it's official

I really live here now! I had people over for dinner and we actually sat at a table while we ate. That wasn't an option in my old apartment, and this change makes me very happy.

We all know that the imminent arrival of company is one of the surest ways to get the homestead in order, and that's what it took for me to finish moving in. I wanted to finish, but it just wasn't too pressing until this weekend, which is half of why I invited people over. Or a third of why.

One third motivation; one third that I CAN now; one third Thank You Dinner for the folks that helped me move. It's a good thing I only had three significant helpers, because we were packed in like sardines. My table isn't quite meant for dining, and two of the chairs had to be wiped down and brought in from the patio. Swanky.

We had odd-shaped, tri-color pasta with the best pesto in the world, yummy salad with herbs and my unmeasured, never-exactly-the-same-as-last-time balsamic vinaigrette, and these tomatoes, sort of. I'm a little bit bad about following recipes sometimes, but I don't know that that was the problem here. They were ok, but they didn't turn out as amazingly as I was expecting them to.

For dessert, we had this fondue, which was so good that I now have a sugar headache. We dipped graham crackers, marshmallows, apples, and bananas into it. By golly, the bananas were the best.

And as you can see, I have been using my crock pot a good bit since I kicked things off last week with that soup. I got the soup recipe from the same blog, and I was right! It totally needed more fish sauce. And I probably should have heeded her advice and added some coconut extract, but I was cheap.

The last thing I made this week was apple butter! Oh fer YUM. I want to eat it with a spoon. Again, the crock pot was used, and the recipe came from the Crock Pot Goddess. I'm learning to listen to her wisdom, and I did indeed use less sugar, and it's still extremely sweet. I used apples from my mama's tree, and I think I still have enough for another batch. You want some? I'm serious. You can have some.

The last news before I konk out is this: I have been offered the new nanny position. I am thrilled. Not thrilled about the reality of what this means for my current family- we'll have a gentle, gradual transition over a two-month period, but it will be sad to leave- but I'm thrilled about having a full-time position, thrilled to know that I can afford my life.

Now I must sleep off all of that chocolateymarshmallowey delight. I'ma have a hangover tomorrow.

open letter

Dear NaBloPoMo,

I quit.

Sincerely, Anna

the baby and the bathwater

I found my framed copy of this photo in an old box tonight. It's one of my favorites, and one that my nephew will be mortified by in about ten years.

boxes of love

One of the many lovely things about moving into a larger place is that I'm unpacking things I haven't seen in almost three years. I've been such a mush today, heartily greeting all kinds of little friends as I unwrap them. Some of the best ever ever ever are these:
Handmade for me by my parents decades ago. The bunny is made up of felted wool patchwork and has pink satin-lined pocket ears and a heart on its butt. See?

This is Nemo. Do you know him? These days children think that Nemo is a clown fish, but really he's this guy right here. He's a kid who has wild adventures in his dreams and falls out of bed every night. True to form, my mama gave him a heart pocket.
The babushka puppet probably had an actual name, but I'm sorry to say that I didn't appreciate her then as much as I do now, and I don't remember what she's really called.

My papa (I call my dad 'Papa') made the little bear. It's modeled from a Steiff bear, I'm sure, but it has a metal rod inside that lets you control the head through the tail. It's the YesNoBear, but we always just called it the NoBear, because it's easier to make it shake its head than nod. We'd ask it questions and have very brief conversations together.

The next Extra Super Love-full item is this:
My little brother (who was born when I was 17 and my mom was 46) dictated this message for the tag on his Christmas gift to me several years ago. Inside the box was a little raku pinch pot that he made at school, along with one of his beloved D&D minis.

Can you imagine the swooning when I found this today? Thank you for all your loving joy towards me...?! It's too much! He is too much! (He's 15 now, and the overwhelming LOVE just kills me every time I see him. Cutest boy in town, and still the sweetest.)

And here are some little fellows who are just so charming that I was forced to include them. After those years spent in a box, they deserve a little public adoration.
I wonder what I'll find tomorrow...

thwarted!

I wrote a very lovey post. It took me a while to get the pictures and text lined up correctly. And now instead of Warm and Fuzzy I am feeling Very Unloving towards blogger. It is being excruciatingly dumb.

ETA: only moments later... I was magically able to post the post!

So the moral of the story, boys and girls, is that you will get what you want if you pout and complain! Awesome!

photo log

Wednesday morning, everything glowed. I was glowing, the sun was glowing, the trees were glowing. The whole world was lighter and brighter.





We celebrated by making pumpkin muffins.While the muffins cooled, the girls gave me a fabulous hair do.
And then we made clothespin dolls.
Today was nice, too. I used my crockpot for the first time.
And then I went to the first craft night of the season at my lovely friend Martha's house. I have missed her So Very Much. Look at what she's doing to her old corduroy couch:Isn't it fantastic? She's had this couch for ever, and decided that the best thing to do was to love it up with patchwork. I sat on it. And I'd show you what I was working on while I sat there, but I can't. Because it's a gift for a person who looks at this blog. I'll show you once it's been gifted and we can oooh and aaahhhhhh.

I came home and my apartment (the new one that I'm starting to fall in love with) smelled a little bit good. Not as good as I'd dreamed, but sort of yummy and Thai. Sadly, the much-anticipated soup was rather bland. Needs more fish sauce probably.

And now I'm really going to bed!

(Hey, does this count as my post for day seven? Even though it's really not? Surely it could...)

under the wire

Oh, time. You elusive and slippery teaser, you. It's going on midnight and I'm almost late for NaBloPoMo day six... I keep trying to think of interesting or amusing or inspiring things to post, but I'm distracted. Life is distracting. And I'm sort of flighty, so there's that, too. Flighty in an endearing creative kind of way, but still.

So, I'm posting this and then I'll be back with photos later. (Tomorrow, technically, if you want to get technical about it.) Unless I decide to go to bed.

thankful

I am so happy. So so so so so so happy.

And I live in a blue state now. Imagine that. This is surreal and so so good.

(But I still have to go to work, so here I go.)

hopeful

piggyback ride

Ooooh, look at me. I am deviant a little bit.

It just occurred to me this evening that maybe I could pick up a wireless signal in my new apartment. And it turns out that YES.

I promise to post something interesting this month, but heck if my brain isn't full of moving and elections at the moment.

Tomorrow is a BIG DAY for the world. I'll be in line early.

Hmmmm, let's see... let me find a nice picture for you to look at...

Ah, here we go, nice and autumnal~ apples from my mama's tree. The most delicious apples ever.

Dia de los Muertos

Today is one of my favorite days. Day of the Dead. I love that it's becoming more known in our culture, and I love the art and rituals that go along with it.

That skull up there is one I made a few years back~ I wish I still had it. I made some this year, but then I got kind of sidetracked...

Anyhow, I'm all crunchy from all the packing and moving, and sitting on the floor hunched over the laptop isn't helping. And of course, since I said I was doing NaBloPoMo, I'm going to be without internet access for a few days. Of course!

Oh well.

I'm too zonked to worry about it.

thus begins NaBloPoMo

And the move is done! Over the past two days, I had four fabulous helpers at random times, and an hour of professional movers this morning. They were fantastic, and I called the owner today to tell him his guys were awesome. Too often, we only speak up when we're not satisfied with the quality of service, so I think it's really important to make a point of letting folks know when we're happy.

Tonight, I hope to take it easy and go to bed early. I'm beat. And then I'll spend the next two days unpacking and setting up the new place. Hooray. Big, big sigh of relief...

My interview went really well yesterday morning, so I'm feeling hopeful on that front, too.

More tomorrow, thanks to NaBloPoMo... Keep your dials tuned to WAPV, y'all!