Home Cooked When You Need It Most

Tags

food, foodie, moving, moving day, new home, new house, postaday2011

Moving Day!
When we moved into our rental in October, we spent a week (after work) moving our stuff and unpacking. Which meant not only did I have to make room in the kitchen to unpack my pans, I needed the energy and time to make something at 9 o’clock at night… so we went out to a local shop to eat instead. Okay, so I admit, the first two nights it was nice to eat someone else’s cooking. By the third night I was over it, and itching to get back into the kitchen. That week led me to this decision, pre-made frozen dinners. No, not some over-salted over-processed thing you buy in the supermarket freezer aisle, home-made ones of course.

Before we moved, I wanted to use most of the food we had in the freezer and pantry. I don’t like to waste food, but I also don’t like to pack my pantry either. I disposable foil pans and made some delicious dinners we could easily enjoy. When it came time for the move I filled a cooler with these frozen pans and then made the 30 minutes drive.

During the move, prepping dinner will be really easy. When taking an early afternoon water break, pull dinner out of the freezer to defrost a bit. When taking a later afternoon water break, stick it in the oven to bake. Remember, you’re probably not yet used to your new oven, so cooking time may vary. Leftovers are great for lunch the next day, just warm up in the microwave. Foil and freezer bags are a great way to store homemade breakfast sandwiches. I also have 6 heavy-duty plastic  dinner trays, meant for the freezer and microwave. With the three divided sections, they are a nice break from casserole style food.

Make Ahead & Freeze

Casseroles On The Menu This Week:
Penne Sausage Pasta
Lasagna (Pumpkin’s favorite)
Chicken & Rice Casserole
Stuffed Shells

Dinners On The Menu This Week:
Turkey Ham, green beans and potatoes

Breakfast On The Menu This Week:
Egg, muenster cheese & turkey sausage on an English muffin
Oatmeal
Cream of Wheat

Of course, I already unpacked 2 large pitchers, wooden spoon, bag of sugar and bottle of lemon juice and tea bags… because we are going to go through a lot of lemon-aide and iced tea this week.

What meal or comfort food would you prep ahead of time for a move?

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Our To-Do List Before Moving

Tags

moving, moving day, new home, new house

Every thing is packed up and ready to go… the key is in our hands, but we have a few things to do first. I’m a planner; I like everything laid out & prepared and sometimes I over think things. I am flexible, but the Girl Scout in me is always prepared…

#1 ICE (In Case of Emergency) & Other Numbers
Have emergency contacts ready, you never know what might happen. Know where the closest hospital with emergency room is located. If you have pets, have a new veterinarian ready and an emergency center if separate. Do you know who your new family doctor and dentist will be? Get referrals from your current doctor/dentist before you move. Have a takeout menu for at least one good local restaurant.

#2 Flea Bomb
The previous owners are supposed to have had the carpets cleaned before they left (even though eventually we’ll be ripping them out). My Dad gave us this good tip: Since the previous owners had a dog and cat, flea bomb it (after all it is summer). Especially since we have our own dog and cat. So after closing yesterday, we set up a few flea bombs and headed for the hills.

#3 Clean, Clean, Clean
Hubster thinks I’m a little crazy and obsessive with this one, “Why do you want to wipe the walls, we’re just going to paint over them.” Sorry Hubster, but I just need to make sure every nook and cranny is cleaned first. Get the scrubbing done now and then cleaning will be easier to maintain… I’ve got a huge box of cleaning supplies ready to work wonders.

#4 Stock Freezer
Who has the time or money to keep eating out when you’re moving? Or the time to cook?  I’ll have more on this tomorrow.

#5 Spackle, Sand & Paint
We have to agree on colors? Again? At least we know what our furniture and drapes look like, so we don’t clash.

#6 Update Important Information
With a plethora of paperwork and documentation, it’s hard to keep it all straight.

What else did you do before moving in to a new home?

At Last

Tags

good news, home owners, moving, moving day, new home, new house, postaday2011, transition

Recap:
We sold our home last autumn and have rented an apartment while continuing our search for our dream home. We ‘ve been living with the bulk of our possessions packed away in storage, I always needed another item that was hidden in the back. Meanwhile, we spent many, many hours with our patient realtor.

Update:
I’ve been reviewing my moving tips about packing boxes and suitcases, because it has come to that time where we are officially homeowners again! I wanted to wait until we closed to post anything, afraid that something would fall through last-minute.

Our house will need a lot touch ups, updating & landscaping, but it has a great layout and flow about it.  Some of my favorites? The two-story entry, the master bath, and oh, did I mention the breath-taking view?

At Last

Over the next month, my posting may become sparse again. I’m not sure how long we’ll be without internet, but I’m hoping to avoid a hiatus by filling my queue each time I’m near a computer. We have our apartment until the end of the month when everything will need to be moved into our new home. We’d like to be able to clean and paint everything before we move the boxes and furniture. We’re hoping on being able to move everything in one trip; with a large moving truck, our car, SUV & trailer filled to the brim.

Did I mention that our next month is filled with birthdays, showers and weddings??? Hopefully we’ll get a lot done this summer, before school starts again in August.

At last!

What joys do you have this (almost) summer day?

Living out of a Suitcase

Tags

essential items, moving, moving tips, new house, packing tips, suitcase, what to pack

When many people move, they say they’re “living out of boxes”. The chaos of unpacking overwhelms and the steam to unpack dwindles. I’d rather live out of a suitcase than a box… pretend you’re going on vacation and pack what you think you’ll need for a week or two. Keep the packed suitcase in the car, not the moving truck and you’ll have what you need at your fingertips.

Although I’ve mentioned some of these items in the “Open Me First Boxes,” they’re also essential in the suitcases. For example, my electric toothbrush is packed in my suitcase and a spare toothbrush is in the Open Me First Bathroom Box.

Suitcase Essentials:
Underwear & socks (pack many extra of each)
Extra shoes
Weather appropriate clothing
Pajamas
Slippers
Toothbrush & toothpaste
Personal toiletries
Make-up
Hair dryer
Small first aid kit
Lint brush
Small travel umbrella
Passport & other important documents
Prescriptions

*If moving during the school year have kids include any school supplies or books they may need.

What is the one luxury item you would bring in your suitcase?

Packing Tips – Before the Move

Moving Tip: Open Me First Boxes

Tags

easing the transition, essential items, moving, moving tip, new house, open me first, packing tips, transition

When packing to move, you should designate one box in each room to be opened first. This will easy your transition, you’ll have the basics for each room quickly available before unpacking hem remaining boxes. Instead for using cardboard boxes like I did for most of our belongings, I used large plastic storage bins. Make sure your open me first bins are the last on the truck, so they are ready to be the first boxes.

Kitchen:
Tea bags & Tea kettle (For you coffee drinkers: coffee, coffee filter and coffee maker)
Pet food
Pet food & water bowls
Foil, Plastic Wrap & Zipper top baggies
Dish detergent
Hand soap
Dish Towel
Roll of paper towels
Scissors
Disposable cutlery, plates, cups (hot & cold) & bowls
Frying pan & Spatula
Medium pot
Strainer
Wooden spoon
All purpose cleaner
A few trash bags
Box of pasta
Jar of sauce

Bathroom:
Bath towels
Bath math
Toothpaste & Toothbrushes
Toilet Paper
Shower curtain and rings
Shampoo, conditioner, soap
Shaving cream & razor
First Aid Kit
Prescriptions
Hand soap
Hand towel

Master Bedroom:
Bed linens
Blankets
Pillow
Phone charger
Curtains (there may not have one hanging up or they may not be thick enough, a good night’s sleep is important when moving)
Alarm clock

Children’s Bedroom:
Bed linens
Blankets
Pillow
Night light (even if they don’t normally need one, they may want one the first few nights in a new house)
Favorite stuffed animal
Favorite toy
Favorite book

Office: (or where ever you pay your bills)
Stamps
Envelopes
Pens
Laptop & charger
Checkbook
Information for utility companies
Address book

Laundry Room:
Small packages of laundry soap & dryer sheets (the free samples you get in the mail are perfect, if not buy a few trial size ones)
Misc. Cleaning supplies (*An extra canister of Clorox Wipes is essential)
Iron & Spray starch

Make sure you have your suitcases with all of your essentials ready (See: Living out of a Suitcase), each member of the family should have their own.

What is the one essential item you couldn’t go without?

Packing Tips: Before the Move

Packing Tips – Before the Move

Tags

moving, moving tips, organization, packing tips

A few days ago I mentioned our move. I don’t know yet when I’ll have internet access again, so I left a few posts in the queue. I’m not usually one for blogging about the past, however I wrote these before we closed the door on our home and headed out on a new journey.

Organization is key when moving!

Set up a packing kit:
Clear packaging tape
Colorful Duct Tape
Thick markers
Boxes, you’ll need big and small
Pen
Index cards
Twist Ties
Ziplock bags
Packing foam, newspapers, etc…
Apron or Utility Belt (to keep supplies handy)

*For each room I used a different color duck tape to easily identify which boxes go into which rooms. I used teal for Pumpkin’s Room, purple for the living room, blue for the kitchen, etc…

*Designate one box in each room to be the Open Me First Box.

*If placing stuff in storage, clearly mark the boxes you are taking with you and the ones going to storage.

*Keep small items together in a zipper top bag to prevent small pieces from getting lost.

*Use twist ties to keep cords bundled together.

*Label TV, DVD player & video game cords.

*Label the outside of the box with a thick dark marker. Thin markers, pens and pencils are not very visible.

*Label the wider sides of the boxes, on both sides. Keeping it consistent will make reading the boxes easier.

*When packing items into a box, write a list of everything going into the box (this is a great job for a kid). Tape list on outside of box, so you can easily see what’s in there. I also used color coated index cards.

*Use blankets & towels to wrap electronics and other fragile items.

*Go to the liquor store for packing boxes. Some of them have cardboard dividers perfect for keeping breakables safe.

***Keep a boxer cutter or scissors handy for opening all these boxes when you move in!!!! Stash it in the glove box of the car so you can get to it easily.

Tomorrow’s Moving Tip? Open Me First Boxes…

Also see: Living Out of A Suitcase

Good Bye Jasper Lane

Tags

closure, goodbye, moving, new beginning

It’s a bittersweet time for us, overwhelming, happy and sad… When our computer was zapped by lightning in 2006, I lost all of our before pictures. I was able to recover one picture of the exterior of our house.

Before

Before renovating the patio & porch, tearing out the bushes, adding new gardens, landscaping, painting the siding & shutters, new windows, chocolate gutters, fixing the chimney,… just to name a few.

After

 

Living Room

Kitchen

Master Bedroom

You’re been good to us Jasper Lane… good memories will live on while you’ll be missed…