New Blog for personal stuff

Morning dog walk.

Big car in the city. Parking like PRO!

Hi everyone! I made a few simple changes to my website recently. Most obvious is creating a personal blog and moving personal posts to this blog. My site has a couple of different audiences. While I know BOTH audiences are totally interested in my personal posts I thought separating the two made sense as I try to grow my craft blog. I have been hesitant to post too much crafty and too much personal and now I don't have to be so selective. Now I may even post what I ate for lunch. Kidding - I'll try to keep it real. So far I have moved personal posts from Sept 2014 forward. I will likely continue to move posts in the coming weeks. 

As always, thanks for stopping by, reading, commenting and keeping up with us on our life's adventures. Hugs.

Folding socks. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY! psych.

August Happenings

A few updates from August:

Getting back into life and routine here in Mass. The weather has been hot and muggy. Some say usually muggy. We are finally enjoying a yard and continuing on yard work/improvements. Weeding is never ending in the woods. 

This kids are great and enjoying the last bits of summer. Nicholas lost his first tooth! Andrew started Drivers Ed and recovering from a a sore elbow from tendonitis (we think). Ben is ramping up with soccer again and is working on his unpacking and organizing his bedroom (he finally got that loft bed he was promised). They all start school here in early September.

We've packed in a few city trips and have tried to act like tourists to become more familiar with our area. Boston is a great city, we need to "visit" more often.

I've been working, freelance, side projects and a bit of craft stuff. I'm still unpacking and organizing the house, if you can believe it?! We have so much stuff to get rid of. I need a DI drop off. Funny what you miss. Chris is head down and working hard. Loves his job. Life is good.

The yard in Boxborough. Grass is coming in and so is the crab grass.

Tooth business. Nicholas pulled it out himself.  Going rate $3.50.

Boston Common in August 2015

Swan Boat ride - August 2015

Summer has finally arrived...

Let's get this summer started! The longest school year ever has officially ended and we are so ready for some time off. The boys finished their last day of school and let me snap a rare picture of them, not to be posted anywhere. OOPS. 

This weekend we did a little strawberry picking and a whole lot of yard work. I hope to make jam this week. The lawn has come in enough that we were able to mow it for the first time. It took forever! I weeded and planted a few more flowers (100 daylilies I got online for a steal!) and the boys helped me weed. Once we get the yard established I hope the maintenance will be a little easier. 

Saturday we watched Andrew's baseball game. He played 1st all game. He hit a single with an RBI that tied the game and then was able to score the winning run. It was an exciting game to watch.

Sunday it rained. ALL. DAY. LONG. Seriously not used to the length of these storms. It was a nice day to stay indoors. I got caught up on some work and did a lot of crafting. Chris relaxed and the boys vegged out with video games and movies. Not a bad start to summer.

Strawberry picking at Verrill Farm in Concord, MA.

Depot Road yard - first mow.

Surprise HAPPY mail from Utah. Dad mailed our growth chart we forgot to pack - thank you!

Rugs

Finding nice inexpensive rugs is tricky business. The flooring in our new home is completely hardwood and area rugs are needed in just about every room. Nic stated after just two days in the new place that he missed carpet. Funny how tactile he is but I can totally relate. I have a couple of rugs from our previous home that will work great in many rooms but most are on the smaller side and basically scatter rugs. I've been on the rug hunt for a couple of weeks now. I find shopping for rugs online really hard because I like to touch the rug and see the fibers. I did find a couple of great resources here and here which helped me narrow down my in store visits. I may still end up purchasing a rug or two online after I become more familiar with what I am looking for.

Home Goods is amazing. I love this store but it's never predictable. After four visits to 3 various HG stores I I found this gorgeous wool rug at the Home Goods in Acton. Seriously 10% of the cost of this similarly cool wool rug from R&H. Bargain! I thought we might put this in our bedroom but I think it fits perfectly in the dining room. Tip for shopping at Home Goods... if you see it and like it BUY it. You can always take it back but usually the cool stuff is snagged up pretty quick, IMO.

Here is the Restoration Hardware version. Super nice and beyond spendy.

I like the look and feel of a shag rug. I was so inspired by Joellyn's living room rug and wanted to find something for our living room with a similar feel. I found this super soft grey shag rug from Home Depot of all places - cheap. I had my doubts about the quality but the instant we laid it on the floor I was sold, and so was Nic. He started making carpet angels and rolled around on it like a puppy. It so soft, especially with a nice carpet pad underneath. We will see how it holds up to vacuuming but for now I'm in love. 

Have good rug tips or resources you'd like to share? Advice welcome.

March Updates (in April)

Days are flying by, filled with school, unpacking, and basic tasks. As we try to catch up and get back to normal we are realizing it'll take some time. Patience. I've been neglecting the blog, not taking photos, showers, basically all letting things slide as we unpack and settle in. I've still got to do our taxes and really need to focus on some work. Here are a few random pics from the last month. Hoping everyone is well. Thanks for reading. We miss you - say hi sometime.

Nature walks - Nicholas loves to walk our land and find treasures. 

The moving truck came (a day late) and the items were delivered (a little chaotic) and we've been unpacking (slowly).  The house is coming together.

Moving truck day.

Still getting snow... in April. Ug.

This morning - April 9.

We have trash pick up! A huge deal as our garbage has been piling up. Nicholas is pulling the right bucket up the drive.

Chris turned 42! Happy Birthday babe!

Easter came, eggs were colored and kids were spoiled. We relaxed, a rare treat.

Nicholas continues to entertain and keep us laughing. This is his 'surprise' face. He'll pull it for you on command.

Snow days

We were home bound again yesterday. Another snow day. We received a foot of snow overnight and the local schools and the NEU campus closed. The boys have had only 3 days in school, and 3 snow days. Not such a great record. And hard to build momentum at school. This morning was clear but school started with a 2 hour delay.

Friday was my birthday. It was a busy day. I got the boys off to school, and then Nic to preschool. It started to snow so I carefully drove around town to run errands; opening bank accounts, getting Nic set up with a new doctor (so we can get someone here up to speed with his needs); groceries, etc. Our Nissan handles the snow on well but seems to be one of the bigger vehicles on the road. Not sure why. The boys took me to dinner and found a great cake. It was a busy but super nice day.

The kids are adapting to a new school and environment really well. Andrew has involved himself immediately with baseball practices and work outs. Ben had his first futsal game. School is going well. Andrew's math teacher had him take the math midterms to see how the curriculum matched up with his learnings from his old school at the first half of the year. He felt he bombed it, but in my opinion, he did ok given that much of the items he hasn't been taught yet. We are looking for a math tutor to get him up to speed on the curriculum here. Ben started French midyear (they don't offer Chinese). I can't imagine starting a class midyear let alone a new language. Our kids are tough and I am so proud of them!

Took the kids and dog to Burpee Steele Barn and surrounding land. The kids played in the snow and Lucy ran but it was way TOO COLD to stay for long.

On the house front - we think we have found the one! We put in an offer and it was accepted. The real estate process here is different than we are used to and has been frustrating. But we are under contract! I think... Ha. I do a house post soon.

This week in Acton - School, Blizzard, Home Search

We are slowly acclimating to life in Massachusetts. We miss Utah and all of our family and friends. We feel your love and thank you for your frequent contact.

All of the kids have started their new schools. Nicholas is really enjoying his new preschool and all the the new friends he has immediately made. Andrew and Ben had a great first day and came home is good spirits ready to take on new academic challenges. 

We experienced our first Nor'Easter which resulted in two days of school closure due to weather and road conditions. The NEU campus was also closed as well as a travel ban instated for all motor vehicles. Chris was able to work from home and the boys enjoyed two more days of "vacation".

We have looked at and pretty much eliminated all the active home listings in both Acton and Boxborough. It's not that we are picky but we need a few more to choose from. I think I am almost over the sticker shock but still feel we should LOVE the house we will eventually purchase and not settle. While we are completely comfortable in our apartment, we miss our belongings and personal spaces. Lucy misses her yard. We are motivated to find a home!

The boys resume their second day of school tomorrow! 

Random scenic shots from around Acton and Boxborough.

Apartment living.

The "Blizzard of 2015"

Acton, Massachusetts

Front door to our home for the next couple of months.

We are here and official residents of Massachusetts! Not quite moved but here together as a family once again. I flew with Nicholas and Benjamin, we arrived a few days ago and have been setting up the apartment. Chris, Andrew and Lucy came in our other car packed to the brim with things we will need for the next few months. It was a long trek from them but they are HERE! Chris has made this trek twice on the last 3 months. 

Acton is the little town we have decided to live in. Little relative to Sandy. Acton has approximately 22K residents —Sandy has 90K in residents.  We choose this town for a few reasons; excellent public schools, somewhat affordable housing, decent commute to Boston and the town has a great feel. 

We are renting a nice apartment until we can find a home in either Acton or, the much smaller adjacent town of, Boxborough.

You can reach us as this address for the next few months: 5132 Avalon Drive, Acton, MA 01720. We plan to get a PO Box next week and will get that address out soon. All of our cell phone numbers remain the same. Call or text us! We would love to here from you.

Apartment living takes us back a few years. It's nice to live in a smaller place again. Feels fresh and easy to maintain, a clean slate. We will make it homey with few belongings. 

Our cute Utah house went under contact again! Yeah. The inspection and appraisal happened and supposedly went well. Check, check. The buyers will be out of their due diligent phase on Jan 20 and are set to close February 11th. Just a couple more 'checks' to happen. Nerve racking. We will move our belongs out of the home and into storage on Feb 9 & 10th. I will fly back for that weekend to oversee the moving. Our belongings will sit in storage until we find a home here. Hopefully not too long.

The boys will take placement tests this coming week to determine classes and schedules at their new schools. They will start school again on January 26. I'll also meet with a preschool and get Nicholas enrolled for the second half of the year.  

Lots to do, see and get familiar with. I'll try to post to keep you all updated. Much love!

Week in review!

Last week was quite busy and packed with activities. I returned from Boston to normal life activities filled with work, house cleaning and showings, an empty Open House (BOO), the boys school, preschool, after school peak, open gym for baseball, and card club up in Ogden.

Nic had his preschool program where he sang a couple of Christmas songs, complete with dramatic faces and hand movements. It was a super cute program. Afterward Santa stopped by and Nic sat on his lap for almost two minutes telling him all sorts of things and asking for a few NEW items. A hippo game and 4 cars that you can pull back and drive. Last minute list items... (Boo).

On top of all of that we had a couple of additional trips up to Ogden to celebrate some fun happenings. Friday, Beau and Nickole bothe graduated! Yeah! The boys and I made it up in time to see them in their cap and gowns, get a few pictures and enjoy a nice celebration meal at Javier's. We are so excited for them. Congratulations!!!  

Since we were up in Ogden we stopped by to visit Gma & Gpa. It was nice to chat and get caught up. Mom missed graduation to help with my Grandma. My Grandma Great fell again (her balance is not so great lately and she has fallen over a half a dozen times in the last few months). This last episode caused her to break her collar bone. She is in a bunch of pain and really banged and bruised up. Lots of family have come to her aid. We sure love her and hope she recovers quickly. 

We left Ogden to pick up Chris at the airport. He planned a quick trip home for the weekend which involved two long travels days for about 36 hours of family time. Worth it but hard. We sure miss him when he is not here. Long distance relationships are not for us (Boo).

Saturday we lounged around for most of Saturday (a normal family day with Chris) and then headed back up to Ogden for the annual Holiday Christmas party at Geoff and Ky's. It was a blast and the boys LOVED it. Games included things like egg roulette, a gum/whipped cream eating contest, ice bucket marble grab, crazy face match up to name a few. All the kids enjoyed fun prizes and we topped the night with a white elephant exchange and a vista from Santa. Nic got to see Santa twice in one week! Thankfully his list stayed the same.

Grandma Great was there to enjoy the festivities but I could tell she was super uncomfortable.  She needed lots of help walking and basically getting around. She was in great spirits but it's hard to see her get older. The party was LOUD! I'm sure she was happy to turn her hearing aids off.

And, WE GOT AN OFFER ON OUR HOUSE! What? Turn a crazy week upside down. A pretty great offer came in on the house Saturday from folks in a fairly similar situation to us. I am so glad Chris was here when it happened. While this is super exciting and exactly* what we wanted it left me feeling really overwhelmed and introduced a whole new set of things to do. Tick - tock. I think my quote was "holy crap!".  But I didn't cry. I kept it together which is good. Too many tears this last month - I am a wuss and apparently handle stress like a baby. The house selling thing is tough business. We didn't expect an offer yet, only 3 showings in 3 short weeks  (time of year). I wasn't prepared. I guess it's true that it only takes ONE. This is a really great HOUSE. Anyway - they accepted our counter this morning! Fingers crossed the process stays positive and continues through the due diligence phase and onto closing. We are set to close JANUARY 15th which means we are moving mid year after all. To where? Ha. Still deciding. We will probably be renting for a few months while we work out the details. The boys school term ends here on the 16th and would start in MA on the 24th. That seems fairly neat and tied up. A real blessing. 

Chris flew back to Boston Sunday afternoon to start another busy week. His to do list just got a lot longer! Hang in there.

I am hoping for a quiet week here but that's not really likely. More of the regular life stuff, plus work and a day trip to Vegas for work, Christmas shopping, neighbor gifts, and such. I really wanted to do a Christmas card this year but I don't see it happening. Please forgive and expect a New Year 'we've moved' card sometime in February (maybe). I hope to get up to Ogden again to see Grandma and deliver some gifts. We'll see. 

HAPPY DAYS!  

Side note: you know my head is really messed up when it takes me a solid minute to spell 'exactly' because I keep typing out EGGACTLY - stupid puns.