Home Sweet Home

Last night was our first night in our new house! I think Big got the best night's sleep out of all of us. Little woke up around 1:30 crying and crying. He said he was scared, so I put him in bed with us. He stayed there until about 4:30. Unless he's in a dead sleep, he's no fun to sleep with, so those weren't exactly restful hours. He then woke up for the day around 6:00 and said, "This is a nice house."

Stinker.


I got my kitchen and pantry unpacked yesterday, so at least now we can function.

Some of the furniture also got arranged, so at least we have a place to sit down. Little and I are sitting on the couch enjoying some Netflix and computer time. I really should do more work. There are still lots of boxes to unpack and things to organize, but all I want to do is sit.

Maybe first on my agenda should be finding the cord to my camera so I can start posting pictures!

I love Smalltownsville

Yes, there are many reasons to love the city, but I have my reasons for loving Smalltownsville, too.

Case in point: At Big's school, they having CHRISTMAS parties this Friday. Not "Winter" parties or "Holiday" parties but CHRISTMAS parties.

Also, information was recently sent home from his school regarding a Reading Fair in which students may participate. Under the guidelines for 'Characteristics of Fictional Text' there is a note that reads, "Biblical stories are considered fictional only when the characters are non-human and personify (portray) human characteristics (e.g., Veggie Tales)"

Yep, I love Smalltownsville. Amen.

One Day Closer

Well, we are another day closer to moving in!

Here's a list of the projects we've done so far:

Wiring
Painting the laundry room
Painting the Pantry
Tearing down plaster walls in the dining room
Putting up sheet rock in the dining room
Taking down border in Little's room
Painting Little's room
Attempting to take down wallpaper in the guest bedroom
A bit of unpacking

What we have yet to do:

Paint the dining room
New flooring in the laundry room
New flooring in the pantry
New flooring in the man cave bathroom
New carpet in Little's room
New carpet in Big's room
More insulation in the attic
Decide what to do about the walls in the guest bedroom
Add light fixtures to the upstairs hallway
Unpack

Thankfully, if I can get all the dust cleaned up from the sheet rock extravaganza, and get my kitchen unpacked, we can go ahead and move in. The "yet to do" projects we can do as we live here.

And since it is an older home, there are several other long-term projects on our list. A few of those items include putting in new windows, redoing the guest bathroom, and redoing some things in the kitchen.

It can be quite overwhelming to think about, but we are blessed to be closer to family so they can help us.

Can't wait to announce when we've moved in! Stay tuned!!

Stamina Needed. Send Help!

Today, it appears, we hit the wall (no pun intended) that I knew was coming. I've just been waiting for it.

It started when I had to wake Big for school. For the first time since starting his new school, which is all day as opposed to half day back in the city, he said, "But I don't waaaannnaa go to school." I asked why and he responded, "Because I'm too tiiiired."

Whelp, that only took a week and half.

Then, later this morning, I started going into freak out mode.

How are we going to get all these projects done?

I can't get anything significant accomplished and try to take care of Little. You see, Little is the type of small person that needs constant supervision. Bless his precious little heart.

How are we going to get all this done when Hubby has to work all day?

We have no sense of normalcy or routine and we're all starting to freak out because of it. Ok, maybe that one just pertains to me. You see, I'm the type of person who thrives on routine and structure. Bless my precious little heart.

But then Little finally went down for a nap, I regrouped, and the work and progress continued. It really is baby steps. I know we'll get there. We've already tabled one project so we can just stinkin' get in our new house.

I would love to show more pictures, but I left the camera at our new house...you know, the one without internet. But I've got to do some online Christmas shopping anyway. Did you realize Christmas is two weeks from today?!? I better stop thinking about it, or I'll go back into freak out mode.

Good night!

Oh Internet, Where Art Thou?

I'm here! I'm here! But, unfortunately, the internet isn't. We have yet to get the internet at our new house. And I'm spending the majority of my waking hours there trying to get things ready to move in. (We're still living with my parents - hence, I'm on the internet right now.) The rest of my waking hours are spent taking care of children, go figure.

As soon as the internet is up and running I'll post more. I have pictures waiting to upload and tales waiting to be told.

So for now, I'll leave you with this little tidbit...

You know you're living in Smalltownsville when:

1. While listening to the radio in your car, you have to change the station every 5 minutes as the previously clear station is now completely static.

2. Seventy-five percent of stations on the radio are country.

3. They broadcast notices of local funeral services on the radio.

4. Your children repeatedly report, "I see stars!!!" at night.

5. When leaving the grocery store, the only sound you here is the fans running on grain bins. No people. No traffic. Just fans. One of my favorite sounds from childhood. Not sure why I enjoy it so much - guess it's because it reminds me of home. :) It's not exactly a sound you hear in the city.

6. When at the checkout with your Hubby at the local grocery store, the person in front of you says, "Man, you guys move back and we get a blizzard! Thanks a lot." And after you leave the store, you and your Hubby turn to each other and say, "Do you know who that was? Me neither."

7. No stoplights. It's a beautiful thing.

8. You realize you'd forgotten there is a switch on your car to turn the headlights on bright.

Iowa's not so bad

Hubby's new job is in Iowa, but we're living in Missouri. We thought about moving to the town where he works, but it just didn't seem to fit. Growing up in this area of the country, you're taught not to be a big fan of Iowa, or should I say, Idiots Out Walking Around?

Hey, don't blame me, it's what I was taught as a child!

Yes, I'm happy to be on the Missouri side of the state line. It is where I grew up, after all, but today, I made a trek across the border to my other option for a grocery store. It is a longer drive, but I needed another option - a better option. I have to admit, I was a bit apprehensive. Man, do I ever miss my Price Chopper in the city!

I was pleasantly surprised! I don't think I've ever been so excited about a grocery store. I felt kind of tense as I walked in, expecting to be disappointed and wondering how I'll ever survive not being a Chopper shopper. But the more I shopped, the more I relaxed. I realized that I can do this. There are options in this store. It is bigger than HyVee, the produce is much better and has much more variety. I can get pretty much everything I need at the new store. Granted, it is still significantly smaller than my city grocery store with significantly fewer options, but promising nonetheless.

One fun feature is the meat counter. It is like an actual butcher shop. You don't go to the meat cooler and pick up some prepackaged meat - you tell the butcher behind the counter what you want and he packages it for you. I heard this store was the place to get meat, and I'm guessing this is where I'll buy the majority of ours from now on. (I'm sure my Smalltownsville friends are all laughing at me.)

Want to know something else that redeems Iowa?

No food tax!!!!!!

It pays to cross the state line and drive a little further to get groceries in Iowa. Pun intended.

Oh, and they also took all my groceries out of my cart for me, put them on the check out counter, wheeled my cart of bagged groceries to my car, and put them in the car for me. Who knew you could feel so pampered buying groceries?

Take that Price Chopper in the city.

Firsts

We have been busy, busy since my last post. Everything is moved out of our old house, and we closed on it. Boy, did it look and feel good having a 'sold' sign out front and knowing that part of this crazy process is over!

Then, we officially moved in with my parents. Things have been going well and they have been very accommodating. We're so grateful to have a place to stay. What a blessing!

I've had the joy of experiencing some firsts since being back in Smalltownsville. I took my first trip to the local HyVee. There is a whole six aisles! And I'm talking small aisles, not as long as as the aisles in the city. In all honesty, I won't do the majority of my shopping there, I've heard I need to travel a bit to get good produce and meat, but it is nice to have a place close to get the essentials - especially when you get Smalltownsville service. When I went to the check out line, one of the workers took all the groceries out of my cart and put them on the counter for me. Then, after I checked out, he pushed the cart to my car and loaded them in the trunk. 

Another first was Big's first day of school. So far, he's loving it! I was nervous about him going all day since he only went in the afternoons in the city, but he seems to be adjusting very well. It helps that his teacher is someone I've known my whole life. She attends the church I grew up in and the one my parents still attend. 

Last...

We closed on our new house!

I'll start posting pictures of the inside later. The people we bought it from are moving out tomorrow and Friday morning the carpets are being cleaned. Starting Friday afternoon we'll finally show it to our families and begin some projects. We still won't move in for probably another week. We're not sure exactly when we'll move in because have to wait and see how projects progress.

I can't wait to keep the updates coming! Stay tuned!