Cookie experiment

This week was very frustrating. I spent two whole days shopping (hate that.) One day was errands for the house and one was school shopping with the boys, and registering Nathaniel for school and getting Davis' schedule, books, PE clothes, freshman orientation, and I skipped the band parent meeting. Bleah. But, I got some things done. I painted the master bathroom, I spent two days scraping calcified gunk off the shower tile, and someone's sloppy grout job ( does it take so much time to wash the tiles off after you regrout? Come on!) The bathrooms are starting to come together, but there is a lot more to do. I have to prep the master bath floor for vinyl (pulling out nails, staples, removing base board molding), scrape more stalagmites out of the shower, and paint the hall bathroom. Then they will be clean and useable.
This picture is a closeup from a kitchen photo I posted earlier. I'll point out the problems with the range hood if they aren't obvious. There are gaping holes in the front where the fan blows out the air it just sucked in so it hits you in the face. Nice. And weirdly enough, there is a secret layer of tiles (that were covered in kitchen grease until I Goo-Gone - ed it) under the visible layer. It is the same tile pattern, but a slightly different color. I have no idea why. It looks like the upper layer was cut to fit a different sized range hood and the current hood isn't big enough to fill the space. So, off to Home Depot to get a new hood.

Chris installed the new hood. It is so fancy with a fan that actually vents outside instead into your face or in the cabinet above it (like our S.Pas one did.) The hood fits the space better, and if you click on the picture to enlarge it you can see the fantastic caulking job Chris did so you can't see the weird under-tile and it will clean up nicely. Yay!

Something I miss is the big gas Okeefe Merrit oven/range we had. I really liked that it would get hot fast. However, it had 7 pilot lights (4 range burners, one griddle, two ovens) and it would heat the kitchen up without us even using it. I was very skeptical of the electric ovens in the new house. How good could they be if you couldn't see any fire? Chris reminded me that they were modern appliances (that means younger than we are.) So I decided to test them out.

Here they are both at 375 degrees (note the oven thermometers in each - they each run a little hot so I set them about halfway between 375 and 350.) They each have 25 teaspoon size mini-morsel chocolate chip dough balls. I set the timer for 12 minutes.

After 12 minutes, the cookies in the bottom oven

and the cookies in the top oven are evenly and equally ... over cooked. That was my fault. 12 minutes is too long and I think I should have done 350 degrees. But the cookies are evenly done on all sides and the kitchen wasn't turned into a sauna in the process. I'd have to say the experiment is a success. I think I'll be ready to use both of them for Thanksgiving. Do you want to come? You are invited! I think I'll have unpacked by then... if I can make it through the first week of school.

Moved in (What a mess)

We drove Friday night to the house and slept in sleeping bags on the new carpet upstairs. Then, early in the morning, we got up and started the process of unloading. I helped with a few items and then I drove back to SPas to clean out the rental and turn in the keys (with terrific help from Laura, Kathy, and Tammy).
Chris and Davis unloaded the truck with help from the High Priests in our new ward (I'm not kidding - High Priests! Glad no one threw out their back.)

Davis was a super helper - much stronger than I am so much more useful. Here he is enjoying a Trader Joe's Cod Filet to refuel. Love TJ's, love the microwave/convection oven, love that kid.

This is what I came back to. A house full of furniture and boxes. So glad to have it in the house. Not looking forward to unpacking and sorting it all out.

The big appliances had to wait until I came back with the ratchet set so Chris could take the lid off the freezer and get it in the door of the laundry room. Chris was sliding them on extra pieces of carpet so they wouldn't scratch the floor.

Here's some stuff still in the garage. Very orderly, I thought.

The front room and entry. The piano will have to wait down there for the tile to go in around it. Its such a dirty floor now with the bare concrete and tufts of carpet padding still stuck on it. It makes the whole house dusty. Hope we can get to the tile soon.

But, important things first. I came up the stairs to find the boys had the Wii already set up in the loft.

Legos displayed on the hallway cabinet (I couldn't even find my own toothbrush and they already found and had all this out.)

Legos and a napping spot were set up in the guest room.

And Nathaniel had his playmobil water rescue team out ready to go into the jacuzzi.

Look Mom. The Georgetown rocker made it unharmed.
Chris and I are both so tired. I feel shaky after walking up the stairs. I don't think I want to unpack anything tomorrow - maybe I'll take the boys school shopping. (Do any of you know how much I dislike shopping?) But I can't find my shoes. They are in a box somewhere.

Packing up and moving out

We moved! Friday we loaded up the truck. We rented the biggest truck Uhaul had to offer and thought we'd have plenty of room for the stuff in our 2 BR house. Boy, that truck was packed to the rafters. Chris picked it up at 1pm and here it is below at 9pm when we finally got everything in it.
We had some help from some college students who were home for the summer. We'd never have gotten it done without them.

Everything came out and was piled in the garage until it could be packed into the truck.

Here are Andrew and Jonathan. They were so cheerful - even when we asked them to move the washing machine.

Haley helped move boxes and pack the odds and ends left in drawers and cupboards. It was a hot day so we tried to keep everyone supplied with drinks, fruit, and popsicles.

I think they used every available space. Thanks Andrew, Jonathan, and Haley! You were great.

Things I'll miss (just some)

Aside from the people we will leave behind in S.Pas. (and the people who have left us behind already) I'm coming across all the things we will miss. One of the big ones is my utility sink. I didn't think you wanted to see a picture of it, but I have been washing paint rollers in the bathtub. I wish I had a utility sink.

We'll miss the farmers market on Thursdays. The roasted corn, the bratwurst, falafel, peaches, dates, mmm...

The corn is really big!

And everyone is happy. Hey! I think that guy singing was in our youth sunday school class 10 years ago.