It's been just over a week since I moved into the new place. The amount of boxes that came into this house left me doubting I'd ever see any dent.
Slowly, very slowly, boxes have been unpacked and taken out. I've had helpers for sure. Janet, Blueberry and the Niece have all put in plenty of time helping me unpack.
The kitchen is 98% unpacked. There are still a couple of things on the counter I'm not sure what to do with. I suspect I'll just cram them into a cabinet and be done with it. I need to use the kitchen to determine if the stuff is in the right places. I'm sure I'll reorganize at some point.
I've gotten in all the extra items I needed so I can unpack more. Bought a pantry and had it put together by a guy from Task Rabbit. What a great service that is! It has people willing to help you with just about anything...for a fee.
Once the pantry got put together then I could unpack several boxes. Had to wait for new canisters to come in so I could finish it up. Now the coffee/pantry "nook" is ready to go. The boyfriend (the Keurig) awaits visitors.
The Niece came over last night to help me put together the new shelves for the living room. She's a good kid and is always willing to help, so I take full advantage of it. It usually costs me dinner, though she often protests that. Yesterday it cost me frozen yogurt AND dinner.
I got to thinking about the items I put on the shelf and why I chose to display them. Then I thought about how so many items I brought home from Mom's house had stories to them that I didn't know. I wanted to know why she bought some of the things she did. Where she bought them? Why did she buy them? What were her and dad doing when she bought them? I felt like she probably told me at some point, but I neglected to write them down, and or I wasn't paying close enough attention.
So I thought it might be fun to talk about the items on this shelf.
Top Shelf:
- Photo of Mom: She had professional photos done in 2015 I think it was. Some person came to the Voyager offering to take photos of people and their pets. Mom jumped at the chance and got a great set of photos of her and Beau. She sent me this 8X10 and I had it up in the den at the old house. That is until mom passed. Then it became part of the downstairs. Now she's part of this house. I realized I need a photo of dad now too. I'll start searching for that as soon as I find my hard drive in some box upstairs.
- The brass camels: Those guys came home with us from Saudi. Mom and dad had them in their houses in Washington. When they moved to Odessa mom was over them and gave them to me. Now they are on display from my friend The Pantry Goat to rearrange every time she's over.
- The Pineapple: That is a gift from Queen PopUp. After our trip to SC where we learned a pineapple was left on a porch banister when the host was ready for people to leave, we joked about that being my signal to let people know Sunday Dinner was over.
- The fake books and Tall box: No story at all. Just two items I liked the look of.
Second Shelf:
- Blue Elephant: That little guy I bought in the airport in Barcelona. I thought it'd be a perfect gift for Blueberry (old college story about her soul animal being an elephant). Then when I got him home I realized I thought he was pretty cool and that I should keep him. Sorry Blueberry.
- Traveler's Notebooks: I've been converting my 12X12 albums to these little Traveler's Notebooks. I love how clean and organized they look on this shelf. One year is done in the wrong font...I'll need to fix that later.
- Greek Vase: This was another treasure I brought home from Mom's house. And yet another item I have no idea what the story is behind it. I'm sure it was bought in Greece, but what island?
- Purple bowl: That bowl sat in Mom's guest bathroom in their house in Catalina. I don't remember where it was displayed in the house in the Voyager, but I do know I brought it home from there. I always loved it. I think she bought it in Tubac, AZ, but I can't be sure. I remember seeing them there when she took me there one day to visit. It's a fun little artisan place where you can find some unique items for purchase.
- Stacked Camels: These little guys I bought on the Canary Island cruise Janet and I went on. These were bought on Lanzarote, Canary Islands. We stopped in a small gift shop area and I saw these guys and debated, then decided to buy them. They seemed like a grey souvenir for me. Unlike the blue elephant I never thought about buying them for anyone else.
Bottom Shelf:
- Owl: The owl is actually a coin holder too. I found him at a garage sale and for some reason decided I needed him. I brought him home, cleaned him up and started putting coins in him. He's not full and I have doubts he'll ever be full.
- Travel Books: So my travel books. Every time I go somewhere I buy a book on the place. I love to look at them and see all the places I've been fortunate enough to visit. And now as I look a them I can revisit the trips in my memories and plot where I want to visit again.
- Mojacar Vase: In the summer of 1986 Dad, Mom and I went to Spain. A friend of dad's had a little villa on the costal town of Mojacar and offered to us to stay in. We visited Madrid, Grenada, Sevilla and more while in Spain. But the little stay in Mojacar seemed to be one that I have some of the fondest memories. First, the beach was right there, so we could go layout all we wanted to. Then there's the memory of dad finding this Rioja wine in a jug that was like 99cents. For the first time I tried red wine and loved it.
- Aztec Mask: The mask was a gift from Blueberry after one of her trips to Cabo...I think. I can't think of any other trip to Mexico she's taken, so I'm sticking to Cabo.
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