Incredible inedibles

Anyone in my family will tell you that I have no problem pushing the standard boundaries of what's "edible" in the fridge and the pantry. Moldy cheese? No problem. Milk seven days past the expiration date... does it smell bad? No big deal. Homemade, frozen vegetable stock made last year and rediscovered way in the back of the freezer tundra? Sounds delicious. But- when I realized during our most recent move that I still had the packet of Chocolate Cherry Quick Bread I bought (on sale, mind you so it was likely closing in on the expiration date already) at Williams-Sonoma almost two years ago- even I thought twice.

I'm sure the nutritional value was, at this point, questionable. I'm also sure I don't give a hoot about that on a regular basis so why would that stop me with this shelf stable mix? It didn't. I added the water, butter, and eggs, and whipped that baby up as fast as you can say Tallahassee lassie. And I'm still alive and well today. While the experience proves that I am far too stingy to throw out something I paid a good $5.99 for- it also proves that expiration dates are [not always, but often] for suckers.

Okay, it's safe to roll your eyes now, family.

Best buys

Oh baby did we hit the jackpot. Friday afternoon we headed south to Bridgeport Village to visit the nearest Crate and Barrel. I received a gift card for my birthday that I had been hoarding until I could enjoy the tax-free bounty of Oregon state, and we had a couple of items we had been meaning to pick up to flesh out the registry.

So we wandered around the expanse of stuff we likely didn't need. The "engineered wood" and veneer furniture, the newest flavor of wicker baskets for the fall season, and glass baubles that have absolutely no purpose. Now, don't get me wrong. I love me some unnecessary interior items but I try to remind myself that I don't need to complete my collection of "stuff" today. Because really, then how would I spend tomorrow?

And then we found this (but in cognac instead of natural). Copeland Furniture is a company out of Bradford, VT that has contracted with Crate and Barrel for a line of beautiful and functional bedroom pieces. Though they do use some veneers (it turns out almost everyone does from what we can tell), they have excellent craftsmanship with dovetail joints, sumptuous finishes and smart lines. Not to mention, I haven't seen a piece of furniture made in the US distributed by a megastore in - well, I don't know how long. So are you ready for the reveal?

...

We got it for $399.00.

What did you say?

I know, holy crap! Right? This piece lists for $1499.00 and we got it for the price of the mirror! Turns out, floor samples are occasionally drastically reduced in price to make room for new pieces and when they do- they don't hold back with that red clearance pen. And thank god for that because their willy-nilly price reductions are helping us put together a real, live, adult house piece by piece. Now we just have to keep an eye out for the matching six-drawer dresser (lists for $1699.00) to take a dive in price. I've got my eyes open and my penny jar front and center. Time to start saving.

Oh, and with our gift card and returns, we only paid $294.32 in the end. Isn't that nuts?

The girl is back in town

What a long, strange trip it's been so far. Moving to Portland is no small deal- let me tell you. The last week and a half has been filled with stuff... primarily boxes- big, small, short, tall, labeled, unlabeled- boxes. That and countless items neither Mr.Mr. nor I probably actually need. Oh, and a few things we absolutely can't live without... like chocolate bars imported from Italy by our friends Dionne and Matt.

The good news is, we have jobs. Mr.Mr. and I both received offers of employment from the companies we had second interviews with and we begin work on the 8th of September. In short, we rule. Mr.Mr. will be working for RatherLargeConsultingFirm (RLCF) and I will be working for BigMunicipalOrganization (BMO). The more exciting news is that we've managed to relocate to a city with a lower cost of living and more difficult economy without losing opportunities for reasonable income. I know, I know- no one likes to talk about money except the people who make it. Which is sort of true but only in so much as that this change means that within a year, we may actually be able to realize the dream of buying our own home. Portland, it turns out- is one of the best decisions we've ever made. (You were right, Megan B- thank you!)

I'll have more posts soon on all the delicious food we're eating, cool stuff we're doing and updates to the general life story as it happens. Thanks for bearing with me through the dead air. It's good to be back.

Quick update

Just a quick dispatch from the coffee shop around the block from our new place stop have moved in to new apartment stop have had requisite breakdown and subsequent blow out argument with husband stop will surely recover stop have resolved to drink more stop just kidding stop sort of stop more later stop

Early mornings

Okay.  

Seriously?  

4:25am?  

This is getting a little ridiculous.  I woke up first because of the heat- the bed sheet too hot for comfort and the window fan too obstructed by the sheer curtain to be effective.  I resorted to my secret weapon... the icepack. Your body temperature has to actually drop in order for it to give the green light to sleep, so some time ago I realized I could trick it on unbearably hot nights by wrapping an icepack in a kitchen towel and keeping it under my pillow between my two hands.  The towel keeps my fingers from getting too frozen and the residual cold usually makes it's way through the pillow to cool my head.  It's a great tool for beating the heat. 

But that didn't work.

Then I started thinking about how my potential future boss had called at least two of my references yesterday. Did they say the right things?  Did they give him faith that I'm up to the job?  I have no way of knowing, really but that didn't stop me from worrying.

Then I started thinking about all the things I won't be doing anymore in a few short days.  

• I won't be walking past my father-in-law's office on my way to and from work- occasionally catching his eye and greeting him with a wave and a smile
  
• I won't be a block or two from the best doughnuts in town at the Dahlia Bakery
  
• I won't be just down the street from Kristen and all her exciting energy and new projects (not to mention her nascent ping pong league)
  
• I won't get to see Kent at the Sunday market every week
• I won't get to put off calling someone back because I know they're only ten minutes away and it's really that easy to get together
• I won't [likely] be walking to work 
  
• I won't be able to go to the Lab (and I'm completely going to miss their "Bring and Brag" session)
  
• I won't be working with Mr.Mr. anymore... able to swing by his desk to get his opinion on something, lean on him when I've had a rough conversation, or steal a hug in the elevator just because I can
  

And really, what it all comes down to is that I won't be in Seattle anymore soon.  And as much as I tout Portland for it's low cost of living, great people, supportive art community, safe biking... whatever... it's not really going to be Seattle anymore.  And I think that's just hard when you get right down to it.  I think I've been trying to be firm about our move... giving everyone the impression that I couldn't be more sure of myself.  And part of that is for Mr.Mr.'s sake because he's putting some distance between himself and his family which is hard.  Part of that is so we won't be dissuaded by nostalgia and inertia when faced with the opportunity for growth and change.  But part of it is also so I won't wake up every morning at 4:00am thinking about all the things I won't be doing in Portland.

Because deep down I know that I will be doing a lot of great things in Portland.  It's just a little hard to see them this early in the morning.

Separation anxiety

Normally, I'm like a teenager in the morning.  The alarm goes off- I hit snooze four or five times and thrash around in bed,in complete denial of my obligation to start the day.  Occasionally, I've taken to showering, getting dressed, and then laying back down in bed for just a few more minutes.  That or I'll skip the shower (knowing full well I'm pushing the boundaries of appropriately slick hair) just to steal an extra thirteen beautiful minutes of rest before I make the trek into work.  Needless to say, I'm not an all a morning person. So you can tell there's something on my mind when I wake up at 7:15am and can't force myself back to sleep. Trust me... I tried.

Even though I knew it was coming-  I'm a little alarmed to realize that tomorrow is my last day of work.  I'll be boxing up my stuff, gingerly moving plants, and taking down my certificates from the wall to tote home.  And I think it's just plain weird.  At three years (almost to the day), my most recent job is the longest running position I've had yet and I find it sort of amazing I made it that long at all.  I won't bother you all with details, but it's been a roller coaster ride with a few steep descents and some unbelievably dizzying turns. Knowing all that, I don't think I expected to feel so odd about it.  I think that more than having a new apartment... more than scheduling the movers or the rental truck reservation... this is when it starts to feel real.  And real is the kind of nerve-wracking stuff that keeps you awake in the morning.

On a side note, Mr.Mr. and I both had second interviews with two great companies on Tuesday.  We won't hear until next week what the verdicts are but I'm really proud to be seeing these sorts of results so early on in our respective searches.  We're really good candidates for a number of positions but the job market is not so hot down south.  As the family budget mistress, Mr.Mr. is taking me on my word that we'll be fine without work for a few months, but I know having a position lined up on the horizon might help assuage some of his fears about the Portland market.  And that sort of peace of mind is what will help him sleep past his alarm. 

Cross your fingers for us?

If you've ever worked in retail

You will LOVE this site.

This one entry in particular is priceless.