let’s sup’

The backyard

We’s settled. We’d in. We’s hangin in the yard. Point being: the great outdoors has won over my heart. (I’m sorry charley, it’s won me over way before you). We feel a zillion times blessed to be able to have this lovely little pocket of life. The light that streams in at 5-7 right now is divine and fallish and makes me run to the chai tea with a song in my heart.

Happiness is having nearly every neighbor has come over to greet us in person or ring our doorbell and welcome us to the neighborhood. Surprising, refreshing and comforting considering the iffyness of our last place.  And after living in the city with everyone so close together, being in an actual house is more fantastic than fixing a bad wedgy. (It’s a good analogy, think it through).

And whoever figured out that “silence is golden”, I'd raise a glass to that. Our old place was by the airport. Boo ya, passing jets.

The things that woo me most in the back yard are the Christmas lights strung up in their  little twinkly winking ways.

 

The little signs that Melody made. She has more pretty art here, like these paintings and scarves and jewelry:

 

see that little sign in the garden? it really just makes my day. It’s crazy that the wildflowers are already spend and  tucking themselves in for winter- another reminder that it’s time for that chai tea..and big wooly socks. Just a few short weeks ago that bed was wild and beautiful with the beaming flower faces. Butterfly’s included.

 

There’s also a hammock, tree house with swings, and a chicken coop. We really want chickens or quail, we’re just trying to figure out if we could make it work.

 

 

“yes mom, please buy chickens….yes…chickens….”

 

 

 

Home, sweet home

this chaos :

has been transplanted to here:

 

After two weeks of no internet, lots of moving, and back and forths, we have finally landed in Cola. We basically spent week 1 carrying small items in just our cars to cola while I looked for a job. Since I finished work and Charley finished work we went ahead and left Charleston and stayed in Columbia.

 

We spent a week at Charley’s mom’s house with our stuff stacked in her spare room

That’s five dogs, two cats, one bird, 4 fish and a hedgehog and three people in one house with a lot of junk lying around. Charley’s mom is pretty awesome for entertaining guests like that.  We also had  a lot of fun watching Juneau chase her Roomba vacuum cleaner around and try to be buddy buddy with the cats. The cat’s were pretty miffed at us and insisted on sharing the bed.

 

On Saturday afternoon we realized that our plan to get a U-Haul and move on Sunday was going to fail- U-Haul isn’t open on Sunday (duh!). Since we had no other day to move, we jumped in the car and made it to Charleston just an hour before they closed on Saturday and packed up our furniture through the night. We had a  lovely and much needed egg’s benedict and coffee from the Early Bird Diner before driving back.

We got back at 3am and would have much rather slept all morning but woke up at 8 to see if anyone had answered our Facebook invite to  help us unload.  Charley’s brother and my Mom and Dad came to help us get er done. We were so so so tired and achy from the night before and coffee-less and rather grumpy when who should come up the street but our new wonderful neighbors with a big thermos of coffee, sugar, milk, homemade bread and cups to drink it too. That little thing was such a huge blessing…I don’t know how we could have kept going without the fuel. Did I mention our new sweet neighbors? The lady who helped me finish college and took us to Europe twice?

My sweet mom and dad also brought us half and half, m+m’s, eggs and bread to stock our pantry and well…that was that nights dinner (judge us not).

The next morning we woke up and head breakfast on the patio. In my sneaky stealthy weird wife ways  I was watching Charley work through the window and couldn’t resist taking a picture. He was working on  recipes, menu items and sourcing for ingredients for the restaurant that will open at the beginning of the month. I sorta kinda love his serious face-pretty cute huh?

 

 

 

And now that we are all settled - we love this house like crazy! There are so many things about it that make it special. The first winning point being the back patio in the morning. It’s like a little slice of hobbiton with wildflowers blooming, breezes blowing, butterlfy’s flutterybying. We’ve had cute little frogs and lizards coming up to the steps in the rain and we think the squirrels are on steroids. The play set is a pretty darn fun place to sit up in (and I went down the slide to …er…demonstrate for my niece). Seeing her get excited about the slide pretty much made my day. (That and listening to her say “cha-lee” and “sah”).

We also love the hominess of the house. The warm wood. The fireplace. The ginormous shower. hexagon tile. Rustic looking kitchen. The huge closets. The spider that lives on the porch named Charlotte.

and  Juneau’s first moments in her yard (the first time she’s had a yard in a year and half):

 

 

There’s even a fun little chalkboard wall in the new art room:

 

 

My sweet mom even got Juneau a little snack for her first night at the new place and she was pretty excited to be allowed in to eat it (while charley did a double take around the yard to make sure miss crafty can’t get out).

 

 

We’ve spent the week unpacking and waiting for our internet to work…which finally ended up in Charley changing out an old  phone cable under the house late at night because the AT+T technician was to lazy to check all the wires and just hooked it up to one. We knew the DSL box worked if we used it outside connected straight to the box on the outside of the house but for some reason the wires running under the house were either old or not working. For a brief moment we pondered bringing the computer outside and just using it in the great outdoors…(not!).

I also found a part time Job this week as a Secretary/front desk person for Saluda Shoals park! I’m still looking for a second job but having one is such a blessing and a testimony to the fact that God provides. Well actually, this whole moving process indeed. The fact that we are in Columbia reunited with friends in a wonderfully awesome house with a yard just shouts of that fact. It’s a big sigh of relief to have some stuff behind us and be so incredibly at peace and full of joy at all the new and exciting things happening.

MOVING X2

This week has been absolutely crazy and we’ve been back and forth between Columbia and Charleston. Tuesday morning we woke up and moved Zack and his stuff to his new place, then we spent the rest of the afternoon packing ours. Packing was especially grueling because we just did it not but a month ago and were completely unpacked. We had to deal with much remorse over wasted time and wasted money, accept it and move forward. We had just finished getting a lot of stuff unwrapped out of storage so there was more than what we packed the first time. Basically, God’s given me a double wammy reminder that we have A LOT of STUFF. We will happy when all is said and done and less transitional. Right now we are halfway moved and staying with family.

It’s a little confusing for Juneau but  doesn’t seem to have affected the hedgehog at all. Juneau always barks a lot at our packing boxes and gets into hyper curious mode. She will pull things out of boxes we have already packed and take a climb through the empty cabinets. I shut her in the laundry room and she knocked her treats on the ground and ate half the box. Now she is a fat confused dog with a tummy ache. I had packed the car so tight that I almost forgot that she’d need a spot to sit. Fortunately she was rewarded by being able to play with Anoosh all of today.

We are both so excited and are looking forward to the days to head. Longing for the settled feeling and knowing where everything is. Coming back into town we have been immediately surrounded by friends and family and have felt a huge confirmation in making this decision. The joy in my heart of being near my friends, able to invite them over for tea or a talk has been the motivation to get through the rougher moments…The honey-where’s-the emulsion-blender-why-can’t-you-pack-like-an-organized-person moments. (No really, creative minds shouldn’t be professional movers. )

Tomorrow is another day of begging people to hire me. Pray for me?

Shabby Apple

Shabby Apple is offering 10% off with the code: favorite10

expires 9/14/2012 (so hop on it)

https://www.shabbyapple.com/

These are a few of my favorites:

Charleston Food, we love you

 

Hey yall, charley and I were just reminiscing about all the yummy food we’ll miss. Charleston has so much to offer and only a zillion places to try. The tourists get sucked into the highly advertised bits down on east bay and king so we put together the Lesser knowns ( or not lesser knowns). We thought it’d be handy for visitors or locals.  So here is our big ol list. Everything should be linked to the website so you can check out the menus. We hope to keep adding to this list as we remember, so check back.

 

$=  4 to 10 dollars

$$= 11-17 dollars

$$$=17-30 dollars

 

The Wild Olive

• Italian
• $$$
• WE LOVE: the lamb, sausage and goat cheese lasagna. Their daily selction of fresh fish entrees and an ever-changing inventive menu.

Il Cortile Del Rey

• Italian food
• $$$
• WE LOVE : the homey small spaced interior with cozy fireplaces and private rooms. Tri mushroom ravioli and house mussels are absolutely to die for.

The Fast and French

• French food
• $
• WE LOVE: the affordable-ness and bar height counters. Brunch, vast selection of French cheeses. Hot soups and crusty breads. Jams and mustards. The veggie tomato soup with an openfaced sandwhich with bri- oooh da lalee

Glazed Donuts

• Gourmet doughnuts in interestingly paired flavors. You will be hooked on these like crack if you try one.
• $
• WE LOVE : the purple cow- goat cheese and blueberry; The bacon apple fritters

Caviar and Bananas

• Panini’s, sushi, salads, hot bar and other gourmet selections.
• $$
• WE LOVE: Iced Pumpkin espresso, Kumbachi tea, Roast beef Panini, Duck confit Panini, The “charleston” sushi roll, Meatloaf cupcake (mashed potato frosting).

Five Loaves

• Soups, sandwiches and entrée’s
• $
• WE LOVE :
• chicken salad on a croissant.
• Any of their soups.
• That you can buy a half of a sandwich for 4 dollars and it’s the size of a plate.
• Grilled flat iron steak with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus and a creamy red wine demi.
• The chicken is free range and all natural. The beef is grass fed, hormone free, from Meyers farm. The pasta
  made locally by Bertolini’s Fresh Pasta Company
• Cobb Salad with avocado, bacon, bleu cheese, all natural diced chicken, egg & tomato                                       
  over mixed greens
• steamed mussels with coconut thai sauce
• Beef Medallions

Basil

• Thai food
• $$
• WE LOVE: basil rolls, pad thai, basil duck, crispy red curry duck, tom kha gai (coconut soup)

82 Queen

• french lowcountry
• $$$
• WE LOVE: house made pork rinds at the bar. Cheese/cornbread biscuits. Soups. brunch. Shrimp and Grits. Dark and stormy. Fried green tomatoes.

Sesame Burgers

• burgers and milkshakes
• $$
• WE LOVE: that you can put literally ANYTHING you want on your burger (there’s even a bacon, peanut butter banana burger!?) . Prosciutto, mushroom’s, caramelized onion and Fontina cheese is my favorite. Charley loves the nappa valley burger.

Red’s

• Seafood
• $
• WE LOVE: eating on the deck with a small breeze. the view of shem creek and the fishing boats. Dogs allowed. extremely fresh everything.

Poes

• Burgers and beer.
• $$
• WE LOVE: the poe art and quaint location. Eating on the porch. The amontillado burger.

Giovanni’s pizza (in the market)

• pizza and calzone
• $
• WE LOVE: authentic and wonderful. We love the spicy sausage and taking one to go while walking the waterfront park board walk.

Ben and Jerry’s  (why did this closedown in columbia?)

• ice cream
• $
• WE LOVE: Coffee coffee buz buz buzz and Phish food combined in a shake (it’s heaven)

The Grocery

• fresh
• $$
• WE LOVE : incredibly local, incredibly neighborhood friendly place.

Butcher and Bee

• $$
• WE LOVE: it’s open until 3 am and makes a chill hangout. The interior with reclaimed wood and industrial pieces. The inventive menu.

 

FOOD TRUCKS ( can be found at 44 morris street, dubbed “eat street” and often at Marion square Saturday mornings)

• Magic Cheese Truck-grilled cheese
• creole truck
• hello my name is BBQ
• pot kettle black
• roti rolls –asian, indian, caribbean, latin & southern wrapped in roti bread
• Greek gyro’s
• Strada Cucina-italian
• Tokyo crepe

DON & ROGER the chairs

 

Forgive our messy house (we’re packing, ya know).

Straight from the curbside ladies and gentlemen:

 

 

I don’t know who in their right mind would throw these out. Some of you may be thinking who in there right mind would want these chairs. Regardless, they make me uncontrollably giddy, complete, proud. It’s like I just gave birth and just met something I love undeniably. That’s right, mama of the chairs. I realize I have issues. Charley has henceforth banned me from trash piles, fabric and furniture's for the rest of my life. But it’s okay, because I found THEM, Don and Roger. I want to sit em them with my legs crossed in a suit and come up with brilliant conceptual schemes in advertising (skipping all that cigarette and whiskey stuff). I love their clean lightweight footprint, masculine lines and scratched up black vinyl. I love that the wood is beaten up and they need a little glue. Yes my friends, I’m having a love affair with chairs. Looking at them creating a little repetitive pattern sitting in a pair just makes my heart flutter. Don’t you just love things in pairs? Maybe it’s another weird tick….

and look at their little derrieres:

 

 

walnut, I believe