Housekeeping

So sorry, loved ones, that I haven't posted lately. We moved into the house on Friday and Saturday of last week. We did it ourselves after learning that movers would cost upwards of $600-800. Brad rented a U-Haul and with the help of brauny Ralph, Rico, and Jeff, the two and a half truckloads made it safely into our house. No injuries, praise God, and we have yet to find a damaged item. Great job, men!

Saturday and Sunday we spent getting basics organized--shower supplies, sheets and bedding, basic dishes. We got the opportunity to serve at church on Sunday-- Brad as producer (!!!) and I in the nursery. We're thrilled to be getting involved there.

Monday and Tuesday we spent (I took Monday off of work, and Tuesday was a holiday due to Rosh Hashanah) getting the kitchen and bedroom in working order. Chris and Makena came over on Monday and we got about 90% of the kitchen in place. Simply amazing. And I finished it on Tuesday. How good it feels to have the center of the house in order! Brad got the office in decent shape and ready for internet to be installed, which is why I haven't posted much lately. Comcast comes on Saturday.

We've made more trips to Lowes than I ever thought I would. The guy in hardware knows us and cringes when we come near, certain that we'll have questions. He helped us talk through options for curtain-hanging, as I can't stand the idea of spending $200 on curtain rods alone. We ended up-- eat your heart out, fellow bargain-hunters-- buying curtain hanging brackets from Joann Fabrics at their weekend half price sale ($1.25 per bracket) and bought electrical conduit pipes for the rods (#2.37 per 10 foot rod). Total cost: about $14.61 for two huge sliding-glass-door spaces, 108" and 154" wide.

Curtains in the master bedroom are the same black velvet ones we had in our bedroom in Evanston, perfect for blocking light and creating a dark sleepy cave. Curtains in the great room are just past cream into gold-colored and velvety, too, to absorb sound, I hope. We hung those last night after a long day of work, but unfortunately they're about a half inch too long. Rather, we hung them about a half inch too low. We're going to raise them tonight. Ugh. A word to the wise-- know when to say when when it comes to do-it-yourself home-improvement. Sleep enough.

Brad put up a mailbox and post on Tuesday and we're supposed to be getting mail as of yesterday. Nothing came yesterday despite the postman's statement that they were holding mail for us. Maybe today.

We also got a washer and dryer at Costco (GREAT PRICES!) in addition to a ladder. Brad bought contacts there last night in their optical department and saved $150 over what his optometrist's office would have charged. Megan B. and Jamie M., you've been loyal Costco fans for so long, and I'd like to finally join your crusade to evangelize the world. Costco RULES! Just don't get me near the tubs of biscotti or Ghirardelli brownie mix or I'll never fit in my jeans again.

Tonight we're going to hook up the washer and dryer-- oh, I forgot to mention that the exterminator/pest control guy came on Tuesday morning and sprayed. We should be bug-free for a long time. Hooray! Also, the water softener guy came back on Tuesday since the water still smelled like sulfur. After a long day of moving in the heat, taking a shower in sulfur-water is not really an improvement. The Aqua Systems guy came out and reattached the water softener and everything is sulfur-free now! We can actually drink the water, no problem!

Now that we're in the house, with clean water, without bugs, we're taking reservations for Chez Bressler. The queen-size mattress gets delivered on Monday-- come on down, folks! We'd love to have you!