Big news – this summer Bet On Dinner will have a new base of operations! Our family is moving to Wilmington, NC, and all of a sudden it’s happening soon. The past two weeks we’ve been up to our necks in getting-the-house-on-the-market projects – lots of paint and general sprucing up, and plenty of wishing we had spread some of these projects out instead of cramming them into a two week marathon. But we had a new baby, man. Or at least, she was new 8 months ago. Alas, I would rather watch a show after the girls go to bed than bust out the paintbrushes, so there were a *few* lingering things to do.
So there has been no blogging, no Netflixing, and precious little cooking. We blew through our freezer meal stash in the first couple of days after converting our kitchen and dining room into a DIY project staging area, then turned to our good friend pizza for most of our sustenance. Our three-year-old was literally composing spontaneous songs of joy while eating pizza for the second night in a row.
But – our house is under contract (!!!!!! cue trumpets and hallelujahs !!!!!!) and things should normalize for at least a few weeks, so I’m going to try to find my cooking motivation. I know it’s around here somewhere.
In the meantime, the girls and I are visiting my mom and I’m sorting through my childhood bedroom. You can see my mom’s sweet doggie Zola up there with the biggest stuffed dog ever, aka what I was spending my money on when other girls were buying makeup and, you know, learning how to blow dry their hair in a way that doesn’t involve using your hairbrush to hold your book open so you don’t have to stop reading (just me? still? at 31?). I thought you might enjoy a peek at the awesomeness hidden away in my closet. Let’s just say freezer meal hoarding is the most benign of my stockpiling tendencies. Here’s a small sampling:
- every writing utensil ever – including a click pen with 10 colors – and erasers for daayyz. You know you’re jealous of this one that has a “secret” compartment for passing notes.
- my recorder. My daughter has learned to play one note on it, which really enhanced the whole walk down memory lane.
- a carefully curated sticker collection. Weirdest sticker award goes to the US Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District.
- approximately 47 crocheted granny squares of unintentionally varied sizes and zero usefulness
- no less than 16 trolls, packed in individual baggies with their names and life histories. This is Sally Jo. She’s 22, which I guess seemed like an old, old age wherein one would have established one’s career as a painter?
- my American Girl doll Kirsten and many, many accessories (and when my three-year-old wanted to play with her, I was all like – um, no.)
- a truly embarrassing number of completed latchhook…rugs? Ruglets? I was really into crafts for the uncrafty. See also: tracing books and woven potholders.
- all correspondence I have ever received and all the calendars.
- a Popple, a Pound Puppy, and a family of Cabbage Patch Kids.
- awards and certificates from elementary school – now my great-grandchildren will never know that their forebear won the coveted 5th place green ribbon in the accuracy throw on Field Day in 1993. Wait, why am I not keeping these again??
- a scrapbook that contained sweet memories like poems from my Granddad and early artwork. And a lock of my hair. And a tooth.
I hope you enjoyed that TMI peek into my childhood!! See you soon with something edible!
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this.is.awesome.
Katie, I could have kept going!! Embossed quote booklet, anyone??
Yesssssssss..... And so many of these things you got me into! You didn't mention the library book system.....or our homemade magazine covered journals..... How did I not know about the trolls??!!?!!
Oh man, I definitely did find the Bethany's Books card catalog! Bahaha! I think the trolls were a short-lived obsession before we moved to FL? I personally think we should have an "embosting" party next time we're together...
So I randomly came across MY embosting :) quote book tonight!!! Going through some boxes in the garage and there it was. Can we make a DiGiorno pizza too?!?!
Yes to the uncrafty crafts! I had all of those, plus how-to-draw-cartoons books, sand art, rock tumbler, a bazillion jewelry making kits (my favorite of which used turquoise, leather, and silver cowboy themed charms). All of my stuff is long gone though!
Yessss Lindsay! I felt a little sad tossing my Most Favorite homemade anklet with super edgy black and white beads... ;o)
Oh, man. I'm going to have to do a corresponding post when it's my room's turn. (Except that I think it might be pretty identical, down to the stockpiled notepaper, and trolls in individual baggies. See also: bouncy balls.
Yeah, I wasn't sure if the world was ready for bouncy balls with personalities...
And, and, AND let's put your granny squares together with MY granny squares and make an afghan for Mom for mother's day. Mwahahahaha!
You are an evil genius, and I love you.
Last one-- Re: hairdrying techniques, you are not alone.
Well yeah, I probably learned it from you. ;o)
Didn't one of you have the elephont? Not sure of spelling. Or maybe that was Elizabeth.....
Eleroo the Wuzzle wasn't in my closet because he already lives with me in my grown-up closet. ;)
Pound puppies and popples, oh my! Loved reading this! We just moved and I totally found my old teeth. Um, thanks Mom? PS - "Crafts for the uncrafty" - totally me!!!
Senika - I'm just glad cooking exists so our not-so-artistic creative sides can have a better outlet than uncrafty crafts! Maybe we should think of a craft involving old teeth?? ;o)
I laughed so hard reading this that I couldn’t breathe. And please note that while there is in fact less stuff in Bethany’s old room, and there are even several trash and recycle bags out by the street, the rest of the house looks like the aforementioned room exploded outward, spilling hoarded spiral notebooks, Winnie the Pooh characters and Many Other Stuffed Animals everywhere.
In my defense, my children had something to do with the stuffed animal spreading... ;o)
This is awesome and I see now why we're friends. I threw away a container of my old baby teeth last time I was home. Why did my mom save them for me? Oh the click pen! And yes I'm jealous of the note-passing eraser...didn't know those existed!