New Year, New Home!

It's the first day of 2011!  We've just spent our first night in our new home.  Many of our possessions were already here from moving throughout the week, but yesterday we got some of the big stuff done.  If all goes well, all of our stuff will be moved, taken care of, and done in no time.

In this new year we will be moving our beloved pets to a friend's house.  She'll be watching them for us for a while until we can put down our pet deposit here, something we won't be able to do until we're a little more situated.  As much as it's sad to know our pets won't be coming with us for a while, I know this will only be temporary and our whole family will be here before we know it.

Already we're settling in to our new home.  Books are put away on the shelves, food was stocked in the pantry.  I'm honestly happy to have a pantry!  With as may cabinets as we have, I wasn't expecting one!  I was also worried about having to spend a good deal of money for starter foods in a new house.  Apparently I hadn't thought about my own spending habits.  I'll admit it, I learned to shop like my family always did.  You always buy more food before you need it and make sure plenty of it is non-perishable.  I've lived that way my whole adult life.  I have to say, it's wonderful to know you have no money for food, then look into the refrigerator to find it empty, only to be pleasantly surprised by a stock of mac and cheese, pasta, and plenty of canned veggies.  As a result, we may still be largely all boxed up, but it's really starting to feel like home!

Yesterday we packed up the kids and waited at the new house.  They sat and played with Play-Doh while the adults took care of moving, unpacking, and everything else.  I got all the chapter books I found put up on the shelves.  I sorted out the toys to be put into separate rooms.  My daughter was thrilled to have her baby doll and her Springfield doll back.  She's only disappointed that her doll clothes aren't here.  I'm sure those will be moved some time today.  We all sat around the house and ate Taco Bell (an indulgence we really couldn't afford, but it will be the last for a long time and we had no pots with which to cook!) while drinking soda.  When the kids started to get tired (but couldn't sleep thanks to the fireworks crazy locals), my daughter and I played card games and on the computer.  I have to confess, it was secretly a moment of homeschooling, but it was fun and kept her busy.  It also kept her brothers out of her hair for a while!

After everyone went to bed, I went and made the house my own.  We still need to spend a good deal of money in making this house an actual home with all the preparations necessary, but that will come in time.  For the time being I threw cleaning rags under each of the bathroom sinks, the kitchen sink, and draped across the center divider of the sink for a dish rag.  I've got them color coded for each area they get used on, just so we can keep track of what belongs where.  We had to get new cookie sheets, casserole dishes, and utensils.  It's amazing how much stuff you lose along the way when you move so much and don't need it.  They all got put away neatly, and I expect them to stay that way!  We picked up a broom, dishwasher detergent, and blue dawn.  At least we know we'll have clean dishes!

Today we have a sad need for more shopping.  Shower curtains are a necessity.  We need cleaners for the house to wipe up the stove, counters, and table.  We need some thumb tacks for hanging things on the walls.  While nails are definitely better for pictures and things, tacks are much easier and hold up pretty much everything we could want on the walls fairly securely.  Besides, there are some things, like artwork from the kids and posters, that tacks are ideal for.  As I'm unpacking, pictures and posters will start going up.  Artwork will start to appear on the walls too, I'm sure.  That's a part of having a real home, not just a place to dump your stuff and fall asleep at night.  I hate to say it, but I've never had that before.  In most of my homes the walls have been these pristine surfaces of white.  Rarely did we put up even a single picture.  I know that was a largely a factor of my ex-husband.  After living with him I was shocked when my partner finally started staying in my room and put his band posters up on the wall.  I wanted to cry.  He just couldn't do that!  The walls had to be bare!  Posters and things were just tacky!  Of course, now I really love it.  I think it really brings out an element of personality in a home.  He tacked up pictures that he and my daughter sat together and colored for me one day.  I still have them.  Now I'm starting to think about the kinds of arts and crafts projects I can make with the kids and hang up on the walls to decorate for every holiday.  We could be in for a lot of fun.

Again, I'm getting side-tracked, but the point is, for the first time in a very long time I look around my house and think, "I'm home."  It's a new year in a new place.  I'm leaving behind a lot of my old friends (though some are definitely going to continue to be a part of my life!) and I'm starting over fresh.  From the looks of it, 2011 is going to be a great year, and it's already starting off on the right foot!