I am a domestic goddess

Ok, not really, but I did make some really good freezer jam. YUM! It was my first try and I was dubious, but it turned out really well. We've already gone through half a batch, I think I might have to make more!

Anyone have a good cobbler recipe?

I want to make strawberry cobbler. Someone *cough* Mom *cough* filled my freezer with strawberries and one can only make so much freezer jam. We had strawberry cobbler with friends a couple of weeks ago and it was uber-good, but alas and alack, they got it from a Dream Dinners type place, so no recipe. Ricky and I would be ever so grateful. It sounds really good with some ice cream!

Melon Collie

It is so wonderful to be in our big new house. And it will be even more wonderful when we're unpacked and have things put together the way we want them.

But tonight, as we loaded up the last few things at the old house and met the renters for the walk through, it hit me: While it is still our house, because we own it, it is no longer our home.

I know I whined and complained about that house. A lot. But there are still some wonderful memories there. Ricky and I started our life as a married couple in that house, we learned what being married meant and how to be a family in that house. We added to our family in the form of Jacko in that house.

I'll never forget...

• being there late at night, doing homework in the spare room while Ricky was working on getting the house ready before we moved in.
• spending the night on the futon with Sierra, watching (and hating) Monsoon Wedding, and Ricky unintentionally scaring the crap out of us
• realizing the night before our wedding when Heidi and I were supposed to stay there that we didn't have a shower curtain rod yet, and stopping at Fred Meyer about 10:30 at night after the rehearsal to pick one up
• being in the bathroom, brushing out my hair, getting ready to get married
• writing wedding thank you notes late at night, waiting for Ricky to get home
• the ugliest kitchen tile and sink you've ever seen - and how I cried the day I realized no paint color could ever make it look better
• Ricky seeing me cry and deciding it was time to change the kitchen
• our beautiful kitchen!
• nearly burning the house down when heating up some oil. Don't do that at 11 oclock when you're exhausted!!
• hosting Bible study in our home
• studying on the bed, and Ricky bringing me scrambled eggs and toast for dinner
• having dinner with numerous friends and family in our cute kitchen
• my gorgeous - and huge! -geraniums in the front yard
• the shutters. Dear Lord, the shutters.

So many memories, so much for which to be thankful. As I think back on the times I cherish from that home, I realize most are from very early in our marriage, when we were in college and just after. It makes me realize - we really did outgrow that house. It was a wonderful place for us to start, but as we grew as a couple, as a family, as individuals, we began to outgrow our four walls. We began to outgrow the "early married/graduate student" decor of yesteryear. We needed a change

Our new place isn't huge by any measure. It's new, though, and bigger. It's a place for us to continue to grow, a place for new memories. We have our first grown up couch, our first real guest room and bath. We have a house large enough to have a party - and we will, don't you worry!

While I will miss the old house, I know that we are entering a new phase in our lives, and I'm excited to see where it leads.

H. A. W. T.

That stands for "it's one million degrees outside and I'm sweating my patootie off." Or something like that.

We hit 100 degrees yesterday. One hundred and it's not even July yet! Right now, according to PDX, it's 82 outside, but the thermometer we have here says it's 86. Whatever it is, it's hot. Really, really hot.

It's even hotter when you've decided not to drive today so you ride your bike to the farmer's market. Which wasn't bad at 10:15, but coming back at noon, it was really warm. Especially since coming home is uphill. Blech. But I made it, and now I'm trying to find something cold for lunch, and something cold to make for dinner. If it's 86 right now, I can only imagine how warm it will be when dinner time rolls around. No way am I turning on the stove.

I really need to do some work at the old house, too, but I'm sweating just sitting here. I can't imagine how bad I'd be sweating if I did some work. While I was hoping to do this stuff before Ricky got home, I think it will have to wait until this evening when the sun goes down and it cools off. One nice thing about Oregon, when the sun sets, it cools off rapidly. It should be rather pleasant come 9 oclock.

I love this house!!

While I hate the actual act of moving, I am so glad we did it. I love this house!

• Two bathrooms!!
• A real guest room.
• An office that doesn't have to double as a guest room!
• Double car garage (it seriously feels huge)
• Yard is easier to care for
• Our bedroom is the perfect size for us
• More cabinets than I have stuff. I don't have to store serving dishes in the laundry room anymore!
• More drawers than I know what to do with.
• An awesome, huge living room - the entertainment center that felt so big at the old house looks tiny here.
• Floors that are easy to clean.
• It stays super cool (so far)
• A garage door opener
• Room in the "laundry room" (a corner of the garage) to sort laundry. I don't have to do it in the hallway anymore, woohoo!

I could go on and on, but there are so many reasons to love this house. After only a couple of days, I love it more than I ever loved our old house...and probably more than is reasonable for any sane person. Oh well!

We've done moved!

We are in the new house. It is by no means completely set up, nor are we even completely finished moving out of the old house, but all the furniture has been moved, the clothes are here and, most importantly, the computer is moved and the cable hooked up!

We still have some work to do getting the old place ready for the renters. They move in July 9, so we have a some time, but not a lot. And somehow I've got to get these boxes unpacked and find a place for everything. Moving a 964 square foot house to a 1371 square foot house, that shouldn't be a problem, but it's all a little overwhelming right now.

Our living room currently looks like a living room in a college house. We bought a new couch but haven't gotten it yet, so right now we have a folding chair, a kitchen chair, two end tables, and a twin mattress in the living room in front of our tv. It's oh-so lovely and grown up looking.

Jacko is very confused. He kept whining last night and sitting in front of both the front door and the garage door. We finally figured out that he was ready to go home. Though he'd been to the new house several times before we moved in, we'd always come, stayed a while and left. He'll get used to it, but it's sad and at the same time kind of funny right now to see him so confused and wanting to leave.

You know how sometimes you get really excited about something?

...and then you realize you have to put it on hold and it's a big bummer?

Yeah, that's me right now.

The plan had always been that when we moved into a bigger, more permanent house, we'd get better, more permanent living room furniture. We'd started looking and found what we wanted, we think...except that we've decided to put it on hold for a little while.

There are a lot of expenses associated with moving out of this house, renting it out, and moving into the new one. Obviously, paying those bills is more important than a new couch. Not to mention that things in my district are shaky at best. We almost had to start the new school year in debt, there have been a lot of cutbacks, and we're losing a very lucrative income tax. I haven't heard anything to make me think I may not have a job, but we've decided to play it safe and save save save on the offchance that something happens and I end up working fewer hours than we think I will.

Assuming all goes as planned with the job, we'll go into September with a nice size savings in our account and the ability to order the new living room furniture guilt and fear free. And I know it's only 10 weeks away...but still, I was so looking forward to it. Ah well, I've put up with the hand me downs for 5.5 years, what's another 2.5 months?