wish list...

I will take the envelope and it's contents please...
AirMail: Manila envelope laptop sleeve for MacBook Air

wish list...

Still Blue

Not as tired as the first two weeks after his departure although just as busy, I have managed to carve out this time to myself for two of the last three Sundays. The Complete Jane Austen, this week is Mansfield Park, pleasant television in the background of bedtime for babies and young girls.

As Rosie has been working on her cataloging and categorizing of rocks found in the creeks of central Texas. Her samples are lined up on the mantle each numbered in it's own babyfood jar, out of reach of toddlers. She has recorder physical observations and tested for hardness. We have gathered reference materials and have the supplies for the stand.

I have much work of my own: letters to write, books to catalog,emails to send, pictures to upload, blogs to write, and so much more.

It looks like DH is at a conference in Naples, and I eagerly await an email with the details and maybe pictures. I wonder, for example, what are his accommodations, or does he have any time to sight see?

Surprisingly the boys are both asleep despite getting two teeth each. Rosie is of course all tuckered out from working hard. I am proud of her.

Still Blue

January 20

Whew!

It seems like forever since I had a few minutes together to write anything down so I had better just get to the meat of it:

My DH has gone back to Turkey and I am now in the cold harsh messy house reality stage of him not being around. I generally go the whole day without an adult conversation unless you count the 30 second snippets with the neighbor, grocer, postman, etc. These incidental trivialities will be more important to me sooner than later, but right now I have too much to worry about.

My first priority is getting the passports in order for everyone. This is probably far more involved than I realize, but I hope not. I can probably renew mine, but all 3 kiddos have to get a new one.

I am slowly working on getting the house in order for moving day which is not yet set. For that matter, the location is as of yet unspecified.

Along these lines, I found a great application for cataloging my personal library: Library Thing. So far, the data entry is super easy because the search is linked to the library of congress (and Amazon and something like 23 other databases). The data entry is mostly done for me and in the correct format. I can print cards, download the whole database and see who else has my books, read their reviews and recommendations. Plus there are thumbnails of the covers and widgets for my blog.

January 20

Izmir it is

Tomorrow is my DH's last day here before he heads back to Turkey. He was in Izmir for the last six months, and has been home for RNR for 27 days. He has another six months there and we have not even gotten orders yet for the next assignment. The good news is that we (me and my three plus Mom) will be spending up to 90 days there this summer. How awesome does a European vacation sound? Our house there has plenty of room for all, a great view, and is very near the sea.

The difficulty is in our two homes in Austin. We have to lease them both and/ or sell the other. I know, boohoo, still, it is a lot of running around, making calls, meeting agents, contractors, landscapers, stagers, etc. This can be trying on everyone when the homeowner always tries to bring three small children along (that would be me).

The Northwest hills home has excellent curb appeal, schools, zip code, neighborhood and everything. It is already staged and has been on the market. It should not be the time eater. The house we live in now, however, will have to be shown while we still live here! Imagine keeping things tidy enough twenty-four-seven for a visit from a prospective tenant at the drop of the hat. As it is, I cannot even answer the front door when the babies are in the tub or on the bed or out back playing, whatever.

I also have to pack all of our belongings, ship some to the as of yet unknown next duty station, keep what we need and I am not even sure what else. What if I have trouble leasing/ selling the houses?

Enough for now because I am stressing myself out.

Izmir it is

Austin tidbits

This qualifies more as a rumor than news, still, I was pretty excited to hear Ingrid Michaelson will be here for SXSW (Austinist: SXSW News & Rumor Updates: 135 Bands And Counting).
I really have no idea about the other 134, or so bands...

Usually I look on SXSW with a sour face because there were about 15-20 years there where it was impossible to go out on my birthday and raise a roucus without the magical wristband of admittance. Not to mention too crowded to be fun. Now, I do different things (like celebrate my son's birthday) during spring break.

Austin tidbits

laurel lane

This is the life!
When DH and I were looking for another home, we would come here and sit in this garden imagining our family playing, raking, writing. Now here we are and better than imagined.

i just heard the clock tower (at the University of Texas at Austin) chime thirty minutes after the hour - very sentimental for DH and i because we met there as undergrads. Tommy, our youngest, is in his special rubber seat made to help babies his age learn to sit up. He can barely reach his toys and it seems to be annoying him. Mikey, the toddler, is walking around the yard with a small rake and red toy wooden wheelbarrow helping daddy with the leaves. Rosie is rolling around on her skates (the old school style, red whit and blue).

laurel lane

Inventory and purge

We circle back to the topic of the lists. In my bedroom there is a row of three windows looking over the back yard. I put a low table there, white enameled metal with a black art deco design, coved in paint smears and spills of oil acrylic and watercolor. There are two easels and two tiny chairs with pillows meant for the children.

To the right of the table is my writing desk, tidy and organized, loaded with pens, papers, stamps, sealing wax, and personal photos of my sisters (of which there are 4) holding children. There is a shutter on the wall behind the desk meant for tucking in little notes and memorabilia, upon which hang several pairs of my husband's glasses from before the eye surgery.

To the left is a completely unremarkable bookshelf made of spare wood of different shades and never painted. This houses my unused journals, unread books, and many art supplies: paints, pencils, charcoals, small card stock, etc. This shelf, like my writing desk is sufficiently organized.

It is the table which has become the home of overflow. It was meant to be a peaceful nook for myself and/or the children to work and be able to see into the garden. Instead it is piled high with patters, lace, notions, and other sewing stuff which will not fit into the rather large and full wicker chest near the sewing machine.

So, I believe the task is to begin with the sewing. I have yarn I will never use. Odd colors and textures purchased all at once with some desirable bit in a clear plastic bag when Hancock Fabrics closed it's doors. There are patters from the eighties which also came bundled with some other good bit, like a vintage smock set for my little girl.

The boys are asleep and so is my dh, and because the nursery is adjacent to our bedroom, separated only by French doors with frosted glass panes, I will not venture to take a photo and wake them all just yet. Yes, the precious moments alone are just that when there are 2 under age 2, both boys...

Inventory and purge

list the lists

There is no need to go into my personal details, but suffice it to say that I will soon have more time on my hands to ready things for the next big move.

In the spirit of renewal, I will enumerate and purge until it is time to pack my tight ship and set sail to the next adventure (where there will undoubtedly be high speed internet, also).
First I will list the lists and then?

1a. Card Catalog for my books (and journals?), probably a spreadsheet
1b. Cookbooks and recipe cards
2. Do the same for the childrens' books

3. Photograph, catalog and research storage solutions for tinted postcard collection

4. Inventory and purge all sewing, crocheting supplies and patterns

5. Inventory and purge paints, pencils, inks, papers, brushes, frames

6. Organize and store supplies such as beeds, buttons, wires, tools

list the lists