.   

Then I opened up a cabinet on top of the fridge...and who should appear, but the wayward cat. 

7.

Our furniture hasn't arrived from the moving truck yet, so this is how we are sleeping.  It's actually surprisingly comfortable...sleeping on the floor.  I have a foam mat, then a sleeping bag and a few blankets.  It's not too bad.

Now go see Jen for more quick takes. 

Bye bye RI

And they were singin'

Bye Bye little R...I.

No more red seaweed...no it's not red tide.

These good ole girls are singing

Del's and Dunkin and Chai

Saying this will be the day that I fry

without the cool ocean breezes of RI. 

So..whaddaya think?  Do I have a future as a songwriter or a poet or what??!!!

I know, I know..it's  an or what.  But, I just couldn't let our passing from the state of RI (for perhaps the very last time)  go by without some sort of lame, songy/poemy tribute.  So there ya go. 

And, so I bid a fond farewell to the state where I grew up, the state where I went to college and the state where I spent 5 years of my adult life.   Cheesey as it sounds, I'll always consider myself a Rhode Islandah!

7 Quick Takes Friday....Big News, Big Changes and Small Takes

1.

So, it's time for our second long-distance move in as much as three months.  Back in May, we moved from Florida to Rhode Island while Ben studied for the VA bar exam.  So, we always knew we'd have to move again.

2.

On Tuesday evening, Ben got and accepted a job offer.  Unfortunately it's not a legal, lawyer job...it's a teaching job.  But still a good one that will pay the bills and it gets us into the state in which we want to reside.  So..Yay!

3.

He needs to be there next Wed, so that gave us less than a week to find movers, find  a place to rent, pack up stuff and get out of here...and two days of that needs to be for travel. 

4.

To say that I was a bit stressed is a bit if understatement.  More like full-blown panic attack.  Picture me...like this!

Source

5.

We found  a place to rent (sight unseen) so when handed the lease, Ben did what any other, just graduated from law school lawyer would do and picked it apart, read it super carefully and came back with a list of modifications/clarifications. I'm just hoping they'll still accept us...please, please, please.  We're really nice people, I promise. 

6.

So, I may not be blogging much in the next week or two.  How lame is that...to blog about not blogging?  Lame, lame, lame. 

7.

I feel like I'm 25 again...looking into rentals, having to set up utilities and worry about all those little things that I hadn't had to worry about while living in Fl.  Ya know...things like electric bills, and winter, and heating oil..those things. 

Now, go see Jen for more Quick Takes. 

An Old-Fashioned Road Trip

We did it, we did it!   We made it 1500 miles of driving in 3 days from Florida to Rhode Island....without air conditioning....or smart phones....or even a CD player. 

We left Tuesday afternoon.. Thanks to Heidi's broken collarbone, there was a lot of indecision about exactly when we were leaving. The ER doctor said she needed to be seen within 1-2 days, so we wanted to get that done before we left, but the actual orthopedist wouldn't see her before 10-14 days since they don't do anything for a broken collarbone other than a sling.   

So, last minute we decided to leave Tues. after all.  But there was a lot of last minute packing and cleaning to do....last minute trips to Goodwill...and goodbyes to neighbors to be said.

We drove off at 1:57 PM.  At 2:01 PM we made our first stop...exactly 2.2 miles from home.   I realized in all the confusion of packing up and saying goodbye, Elsa hadn't nursed in awhile.  And, Ben needed to get his drug fix,  diet coke fix for the road.

But, that was a brilliant strategy because Elsa slept for 4 hours straight...which she had done approximately zero times before this.   This 4-hour stretch blew her average 12.75 minute average time of alone-sleeping out of the water. 

We almost had an accident that first day when the car in the lane next to us had a tire blow out and the driver cut right in front of us, to get off the road.  The sides of the roads in FL and GA are littered with rubber tire debris...I guess the heat and humidity must be brutal on tires.

Since we are the only people left in America (besides my parents) who still live in the dark ages and don't have smartphones, we stopped at a McDonalds on the way for their free WiFi and booked a hotel  reservation for that night....in Kingsland, GA...just over the border from FL.

We got to the room at 10:38 PM.  The beds were unmade...there were no towels...and we were tired. 

The next morning...it was up at 5:00...out the door by 6:55 AM and 10..5 hours of driving to stay at a wonderful friend's house in Virginia.   We had a fun, but too short visit...but are looking forward to going back to Virginia once Ben (hopefully) passes the bar and gets a job there. 

Then we drove on, slowly...very, very slowly to Rhode Island.  We had to drive so slowly because there were all these other pesky cars in the way.  And, we had awesome timing because we hit NYC right at rush hour...so that was loads of fun...driving through NYC during rush hour, without air conditioning. 

So, we made it to our final destination at 11:30 PM on Thursday. 

And, our old decrepit van amazingly enough did NOT break down.  All our friends in Florida, were all Is that van going to make it up to RI?

  You, see technically our van was totaled two years ago when I was rear-ended and the insurance company wouldn't pay to fix it because the cost of the repair was more than the worth of the vehicle.   But, the old gal still had some life in her, and she survived another 2 years in FL and a 1500 mile drive up to RI. 

It was a hot, arduous, journey but we made it.   The whole time on the way, I kept thinking I can't believe people do this for fun.   Of course, I'm sure it's more fun if you have air conditioning in your vehicle and DVD players...and can actually listen to music or books on tape or something. 

But, our kids were great, and didn't complain....except for Elsa, who did her fair share of crying, but was remarkably good considering the circumstances. 

And, I discovered that I can read on the kindle in the car and not get carsick...I can't read books or papers...but for some reason, reading the kindle doesn't make me carsick.  Which is reason #5637 why I love the kindle...and too bad Amazon isn't paying me to say that. 

And, now we are here in RI...where I get to spend the next two months going through all the stuff we had left up here and packing it up (or getting rid of it).  The fun and packing NEVER ends. 

7 Quick Take Friday

1.

Just call me handy(wo)man Amelia.  Our keyboard (which the girls use like a piano for piano lessons and to practice), had a broken power cord.  I have NO IDEA how this happened, but somehow all the wires fell out and were exposed and one broke.  It was the most bizarre thing ever...I have no clue what happened, but you could see the circuit board and thingamabobs and everything. .  But, anyway, ingenious me took the power cord from our electric drill (which we use..umm....never) and plugged it into the keyboard and it works.  Yay.  

2.

And, speaking of things breaking, I just wanted to say how awesomely magnanimous Ben was about the fact that a certain child who shall remained nameless who was supposed to be watching a certain baby who shall also remain nameless while a certain mother who shall remain nameless was packing, let said baby spill a certain substance which shall remain nameless (some call it Diet Coke, but I prefer the term poison) on his laptop keyboard and now the keys don't work.   

3. 

You know how you might think you have a difficult child, until you have another child that shows you what difficult really is.   Yeah..um...well, that's Elsa. 

This picture illustrates it perfectly.

Yes, the 8-month old is kicking the 5-year old in the head.   You can just tell that she's thinking. I may be the youngest, but ain't nobody gonna boss me around. 

I

4.

Things are moving along for the move.  We sold our couches, which means we have nothing to sit on....but I really like the empty space.   I think I just want to stay couch-free.   Actually, I think I just want to stay everything free.   I'd be totally happy living in an empty house with nothing in it...no clutter, no mess...aaah...a girl can dream. 

5.

And, while I was writing this, Elsa almost killed herself by pulling herself up to standing on a little night-stand and almost tipping it over.  Thankfully, it's sturdy enough and she's not strong enough to totally tip it over.    Now, I'm off to somehow secure that.  Or,  maybe I'll just get rid of it...more empty space. 

6.

I learned this week through a Facebook discussion that swiffer cleaning pads and maxipads are made by the same company.  Therefore, I can just strap maxipads to my baby's legs and she can clean the floor as she crawls across.  Brilliant..no?

7.

And, I can't think of anything else to write, so I'll just say...please pray for us.  We are just a bit stressed right now, with the move and job searching and all that.  Thanks my dear readers!

And, go see Jen for more 7QTK

7 Quick Takes Friday

1.

We're moving in just over two weeks, I am completely overwhelmed.  Everyone keeps asking me if I've started packing yet.  I'm just all. uhh no, I'm in denial about the fact that we are moving in about 2 1/2 weeks.  We have a ton of stuff to get rid of...which is stressful because people have been so generous to us, that I want to make sure I get rid of it to the right person instead of just randomly tossing or donating stuff.

2.

Ben's graduation is TOMORROW.  When we started this whole law school thing, three years seemed like such a long time.  It doesn't seem like so long anymore. 

3.

And, does it make me a bad wife that I'm dreading sitting through a two-hour graduation ceremony...with four kids?  Neither Ben nor I went to graduation when we got our Master's Degrees...but law school is A BIG DEAL...so we go. 

4.

Elsa started crawling this week.  Right while we are trying to pack up..perfect timing!

Who me?  Mess up stuff?  Get into trouble?  No way..look at this innocent looking face!

5.

 Where we live now is a PERFECT place for walking, running, bike riding, scootering, skating,....we have beautiful, wide, tree-lined sidewalks right outside our front door..which means we go on family walks or the kids bike ride/skate around almost every night.  Where we are going in RI has no such place and who knows about where we will be in Virginia.  So, we're thinking about getting a wii to use with wii fit or something to allow for indoor exercise.   Or possibly an xbox with kinect,  but that is much more expensive.   Anyone have any other input/ideas/suggestions for  kids and adults to get exercise when there may not be a safe place for walking/running/bike riding nearby. 

6.

And, I just have to share this cute pic!

Don't you dare try to steal my cupcake toy!!

7.

And, these are the types of pictures you get when you let your kids use the camera.

Greta taking a selfie.

And pictures of random stuff.

Now, go see Jen for more 7QTF.