We’re getting settled in. I know I’ve been saying that, but we really still are “settling in.” Last Friday movers brought us some furniture and everything that had been in boxes in the storage unit in the U.S. Even after a marathon unpacking session yesterday (which I punctuated with passes through my research notes, making plans for future outings) there are boxes lingering in all the corners, along the walls, over the flat surfaces.
The books we have mostly tamed, in part because the bulk of the adult library is still in the attic in Durham. I’m just a little sad to not have all my books, but the most important ones (music and some of the history) are here. I can live without the fiction, classic literature and poetry, computer textbooks, parenting books, and nature guides. All of the children’s books showed up. All 1500 of them, by Tom’s estimate, ranging from a few board books to full-length young adult novels and everything inbetween. They don’t fit well on the built-in bookshelf we have; many are both too tall and too deep. I swear, I will winnow them down a bit this year, although my mom and I did trim our collection a great deal last summer.
As I unpack I am continually grateful that I purged so much before moving. Yes, I have cubic yards of fabric to unbox, refold, and put away (the tubs I stored them in back home won’t fit in the cabinets here) but at least I left many large trash bags of fabric in other people’s hands! Yes, the contents of my homeschool cabinet (math manipulatives, workbooks, puzzles, science equipment) are here and frustrating to store, but think of how many boxes of stuff I gave away! Yes, all the papers from the filing cabinet are here (but not the cabinet itself, as per our request) but this means that I have a chance to go through the contents and recycle as much as possible. As I unpack I am finding still more items that we can do without, and setting them aside to pass along when I can find time.
I’m great at giving things away to friends, family, or freecycle. But I’m also fantastic about finding free stuff. The streets in my neighborhood are a never ending buffet of temptations, because it is a fairly nice place and people have a habit of putting their usable castoffs on the sidewalk, free for passersby. I brought home a wooden riding toy for Weyland, a stroller with a little life left, a small bookshelf (and sore arms the next day!), a bendy cube toy, a brand-new oven mitt, styrofoam for a craft project, fleece blankets from IKEA, and a large rolling bag that is great for packing SCA gear in for events. I have been sorely tempted by some rugs that I would have loved to use on the floor of our pavilion, but decided against them.
My craft supplies also taunt me, even more than the fabric, reminding me that I have materials for many more projects than I have time in which to do them. I must make time this year to use more of it up, AND resist buying additional supplies. This will not be easy. Although if I do start scrapbooking again, I will probably permit myself to buy more albums. It would be nice to go through and scrapbook the keepsakes I’ve been saving since highschool, since they also moved across the ocean with us. Sigh.