We're Moving! (And St Lucia Day 2016)

A year ago, we decided not to move.  Our 1100 square foot house would do just fine for us--yes it was cramped at times, but if we were to use our space wisely, it would be fine, right?  Americans are gluttons for space are they not?  We put in a play structure, made plans to clear out the basement storage room for a makeshift office, and figured we would add a second bathroom someday.  That should do it.

And then...well, it wasn't any one factor that changed our minds, it was about half a dozen at once.  Our kids grew.  With the older two each within an inch of their same gendered parent, tight spaces became even tighter.  Forget about having anyone over.  Our house was at max capacity with the six of us.  Once everyone was seated at the dining room table, no one could get anywhere in the else in the house without playing musical chairs (the dining room is in the center of the house).  Then there was the week when we all got sick at once and our six year old asked for a second bathroom for Christmas.  We knew our bedroom situation, with our youngest in a nursery attached directly to our room, would be less and less ideal as she aged.  At 4 it was still working great.  But how many 8 year olds want to walk through their parents room on the way to theirs? (And how many parents want their 8 year old traipsing through their bedroom at any moment)?  As we looked at high schools for our oldest, we found we wanted to live in the community where he went to school.  We looked at our local high school, and we liked it better than we thought we would, but it was not as good a fit as the one across town that we ultimately chose.   Lastly, being closer to our parents was a big plus.  Right now they help us out a lot with babysitting and the like.  In 10 or 20 years the relationship may be reversed, and they may need some help from us.  Even if we are just getting together for fun, it is nice being twice as close geographically.  So...we are moving.


It took a while to find a house.  We originally thought we'd try to move between June and August.  So did everyone else.  Interest rates were low, the economy was picking up.  After the great recession there was pent up demand.  There was a run on houses like you wouldn't believe, and the square mile of walkable downtown we had our eye on was particularly hot.

Eventually we found a great house, a little further out that we thought we wanted, but right on the bike trail, in view of a lake, nice and quiet with a lot of nature around.  While getting to that walkable area with grocery, library, bank, theater, etc will take a little longer, there are up sides we hadn't previously considered.  There is no traffic noise. In fact, our neighborhood is so out of the way it is almost hidden.  We have a little patch of woods and access to a pond in our backyard.  Beyond that is the trail and the lake.  A lake was never even on our dream list.  We did not think it was possible.

The house itself has a very straightforward layout, and covered everything we wanted--4 bedrooms, 2+ bathrooms, living room and family room, eat in kitchen and formal dining room.  Most things in the house are circa 1962, but it has been well maintained.  Everything is fully functional--perfect!

When we asked our future next door neighbor about the neighborhood, he mentioned that there is a lot of wildlife.  No kidding!  These prints and scat are from our yard.  

That said, we will miss our old neighborhood.  We will miss all the friends we have there, the brand new park and splash pad down the street, nearby museums, the view of the state capitol and cathedral and the picturesque bridges we drive over daily.  I will miss the charm of a pre-WWII house, our strawberry patch and herb garden, and our honey crisp apple tree that just started bearing fruit.  I will miss everyone knowing us in the grocery store, the coffee shop, the library and bakery.  I will miss being a short bike ride away from the nature center where our youngest two have gone to preschool (we will be driving back twice a week for the rest of the school year so Aria can finish the year).

Our move ended up falling right over Christmas break--just like the last time we moved.  Back in 2008, Solomon and Nova's first night in the new house was Christmas Eve.  This time it was just a few days earlier.  We celebrated St Lucia Day the next morning.  As always, we managed to surprise Charles.   

My phone was doing a particularly awful job at taking photos, so we just have to go with what we've got in.  I'm not sure which group picture is better, so I included both.

Given all the difficulties of moving, we improvised a bit and used ready to bake cinnamon rolls, shaping them like we would saffron buns.  The red ribbons were nowhere to be found and there was no greenery for the crowns, but no one seemed to miss them.

Leaning In to Winter

At the beginning of the winter I read an article about a Norwegian town north of the the Arctic circle where (to researchers' great surprise) people looked forward to winter, and seasonal affective disorder was almost nonexistent.  And so I thought--we could try that--we could try to love winter.

On the cozying front we got down comforters for all of the beds (lucked out on craigslist there). I kept a good stock of cocoa and tea.  Knitting filled my lap as little fair isle hats and sweaters grew into finished garments.  We hosted a Midwinter Game Night (a bit of a play on our last name), getting together with friends to play board games and card games.  The little girls and I read Laura Ingals Wilder's On the Banks of Plum Creek, Around the World in 80 Day and the first Harry Potter (next up is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz).


When it came to outdoor winter fun, opportunities abounded in Minnesota.  Ariadne's preschool took full advantage of the snow.  Working with other classes, the kids made a quinzee village, all perfectly proportioned for 3-5 year olds.  One class made mounds of snow, another hollowed them out, both added colorful ice decorations added to them for whimsey and fun.  All played it the miniature shelters.



Aria came home in December, excited about kick sledding.  In February, her class invited all the families to a kick sledding party.  Pushing off with one foot then gliding over the ice or snow with both feet on the runners, the kick sleds work similarly to dog sleds.  Kids and even adults sat on the front seat while intrepid kick sledders powered the sleds with strong kicks. All the preschoolers were expert at this activity by the time of the party.  The farm pond provided a nice open level surface, allowing for long runs and glides.  We kept warm despite the single digit temps.



In January, Charles and I were lucky enough to go up to the North Shore with a bunch of friends.  It was FREEZING--but, we enjoyed each other's company, lots of board games and a few very short outings.  The photo at the top of the post is from a stretch of Lake Superior's North Shore.



Ice skating entered out lives last winter, when there was precious little snow for sledding.  Large fast flakes of snow dropped a foot of powder in our neighborhood, closing schools and canceling plans across the city, making a little pocket of time to skate on the neighborhood rink with a friend.  By the end of the season, we were anxious to squeeze in just one more trip.  The picture below was taken the last day of the skating season at Centennial Lakes Park.



I took Nova and Solomon downhill skiing for the first time this winter. –≠≠≠ Last year I went downhill skiing for the first time in 15 years.  I had a great time (and didn't even fall down once).  I realized that I never would have tried it if I hadn't learned the basics as a kid.  Which made me want to give my kids the chance to get a taste of the sport before it seemed too intimidation.  At 14 and 11, Solomon and Nova were certainly old enough to give it a go. We went through a short ski school at a nearby hill.  A delightful ski instructor (and retired Psychology professor) named Rodger helped us get off to a good start.  By lunch time they had both graduated to chair lifts and longer slopes.


Nova is wearing her great grandmother's ski jacket and pants--GG Rose thought they might fit and gave them to her during our fall visit.

Charles and I went on the Luminary Loppet for one of our dates this winter, enjoying fire, ice, and cross country skiing.  Maybe I will get back to the 10k race one of these winters, but for now, the slow paced trails lit with candles glowing through ice make a nice outing.  Detours through fairy ice sculptures, fire dancers, and cocoa pit stops are tradition by this point.  Newer additions like rock bands, a beer garden, and allowing walkers, dogs, and snowshoers  on the course added a more lively (I might even say chaotic) atmosphere to the event.  Growing pains...they'll work it out.



Spotting tracks in snow and animals through the bare trees are another delight of winter.  How many deer can you see?  (I think there are two in the picture, but Nova sees three.)  Standing around for twenty minutes or so I eventually saw nine deer--though I couldn't get them all in a single photo.




Note on the affordability of Leaning Into Winter
I am aware that this might sound like pricey way to enjoy winter.  All of these things can be expensive, but they don't need to be.  Here's a breakdown on how we controlled costs.

Skating: I bought used skates in October and looked for rinks that were free (and also had cheap rentals for growing feet).  Skating fees in our area vary tremendously.

Skiing: We took advantage of a special Homeschool Ski Day at our local hill that cut the cost in half (or more).  Also, I did not bring all the kids.  If you are not a homeschooler, there are other promotions to be found.  In the past we've gotten in on Team Sports Day discounts and Half Day/ Twilight tickets (we usually couldn't keep going all day anyway).

For the Luminary Loppet, I made sure to get the early bird discount by signing up in November.  We decided to make it a date rather than a family outing, and got our equipment through an inexpensive (and little known) rental place run by college students.

Weekend Up North: There is power in numbers!  Going as a group we were able to split the cost of a house with several other adults, driving the cost down below single accommodations.  The house let us make our own meals, saving on cost.  We took turns cooking for each other, which saved on time (and was fun).  The resort's complimentary snow shoes and cross country skis helped hold down the cost too.  Carpooling to our destination kept gas costs low.  Finally, we chose our dates to take advantage of a promotional deal,  giving us our third night free. (Also, we haven't participated every year due partly to cost. )

Down comforters: Craigslist was key--otherwise we would have been priced out.

Books: Used book shops and the library.

Knitting: I knit small things, found free patterns on Ravelry, and repeated the same pattern when I could (so as to use up left over yarn and avoid buying new needles).

Hikes: We are lucky to have a free nature center nearby.

Thermostat: Last but not least, we kept the heat down.  The down comforters helped with this significantly, as did wool socks and sweaters.

Back Yard Progress

 

Some of you may remember that we had to say goodbye to our tree house last fall.  The Silver Maple it rested in had a fatal fungus.  The tree was likely as old as the house--75 years.  We were sad to see it go.  

Step one was getting the tree house out of the tree.  My dad did that pretty much single handed.  If you look closely, you can see Solomon glumly looking on in the window.  

The tree came down, providing a fascinating spectacle for everyone who was home that day.  Our yard looked bare indeed when they were finished, plus there were several ruts from heavy machinery.  It was time for a revamp, so we began to re imagine the backyard.

It just so happened there were plenty of used swing sets on craigslist at the time (late April or early May).  Solomon helped me scope this one out.



A few weeks later, my Dad helped us disassemble and move it to our yard.  Solomon got a little practice with power tools.

 

The girls thought the 'Grandma's Attic' in the U-Haul was a good spot for a picture.

Meanwhile, we were doing some backyard gardening.  The ultimate goal is a butterfly garden back here, but this year it is more or less a flower garden.  We had lilies, joe pie weed, butterfly weed, and columbine from previous years.  Blue bachelor buttons, orange and red poppies, four o'clocks and sunflowers were all annuals we added to the mix.   

   

The cat is rather fond of the 'parent bench' (as in, the place for grown-ups to sit while the kids are on the playground). 

Wood chips from the tree made a path through the garden.  Ariadne enjoyed shoveling.  River rock we found the garden beds formed the sides of the path.  Note to all homeowners: don't bury landscaping rock, it will haunt future generations of gardeners.

My parents (especially my dad) have been a tremendous help through this entire process. Above my dad and Solomon are working on getting the roof up on the tower portion of the swing set.  Below my mom and the girls took a break from spreading wood chips to try out the swings.  

This is more or less where we are at present.  We added a heavy duty wave slide and replaced the old swings with Charlotte and Aria's swings (which had been suspended from the clothesline). More to come!

You may have noticed that I often post about things we do away from home.  I love cultural events and museums, history and the outdoors.  I love travel and outings, encapsulated time bound up in a well planned sequence, with every need prepared for--even spontinaity.

But there is another reason I rarely write about home.  I'm not particularly fond of it.  Yes, I was (and still am) thrilled we were able to buy a house last Fall.  Yes, I like the floor plan, the hardwood floors, the 1940s doorbell that chimes once for the back door and twice for the front; but I don't love my home.  It feels, not like a refuge, but more like a big closet--with beds; a place we dump our stuff and sleep when we are not out in the wide world.  In short, it is not cared for.  I have often told myself that the barrier to a more inviting home is money.  Lack of funds for decorating and so forth.

But that is not true.  I knew it the minute I felt warm, fuzzy house-pride after putting up plastic to insulate our 70-year-old windows.  Window plastic is ugly!  But it made me feel so good about my living space because it was evidence of care.

The point of this long ramble is to explain my challenge to myself.  Make my bedroom into a warm inviting place with a focus on using what I have.

I was planing on putting up a before picture.  In short--I chickened out.  Maybe I will put one up alongside an after picture.