A City Life For Me

Playing some catch-up here… On Saturday, September 5, 2015, we moved out of New York City.  It seems like a move backwards, but it is to our advantage at this point.  We are booked nearly solid from now until the end of March, 2016 with deputation meetings.  We are hoping to be at or close to 100% by that time, but we won’t be home between now and then.  It doesn’t make financial sense to pay $1400 per month on an apartment which will sit empty. An opportunity came up for us to put everything into storage and pay much less on a furnished apartment in Mountainville, NY.  It is owned by a church who is hoping to use their second property as a conference center and to be a blessing to missionaries.  So we are basically just paying utilities on this apartment, to give us a place to call home should it be needed before deputation is finished.  It also allows us to apartment shop in the Bronx next spring without being tied to a lease. Here are some shot...

We feel pretty settled into our new apartment.  Everything has been unpacked, and the last of the boxes sent to the recycling today.  Pictures are hung on the wall, and everything seems to have a place.  I’m still “rearranging” little spots here and there, like kitchen cabinets and drawers.  The kids room will get some more work done closer to the twins’ arrival – when we get bunk beds for Nolan & Elaine. But for now, it’s all good. I am much more happy with my picture wall in this apartment – and there is room on the sides to add two more kiddos in a couple of months! I really like my new rug…one of the few things we own from IKEA.  {Ben hates IKEA, but he picked this out}.  I have been enjoying having my devotions on the couch in a cozy spot.  My plants seem to be doing better with more sunlight, too. We eliminated a bookshelf and everything fits nicely on these two.  Still working on the tops – they are a little cluttered...

Yes…I know it’s Thursday.  But on Wednesday I was busy traveling some 1700+ miles from New York City to Denver to spend Christmas with my family.  So maybe this should just be “Thankful Thursday” instead.  Especially since there are so many words. We are making great progress on getting settled in the new apartment.  We have a small stack of about 4-5 boxes yet to unpack.  It’s mostly things that need to be hung on the wall.  I haven’t touched the storage closet yet, and Ben hasn’t arranged his tools and items in the gas meter closet.  We also want to add some shelves in the closets, so then things in there can be more organized. We have eliminated even more items as the unpacking has taken place.  We realized we don’t need all three bookshelves, we took the leaves out of our table to make it smaller, and we have a trunk full of items for the Salvation Army.  With not as much wall space, and after having filled and patched a lot of holes i...

I just finished cleaning my kitchen in preparation to move.  I’m very glad for my menu plan, because it enabled me to know exactly what I needed to leave unpacked for the next three meals we will eat here.  All of those items are condensed onto two shelves in one cabinet, and everything else has been wiped down and scrubbed.  One less thing to do on Saturday! I’ve been making homemade cleaners for a while now.  I thought for sure I had shared this on the blog, but I can’t find it right now.  Most of my cleaners consist of baking soda, washing soda, borax, vinegar, and essential oils.  Here is the solution for All Purpose Cleaner that I use: All Purpose Cleaner From: Elizabeth’s Kind Café 1 Teaspoon Washing Soda 1 teaspoon Borax 2 Cups Hot Water 10 Drops Essential Oil (Lemon, Lavender, Tea Tree, or Pine) Small squirt of Dawn dish washing soap ½ c. white vinegar - addition from One Good Thing by Jillee I use this ...

It doesn’t look like it, but we are making progress.  Toward moving day, that is.  Ben had Friday and today off.  He was able to get everything off the walls, patch the holes, and he’s finishing the painting now.  With only five days left to go, I cannot wait for moving day to arrive.  I’m learning to deal with the disorganization, tripping over boxes, and inability to locate simple things like my keys or a candle {the garlic smells continue to harass us…for five more days only!}.  We sold the last Craigslist item today.  I have another load to take to the thrift store, and we completely filled the garbage cans this morning.  And we went to Ikea for free breakfast and bought a couple of shelving units and rugs that we will need for the new apartment.  I am excited to get organizing a new space! The kids are getting bored with the few toys I left unpacked, but they are enjoying being able to access other items that they don’t us...

We are moving to a quiet little street called Dahlgren Place.  It’s parallel to the onramp to the Verrazano Bridge {takes you from Brooklyn to Staten Island…for the non-New Yorkers}.  We went to measure the windows today so we could purchase blinds.  I was able to snap a few pictures while we were there. We live on the ground floor and the landlord lives above us.  They have a deck which leads down to a concrete patio on the backside of our bedrooms.  We will be allowed to put the kids’ tricycles underneath their deck. When you walk into our apartment you look straight into the living room and the kitchen. View from the front door.  I’m excited about the wood floors – no more carpet under my dining room table! Looking back at the front door from the kitchen.  We plan to put the couch in front of the window, and our bookcases on the left wall.  You can see the fridge in the right corner and our table will go near there. I am u...