And now we are Californians

... and we take the 101 to the 405 . . . (SNL skit link)

July has escaped. Although school doesn't start for another week, our extended summer "vacation" is over at long last.  Just over 10 days past, we moved into the place we'll call home for the next two or so years.  We did, in fact, look at this house on the last day of our novena to St. Joseph, and while it is by no means a perfect house, perhaps our hearts were more open to making it work because of the nine days of prayers.

About the house: It's a compromise. Up until this point in our lives, our houses were progressively bigger and nicer as my husband was promoted. Now here we are with our biggest housing allowance ever, but we're in southern California with the most expensive houses ever. And we're sending six kids to private school. So as the weeks of house hunting went by, and we discovered that we couldn't really afford a nice house, we started looking for a house that would work and leave enough  funds for school tuition and the associated costs of schooling, like field trips, binders, fundraisers, tee shirts, dances, sporting events, fundraisers, book fees, fundraisers, etc. And living in a tiny place for a couple of weeks opened our eyes to what we could make do without. So we found a California bungalow with four little bedrooms and a pretty garden in the front yard. The house is big enough for everyone to have about 200 sq feet per person. And the weather here is nice enough that the kids can play outside most of the year, so I hear. So far it seems a bit chilly to me. I'm glad I picked up some new jeans while thrift store shopping with my sister this summer.

What I like about this house: The drive to school is only about 10 minutes.  It has lots of lavender in the front yard, and in the back yard we have a lemon tree, an orange tree, an avocado tree and an artichoke plant that is struggling. Plus, there is a terraced garden that I was planning to fill with vegetables until the neighbor told me there is a rat problem here. Maybe I'll do flowers. Or get some mosquito netting or a cat to deter the rodents from eating my produce. About a mile down the street is a big park with a running path and a swimming pool.  The kitchen is bright and sunny. Can't see water from the house anymore, but the beach is only about 15 minutes away.

What I don't like about this house: It's a bit dated, or more than a bit, in what antique stores here like to call "midcentury": kinda ugly sixties' minimalism. The bathroom fixtures are rusty and cracked. The mirrors are stained. The window slots are grimy. There is no overhead lighting, so I've been shopping for lamps at thrift stores. The older boys' room still feels like a cave. The fireplace has this funky triangular chimney with no mantle. The kitchen counters are tiled with white grout which means lots of scrubbing. The bedrooms are small and two are dark. The washer and dryer are in the garage.  The bedrooms all have carpet that used to be cream colored.

We had to buy a washer and dryer and a refrigerator. The last time I bought new appliances, I shopped for energy star items that were the best I could afford. This time I was inspired by friends to shop on craigslist for the cheapest things I could find since they were going in the garage. We scored all 3 appliances for $120. And they work! We also were given a second fridge to go in the garage, but my husband gave the guy $40 for helping deliver it. As I was cleaning it, the kids said it looked like the fridge from "ET." And lo and behold, there was a sticker on it that said, "July, 1989." Maybe it is from "ET"! It also works, but I don't see myself storing up groceries in it, so we might put it back on Craigslist.

Now I have an addiction to Craigslist. Since our hand-me-down kitchen table is bulky (think vintage late 70s /early 80s), and we're ready to get rid of the IKEA booster chairs we've been using for 14 years, we have decided to buy a new table and chairs. I keep trying to find something on Craigslist that looks better that what we have and has a slimmer profile, but so far most everything is that midcentury look I don't really care for. I'm also watching computers on Craigslist, since our 2006 Dell is pretty slow for the modern internet we have here. (One feature that is up-to-date.)

Needless to say, this house won't go down in history as one of my favorites.  It looks homey with our stuff in it, and my husband has vastly improved the storage by adding shelving in the closets and cupboards. The younger kids have been playing happily with toys they haven't seen for a couple months - including board games, surprisingly enough. Still plenty of skirmishes, but now I can't tell them to go outside. There are a few children in the neighborhood, but for now we have the "no going into anyone's house" rule. But so far, this house doesn't have the cuteness or the amenities that other house we have loved had. But fondness grows with familiarity, so when our time here is up, I may find myself snapping photos of my favorite corners to remember.

A smaller house means we have had to divest ourselves of some belongings. We filled about 8 or 9 3.0 cartons (the big square size moving box) with stuff to give away, mostly clothes, books, and toys (I'm embarrassed to admit how many t-shirts we had). I made about $50 selling stuff for $0.25 - 1.00 at a friend's group garage sale last weekend, but I already regret selling my pepper grinder (?!) and some wobbly stools I should have kept one for a haircutting chair. Meanwhile, another friend made $600 selling nice tools and pots for $5-50.

Still have stuff to send off: stacks of books are littering the garage while we await some shelves we had in storage. What doesn't fit has to go. I have to sever my sentimental attachment to old paperbacks and other doodads that are currently crammed into the garage. Maybe its being 40, maybe its knowing that the next time we move, our oldest will be in college, maybe its knowing we've outgrown a lot of the things a family with a lot of little kids needs but not a family with bigger kids, but I'm finally recognizing that I don't need to hold on to much of this stuff "just in case." (When I tried to give away Duplo blocks, my husband said, "Don't you want to have grandchildren?" Won't we be able to buy them new Duplos? Or will we be too broke from college tuition for 6 kids? Do you hold on to stuff for potential grandkids?)

This ramble has to end. Time to start learning about our new state.