new town

We are falling so hard for this place.

Our new home is just outside of a village that’s a long ways from anywhere with a stop light. Most people we’ve met have been here all their lives — generations, in some cases — and really, I can’t blame them for not leaving.

For one thing (and you know I’m loving this), eating locally is easy to do here — not because it’s some newfangled novelty, but because that’s just how they roll. Sharp white cheddar, zingy summer sausages, sweet maple syrup, fresh apple cider — the North Country is there for the eating, and we are devouring it.

Wide trails meander into the woods behind our house, rolling through a meadow, past a hidden shack our neighbor built with his dad when he was a kid, through thick stands of trees, passing by maple trees connected by a network of rubber tubing, waiting around for sugaring time in the spring.

There is so much to explore and learn and imagine here (and so much space to run!). For the first time in a very long time, I find myself utterly happy and content with where I live; not half-wishing I were somewhere else, but so ready to embrace this place and make it our home for as long as we can. It is so beautiful here. I can’t wait to show you around.

May your Sabbath be ever so wonder-full!

about to rock

Hey friends! Moving day is here; as I write this, two amazing ladies are in my house, packing up all our crap at light speed. They seriously deserve an award.

Tomorrow, after all the boxes get loaded up, the chickies and I will get into our car and embark on a 20-hour drive of insanity delight. It’s going to be awesome. We are beside ourselves with excitement to see Daddy — although we will really miss this gorgeously warm, sunny weather.

We had a slight brush with disaster yesterday; Lizzy woke up with a nasty stomach bug and barfed five times before noon. Needless to say, we watched a lot of TV. She’s better now, thank goodness, and I’d much rather have her barf five times at home rather than in the car (oh boy). Counting my blessings with that one.

If you’ve been keeping tabs on the homeschool discussion (I have been loving it — keep it coming!), you’ve got to read this article about charter schools from the New York Review of Books. Very interesting, and I’m dying to see those documentaries.

Anyway — I’ll be off the radar for a few days. Tally ho!

business

Wow! I guess I’m not the only one who’s been mulling over this homeschooling thing. Thanks so much to everyone who has commented so far. If you’ve got something to say, I hope you’ll add it to the mix — and if you haven’t already, go read those comments; there’s a wealth of good ideas, diverse experiences, and strong opinions in there. This is why I love blogging and bloggers!

Also, if you saw Jillian’s comment about the caramel brownies and started drooling, drool no more — she’s posted the recipe! Thanks, J.

And guess what! We’re moving on Monday. Actually, the movers are coming to pack everything on Monday, then they’ll load it on Tuesday. So we’ve got just four days left of this sweet Southern sun and our sweet Southern friends — you’d better believe we’re soaking it all up. I am starting to stress a little about all the tiny things I need to get done before the movers get here, but like my dad likes to say, “Everything will work out…it always does.”

The Man has found us a wonderful home to rent for the time being. I’m excited to see it and to share it with you as we get settled in (it has lots of yard space, a sun room, and a wood-burning stove!). Winter will be very cold and very white (and very soon) — but did you know that they make snowshoes for 3 year-olds?? Yeah.

I’m closing my shop until things settle down a bit; hopefully I’ll have it up and running in time to list some great little gifty things for the holidays.

Unrelated, but here’s Lizzy one year ago, when we were living in California and R was still in OCS. My, how things (and babies!) change.

Ok, I think that’s it for now. Time to go get some stuff checked off the to-do list. Tally ho!

large talons

Brie’s comment on the last post was all too timely: “Don’t forget to let me know if you need help with your southern.” ‘Cause boy howdy, do I ever.

That’s pretty much how I’m feeling about the way people talk around here. I start feeling bad when I have to ask people to repeat themselves four thousand times, and when it becomes obvious that we just aren’t getting anywhere, I say “Uh-huh,” and cross my fingers that that’s an appropriate response. (One time it wasn’t, and I felt pretty silly.) And when a kindly old salesman at Lowe’s was helping us choose a washer and dryer, I almost got the giggles a few times because I kept thinking of “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”. Let’s hope I learn the lingo soon.

new place

Whew! So, we’ve been in our new place for a little over a week, and all our stuff has been here for three days. I’m telling you, I’ve never appreciated my bed so much.

I have a lot of favorite things about our new apartment; when Richard asked me what was most important to me (he did the house hunting all by his onesie), natural light topped the list. I start feeling cooped up and crazy when there’s not enough light in a house – but this place is full of beautiful light all day long. You did good, love.

Another favorite: the screened-in back porch! There’s even a ceiling fan out there – and the view is awesome. We live in a quiet, residential part of town with lots of trees.

We like our new town a whole lot. There’s lots to do here, and the weather is amazing (it’s been between 50-70 degrees during the day, which is virtually a Christmas miracle for us Loganites). I haven’t missed snow for the smallest moment. The man loves his job, the girls are settling in, and, oh yeah, it appears that this town’s Goodwill is where all the rockin’ vintage sheets have been hiding (unpacking my house? what?).

The top one is a king-sized flat ($4!), the green one is a twin fitted, and I got the orange butterfly one in the mail from Melanie, who scored it at the DI and sent it my way (aawwww!). I absolutely love it and am having a hard time deciding what to do with it!

We’re making good progress on unpacking, but I can’t wait to be totally established and back into a predictable rhythm. I’m a sucker for routine.

I hope everyone is listening to lots of beautiful Christmas music, eating lots of tasty Christmas treats, and reading lots of happy Christmas stories – I know we are!

a letter! a letter!

Today I got a gloriously long and happy letter from my sweetheart! I actually felt my heart rate increase when I sorted through the mail and saw it sitting there. He seems like he’s doing really well, and that is an enormous comfort.

Random details of interest: He’s been assigned to the “A” group for daily physical fitness stuff, which means that as far as being in shape, he is in the top 10% of his company of 240 soldiers. Not bad for an old fogey of 29!

He writes about how the Army has a correct way to do everything — right down to lining up your shoes and folding your socks. But the man appreciates order, so I imagine that he probably doesn’t mind too much.

It sounds like their drill sergeants are keeping them plenty busy — he writes that his body is just tired — there’s the running, the drilling, classroom stuff (but no chairs, apparently?), cleaning (“after we clean, we clean again”), and whatever else their drill sergeant might cook up. And, as we are finding on the home front, being so busy helps the time clip along at a surprisingly quick rate.

Anyway, R sounds like he is staying physically, spiritually, and emotionally strong. And that helps me to be strong, too. Good man.

The POD lands at our new pad tomorrow morning; Lizzy and I went by the place today to sign the contract and get the keys. It’s an awesome apartment, and I have a really good feeling about living there. I think it will be a happy place to call home for a little season.

proof positive

God answers prayers, my friends, oh yes He does. For one thing, the girls and my mom and I made it safely and (perhaps more importantly) sanely across Nevada with a minimum of freak-outs. For another thing, Lizzy is getting more used to Maren all the time. I think she might even be starting to like her a little.