Moving Lessons: Two Lists

Tomorrow marks the second week we have slept in our new home... and almost a month since we took possession (sounds aggressive, I know).

Moving to a new home in the middle of renovations taught me a lot:

Difficult home moving lessons:

1. I am in fact not above eating fast food when there is no kitchen for cooking.
2. I do not like fast food. Not even as a treat. It tastes gross and leaves me feeling gross.
3. Cats don't like moving. They do like to punish their humans for moving by keeping them awake at night. In the guise of cuddles and purring. Sneaky.
4. Practicing yoga after a long commute is challenging. Practicing yoga in a chaotic space is impossible. Unless you are uber zen. I am not uber zen.
5. The ceiling is my painting nemesis. 
6. Range hoods are expensive as shit. Who knew?
7. Delivery companies are sexist, condescending d-bags. (who made me cry). 
8. Unpacking takes forever.
9. I apparently really love the colours purple and grey as the entire house is now painted in shades of both. Thankfully, Andrew is very understanding of this purple-grey obsession.
10. Bleach really does clean... and despite feeling eco-guilt, I am not above using it to clean the mould growing in the apartment shower grout.
11. Heating with oil is gross and HRM does not have a feasible bio-fuel option. 
12. People might not answer the door if they don't know you in suburbia. Even though you are a friendly looking couple. And you have home made gingerbread apple upside down cake. And you are there to give it to them and introduce yourself as the new neighbour. Even then.
13. Commuting can be awful. I am feeling so guilty. 
14. Sundays are suburbia's "Student Tuesday" grocery shopping equivalent- replace annoying students with frazzled looking parents and screaming children. 

(My delicious gingerbread apple cake that was refused by one neighbour and that two others missed out on due to ignoring our knocks and doorbell rings...)

 (plastic'd off bottom floor during cabinet spraying- all recycled afterwards but the reason why we took two weeks to move in)

(One of many grey rooms (with the nest on the left) mid-paint. No more green left in the house!)

Affirming moving lessons:

1. I have the most amazing friends and family. HOURS of help painting, my dad installing all our appliances (see difficult lesson #7), moving our stuff. SO grateful.
2. I have the most patient and supportive husband. 
3. I am an awesome painter (despite contradictory lesson #5, both statements are true).
4. Low VOC paint is affordable, fantastic quality, easy to find and has almost no smell. (and comes in any colour, including shades of purple and grey).
5. Spraying oak cabinets is a GREAT idea to revive a kitchen and worth every penny. Especially when the painters use milder, more eco-friendly paint (another post to come).
6. The Nest is the best invention ever and will save us tons of money, adjust to living in cooler than 30 degree heat (the apartment was always 25-30 degrees) and the planet from us using more oil. (post to come!)
7. Despite ignore-y neighbours, we also have lovely neighbours who are super friendly and plow our driveway! 
8. We don't need cable. YES!
9. Having a basement for storage rocks.
10. Seeing the moon and stars at night is amazing. 
11. Having a pantry, basement cold storage and a normal sized kitchen (with energy efficient appliances) equals more healthy meals, lunches, future jams and home baked BREAD (thank you Hubby!!).
12. Having garbage, recycling and compost municipal pick-up only bi-weekly means we really get to see how much garbage we actually produce. The goal- make us more aware and produce less landfill destined waste.
13. I am ridiculously excited to have a clothesline for spring, summer and fall. BRING ON the sun dried clothes!!
14. Our semi-suburban semi-rural neighbourhood has a) non-starling birds (woo! bird feeders are READY!), b) deer (which I won't feed deer carrots, no matter what dad says), c) black bears (oh yeah!), and d) bobcats! I cannot WAIT for yoga on our deck surrounded by hummingbirds, chickadees, blue jays, nuthatches and squirrels!! (cuz let's face it, squirrels and chipmunks are a fact of bird feeding life). 

So. How has your January been?