Still Settling In

We've been in the new house for nearly three weeks already. We're still surrounded with boxes and only one car has made it into the garage so far, but we've been having way too much fun socializing with our neighbors (our street has a weekly playdate with all the other families), hosting my cooking club, giving tours to friends and and occasional strangers (potential home builders sometimes think our house is the model, which is being built across the street), breaking in my kitchen with all sorts of delicious new recipes, and all the daily business of raising a very active three-year-old.

Cooking club at our house. These ladies are way out of my league. We ate WELL that night!

The prep island is great for having friends over to bake. Erin and I made yummy homemade granola today.

I'm having a harder time unpacking than I thought I would, but Niels helped me realize that organizing (while I am good at it when my brain is working) takes a lot of cognitive energy. I like how it's coming along, but it's just really slow going. My latest headache treatment is not working as well as the last one so I've been in more pain, and my fatigue also has been slowing me down. Instead of unpacking and organizing while D is napping, I need a nap, too.

I have made great progress in the kitchen. Here are some recent pictures:

Finally! I have all my spices close at hand. I used two tension rods to keep the rows in place.

I love these big drawers under my cooktop. So convenient for holding my pots and pans.

I found a new menu planning board. This year's goal is try cook seasonally, so I like being reminded of the foods I should be incorporating into my menu.

Outside of the kitchen, here is a bit more of the progress: 

One car in the garage and many tubs moved to the basement. How many?...

...this many!

Our punch list is slowing winding down. Our mailbox was finally installed, D's mirror was put up today, and his back-ordered toilet is finally getting installed tomorrow. 

We've got (a) mail(box).

D's bathroom looks so much bigger with his mirror installed.

We received two sets of shelves for our linen towers, but are still waiting on the third. We're also waiting on the glass for our shower and the in-law suite shower, but we can still get clean in D's bathroom. The biggest inconvenience at the moment is not have a working washer and dryer yet.
This is our own fault since we didn't realize that by buying a washer and dryer from different series of the same brand made a big difference. The sizes are not the same, which makes that incompatible for stacking, and awkward for the side-by-side. That was a costly mistake we won't repeat. The new sets should be installed by the end of the week. In the meantime, we are deeply grateful for our neighbors, who graciously let us air (clean) our dirty laundry at their place. We seriously hit the lottery with our neighbors.

We're starting to think fast about landscaping, especially around our egress window, which has been tested with all the recent rain. We remain very pleased with Charis and the way Todd and Glenna respond quickly to the things that come up when you starting using a new home day in and day out.

The big news of this week is that we are hosting our first overnight guest! Our friend, Erin, who was very instrumental in Niels and I getting together, has been staying with us for the last few days. It's been wonderful catching up and tag teaming with D! We've had a lot of fun cooking together and she was a huge help in getting my recipes in order!

Still rather plain, but at least Erin had plenty of space as the inaugural  guest at the new and improved de Jong Resort and Spa.

We'll miss her when she heads home tomorrow. How am I going to get my naps in?!