Thinking About Getting Ready to Move and The Rest of Christmas Break

How, pray tell, does one move? (As in: from one home to another.)

Do we know the answer to this? Is it had to be found among the annals of human knowledge? Is there a way for such a thing to be accomplished?

Is it done by uncertainly going through cupboards and drawers--cleaning out clutter, discovering things one didn't know one had (why so many hidden away Christmas-themed bottles of hand soap?), and texting kids pictures of small, unnoteworthy items followed by: "Do you still need this?", all the while feeling a nagging dissatisfaction that "certainly more must be done than what is being done!"? 

Is that how?

I do not know. 

And presumably I should. After all, not so very long ago, Mike and I moved the belongings that 12 people had spent 15 years recklessly gathering into our 4,500 square foot home out of our 4,500 square foot home.

But how exactly did we do that?

It's all veiled in fog and mystery to me. Some other me. Some other life.

I have nothing but a hazy understanding that, at some point--between us needing to be out of the rental before our landlord's daughter moves in, and everything actually being finished at the house--everything must be packed up!

But, before we begin dwelling on that unfortunate and looming task, let us go back to the last bits of time when I could decently pretend no such business was before me.

I present you:

Final Bits of December and Christmas Break.

For starters, we never mentioned the birthdays.

Jesse turned 17. 17? Yes, truly.

Penny decorated the cake for me.

And Abe turned 25. (Which means I must be at least 100. How can I be the mother to someone that old?) Being as he was off doing finals, and being as he now has a wife who celebrated him fully (right down to presents and his birthday graham-cracker pudding cake), we didn't really have a traditional family celebration--nor any pictures to go with it. (Though we did manage to go around asking him his favorite things and then telling what we liked about him--as we do on birthdays--the next time he and Kenya were here. [It was universally agreed, among the many other positive things that were mentioned, that he always makes everyone feel so liked and important.])

And, dare I mention, I had a birthday? (And what does it matter how old? Old enough to have a 25 year old anyway.) We had pies (chocolate and lemon), and turkey and rolls, and everyone kept the house clean and let me work on organizing photos for an hour or two without interruption, and I didn't have to put anyone to bed. It was a lovely birthday.

AND! Mike and I celebrated our 26 year anniversary!

These are two scriptures I've taken screenshots of and have permanently in my phone because they make me think of my husband every time I read them. 

And other bits from the break:

Daisy wrapping gifts for me.

Daisy, Abe and Kenya building nightstands for the little girls for Christmas.

Lavinia sending Goldie and Wyatt such a cool wedding gift. Look at the birds she did! And the socks! 

Whenever Kenya is here now, Mette makes great use of her hair-doing skills. It's always so sad for her when we have to go back to ... my ordinary skills. :)

A darling, little game Starling created.

Oh how often Hans leaves me photo upon photo like this:

I liked that Shasta appears to be quite interested in Summer's drawing. (Daisy bought a tablet solely for drawing. The kids loved using it while she was here.)

Aunt Sarah had Daisy, Goldie and Penny over to learn soap making. They loved it, and now there is constant talk of how we must get the suet when we slaughter (is there a gentler word?) our steers so Aunt Sarah can render it into tallow for us. Aunt Sarah makes life so much fun. (Though those un-cut "loaves" of soap look very tempting to eat.)

Daisy has, whenever she's home and whenever it has occurred to her, been gathering up--with no context--things she hears people say around here. (For example Mike: "It may be border-line immoral but I've been thinking of giving the pig beer.")

She made them into a Jeopardy game for New Year's Eve, and the kids thought it was the greatest thing ever.

The "buzzers" were their little mushroom lamps that light up when tapped.

A watchful protector Mike spotted on the new house late one evening. (A great-horned owl.)

My niece Maddie trains horses. She and her husband Drew took Abe and Kenya riding over the break.

Speaking of Abe and Kenya: They went to Vegas to be with Kenya's family for Christmas. Her brother had a basketball tournament in CA as well. While there, Kenya's parents sent them all to Disneyland and CA Adventure! (None of us, save Mike when he was little, have ever been!)

Abe and Kenya also drove to the beach one day and got some very cool photos. Here are two I especially liked:

But they weren't the only ones adventuring. Goldie and Wyatt went and spent two days in Arches:

And the rest of us spent the very last bits of Christmas Break enjoying a short trip to the cabin!

Teary from being picked on by siblings.

Cheered.

We did not know, until we got there, that Starling didn't bring a coat of any sort. Just this bathrobe. 

It took several hours for the cabin to warm up!

The cupboard treats are kept in. Always someone sneaking into it (and always a stool nearby from little kids [who can't reach] having snuck into it.

And now we will only think serious thoughts about getting things done!

The End.