countertops!

Yes! And the appliances are set into their spots. Plumber comes today...

pictures don't lie

Miss Maja was not to be woken this morning. I finally went into her room about 6:45am (she's usually up at 6am) to gently ease her from her slumber, and found her sleeping like this: on her knees with her butt sticking straight up into the air.

the kitchen this morning

As ya'll know, we moved last week. And, as ya'll know, the kitchen isn't done yet. And if ya'll don't know that then you must be living on the moon. BUT today the countertops are going to be installed. wahoo! So, here are some pics of the 'state of the kitchen' this morning. The sink will be installed under the big window. The dishwasher in the hole along that wall. The cooktop and wall oven will be in the space where the toaster is. That board acting as a countertop (where the micro and toaster are) is temporary. Oh, and that's Maja playing with the plastic cutlery! Here are some more pictures from this morning. She's all dressed up (just to assure the Oregon-ers that she doesn't always dress to the nines for daycare...) for picture day at daycare today! The cute dress is a gift from Grandma Jane & Grandpa Tom. Yea!!!! But wait, who is that SHAVEN man? No longer masked and disguised under some facial hair... my husband? Richard? Emerson isn't sure what to make of all this commotion regarding plastic cutlery and fancy dresses and shaven faces and missing countertops and AWOL appliances.

The Irony of it All

Our phone doesn't work, and it's Verizon's (the telephone company) problem. So, the technician was supposedly there this afternoon to fix the line. And I checked the home voice mail, and there was a message from MCI (another phone company) saying that they received a call from our phone number and if we had any questions about service to call them back! I can only surmise that the Verizon technician called MCI when he fixed our line. Because it wasn't us.

Ta-Daaaaa

Today's the day! Yip. It's auspicious, it's a RED LETTER DAY, it's amazing and awesome and it's finally here. Today at 1:30pm, dear readers, is the appointed hour when we sign the papers and hand over the keys for the palace. I zipped over there yesterday and took some clippings of my plants, I thought I'd get sentimental and say good bye to the house and cry ... but I didn't. It's not mine anymore and I'm glad to be done with the headache of it. It's as if a great weight has been lifted! ----- Oh, an update on the wet basement: tree roots in the sewer pipes. I called the Drain Clearing Dude at lunchtime, he arrived c. 5:30pm and cleared the pipes. Water now running out of house properly. Hopefully this fixes at least some of our water issues!!!!

Emerson

The creature who was the most disoriented about the move was/is Emerson. He sat/lay/stood by the new front door all day on Friday and whined. Poor guy. He was so confused! I set up his bed by lunchtime and he took to it occassionally, but still preferred the front door zone. Maybe he thought he could escape the craziness???

musings about the move

Look on the sunny side! Always on the sunny side! Look on the sunny side of life! Yeah, I guess it went o.k. insofar as our stuff is out of the palace and into the estate house. The movers were efficient and friendly -- if not the tidiest. And they only broke 1 thing -- not of great value, so it doesn't really matter. So, we don't have a fully functioning kitchen. So what? I have a microwave and a fridge. Good enough. And I could put most stuff away in to the kitchen cabinets -- so that's great. I have to do dishes in the bathroom sink, but that's not so bad either. It's an adventure! It's a good story to tell Maja... Richard worked so hard on the new house. So hard. And it's great and I LOVE the new kitchen. And it's a good house on a fantastic block. And so we have to wait 1 or 2 weeks before everything is ready -- that's NOTHING compared to the years of work we had left on the palace house. Really? What's left to do? 1. have countertop guys install countertop (our task: move boxes and clear space) 2. have plumber install sink, cooktop, water line for fridge, dishwasher (our task: find the appliances and make them accessible) 3. provide access to house for the carpet dudes 4. paint Maja's room 5. move Maja's furniture upstairs 6. clear out back 2nd floor room 7. provide access to house for the floor refinisher dudes 8. unpack and move in. Not so bad, really. :)

Friday, June 23

Bedroom before and after. Living room and dining room. There are some kitchen appliances buried in there... somewhere. Those are going to be installed on Friday, after the countertop is installed on Thursday.

Maja's new room

Here is Maja in her new (temporary) room on Thursday afternoon. Hmmm, same furniture... different space! This is the only room in the house that's set up! It's temporary because the carpet on the third floor needs to be replaced, and then we can move Maja upstairs. After the floors get refinished in this room, it will be the t.v./book/informal living room. Maja on Friday morning. She wasn't fazed at all by the new space and had a good sleep. Her latest injury. A child at daycare bonked her with a book!

i'm brilliant!!!!!

Yeah, I know most of you know that already, but I just had an epiphany. About what? My plant problems -- i.e. I am having trouble leaving my beautiful and of-sentimental-value plants behind, esp. the azalea bush that my mom gave me for my 30th bday and the rhodedendron that I gave R a few years back. And I have such a lovely hydrangea in the backyard. And my Japanese lilies. And the forsythia bush my mom and I rescued from our neighbour's neglected yard! ROOTINGS!!!!! Hello! I'll take a clipping (well, several, actually) and try and root them. So, I can leave the plant and still take it with me. Ha! Now, I just need to find some 'rooting hormone' and I'm good to go. Wahooooo!

MOVE DAY

The day is here!!!!!!!! Yipeee! We were up until 1am packing, but it's done. I hope. Anyway, we don't close on the house until the 28th, and since we're moving a whole 6 blocks away, it won't be hard to do a few dashes back and forth to the house to get the last few tidbits. Moving sucks. It doesn't matter if you're moving 6 blocks, across the state, or to another country -- you still have to pack. Richard is at home today supervising the movers. I don't think he was too impressed with me going to work -- but I have no vacation time left to take the day off. My best solution is to work a 7am-2pm day... I could feel the 'evil eye' stare on my back as I left the house. Just for the record -- I don't want to be at work today either. I'm a control freak; it took every ounce of willpower for me to walk out that door and not be home to help supervise the move. If we can just get through the next 7 days... ---- 8:16am. Missed the carpet measurer guy this morning. He calls and says he's going to be there between 9am and 11am... but actually showed up at 8am. Of course we weren't there. 1 less thing to worry about! ---- 8:19am. ADT is rescheduled for tomorrow between 12 and 1pm. 1 less thing to worry about! ---- 8:21am. Carpet measurer guy (aka CMG) is coming tomorrow morning between 7am and 9am. I'm hungry. And thirsty -- need OJ. Questioning the idea that Verizon actually needs access to the house to switch on the phone... ---- 8:25am. Why am I at work today??? Obviously nothing is going to get done. Just realized I didn't put any hair product in my hair... it's probably frizzy. Must not look in a mirror to confirm. At least I remembered to wet it this morning, so it's not sticking straight up. Need a bagel. And OJ. Dunkin' Donuts is across the street. Need cash. ---- 8:32am. Have egg & cheese on bagel and OJ. ---- 8:48am. Movers called. They're on their way! Should arrive within 30-45min. ---- 9:19am. Movers arrived. ---- 9:44am. ADT calls. They want to come earlier today. I inform the technician that R called and had the appt re-scheduled for tomorrow... ---- 10am. Sleep deprivation headache starting to set in. Considering a 2nd cup of coffee... ---- 10:12am. A lovely co-worker just gave me a housewarming gift! A plant... ---- 12:43pm. Yes, still here. All is going smoothly. The truck is loaded with our stuff. The grand old dame of music has been gifted to the musicians across the street. Bye-bye piano. [sorry mom, I know you had your eye on refinishing it... we'll have other projects for you, I'm sure]. I DID have a 2nd cup of coffee and lots of water, so I'm feeling better. yeah. ---- 1:17pm. Drum-roll please... truck is being unloaded! ---- 1:46pm. That's it folks. I'm outta here. Going to my NEW home to unpack!

stats / choose your poison / contest

Stats # of boxes packed: 9 (kitchen!) # of days to move: 1 or 2? do I count tomorrow? or just today? # of panic attacks: 1 # of crying episodes: 2 (1 for Maja that lasted all evening and 1 for me when I reached the end of my rope) ----------------- What happens to you when you're stressed? Do you turn to food? Exercise? Drink? Your patience level hits an all time low? You laugh uncontrollably? You bite your nails? Pull your hair? Stare blankly into space? Panic attacks? Sleeplessness? Upset stomach? My reactions to stress vary according to the cause. In this case, I've got: food (carbs, feed me carbs), zero patience, panic attacks, and upset stomach. Rolaids and Tums are my new best friends. Moving is stressful, but then add in a 14-month-old child whose world is turned upside down (and cries constantly as a result); 90 degree weather; a spazzed-out dog whose world is turned upside down; a husband who has a project interview for a $30 million building today (that's stress all by itself); and a generally high-strung wife... [ya'll, stop laughing. I can hear you] Well, things are TENSE at the palace. I'll give "A for effort" points to Richard for being a wonderfully patient and understanding man. Richard picked up our new microwave yesterday. Yeah! We may not have a countertop, running water, oven, cooktop, dishwasher, or sink at the new kitchen, but I WILL have a microwave and a fridge. Is that enough for a week? The countertop is being installed next Thursday; the appliances on Friday. And, well, maybe we'll just eat out or order in a lot. I've compared this past month to a slow-motion train wreck. You can see the train coming, it's not going very fast, but because of the sheer massive weight of the train and it's momentum, there's no way you can stop it from continuing on it's track. ------------ Oh, this is my 100th post! I know I owe some prizes to the two previous contests -- but work with me here. I'm busy but haven't forgotten ya'll (Kirsten & Elyn). So, FIRST PERSON TO LEAVE A COMMENT on this, my 100th post, gets a prize! ------------ weather for move day tomorrow: 92F. I am so glad I'm not moving all those boxes.

3 days...

# of boxes packed last night: 3 full, 5 half full (to be finished tonight), 3 area rugs rolled, some furniture disassembled... # of times I wished I was in the new house: 17 # of panic attacks: 3 I spent the evening at the palace packing; Richard spent the evening at the outpost cleaning. DIVIDE AND CONQUER! Deep breathing. ---------- In other news, when stressed: knit.

fasten your seatbelts!

This is when the bumpy part of the ride starts! 4 days until the move. ugh. Maja and I spent Saturday & Sunday morning at the pool. It was lovely! I even got Maja to sit in her pool float in the 'big' pool so I was able to cool off as well. The temps on Saturday weren't too bad, but Sunday was brutal: mid-90s with humidity. We got a lot of packing done, and yesterday evening the sleeper sofa and big shelving unit components went to their new home. Glad that's done with! Most of the 3rd floor is packed up; tonight I'll tackle our bedroom and some odds & ends on the 2nd floor. Tuesday is the first floor (including kitchen) ... Wednesday is the rest of Maja's room. I was so stressed this morning I forgot my glasses at home and now am sitting at the computer here at work wearing my prescription sunglasses. I'd go home to get my regular glasses, but it's HOT and sticky and gross out. It's going to be a long day!

stats

# of boxes packed last night: 3 # of days to move: 6 # of times I wished I was on the new block: 2 # of panic attacks: 0 # of alcoholic beverages consumed: 0 Coming up on the LAST WEEKEND where we will be residents of Buckingham Place!!!!

I'm still a Canadian!

I asked Richard to go grocery shopping last night and wanted him to buy some Shreddies cereal for Maja. Can't you hear the jingle? "Good good whole-wheat Shreddies!" Apparently they don't sell that down here. sigh. He ended up buying shredded wheat -- but that's not the same thing! I'll have to bring a box back with me after my next trip to Canada. I miss Canada -- look, the box is bilingual!

comment policy

Hi all -- I don't get a lot of comments on my blog, and that's fine. But, just to make it clear, I do moderate the comments. This hasn't come up before, but I received a comment yesterday from Anonymous, and it was unsigned (these are two separate things, you can post as Anonymous and still sign your comment). It was in regard to my Geno's post. It was not an offensive comment -- but, I am not going to post it because it is unsigned. So, my policy is thus: 1. family-friendly comments only (no swearing, cursing, personal attacks, etc. and no porn (duh)) 2. comments must be signed and have a valid email/blog address attached to them -- if the comment is unsigned/anonymous I will not publish it If you were the author of the comment, send me your name and I will publish it. In response: yes, it is his first amendment right. But I also have the right to say it's wrong. Everyone's entitled to their opinion. ----------

stats

# of boxes packed: 7 # of days to move: 8 # of panic attacks: 0 --------- We've instituted a rigorous packing plan: no leaving the room until it's done. So, last night we worked on the basement and got 99% of it packed up. A lot of stuff was shuffled to the dumpster down the street... and some stuff was put on the sidewalk for trash pickers (gotta love Philly!) -- the t.v. went in less than an hour. Tonight... more basement? Or maybe the bedroom? Stay tuned! --------- The roofers came on Monday and took a look at the roof. There's a hole! No wonder the rain is getting in. Sigh. So, they're going to fix the hole, replace the downspout, reseal the roof and put new siding on the back bay. Then, maybe we can move forward with the rest of the issues that need to be addressed... k

INFURIATING

This makes me shake with anger. As a potential immigrant myself, I am seriously questioning whether I want to be a part of a country that promotes this kind of behaviour. IDIOTS as a caveat, I understand this is one person expressing his individual opinion and this is not reflective of the greater people. So, in my small way: boycott Geno's. And please, ask your friends on my behalf to do the same.

raisin project

This was the scene this morning: Maja in her hairchair wearing her new hat from Grandma & Grandpa King, eating raisins. She also had my water bottle with her, and was very busy putting all the raisins into the bottle (they kinda look like mouse droppings in there... yick), reaching in and taking them out one by one, and then eating them. It kept her amused for a good 20 min.!

knitting

So, I'm working on the Trellis Lace Scarf from Interweave Knits and it's... hellish. The yarn is thin, the needles are slippery, the pattern is complicated. I was knitting outside today on my lunch hour, and a young woman stopped and asked me about what I was knitting! She had tried the same pattern and found it equally frustrating... Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment, but I'm doing this on Inox aluminum needles. Duh. Probably bamboo would have been a better choice, but I didn't have the right size and you know... must. cast. on. So, here's what I've got so far. I've done 8 of 23 repeats and it takes me 1 hr. to do a pattern repeat. I'm slow.

ya think she likes it?

This is Maja on Saturday morning at the "new" block's Block Party and Clean-up Day. Richard pushed her around for a bit, and then she sat on her trike for a while. We took the tricycle to the park on Sunday afternoon and had some success with SHARING. After sitting on the trike for a good 20 min. Maja finally vacated her seat and let Elliot, Helen, Alessandra, Ethan, Talia and Hope have a go on the trike. Yeah! On Sunday morning we went to the zoo, of course. Here's a picture of Miss M hatching from a dinosaur egg.

stats

# of boxes packed: 0 days to move: 13 # of panic attacks: 1 (but it lasted all evening) amt. of water in new house: yes. doesn't matter how much. just yes. # of times I wished I could escape to Mexico: 3 # of alcoholic beverages consumed (related to items 1-4): 1

where's my brain?

I've been charged with the task of finding a microwave for the new kitchen. I think the last time I had a microwave was in ... 1999. sigh. So, I like this one. I was reading the description and did a double take on the last point: "Child lock, demo mode, audible signal elimination, and other convenient features" Demo mode? You mean this microwave will demolish things? It can self destruct? I'm looking forward to the end of construction season.

stats

I'm starting to sound like a broken record. Boxes packed: 6 Days to move: 14 # of times I had to talk Richard out of calling the police on the partyers last night: 3 # of times I wished I was in the new house: 20 Inches of rain that fell on Philly yesterday: 0.5 Amt. of rain water in the new house: 0 (!!!! party !!!!)

feelings

Feelings by Gemini

Feelings, nothing more than feelings, Trying to forget my feelings of love. Teardrops rolling down on my face, Trying to forget my feelings of love. Feelings, for all my life I'll feel it. I wish I've never met you, girl; You'll never come again. Feelings, wo-o-o feelings, Wo-o-o, feel you again in my arms. Feelings, feelings Like I've never lost you And feelings like I've never Have you again in my heart. Feelings, for all my life I'll feel it. I wish I've never met you, girl; You'll never come again. Feelings, feelings like I've Never lost you And feelings like I've never have you Again in my life. Feelings, wo-o-o feelings, Wo-o-o, feelings again in my arms. Feelings... ----------------------- While only the first line of this song runs through my head in an endless loop, I posted all the lyrics for those interested. Unsettled. sigh. I can't concentrate -- all I want to do is go home, curl up on the couch and sleep. And knit. Can I do these two things at the same time? So much I want to do and so little time! There are 4 babies on the way this fall (Sept., Nov., 2 in Dec (twins)), there are lace shawls that I have yarn for and want to knit, I have yarn for a Maja outfit, and sock yarn. AND I have the embroidery floss for the Christmas stockings I started last year... Oh. And pack. And move. And set up new house. And go on vacation. Who has time to work?

stats

Boxes packed: 3 Days to move: 15 Panic attacks: 0 # of times I wished I already lived in new house: 10

covet and desire

Knitting bag (in Dutch Treat or Neptune) A membership to the Sock club A subscription to Interweave Knits I think this list will grow. I'll put it as an extra column on the side... Now, as for my skills as a knitter. I honestly do not think I'm a better knitter than my mom. Hello? I can't knit with more than one colour in a row. No Fairisle techniques here -- not that my mom hasn't tried to teach me on several occasions. And lace... well, it looks hard but really isn't. That must be where I channel all my patience.

stats

Boxes packed last night: 8 Bags of shredded paper created: 3 # of times the shredder overheated: 2 # of days to move: 16 # of panic attacks: 0 We're doing well!!!

stats

Boxes packed last night: 0 Days to move: 17 Panic attacks: 0

Hydrostatic pressure

Life is stressful. Then you buy a house. And get a dog. And renovate the house. And have a child. And buy a new house. And have to renovate that house. And sell the old house. And pack. And move. And there are issues: Water. I remember being taught in school that water is a universal solvent. It's true. Over time, water can carve caverns out of rocks. It can redefine a landscape. It can, given the chance, redefine your house. Richard stated it well the other day, that we are under a lot of stress in the form of Hydrostatic pressure. Water in our lives. There's a lot of it and it's not going where it's supposed to go! The 2nd floor toilet on Buckingham sprung a leak last weekend. Now, there's a big water stain and bubbling plaster on our dining room ceiling. Can I remind ya'll that we are closing on the sale of that house in... 23 days??? Then, we found out (the hard way) that the downspout off the 2nd floor roof on Regent Sq. was clogged. And, when you get 3-4 in. of rain in a 24hr. period and this rain can't get down off your roof where it's supposed to go... well, things inside the house get wet. Sigh. Pressure. Water. I'm drowning! Well, Richard fixed (keep your fingers crossed!) the toilet and unclogged the downspout. Lets all hope the water is going to co-operate and go in the direction we tell it to go. Or I'll cry -- and that's just more water. ================ At any rate, the one thing water cannot dissolve is our marriage. Happy 2nd Anniversary to Richard and I! Glasses raised to the upcoming year -- we'll see what kind of adventures we'll get into. xo, K

Maja and the tricycle

Maja was gifted a hand-me-down tricycle from our good friends Paul, Laura & Nandor. I sought out the tricycle because whenever we go to the playground and another child is there with a tricycle/bicycle or another big toy that you can sit on, Maja does indeed SIT on said toy. And won't get off. She has been known to sit on another child's toy for 20-30 min. I don't even need to push her around. She just sits. and sits and sits. Until another child (rightfully so!) wants to sit on the toy and Maja must be forcibly removed (note: this is often accompanied by high pitched screams). So, I got her a tricycle. We picked it up from Paul/Laura/Nandor this morning, and took it to the park this afternoon. Maja sat. She didn't want to go on the swing; she didn't want to go on the slide. She merely sat on her new trike. I think she likes it. She's still too little to even reach the pedals, so I have to push her around.

10 things Knitty Katia will not do

1. knit a garment with more than 1 colour at a time 2. buy cheap yarn (i.e. arcrylic) 3. knit for those deemed unworthy 4. knit on commission 5. spin or ply 6. knit without a goal (I'm not a process knitter) 7. admit defeat 8. spend hours trying to figure out how to knit 7 into 5 9. knit something useless 10. knit something ugly Remember, rules were made to be broken (esp. #2 and 5)

stats

Boxes packed last night: 3 Days to the move: 20 Number of panic attacks: 4

it's an illness

I'm working on these socks. I think it's so cool that yarn which starts out looking like NOTHING turns into fun stripes with little white flecks. I like knitting socks. Especially with the new technique I'm employing from Wendy Johnson. The socks (obviously) are knit from the toe up and with a short-row heel. So, no kitchener stitch involved. AND, you won't run out of yarn for your foot -- because you do that first and then you can make the leg part as long as you like. It's brilliant. Here are the instructions for the toe, I did the Figure-Eight toe. And here are Wendy's instructions for the rest of the sock. So, I have more sock yarn sitting at home. And today I picked up another box of yarn. Here's the haul: Well, the reddish yarn isn't going to make it to socks, I have 5 skeins of that. It's going to become this. I hope. The rest will become socks. And here, Katia has fun with the digital macro function on her new camera. I took about 15 shots of the bluish yarn and couldn't get it to come out focussed. I'll blame it on the yarn.

10 things I miss doing

1. walking barefoot in the grass in the early morning (dad, you remember doing this?!?!) 2. camping. waking up under a sun-dappled nylon roof and eating Peaches'n'Cream oatmeal. 3. losing myself in a really really good book for hours on end 4. going out for dinner on a whim 5. eating Big Turk chocolate bars 6. driving to the cottage in the Ford Galaxy and being allowed to take of our seatbelts when we got on the dirt road so that we could get airborne when dad would drive over the big hills (don't tell the OPP) 7. going out to the movies on a rainy Saturday afternoon 8. snuggling with my baby (because now she just wants to go go go) 9. sleeping in 10. going to the beach