Adventures at Home
Andrew and I are settling in and slowly getting more and more organized in our tiny little apartment. We took two weekends in a row to stay in town, sleep and get jobs done. As some of you know, I do not like clutter or disorganized.....I also want to feel like I actually lived here, even though I have to pack everything up and move again, in just a few months. Doing that though in 600 sq. ft. When we both came from huge apartments and all of the wedding presents has been fun :)
Lessons we have learned so far:
1. Candles Burn - I like to create a "quiet and calm" atmosphere when I come home. One of the advantages of a small space is that if I light a bunch of tea candles and a few normal size ones, I can light the apartment without artificial lights. The first weekend we stayed in town we ran a bunch of errands to get the odds and ends we needed, including an RCA cord to work the TV. When we got home I was doing something in the kitchen and Andrew went to work on the TV/DVD player. All of a sudden I hear him starting yelling and freaking out...I come running out of the kitchen (mind you, that is all of 3 steps) to see him jumping and running around saying something about stupid candles. Well, my wonderfully, helpful husband had decided to lean over the lit tea candles to plug in all the cords and got burned right through his shirt to his chest!!!! We have kept the shirt as a reminder :)
2. Beer is great for Burns - In conjunction with the above lesson we learned to improvise. We got great beer mugs as a wedding present and keep them in the freezer. We applied a cold frosty mug to the minor burn wound, (filled of course) and it helped soothe the pain away ;-)
3. Pots and Pans are important - We were beyond blessed by our many wedding presents, but unfortunately too many people must not have thought that pots and pans are "sexy" or "cool" enough of a gift to give. When we got back from the honeymoon we had exactly 2 of the pots we registered for. Luckily our old apartments are close by and we ran to borrow some old stuff until we could get to the store and buy the pots off the registery. (side note - those of you who gave us Bed, Bath and Beyond gift cards, this is what they were used for! Who knew pots were so pricey?!?!?)
4. Cooking Utensils - See above - This is a compound problem because even though we do not have a lot of storage space for pots and pans we have even less for utensils!!! Ladies and Gentleman we have ONE kitchen drawer. That may seem doable until you realize we have ZERO counter space to put everything that doesn't fit in the drawer! Andrew now routinely walks into Home Depot and drools over the "cool and spacious" kitchen models.
5. Dishwashers are optional - For those of you who knew me (Brooks) growing up, I did not "DO" dishes. I did not even load the dishwasher unless forced. My biggest pet peeve was dishes. (maybe it has something to do with my texture issues) Well, I have learned and now regularly do dishes, although Andrew more than does his fair share.
6. Cooking together in 3 x 4ft is impossible - Thankfully I married a man who is actually a better cook than me and enjoys it way more. (Although his patience is severely tested with the limited space every time he cooks.) A big kitchen has fast become his number priority, when we go househunting in CO.
7. With limited counter space, the coffee maker is all important - I just finished organizing the kitchen counter space and liked the layout, when we got another wedding present. Andrew and I were both thrilled to see it was our espresso/coffee maker. Unfortunately there was no counter space. (We had been using Andrew's old 4 cup maker that was not in great shape, but that barely even fit on the counter) We decided to think about opening the coffee maker and possibly waiting to CO. A day or two later I come out of the bedroom and there is Andrew re-arranging the entire kitchen to make the coffee maker fit. (being married to an engineer is so helpful!) The Kitchen Aid mixer was relegated to the living room floor with several other items, but the coffee maker fit!
8. Living 1 block from church means we will be late - One of the reasons we were so excited about our new place was that it was 1 block from our church. No more rushing around to be on time or struggling to find parking. Well, living 1 block away means we have all the time in the world and that time seems to disappear fast! We have yet to be on time for a church service!
We hope you enjoyed our little lessons. We are truly having a ball together and often tell people it feels like we are having a sleep-over with our best friend (a college friend told me(Brooks) that line right before I got married - it is so true) I am sure the adventures will continue. Look for the sequels!
Lessons we have learned so far:
1. Candles Burn - I like to create a "quiet and calm" atmosphere when I come home. One of the advantages of a small space is that if I light a bunch of tea candles and a few normal size ones, I can light the apartment without artificial lights. The first weekend we stayed in town we ran a bunch of errands to get the odds and ends we needed, including an RCA cord to work the TV. When we got home I was doing something in the kitchen and Andrew went to work on the TV/DVD player. All of a sudden I hear him starting yelling and freaking out...I come running out of the kitchen (mind you, that is all of 3 steps) to see him jumping and running around saying something about stupid candles. Well, my wonderfully, helpful husband had decided to lean over the lit tea candles to plug in all the cords and got burned right through his shirt to his chest!!!! We have kept the shirt as a reminder :)
2. Beer is great for Burns - In conjunction with the above lesson we learned to improvise. We got great beer mugs as a wedding present and keep them in the freezer. We applied a cold frosty mug to the minor burn wound, (filled of course) and it helped soothe the pain away ;-)
3. Pots and Pans are important - We were beyond blessed by our many wedding presents, but unfortunately too many people must not have thought that pots and pans are "sexy" or "cool" enough of a gift to give. When we got back from the honeymoon we had exactly 2 of the pots we registered for. Luckily our old apartments are close by and we ran to borrow some old stuff until we could get to the store and buy the pots off the registery. (side note - those of you who gave us Bed, Bath and Beyond gift cards, this is what they were used for! Who knew pots were so pricey?!?!?)
4. Cooking Utensils - See above - This is a compound problem because even though we do not have a lot of storage space for pots and pans we have even less for utensils!!! Ladies and Gentleman we have ONE kitchen drawer. That may seem doable until you realize we have ZERO counter space to put everything that doesn't fit in the drawer! Andrew now routinely walks into Home Depot and drools over the "cool and spacious" kitchen models.
5. Dishwashers are optional - For those of you who knew me (Brooks) growing up, I did not "DO" dishes. I did not even load the dishwasher unless forced. My biggest pet peeve was dishes. (maybe it has something to do with my texture issues) Well, I have learned and now regularly do dishes, although Andrew more than does his fair share.
6. Cooking together in 3 x 4ft is impossible - Thankfully I married a man who is actually a better cook than me and enjoys it way more. (Although his patience is severely tested with the limited space every time he cooks.) A big kitchen has fast become his number priority, when we go househunting in CO.
7. With limited counter space, the coffee maker is all important - I just finished organizing the kitchen counter space and liked the layout, when we got another wedding present. Andrew and I were both thrilled to see it was our espresso/coffee maker. Unfortunately there was no counter space. (We had been using Andrew's old 4 cup maker that was not in great shape, but that barely even fit on the counter) We decided to think about opening the coffee maker and possibly waiting to CO. A day or two later I come out of the bedroom and there is Andrew re-arranging the entire kitchen to make the coffee maker fit. (being married to an engineer is so helpful!) The Kitchen Aid mixer was relegated to the living room floor with several other items, but the coffee maker fit!
8. Living 1 block from church means we will be late - One of the reasons we were so excited about our new place was that it was 1 block from our church. No more rushing around to be on time or struggling to find parking. Well, living 1 block away means we have all the time in the world and that time seems to disappear fast! We have yet to be on time for a church service!
We hope you enjoyed our little lessons. We are truly having a ball together and often tell people it feels like we are having a sleep-over with our best friend (a college friend told me(Brooks) that line right before I got married - it is so true) I am sure the adventures will continue. Look for the sequels!
posted by Andrew and Brooks at Sunday, February 26, 2006
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