Target Popcorn Judgment

Admittedly, this has not been my best blogging week. I use every spare moment I have working on the house, and then when I think about sitting down to write, all I can think of to say is "I unpacked some boxes today" and then hitting publish. Riveting stuff here, folks.

With that being said, I am going to try to share some interesting things that have happened over the course of the last few days. Or weeks. Or maybe it was just yesterday, who knows. Everything is running together.

1. I will use almost anything to open a taped box if a knife or scissors are not nearby. Nail clippers. My hands. The buckle of a belt. A credit card. Really, anything. Men carry pocket knives with them and I am beginning to think they are on to something.

2. Speaking of credit cards, yesterday Ellie and I went up to Target to pick up a few things and I had a little embarrassing moment. When we got there, Ellie wanted popcorn. Of course, I obliged. We got popcorn and a drink and went about our business. I got some shams and a soap dispenser and a welcome mat because I think a new house needs a new welcome mat. When we got up to the front to pay, my card was declined. I was confused, but a little embarrassed, so I just quickly gave her a different card and went on my way. A few minutes later, the fraud protection team from my bank called and asked me if I had just tried to make a purchase at Target. I said yes, and they apologized for the inconvenience and explained that they had blocked the purchase because they were afraid it wasn't actually me. I shop at Target often, so I asked them to explain what was so unusual about this purchase. "Well, ma'am, many times, we see a small, $2 charge followed by a larger, $200 charge. And that's what happened here. You made a very small purchase followed by a very big purchase." Apparently my popcorn got them all worried. Don't be judging my popcorn. It. Is. Necessary.

3. This new house has approximately 1000 light switches in it and I can't keep up with what any of them do. Light switches everywhere. I spend way too much time walking around playing a game of trial and error. Our neighbors must think we are WEIRD.

4. I decided to go check the mail the other day for the first time. I got to the mailbox, with the key, and realized that there were 30 or so mailboxes and I had no idea which one was ours. I decided to just stand there and try my key in all of them. Ours was number 29. So basically, I looked super cool.

5. We still have no living room furniture. It will arrive tomorrow, which is wonderful because I am getting really tired of sitting at a kitchen table to relax. Cause you know what's not relaxing? Sitting at a kitchen table.

6. Ellie likes to wander and this week has made it worse. She loves to just check everything out and take her time doing anything. She's a little explorer. Yesterday it took me forever to get her to the car because she kept saying "I need to look at da water for a minute."

7. I bought this rug at Homegoods yesterday. It will go in my office. I'm obsessed.

8. I cooked our first meal in this house. I mean, it was taco night, so it was about as basic as it can be, but still... it wasn't to go food from a restaurant! Yay me!

9. Ellie has pony rides at school tomorrow. I was told to dress her in Western wear. WHY AM I JUST NOW LEARNING ABOUT THIS?! I don't know where anything in my life is. Time to find a cute western shirt and a hat, pronto.

10. Lastly, I just feel the need to share that I went to bed at 9pm last night. This whole moving thing is just a little too wild and exciting for me.

Happy Wednesday, my friends....

The First Blog from the New House!

Well.... WE MADE IT. All day today I've been wanting to write a blog, and here at 8:30 I've finally found the time! It's been chaos and lots of work and I'm tired and my husband is a freaking rock star but we've made it. 

Friday was mega packing day. Saturday was moving day. And today was unpacking day. So many of you have sent sweet texts or messages through the blog Facebook page asking how things are going. Thank y'all for your sweet encouragement! And I'm so sorry I haven't responded to each of you. In a nutshell, here's how things are going: 

My parents have been a major help (plus a big shout out to my BFF Lindsee who saved the day by helping us get all packed up all day Friday) and we've just been putting one foot in front of the other. The movers showed up  yesterday morning around 8:30 and didn't leave till late afternoon. 

Seriously, y'all, how do two people and one toddler acquire so much junk? I mean.... there is just stuff everywhere. Some of it is useful (like shower curtains and such) and some of it is junk (like wire shoe racks that haven't been used in a sweet forever but we feel the need to keep for some strange reason) but there is stuff everywhere and I am quite overwhelmed. Every once in awhile I sit down and look around and imagine a room where things are where they are supposed to be and it brings me to a happy place for a few sweet moments. 

Thankfully, as of a few hours ago, I have a functioning kitchen. I had to focus really hard on how to start the new dishwasher but it's going. Grant is currently hooking up the washer and dryer. He has been a work horse. Major round of applause and a standing ovation for my Grantley!

Ellie's room is pretty much done, except for some decorative items I need to hang on the walls. She has so much more space in there. She literally ran in circles. 

We have soooo many rubbermaid tubs that need to go in the attic, but the movers would only take them as far as the second floor. So, our gameroom upstairs is just filled to the brim with tubs that need to go into the attic. Neither of us has the energy right now to get them up that ladder. Hopefully we don't put that off too long, otherwise our future houseguests will have to climb over the tubs to get to guest rooms. That could kind of be a fun adventure though, right?

The funniest thing happening right now is the lack of furniture downstairs. We sold some of our furniture and we are planning on getting new furniture for this house, but we haven't gotten it yet. The only furniture on the lower level of our home is the breakfast table and chairs, and our mattress on the floor of our master bedroom. No rugs. No couches. No desks. No bed. No lamps. It's just bare bones down here and it's making me laugh. Hopefully this week all of that will begin to come together more! I've got most of it picked out, I just need to go purchase it. My dining room furniture is being refinished so that's not here either. Just empty rooms everywhere you look! 

As for Ellie, she's been so great. Confused, absolutely. But so great. Last night around 8pm she told me "I have to go back to Ellie's house." Bless that girl. She went to bed in her room just fine and then woke up this morning, totally not phased at all, hollering that she needed to go potty. Sweet munchkin girl. We do have cable and internet so she has been able to sit and watch some shows or play the iPad if I need to get some work done. She's slowly finding her toys. 

She's enjoyed the new house though, and yesterday when we first got here she was running around, looking out the windows and twirling on the stairs singing "For the First Time in Forever" from Frozen. She was pretty much doing all of Anna's movements and such, looking over the balcony... it was all very dramatic and hilarious. 

I really need to start working on our master closet tomorrow since our clothes are still in boxes. Things will continue to come together, slowly but surely. Honestly, though, I am just so, so thankful. Thankful for this house, thankful for my husband, thankful for such helpful friends and family, thankful for God blessing us with this place to raise our family for years and years to come. 

Now, it just needs furniture. 

Oh, and also, the cable guy came and all my scheduled shows for the DVR have been deleted so clearly this is a major task I need to accomplish. I need to sit down and think through every show I love to watch and schedule it to record. This is of the utmost importance. 

Anyways, here's my new kitchen!

I'll show y'all more as things come together. 

Goodnight from the new casa. I'm excited for all the things I will write from within these walls!

Just a Few More Days!

Hi, it's me! Checking in from the sea of boxes!

This is my dining room right now:

Isn't it beautiful!?!

We move the day after tomorrow.

THE DAY.

AFTER.

TOMORROW.

I am SO excited. I'm really just ready for this weekend to have come and gone. We are tired and IT IS FREEZING HERE IN HOUSTON (I know you Northerners would like for me to shut up) so we are just hunkering down and getting 'er done.

Today while Ellie is at school I plan to do some laundry so I am not bringing dirty clothes into the new house because that will just throw off the whole vibe of the happiness that I am ready to feel there.

Laundry does not bring happiness.

We still need to finish our closet and the garage. I also need to pack up Ellie's toys as that is the last thing I can do since she is pretty adamant that I leave her belongings alone. I also need to go through the pantry. Maybe I don't need that can of chicken broth that expired in 2009.

Anyways, I am alive and I am here and I can't wait to get back into my regular blogging routine. I'm ready to get back into my regular LIFE routine!

Can't wait to show y'all new pics of our new digs!

And These Are All the Reasons I Haven't Blogged

I've been a little absent. Let's discuss why:

1. We closed on our new house on Friday. It was pretty painless and Ellie played on the iPad and we signed our lives away pretty much but we are thankful.

Due to the whole buying a house thing, we spent the rest of the weekend like crazy people trying to hurry and get our house packed up. We aren't moving until Saturday but we have this crazy thing called life and a toddler and Grant still has, oh you know, A JOB, so we can't pack all day every day. But nights and weekend are when we get down to business. Which brings me to the next reason I haven't blogged:

2. All the packing. Y'all, I'm pretty sure we will never be done packing. All of a sudden these closets have become very deep and our garage very large because there is somehow an endless amount of junk in them. We are essentially touching every item in this house, one by one, because I refuse to bring our disorganization and nonsense into the new house. We are touching everything and sorting and trashing and wrapping and boxing and labeling and I am so dang tired. The stack of boxes is piling high.

We also sold our bed and nightstands. We are now sleeping on our mattress on the floor.

Ellie thinks this is hilarious and wonderful and wonders why we haven't done this all along.

Speaking of Ellie, she is just so very helpful with all of the packing. Except, the opposite of that. She is full of opinions and all the questions. I understand that this must be very confusing to her. But oh, my mercy, SHE IS QUITE THE MICRO MANAGER.

"Why you do that, Mommy?"

"Stop that, Mommy!"

"No, Daddy, don't put dat in da box. Dat's ELLIE'S!"

"OH NO!! MY SLEEPIN BAG!"

"OH NO!! MY SUITCASE!"

"OH NO! MY BOOKS!"

"Mommy! YOU STOP WORKIN RIGHT NOW"

For the first time ever, she suddenly doesn't want to watch movies or play on the iPad. She just wants to hover and fuss at me and unpack the things I have packed. IT IS A VERY SPECIAL TIME.

Also, do you need to go back and forth from a room while packing it? Ellie would like to close the door every time you walk through the doorway. Her #1 job in life is closing doors. No, scratch that. Closing doors is her #2 job. Her #1 job is refusing to try new foods.

And then of course is her #3 job which is asking questions she already knows the answer to.

"Mommy, is that a banana?"

Yes.

3. Another reason I haven't blogged is because we choose to eat out on the weekends at fancy restaurants that are sure to be written up in some kind of culinary magazine because of their hip vibes and high end customer base.

I am of course referring to Luby's and Red Lobster.

Yep, that's right. We ate at Luby's AND Red Lobster in ONE weekend.

I know you're jealous.

(Cheddar Biscuits.)

(That's all I'm saying.)

4. Lastly, I was going to blog last night but I didn't because it was the TWO HOUR SEASON FINALE of Downton Abbey so I stopped everything to watch that because I needed a break. And Downton is the best break.

And also:

I AM THRILLED. THRILLED I TELL YOU.


And then I fell asleep on the couch because of all the excitement and fun around here.

I'll try to pop in to blog over the next few days if I can pull my ahead above the boxes. Just pray that I don't get buried alive.