life in the basement

we are living in the basement, and it feels really strange because, you know what? there's a whole house up there we're not using! it feels really funny to go up there and wander around the emptiness, and then come back down to the basement which is crammed full of stuff.

the basement
we moved the stove down and got rid of the mini stove that was down here. i went through all the kitchen boxes and attempted to assemble reasonable facsimile of our kitchen: dishes, glasses, serving stuff, tools, etc. the one thing that i can't find that is completely maddening is our salad spinner. it's making me really mad. it apparently made it's way into either an unmarked box, or a box that is not a kitchen box, and its a pretty big thing and there aren't that many big boxes. i should be able to locate it, and it's just making me SO mad. this may seem like a silly thing to be obsessing on, but we like our salad greens, spinach, chard, and the like around here, and a salad spinner makes quick easy work of the prep. i miss my salad spinner.

the house
i/we have sanded/patched/re sanded/patched/sanded again the walls and woodwork in the bedrooms. last night after i had pulled up all the plastic and shopvac-ed up all the dust and debris and started to tape up the windows i realized that we hadn't taken the window hardware off, so i/we need to go in there and sand/patch/sand that and then we will be ready to put fresh plastic down and start the first coat of primer. very exciting! my goal is to have both rooms painted by next weekend.

also, we have made our final decision about the flooring vendor and the electrician. we still need to decide on the plumber. everything hinges on getting the new water heater installed so we can take the chimney down and make the kitchen bigger. it's crazy making trying to keep track of ALL the details. it's overwhelming.

cooking, eating, grocery shopping
we are starting to get the hang of cooking here (in our compromised circumstances), in fact we have been eating quite well. we bought a grill, and that has been a lifesaver. the local farmers markets are bountiful right now. on sunday i went to our west seattle market for the first time. i got some beautiful tomatoes, spinach, sorrel, baby turnips, hazelnuts, and cherries. then yesterday we both went to check out the one in columbia city, where we got some pickled asparagus, squash, fresh salmon, french radishes, spinach, strawberries, raspberries and some locally made quark. i thought it would be a hop and a skip from here to columbia city, but it's pretty far and probably not worth the travel time, on friday's there is one near my mom, so i might try to make it to that one once in awhile. so the food/cooking thing is sorting itself out. we were really missing that.

the weather
the weather has been spectacular. days upon days in a row of sunny clear warm weather. the locals would probably complain that it is too hot, but it hasn't even hit 80 degrees yet. it has been amazing, and i am so glad that we chose this time of year for our move.

plants and things
i bought and planted some herbs in containers for our deck. right now we have mint, hot and spicy oregano, lemon thyme, thyme and tarragon. i want to add some sage, italian parsley, parsley and cilantro. it's really hard not to lose my mind when i go to the plant store. everything lawn and garden is a next summer project, but we do have to do some maintenance.

in other news
last but not least: josh and i are uncle and auntie to one brand new eliana sophie davis who was born this afternoon, weighing in at 6 pounds and 11 ounces , and measuring 19 inches. mother and daughter are reported to be resting comfortably.

i really wanted to take some photos for this post, but there just aren't enough hours in the day.

what's up:

over the past week or so we closed on our house and had all of our belongings delivered to our new home. the contents of 6 door to door containers fit in to our garage with plenty of room to spare. we moved the bed and couches and clothing into the basement, but DAMN that garage is HUGE.

our house its really nice. even with nothing in it, it is a nice place to be. it feel like us. it feels like ours. i spent the last couple days ripping up all the carpets in the two bedrooms and the hallway. this was no small task. i may be strong but i'm not very big, and i was trying to keep the rug in one big piece so that it could be re-used by us or someone else. suffice it to say that it was not unlike wrestling an octopus and my arms are covered with scrapes and bruises. the floors underneath are fir, they are in pretty good shape and with a light sanding, and a coat of finish they will be beautiful.

my next project is the prep and paint the two bedrooms. i covered the floor in one of the rooms, and took off all the hardware and face plates, that is as far as i got before we called it a day.

we have appointments with a plumber and an electrician tomorrow morning. we are hoping that the plumber will be able to answer some questions that will help us figure out how to proceed with the whole kitchen redo project. we have decided to move into the basement and buy a grill and just camp at the house while we work on the rest of it. we still have the apartment until september in case we need it... but we really want to be at the house.

the rollercoaster keeps going

here are some pictures from our journey west. i wish i could have taken MORE. if we had gotten out of the car more often i surely would have. this is a HUGE country, and parts of it are REAL pretty.



now we have arrived...

we put an offer in on a house today. i think perhaps it is entirely possible that we have completely lost our minds.

phew!

we sold our car yesterday. YAY!! that was the last major hurdle, that we didn't really have any control over. HUGE relief! we are free and clear now, we just have to keep chipping away at the to do list & keep packing. today and tomorrow are the last 2 BIG PUSH days. on thursday morning the sultans of shlep arrive to help us load up the containers! it all feels completely surreal.

our itinerary is still approximately the same, but now includes a lunch stop in ann arbor before we head to st. joseph to hang with the zaroff's. where we actually stop depends on how many hours we feel like driving and how many bathroom breaks we take.

youngstown, ohio (or possibly further, which would allow us a little more time in michigan)
ann arbor, michigan (drive down memory lane for josh and grab a bite to eat)
st. joseph, michigan (stop and see tom, jule, zoe and ivy)
dakota, minnesota
mitchell, south dakota (possibly stop and see the corn palace)
rapid city, south dakota (a leisurely drive through the badlands & maybe a stop to see rushmore)
billings, montana
missoula, montana
spokane, washington
SEAWA!

what are those boxes doing out there?

the adventure begins to continue to begin.....

the final countdown

today is may first, which means we have approximately nine more days here. we are 95% done with the studio, which was such a huge project that i can't even believe that it's actually done.

we had a sale on saturday where we sold a whole lot of stuff. we moved maybe 50% of the stuff and made a fair chunk of change. on tuesday we had a buy a box and fill it up and it's yours for five bucks day, which was almost completely pointless. on wednesday we said that everything leftover was free. things started off well with some nice dumpster divers and artistic types, and then the junk/scrap metal guys showed up and it was like vultures picking apart a carcass. it was kind of painful. these guys were just snatching up entire boxes full of stuff without even looking at what was in them.

on the one hand this was a good thing, since we would not have to deal with paying to have this stuff removed, on the other hand there were some things that we really wanted to see go to a happy home, and it was hard not knowing if these guys were just scrapping everything. jak was scurrying about snatching up some of the more special things and stashing them.

in less than an hour they had completely gutted the entire place, it was amazing. the only stuff that is left over is some architectural salvage stuff, mostly wood. we have a big load of sorted metal to go sell by the pound and a few boxes of stuff we are keeping to clear out, and the studio is D-O-N-E.


we are both getting haircuts today.

the only thing left really is to finish packing the house.

containers are being delivered on monday, and we are filling them on thursday.

we still have to sell our car, and a buy a car. the buying part is no biggie, the selling part is stressing me out a little, since no one has wanted to even see it yet.

the getaway car

we are having a going away party on sunday.

GACK!

thirty days

we sold our house (pending inspection). we have thirty days left in our sweet little house. this is roughly day three of this knowledge and it is only just starting to really sink in. it took us less than a week to sell it. i for one was hoping for the best, but prepared for the worst. i couldn't imagine that our house wouldn't sell quickly, it's such a little gem. but, all the scary real estate news was...well scary.

so now we have an end date here. and we are feeling a little like deer in the headlights. huh? what? we need to do what? by when? huh? you talking' to me?? lo siento. no habla ingles.

climax/anticlimax

it was an incredibly stressful day, there were two scheduled showing for which we had to go find somewhere's to be for 2 hours...and then nothing. silence. for hours and hours.

my stomach has been tied up in knots, my shoulders up around my ears. brain spinning, wondering and waiting, ALL day long. i can just barely think about anything else.

selling our house feels very personal. we've been really happy here. we worked really hard to fix it up and make it shine. we spend a lot of time here. it's our little love nest. we bought it together, we got engaged and married while living here. it's a big part of our life together.

we just found out that one of the people/persons who looked at the house today put an offer in. we will go and review the offer tomorrow morning and see what is what. it's thrilling, and exciting, and a relief to know that someone wants to buy our house. it's also kind of sad, it will put an expiration date on our time here.

is it seriously possible that we could sell our house in one freaking day? what is this crazy topsy turvy world we are living in??

update: it was a good full price offer from a nice couple, but they need a 90 day closing date, which we can't do. so, 4 more showings over the next 2 days, i really wish this didn't stress me out so much.

done? with what?

it's getting REALLY close. it doesn't feel really...real. ALL this work, ALL this effort. it doesn't really feel like anything is going to happen...that anything is going to be different...but, EVERYTHING is going to be different...eventually. we are selling our house and moving 3,000 miles away. even though seattle is home for me, there is a lot about it that feels foreign, familiar, sure, but foreign.

today we meet with our realtor and her photographer. tomorrow the house is listed.

yesterday was the last BIG push, i:

worked on getting the basement back to clean & organized
finished mulching the yard
finished cleaning the kitchen
washed & polished ALL the floors
and a million other fussy little details
dust and dirt: BE GONE!

there are still a few fussy things to do before they get here
i will take pictures today too, because the house looks SO good
wish us luck!!

update: BEHOLD!

slipper love

me and my slippers, hanging out in the kitchen

this last push of home improvement to get the house ready to sell has pretty much trashed my favorite slippers. we almost exclusively wear slippers around the house, in part to try and keep the dirt level down, but also just because it's cozier to have slipper on when you're home.

anyway, my point: favorite slippers, trashed.
and, as my luck would have it there is no exact replacement. acorn does not appear to make this style anymore. so now i have to do some slipper testing.

WHY are these my favorite slippers?

a list:

1. they are red

2. they are warm, but not TOO warm (my feet are like little radiators, so i can't have anything lined with sheepy stuff or any of that nonsense, TOO hot)

3. they are slip on, for easy off/on action

4. the have a squared toe, so my toes don't get squeezed & have room to breathe & wiggle

5. they are really comfortable and supportive, my feet do not hurt when i stand in them for a long time, like when i'm cooking or something like that

6. did i mention that they are red and super cute?

my favorite slippers are not so trashed that i can never wear them again, but i think that they are so dirty, they will never really be clean again, and i don't think they would survive a trip through the washing machine.

i do own a few other pairs of slipper, but NONE of them are comfortable to wear for long periods of time. so, i order up a mess of slipper from zappos so i can test and try. i am currently waiting on the edge of my seat for the ups delivery person.

update: none of the slippers i ordered live up to the best cutest red slippers. who would think finding good slippers would be so hard?

lighter

well. i for one, am glad that's over!

we had a garage sale this morning, and we moved a decent amount of stuff, considering the fact that it was 40 degrees and snowing off & on. the garage is significantly emptier, and now we can move on with the next steps: cleaning , packing, and cleaning some more.

having this over and done with is a tremendous weight off our minds & shoulders. there are still a few things that we need to figure out what how to get rid of. we left a big pile of stuff for the freecycle vultures to pick at, but there were still some furniture things left over that we can hopefully sell on craigslist...and that is that. we are one step closer.

the responsibility of stuff

another day, another trip to the post office. we have been posting stuff on ebay, we did a big post a few weeks ago, and we did a MEGA post this weekend, with jak posting tons of volvo car parts, and i posted a few random items as well. i have been selling books on amazon for months, and it feels like i go to the damn post office every other day.

we have been doing some major editing for our upcoming move, and we have designated an area in the basement for boxes full of junk and furniture that we will be selling at our garage sale next weekend.

in this disposable culture, i somehow feel like it is my responsibility to make every attempt to find another user for the stuff we don't need anymore, and as a capitalist, i would like a buck or two for my efforts :). it is time consuming to sell and ship and organize, but it feels kind of good. it feels better then driving truckloads of stuff to the dump, or the goodwill.

itinerary v.2

i think we want to drive through the badlands so we might go like this:

youngstown, ohio
st. joseph, michigan
dakota, minnesota
mitchell, south dakota
rapid city, south dakota
billings, montana
missoula, montana
spokane, washington

leaving some wiggle room in the badlands to stop and have a look see.

places i am looking forward to trying after we move

josh expressed some concern about the restaurant situation in seattle. i will admit to not really knowing what it's like there these days. philly has a thriving restaurant culture, and some amazing food.

i think the seattle scene will be different than philly, but just as good in different ways.

tilth was rated one of the nyt top ten restaurants in the US.

french food isn't necessarily my favorite cuisine but le pichet certainly sounds delicious.

i like all of tom douglas's restaurants, so i am really looking forward to trying lola & serious pie.

steelhead diner, mona's, and cremant all look interesting

seattle classics, which i have never tried include: chez shea and il bistro

san sebastian style tapas at txori

we will have a whole new chinatown (oh, sorry.."international district") to explore & discover

and there will be bountiful noodle joints, thai food, and asian fare of every stripe

some of my old faves, that will be fun to try again:

the kingfish cafe (i "heart" fried green tomatoes)

marjorie & volterra (we ate at both of these places over various holidays with my brother & sister-in-law & they were both mighty fine)

a classic bbq joint: pig iron bbq

there is always la carta de oaxaca, which is exceptional!

even though the service was sometimes off, the food was always good at the boat street cafe

my favorite fancy veggie joint: carmelita

and let's not forget the sandwiches at paseo!!

it will be different, but i don't think we will go hungry

my office :: my brain

my office is empty. me and my computer have been relocated to jak's office while we paint it. it was really difficult to pack my office. for one: i kept filling box after box after box and it didn't seem to be making a dent. for two: this is my office! which is really like a tactile representation of my brain. how do you know which parts of your brain you are going to need (or not need) over the next 8-12 weeks (maybe even longer)?

i didn't tape up the boxes. all the boxes are in the dining room, so i can sort through them again, consolidate and make better decisions, before they get taped up and stacked in the basement for the eventual moving day...

monday i start working on he basement.

stupefied

in the 5 days we were in seattle i/we:

• looked at 15 houses
• drove around every single neighborhood north, south & west
• had 5 "interviews"
• ate a lot of tacos & thai food
• attended one ignite seattle event (where jak got to do a 5 minute talk)

i didn't even bring my camera, so i have no pix to share.

it was a complete whirlwind. we feel in love with a couple houses, but none were quite right. we got a lot of good and positive feedback on the job front. jak even came home with an emergency "we need it done in 3 days" freelance project.

now i feel completely fried and stupefied, wondering "what the hell just happened?". i didn't really want to come home, but a the same time it's nice to be home. we are finally back in our own bed, and it's time for me to start packing my office. we have overwhelming amounts of things to do in the next 5 weeks: 2 more rooms to paint, what to do with the porch?, clean up the yard, get rid of some more stuff, a hood for the kitchen, and on & on & on & on ad infinitum

today i need to get started on putting the bedroom back together before i can start chipping away at my office.