beautiful bliss

Whew.

That was a production.

It's been over a week since we scheduled our U-Haul for the big move and look where we are. Nearly a week later, we were still moving all those little things that you forget to pack, cleaning out the dust balls which had taken over, and scouring the old tub. And, today, in our new place, we're still struggling with the chaos. There's so much to be done. Lining the kitchen cabinets, finding the perfect shower curtain, painting, and unpacking boxes and boxes and boxes of books. But, this is the fun part. That's what I keep telling myself.

People have been asking, "Does it feel like home yet?" And I can say honestly, "No. It doesn't. I couldn't find my toothbrush for three days!" But, the other night when we made our first home cooked meal, it started to get close. We didn't have much in the fridge, so we made do with a delicious tomato salad (a simple recipe from an old boyfriend's Italian mother - sliced tomatoes with garlic, oregano, basil, balsamic and olive oil) and an Orangette special - Pasta with Hashed Brussel Sprouts and Pine Nuts. (Ironically, Molly's post title is "Refilled and Refueled." Appropriate in this case as well.)

We sat on our new screened-in porch at an old table that the former owner left behind (along with a lot of other interesting items I'm too polite to mention here). The sun was beginning to dip behind the police tower, and we were hungry and tired from the week of stress. In that moment, yes, it felt like home.

Keep sweeping, Martha

PS - When this post first went up, I should have given a HUGE shout out to the four wonderful, wonderful men who helped us move - our neighbors-now-friends, the Chemist, and the Nutty Professor! We couldn't have done it without you guys!

PPS - How could I forget to thank my wonderful Brother #3! Without his pick-up truck (and muscle) we might still be on Calvert Street!

so long, farewell

movin' on up

I'm getting a little teary-eyed. It's not easy leaving an apartment and a neighborhood and people that you really, really love. I'm excited about the new place, but when I walked into our dismantled living room last night, it was hard not to cry. Luckily, the girls next door to us clogged up their sink drain. It backed up into our sink, and I thought to myself, "Okay. Maybe, I'm ready to move on."

So... to make the pain less painful, I thought I'd make a list of all the things I won't miss about my wonderful railroad apartment. (Because going to the Greek festival tonight and a party at Breadsoda on Monday night is not helping.)

1) The cleaning people. They have an uncanny knack for arriving just when I'm about to head out to walk Ella. Doesn't matter what time of day. On a Tuesday or Thursday, they are always waiting right outside the door as soon as I open it (though I do appreciate the great work that they do on our hallway!).

2) Talking Ella down the stairs at night for last call.

3) The creepy laundry room.

4) The marginally insane neighbors. Sinks backing up, walking around naked with all the shades up, calls for house meetings, the inability to pick up newspapers and junk mail, none of this I will miss.

5) Our kitchen. It's tiny. Very tiny.

6) No windows in the bedroom. Okay, we have windows, but they don't go outside.

7) The no good, terrible, horrible carpeting in the back (though we are exchanging it for no good, terrible, horrible carpeting in the basement, but we can replace it!).

8) No parking after 9 pm! That really irks me.

9) The construction at Stoddert.

10) Okay. Maybe that one about the neighbors should count for two.

In any case, tomorrow we are moving the big furniture, and I hope it works out for us. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous, and we have some friends coming to help. Those two facts alone put us at an advantage with our other D.C. move, which consisted of me and Mr. Beeton (and Ella, of course, but she just cries rather than lifts).

Okay. Back to packing. Is that the drain gurgling again?

Keep sweeping, Martha

you're about as old and piled

Yesterday was Mr. Beeton's 32nd birthday. Since he had been called to jury duty on Tuesday, we were afraid to make any big plans in case he needed to continue to fulfill his civic duty throughout the week. Instead, I decided to cook some egg rolls and make Chicken, Edamame, and Noodle Stir Fry. For dessert, Georgetown Cupcakes - red velvet, carrot, chocolate peanut butter, and vanilla birthday. I've blogged before here about their deliciousness.

Little did I know, however, that TLC has started filming at Georgetown Cupcake. The women who own the store - Sophie LaMontagne and Katherine Kallinis - have been featured on television before, including a stint on Martha the day before Obama's victory. Apparently, the two have snagged a reality series entitled Cupcake Sisters, which you can read more about here. Any trip to Georgetown Cupcakes is sweet - especially if there is no line - but yesterday, the camera crews made it even sweeter. Thank goodness I had gotten my haircut that morning!

Watched Whip It, An Education, and It's Complicated.

super saver

closing time

As my loyal readers (and Facebook friends) may know, we have been embroiled in a bitter battle with Wells Fargo. I'm happy to report that we triumphed yesterday - approximately 24 days after our original closing date. We are now the proud owners of a house in the Brightwood neighborhood of D.C. on Quackenbos Street. We celebrated last night by taking some yummy food from Surfside, the bottle of champagne from Wells Fargo, and Ella over to the new homestead. Ella was pleased as punch, running in circles on the first floor, up the stairs and down again, and through every inch of the yard.

Sadly, though, the railroad apartment will be no more - in about a month - so until then, I'll need to savor all the things that still make it special.

1. The short walk to Whole Foods, Surfside, Breadsoda...

2. All of our neighbors-now-friends

3. Our little container garden, which we've cultivated with lots of love

4. Being on one floor. There's something to be said about not having to do stairs in the middle of the night to get some iced tea.

5. Stoddert Elementary School

6. Our cardboard fireplace

7. The fake windows in our bedroom

8. My bathtub - it's my favorite so far in the whole world!

9. Our walks through the woods

10. My super, super, super short commute (in car) or super, super short commute (on foot)

Watched Up In the Air and The Apartment. Watching Thirtysomething: Season One (ah-mazing!).

i'll huff and i'll puff

Our apartment is falling apart. Last night, due to the heat, we had to turn our air conditioner on. Since our bedroom is in the middle of our railroad apartment, this requires some finagling. We have to shut the door to the kitchen and seal the entrance to our doorway in order to capture the cool air. However, last night, our bedroom door refused to stay shut, probably because it has finally succumbed to the weight of the ironing board, which hangs on the back of the door. So, now, the ironing board is in the dining room along with boxes of junk, overstuffed Easter baskets, and wedding shower gifts. It's hard to navigate and to concentrate.

All of the chaos wouldn't bother me so much if there were an end in sight. In part, we've allowed ourselves to revel in this squalor because we thought we were closing on our new house... March 24th. But, we haven't yet closed, and we're still not sure there is an end in sight. First, we were told that our inspector's report - which we paid $460 for - was not good enough. The bank wanted us to get a structural engineer through - for another $350. Then, after we submitted that paperwork, the bank had additional concerns about the lead paint that might be lurking. This required not only hiring a lead-based paint specialist - for another $500 - but also having our contractor come out to the property, estimate how much the work would cost, and then submit that paperwork to the bank. Once this was done the bank wanted a copy of our termite report, which we had submitted weeks ago. Now, they wanted us to sign it and the seller to sign it.

Today, it appears as though everything is in, but I'm not holding my breath. One more puff from the bank, and I'm worried they'll blow our brick house down (even though that's not the way the story goes).

Watched Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Finished reading The Help.