Nate and I spent a week in Texas looking for a house to rent for our family. It was a stressful week, hardly the vacation I was hoping for, but we found a house and we’re really excited. Come mid August, we will be residents of the charming town of Buda, TX. Buda, pronounced Beauda. Like beauty, only with a “duh” sound at the end instead of a “tee.” Make sense?

It’s 15 miles south of Austin, it’s in the country amidst lovely fields and prairies, and it’s charming. The schools are well spoken of. It’s a quick jaunt to downtown Austin. We’re excited!

I will be posting pictures and talk of the move, but it’ll be a month or so before that happens. In the meantime, we’re packing. Nate and I packed up over 30 pieces of framed art today. We packed the easy ones. We have over 30 to go. The canvases and the big art are left. A lot of work lies ahead.

In other news, I took a song to the Songwriters Guild meeting while we were down south. They meet every Tuesday night for song critique. Both my guild, and this new guild think the chorus to my song is weak. Lame. So I’m working on it. We’ll see what happens.

Now that we’re not showing the house anymore, (we have an offer, so we get to do the song and dance with the bank while they think about approving it), I can bring my music equipment back out. I was having great fun with the Gretsch and pedals tonight before the boys decided it was their turn…

So cute. All those lights, buttons and knobs to play with, I don’t have the heart to stop them.

So, my internet shy friend and I went to the movies last night and saw Snow White and the Huntsman. Surprisingly, Kristen Stewart was fine. She didn’t bug me. I’d even say she did a good job. We, of course, went to see Chris Hemsworth because he’s beautiful. And he did NOT get enough screen time, which was tragic.

The movie wasn’t very good, however it COULD have been. There was a lot of potential there. If they’d spent more time and effort on story telling (and Chris Hemsworth) and less on crazy computer effects and trying to gross out the audience, it could have been really, really good.

But we had fun just the same. My internet shy friend is a very fun movie companion. She doesn’t mind my snarky comments and audible ogling during the film.

Someone got her motorcycle permit today!

In other news, we got an offer on the house tonight. A very lowball offer from an investor. My realtor says that he’s a little concerned about the buyer’s realtor in that there are some wacky things about the offer. But whatever. It’s an offer. We’ll see what happens!

before Nate isn’t the only one in this house riding around on two wheels.

Luvin’ the Triumph Bonneville T-100. Fits like a glove.

Thanks for continuing to check in. I’m not posting much, it’s true, but things have never been busier for me. I have 3 adolescent daughters (ponder that for a moment. Mmm-hmm) and 2 active, young boys all at the same time. Plus, our house is on the market and not selling, which means we’ve had over 40 showings, or thereabouts, which means I have to keep up on the housework, like, all the time.

And I still don’t have a camera cable to download pictures onto the computer. (The photos to download are stacking up). Best Buy doesn’t have the right cable, and the local camera shop is all out and doesn’t know when they’ll be back in stock. My bigger camera that HAS a cable is hidden from easy view and reach so it isn’t stolen when people are walking through my house with realtors. And picture-less posts seem so boring when they pile up…

So, that’s the short list. It might sound like complaining, but that’s not how I’m feeling at the moment. It’s just a lot. to. do., keep up with, etc.

So, let’s see….. I went on a fabulous field trip last week for 3 days with Veronica’s 5th grade class. We went to eastern Washington, camped at a fabulous facility called Camp Delaney (highly recommend) which happens to be smack dab in the middle of the Dry Falls. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. We visited the new windmill power plant in Ellensburg. SO COOL! And toured the Grand Coulee dam, Rocky Reach dam, saw Steamboat Rock, Waterville, the Ginko Petrified Forest, etc. And did I mention our camp was INSIDE THE DRY FALLS?!

Amazing, fascinating, wonderful. I did this field trip with Abby in 5th grade also and it’s my very, very favorite thing. Nate was a peach and stayed home with the kids and the house showings all on his own. Max was extremely difficult, which is his normal state of being, and I’m very grateful to him (Nate) for taking it all on so I could go.

I turned 37 on Sunday. (I guess I should change the sidebar again). Had a very nice birthday. Quiet and low key. My mom came into town for my birthday and to help me get ready to move. My brother spoiled me rotten, having acquired thoughtful, meaningful gifts over the last couple months and showering me with them all weekend. Veronica made a beautiful bracelet that I have no intention of ever taking off. I feel very loved.

I can’t believe we’re wrapping up the school year! More than anything, this means we’re getting closer and closer to moving. Well, theoretically, as we want to move mid-August. We don’t have a plan yet as there are still things that need to fall into place before we CAN move, like $$$, but summer continues to draw closer, and it seems so weird.

We still intend to go to Texas. Aside from the leaving our dear friends and family, which is heartbreaking, I am excited for what lies ahead. It’s been a difficult 4 years, to say the least. And I continue to hear wonderful things about Texas, and Austin specifically. And I’m SO VERY READY to not be cold anymore!!! Sounds weird coming from me as I used to like the cold, and I do like using my warm knits, and bundling up… But it’s been winter up here for 2 years now, and I’ve freaking had it.

In knitting news, I finished an orange shawl (the cocoon shawl from Traditional Knitted Lace Shawls) awhile ago. I’d wanted to knit it for years and finally did. My friend Carol and I ordered some dyed sock yarn from Knitpicks and raced each other, actually. She won. But mine ended up looking way too 70s. And not the good kind. So I overdyed it red and it’s purrrrrrfect! Love it. I wear it to church and around the house to keep the chill off.

I’ve also been working on that wretched hexagon Spider Shawl from Victorian Lace Today. The pattern isn’t particularly fun, but more than anything, my yarn sucks. The color sucks, the way it feels sucks, it’s ugly…… But I really want to finish the stupid thing. I’ve come so far…

And then I’m going to dye it black.

When that’s all done, I have some very cheerful, rainbow handspun I want to make a little scarf out of, and a couple weeks ago I bought some ridiculously expensive silk/merino laceweight with a gift certificate I received for Christmas that I’m excited to find a project for.

That’s what I’ve got. Hope you’re all well. TTYL.

I still can’t download photos from my little Leica, so last night when Nate came home with his new “daily driver,” I got out the big camera and got some fun shots.

Nate’s wanted a scooter for years and years. When it came time to sell his car last week (because it’s evil and needed to go), he decided to go for it. And yes, we know he’s going to get wet.

Congrats, baby! Be safe.

I have some really cute pictures, but someone that’s not me somehow crushed the cable that connects my camera to the computer, so I can’t download pictures ’til I get a new one, and I never think about it ’til I want to download pictures. So, no photos today.

But, Nate decided it was time to get out some of his old GI Joe toys, circa 1982 & 3, so the boys can play with them. They’ve been having SO much fun. It’s really cute. So there are about 40 action figures and a bunch of large tanks, armored cars, and fighter jets all over the living room.

The rubber bands holding the old action figures together have started disintegrating, so Nate and I opened up and fixed about 20 of them on Saturday night. Silly fun.

In other news, I started packing this last weekend, and took down some shelving. There are a number of boxes in the basement now. I started with my wool room, and I think today I’m going to pack some knickknacks off of bookshelves and glassware in the kitchen.

We still have 3 months, so I worry a bit that I’ll end up wanting to use things that I’ve packed, but I’m getting really antsy. I need to make some progress.

We have a showing today at 1. It’s 9 am now. I’m SO not motivated to get things cleaned up so that strangers can walk through my home. It’s gray, and cold, and very, very wet out. It has me feeling somber.

I work hard to keep my mood and my outlook positive. You choose what you think about, what you dwell on, where you let your thoughts go. Sometimes it’s easier than other times. But it’s always a delicate balance. It takes all my energy and effort, and when I’m hit with the negativity of others, it can really knock my feet out from under me.

I don’t feel like standing up today.

There’s not much going on at the moment. Well, other than mothering 5 crazy kids. So there’s always tons going on, but in terms of moving and such, not much. I think the bubble is going to pop at some point, and I’ll suddenly have to get the house packed in 3 days or something. There was a massive, crazy 3 week insanity, trying to get the house “good enough” to go on the market and show. Now, other than trying to keep it clean-ish at that level, I’m not doing much.

I think the next big thing would be cleaning out the garage so there’s a good place to store packed boxes. But it’s SO FREAKING COLD!!!!! And wet, and not nice outside, I just can’t get myself psyched up to do it. Plus, there’s a lot of hazardous chemicals and latex paint cans to deal with, and I flat out don’t want to.

However, I’m afraid that time is slipping away from me, and at some point in the future, I’ll be mad that I didn’t make use of every single day in getting ready to move.

But, there are still no offers on the house. Not a lot of traffic coming to look at it. We have to drop the price slowly to show the bank that it really won’t sell for more than whatever offer eventually comes in, so they’re more likely to accept it. Which again means that it’s going to go from “nothing’s happening” to “crap! I have no time” real quick.

And yet, I’m enjoying the lull. I’ve been knitting the last couple days. I can’t remember the last time I indulged like this, and it’s glorious. I’ll post pictures when it’s done, which will be soon. It’s kind of a funky, orange shawl that may end up being a warm house shawl/blanket type thing. It might be too weird to wear out in public, but I don’t care. I’ve wanted to knit this pattern for years and I finally have.

Here’s a cute picture I took for my Twitter account yesterday (I don’t post there, just internet stalk my favorite musicians). I really like how it turned out.