A little summer project

This is how my summer has looked. We moved to a new house — I know, I told you about moving last year, but this is a house we’ve looked at for a long time, and when we found out it was for sale again, we decided to move quickly. Doug the dog was a bit shaken by the upheaval, but he’s okay now. You can see that the teenager found the kitchen, so everyone is happy.

We repainted almost everything, so unpacking had to wait. I can highly recommend Pro 1 Painters in Daphne. Another good experience was using Sexton Landscaping to give the yard a huge clean-up. Very nice people. This time, About the Move- Coastal moved us and we loved them. They sang while they packed everything up. A few things were nicked and broken, but they took care of everything and sent a fabulous furniture repairman to the house to make the needed touch-ups. I was very sick during the move, but they took great care to help me with everything.  I actually had a terrible case of food poisoning that wiped me out for an entire month, and was told not to lift anything. Yeah . . . right, that lasted for about one day!

My favorite thing about the move was that I got to use my very special talent of arranging bookshelves. Oh, how I love to do that. My husband says there isn’t a horizontal surface I can’t tackle. And yes, that’s him in the frame. He hasn’t changed a bit. Still adorable and he kills me with that smile.

I have roses in my new yard, so I’m learning how to care for them. Every morning, I go outside and clip a little bouquet (while I sing and birds and butterflies flutter about my head). I’m thinking I’ll add a few more varieties, if you have any suggestions on what grows well in Coastal Alabama.

More horizontal surfaces . . . but this time I wanted to show all of you who think it’s dreamy to live in South Alabama, how we have to put most of our dry-goods in sealed jars or other containers. Even if your house is bug-free, many times the humidity or bugs from the grocery store will make their way into your house. (That’s a giant jar of cupcake papers in one jar that would otherwise stick together and wilt in the humidity). Several times, I’ve gone to bake something and found creepy things in the flour that wasn’t in a jar. I take it and run screaming out of the house and fling it in the garbage can — then, I stomp my feet several times for general amusement and emphasis.  AGGHHH!!!!!! I spy a little bag of White Lily cornmeal on the bottom I forgot. Rice is also another thing to watch for humidity and such. Next time, I’ll fill you in on our frequent sewer spills into the bay, so you’ll have a real idea of what it’s like to live in paradise.

At my previous house, darling Bob said I should take the entire living room as my office.(because I’m a best selling author, you know — at least in my house I am). It was large enough for a sofa in case I needed to write while lounging with champagne. Now, this new house came with a home office that is literally smaller than my closet. I’ve redone the green and will show you the updated version soon. (as soon as its clean).

I scrubbed up these old light fixtures that belonged to Bob’s grandmother to use in my tiny office. = LOVE!

Harrison said he was coming home for a visit and girls would be with him, so I ran around like a mad woman finalizing the last few boxes and rooms. You know . . . girls! Thank goodness for that last push because now, I’m 90% done unpacking. I have to hang a few more pictures, but everything is finally in place.

So, other than unpacking, being sick, and having to rework my entire book, this is what I did this summer.  Onward to autumn!