(Temporarily) empty nest

Annabelle is at a sleepover, Mike is at the movies with friends, Fred is of course in Afghanistan . . . so it's just the dog and me tonight. I should be organizing my office in preparation for the move, but Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook is a much more enjoyable way to pass the time.

I did do a lot of purging in the kitchen the other day. I went through the 2 main spots where paper accumulates and forced myself to deal with each and every piece (as opposed to putting it in a pile to be dealt with someday. I found old calendar printouts that went back 3 years! The counter stayed nice for a couple of days, but as soon as I get rid of one piece of paper, 2 more show up to take its place. My office is like my kitchen counter on steroids, so it's very hard for me to get a sense of direction in here.

I had a Leavenworth friend go by the house that they have us penciled in for the other day and take some pictures. Any time I need inspiration to keep on working toward the move, I should just look at these. Here's the front (it's a duplex, but what a duplex!):



The back:



And the beautiful park across the street:



The inside is just as charming: nice size kitchen with a butler's pantry just off of it; 2 staircases--a front one that connects the main 2 floors and a back one that goes all the way from the basement to the attic; and FOUR fireplaces--one in the living room, one in the dining room, and 2 in bedrooms on the second floor. I doubt very much that they are in working order, but I just like the looks of a fireplace; I don't much care for having actual fire in my house. There are 4 bedrooms on the second floor and another 2 plus 2 huge open loft areas in the attic. Annabelle is planning on turning the attic into her own personal apartment.

OK, looking at those pictures has convinced me I need to keep on getting ready for the move. Just as soon as I break 150K on Bejeweled Blitz!