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09 July 2015

not dead

yet.


But not exactly thriving either. Surviving? Absolutely! Absolutely.

We are loving la vida caliente y loca down here in Florida ...


In my first hours at the new house ... I was quite taken with the new-to-me vegetation so I snapped quite a few framers. I've since gotten over it. Maybe.

Unpacking is going REALLY well ...


I can't decide if the former owner took the light fixtures in this room OR if it's just some sort of minimalistic situation? I don't hate it and will probably leave it ... forever. Also, the kids are LOVING the doggy door. Unfortunately.


No, I promise things look a lot more settled now. A lot might be a stretch. A little. Simon says he thinks we'll be unpacked by September while I'm thinking it will be more like December.

Of 2016.

Luckily, Julia got to work unpacking all of our Christmas decorations immediately. So, we're on the festive ball bright and early this year. 

The inside of the new house was painted alllllll sorts of delightful colors (bright orange, beige, beige, SO MUCH BEIGE) so we had SOME rooms painted white right when we got here and it made a world of difference. I'm only regretting not biting the bullet and just doing the entire house because ... for the hate of beige with pops of more beige.


She wore that cheeky little romper for more days in a row than I care to admit the first week we were here. Or should I say weeks? I won't.

If I had a couple extra hands that I could dedicate solely to blogging (because the other two are usually happily holding my favorite little 3-week-old divo) I would write a long post praising Simon's heroic drive from St. Louis - > Tampa with the three middle kids (I flew with Julia and Bosco). His brother followed behind in Simon's car and they all stopped at wonderful longtime reader Kris' house in Atlanta to break the ~14 hour drive up into two days. HUGE heartfelt thank you to her and her kind family!!


(irrelevant photo - Simon, his brother Paul, Julia, and Sebastian went to the beach a couple weeks ago before Paul flew home ... let's all appreciate that the easy answer to Sebastian's sunny woes are in his hot little hand .... )

Anyway, I was slightly stressed about the drive because we all know how much fun Phoebe can be in the car even if we're just trotting two miles away to Target but, unless Simon lied (possibility to protect the histrionic she-parent), it was fine. He didn't even use a single screen sitter on the second day of driving. What.

Anyway, on the first morning of his sojourn I sent no fewer than 8 (8ish?) texts tentatively asking how things were going (he is a BIG fan of Siri, lest you think he would ever text and drive, worry not!) ... only to hear absolute silence in return. Until finally I got this little cubic zirconia of a text in return:

"Did you know Kim Kardashian is pregnant?!"

Which alleviated all of my worst fears. Naturally.

Moving right along.

Bosco is settling in nicely ...


He and Phoebe are best frenemies as she can go from demurely petting his head to scratching maniacally at his ear drums in a matter of milliseconds. She is left alone with him um, never.

Because Simon took his boards here in Tampa and started work the next day, he missed the OB-GYN Chief Party that is always held the night after everyone is done with their boards back in St. Louis but was able to FaceTime for some of it ...


I think he e-enjoyed it anyway.

Other notable happenings:

Theo spilling a brand new bottle of mustard (size: Costco) and ketchup (size: same) all over he and Sebastian's room. Carpet color: navy. Fun.

Theo transitioning weirdly well to a big boy bed also known as a toddler bed. He's only fallen out twice. V for victory. Toe touch. Or, maybe just my knees. While standing.

Grace smartly attempting to take the three youngest kids to Target for essentials like dish soap and I forget on the second day we were here. The trip ending four minutes later parked in a potentially sketchy parking lot nursing Bosco for forty minutes. When will she learn? Probably never.

Waking up the other morning (or was it STILL NIGHT TIME, Julia?!) to this ...


... which was not terrifying at all. But obviously not terrifying enough to get my snap on.

So, ever SO slowly, things are coming back together.

Simon volunteered that he doesn't miss our old house at all the other night and while I'm normally a big, fat nostalgia junky ... I don't either. Quite yet.

More to come! I'll be ramming a house tour down your throat and of course, Bosco's birth novel will be coming round the moutain very soon.

Thanks for your patience and I hope you've enjoyed the breather & break from Grace & Co.

platonic X and one-armed O.

39 comments:

  1. So glad you are back :) love reading your blog!!

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  2. Glad you made it down to Tampa and big congratulations on purging the beige from your house!! The important part is done, so I think you can easily take your time with the rest of the house organizing. :)

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  3. Yay!! You are back! I have missed your blogging.

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  4. Love your blog! Mind if I ask what area you ended up moving to in Tampa? We're on the house hunt in the area and have had the hardest time. Curious about your experience and neighborhoods/areas you guys liked!

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  5. Love the lights! Yay minimalist.

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  6. Godspeed in unpacking! Glad to hear a snippet of where you guys are at!

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  7. So glad to hear from you! Been praying things are going well for you and your family.

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  8. I think my heart skipped a beat when I saw you had a new blog post. We've missed you!!

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  9. Happy to have you back. Can't wait to see the house pics. 😘

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  10. You guys need a big pat on the back and some trashy T.V.!!

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  11. Could be worse! My entire house was painted peach when we moved in. Not a nice subtle peach, but a bright orangey obnoxious peach. We didn't have the time/money to repaint then (six years ago) and we have only managed to repaint one room since.

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  12. Yay for surviving! Can't wait for more info (on Bosco, the new house, etc.).

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  13. Glad you're getting settled and you haven't fallen completely off the planet! And I think Phoebe was wearing that jumper when she left my house..... :)

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  14. Love your posts. I've missed them in my feed, glad you are back!

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  15. I LOVE your blog, so the break has been sort of sad, but totally understandable. Obviously. I'm glad you are getting settled, and at the same pace that I would... and I have only 3 piglets to take care of!

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  16. So good to read your cleverness again!! Love how p is with b!!

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  17. So glad for a new post. I'm glad you're getting settled in paradise :) And HOORAY for no. more. residency!!

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  18. Ahh - I've been waiting for your post!! And it came on the perfect day. Made up for my 1 1/2 year old with a 104 fever. Thank you.

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  19. You're alive.....it's a miracle!!! Good thing you listened to grandma and put up a new post. LOL!!!

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  20. Glad you are surviving and I hope the unpacking goes well. One of my favorite things to do in Tampa (and free) is go to the electric company by the gulf in the winter and see all the manatees. So plan that for an exciting outing.

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  21. you are hilarious.so glad you all survived!

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  22. Came across your IG account a few weeks during a late night nursing session, talk about a blessing! :) you are hilarious & your humor always gives me a good laugh!

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  23. i missssssssssssssssed you! oh grace you are a superwoman!! well done on getting what you have done with all the lil and not so lil ones! and welcome back!

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  24. I love reading your posts; you and your kids are hilarious. Good luck unpacking and Merry Christmas! :)

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  25. Oh how seeing your blog post this morning has been the highlight of my day so far!!! I am glad you are surviving, I mean at this point that is all that matters, right?!!! Can't wait to see more of the new house and I practically stroked out thinking of Theo dumping mustard and ketchup on the carpet......ohemgeee....not cool kid! Happy weekend, hope it's a good one!!!

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  26. I miss your blog!! You're hilarious!

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  27. Welcome back, Grace!! Missed you and your funny bunch. ;) Can't wait to see house pics.

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  28. Welcome to Tampa! And the summer that never. goes. away.

    You've probably got a thousand welcomes and invitations, but just in case you need One More, let me know if I you need some advice about the place or just want to meet up for coffee because obviously you have all the time in the world. ;)

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  29. Grace, hope you are enjoying FL life. A friend of mine lives close to you, and visited this place today. When she texted me pics, I immediately thought that it might be a place (free!) that you and Simon would want to take the kids.https://www.google.com/search?q=waterworks+park+tampa&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

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    1. Ha ha thanks Sarah!! I'm embarrassed to admit we've already taken the kids 4 times. It's so fun!!

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    2. Embarrassed?! Absolutely not. Is there a link to your email on here somewhere? I would love to send you my number. Now that you're close, I would love to get our crews together someday....

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  30. Grace, I hope you are enjoying FL life! A friend of mine loves close to you, and visited this place today. When she sent me pics, I immediately thought it might be a place you and Simon would like to take the kids (and it's free!). https://www.google.com/search?q=waterworks+park+tampa&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

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  31. I love your outlook and I LOVE the way you write. I feel like I am sitting beside you as you tell me about the mustard and ketchup (oh man!). You inspire me to be more lighthearted. (I have actually cried over spilled milk before. But, in my defense, it was a whole jug of milk). Anyway, I love your blog. You brighten my day and inspire me to be better. So, thanks!!

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  32. Oh I feel you on the beige. Our house is beige on the outside, beige in most of the inside, beige curtains....killing me. Good on you for painting some before you moved in, I got round to all of none, and wish I had as it so much easier to get painting done when you are not moved in.

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  33. It's so good to have you back! My life is happier with you writing about your life.

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  34. I hate beige. But love this update :)

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