Oh goodness. It's been quite a while since I last checked in here, and a lot has happened. I only just now feel like I'm able to put my head up and look around. Let me explain.
No, it is too much. Let me sum up.
As you know, we sold our house in Oklahoma, and I was able to fulfill my long-term goal of recreating this picture I took of Pippo in the treehouse on move-in day.
Aw, isn't he a cute little squirt?
And during move-out, our expanded crew looking more cooperative than they were actually feeling at the time (the girls aren't posing so much as poising themselves strategically for a cranky escape down the ladder, while Pippo tries his gallant best to humor his mother). But I was determined to get the shot to close out our time here.
Actually, before we completely turn away from Oklahoma, I still would sort of like to do a house tour/before and after photos, so long as it wouldn't be too lame to do it now that we've already moved. But at least that solves the eternal problem of when to declare a room done! Unless you tell me that it would be totally boring, I'm going to try to pull it together.
We hit the road mid-July with our gang, driving nearly 4,000 miles over the next month, from Oklahoma to Virginia, up to Massachusets for a visit, then back down to Pennsylvania for a family vacation by the lake with my side of the family.
Which was exactly as wonderful (a week with all seven of us siblings plus our spouses and children, my parents and Habou all under one roof) and as crazy (a week with all seven of us siblings plus our spouses and children, my parents and Habou all under one roof) as you might imagine. It was great.
Then back up to Massachusetts for some more visiting, including some time spent at my in-law's (again, nearly everyone – 8 siblings plus spouses and children – in one house again, so again, wonderful and crazy), where we got to meet my newest niece, witness my sister-in-law professing her final vows as a sister, and celebrate my brother-in-law's engagement.
And then — Molly turned 3! She had her cousins over for cake on Habibti's deck the day before we hit the road again.
(She very strongly requested “pink cake.” I used a trusty buttermilk cake but subbed some pureed strawberries for part of the liquid. And then I added food coloring too, because the birthday girl wanted pink cake and I was not going to let a foolish desire to go all-natural make me fail to deliver on the pink front. A few more drops of food coloring in the cream cheese frosting, and we were good to go.)
And with that, we loaded the car up one more time, paused before strapping in the kids to take a few last pictures with Papa and Habibti (aren't they all so cute?), and headed down meet Capt. P down in North Carolina, where he'd checked in to his new unit the week before.
So now we're not quite two months in to settling in to our new home, which was honestly a little daunting when we arrived. I'll have much more to say about it later, of course, but for now let's just say that it was smaller, more awkward, and considerably more inhabited by insects than we had been prepared for. (And we were moving into older military housing, so we thought we were prepared!)
I know that lots of folks are concerned about the risks of using chemicals and such when it comes to pest control. But basically, I figure there are risks to having bugs take over your house, too. Like, if you have a toddler who's inclined to put things in her mouth, and she might pick up a dead you-know-what and decided to eat it, and then you would just have to leave her on a mountaintop.
That's a risk too.
The pest control guy gave me a condescending smile and a “Welcome to Swamp Lejeune,” then tried to convince me that since this is the outdoor kind of cockroach (as opposed to the kind that infests your pantry, which I grant you is even worse), and they wash themselves a million times a day (no joke, he stood there and told me they were cleaner than I am), that basically I should be thanking them for gracing my home with their presence.
And I did my best to explain to him that while I am, deep down, a bug wimp, I just moved from Oklahoma where I had scorpions in my bed and tarantulas on my doorstep and yet I can say with confidence that these are definitely very yucky bugs that I did not want in my house. Seriously.
So even though the truck had unloaded everything, we held off a few days on unpacking beyond the very basics until we'd hit the little (and not-so-little, downright enormous) wretches with everything we'd got, and firmly established our own residency. Which we have done, and (for the record, in case anyone reading this plans on visiting us or is even a very sanitary outdoor cockroach) intend on maintaining.
File this interlude under {real}.
Really, though, we've mostly figured out where to put the furniture and it is starting to really feel like home. (It was a month before we'd unpacked the last box, which made me feel like a real slacker, since dear Cristina had just told me over on Instagram that she and her husband get the house “done” in just two weeks! I bow down to their efficiency.) We're also very happy to be living on base again, and especially to be living near the beach again! Oh, ocean, how I missed you.
I'm hoping to be able to pop in here more often now that we're no longer nomads. In theory, I should have new projects and adventures to share, so I'll see what I can do!
Carol Kennedy says
We have those yucky large outdoor roaches here in Texas and our wonderful Pest control guy uses some sort of compound made from chrysanthemums (that is what he says, and I believe him!) that is harmless to us but kills the bugs quite handily. The only time we get live ones is the rare moment we catch them coming in, or just having come in. Then, occasionally we get a dead one to sweep up. I wish he lived close enough to send to you! 🙂
Theresa says
If he ever shares the recipe for that compound, I will gladly turn my yard into a chrysanthemum patch!!!!
Rosie says
Seriously! I don’t know about this magical chrysanthemum substance, but I do like to use diatomaceous earth for similar reasons – it’s safe enough for humans that you could even eat it, but kills bugs with exoskeletons. (aka, most of the ones you want out of your house!)
Tia says
it’s a pyrethroid
Carol Kennedy says
I will ask our guy, he come Friday. Maybe there is some brand name or something.
Carol Kennedy says
So I asked him about the pest control spray that he uses. It is derived from some sort of flower (african violets?) and it is called BIFEN I/T. He sprays it all around both inside and out and we have had zero problems with it. Hope that helps!
priest's wife (@byzcathwife) says
that photo with THREE babies in the playhouse! what a mama’s wish come true1
Molly R says
I thought that church looked familiar! We used to attend Mass at the St. Benedict Center when we lived in Boston. What a beautiful order. I’ve often wished we lived closer so my girls could know the sisters there. Congratulations on settling down again! My hat is off to you for living the nomadic existence so gracefully. And thanks for sharing your adventures here! I enjoy seeing your family grow.
Ajda says
The house tour sounds great, please do it! (We are in a similar situation, trying to make our new apartment a home on a low budget, one step at a time etc., so I’m especially interested. Also, I’d love to see your Little Oratory and other ways you’ve made your faith a part of your home! As a convert, I’m particularly clueless in regards to that…)
Rosie says
I will see what I can do!
Claire says
The ooooocean!!
When we lived in our beloved Ohio, people would sometimes brightly say, “Well, we have the lake!” meaning Lake Erie. Which is good. Very, very good.
But people, please! It’s *nothing* like the OCEAN.
P.S. Yes to a house tour! Love them : )
Rosie says
Yes, exactly!
Clarice says
I so enjoyed your post. Would love to see your Okla home. I am from small town near Ft Sill. Enjoy your ocean time. I am a little jealous!
Serena says
Wow what a move! I don’t know if I could have handled all that driving with my 4 kiddos and hubby but it sounds like you guys made it fun and memorable for everyone.
Yes, yes, yes! More pictures please!
I live in West Texas now, but was born and spent the first 5 years of my life in Louisiana. To this day any cockroaches I see (which thank the Lord are very rare out here) are met with immediate hostility and definite termination. My mom, who spent much longer in the swamps of LA, hates them with a passion. Some bugs are just not compatible with a happy home life : )! So I am definitely with you on the scorched earth policy!!
Hope the rest of getting settled and into a new routine goes smoothly for ya’ll!
Joy in Alabama says
No only do we want a house tour, we want anything you’re willing to give us! Haha! You are quite a woman to move three kids across the country! My husband is a pastor who gets sent to a new place about every three years, but it’s still just around the northern part of our state. I used to could get the whole house unpacked and decorated in 2 weeks but the move this summer has been more stressful and I’ve been much slower with my decorating. But, you know, it’s all good!
Wendy says
You just wiggled your thumb, doesn’t that make you happy? ; )
I would love to see your Okla home too. (I love that phrase – did Clarice make it up?)
Carol Kennedy says
Princess Bride reference that I must use more often. 🙂
Cristina says
Okay, to be fair my husband has a pathological revulsion to moving boxes. Within 72 hours of arrival he has “unpacked” (read dumped on the floor/shoved in a closet/pushed into a corner) the contents of every single one of the boxes and placed the boxes and all the paper on the curb. So I’m forced to quickly sort and put everything away. With this many children you can only have all of your pictures propped against the wall for so long before you just have a pile of broken frames and Glass shards.
It’s not his fault though, it’s how he was raised. That’s why his parents aren’t allowed to come help during our moves anymore, it’s so much worse when there are three of them. #marinebrat
A month is still perfectly respectable, if not quite up to my mother-in-law’s standards 🙂
Cristina says
Also, my husband says you’re going to want to keep spraying for those bugs at least once a month, and a can of spray foam to seal up around any potential entrances wouldn’t hurt either. They’ll never be able to prove it was you that foamed all the pipe. Welcome to Jacksonville! 😊
Rosie says
Tell him we are ON IT.
Stephanie says
You guys were drying out and needed the OCEAN! I love how you crammed in all those family vakays and visits in…you guys are pcsing pros…welcome back to the east coast!
Anamaria says
Sounds like a wonderful time with family! That tree house is spectacular. I’m currently searching Craigslist for SOMETHING they can play in outside, but that is amazing!
Yes, my mom is from an island, so being far from the ocean is certainly the hardest thing for her about living in Oklahoma- she goes down to Texas at least twice a year. (I love it, too, but it’s not the same.)
Rosie says
The tree house was a lot of fun, even though it was really on its last legs by the time we were leaving. But in case this info is useful to you in your search, you should know that the wasps LOVED building nests in the wood and roof, and we were constantly needing to evict them through the warmer months.
Anamaria says
YIKES. Thanks for the warning. I think we don’t have as many wasps here as in Lawton, but they are not something I want to mess with!
Debbie says
I’ve been reading this blog for years. Really miss the {p,h,f,r} on Thursdays. Love this post! Thank you for sharing. Looking forward to seeing your upcoming projects!
Rosie says
Aw, thank you, Debbie!
Julie says
Love the Princess Bride quote. Made me smile. We just moved too. 5 th house in 14 months. Finally getting unpacked. slowly.
Rosie says
That is a lot of houses in not very many months! I hope you get to settle down now for a while!
Julie says
Yes, that is the plan. We bought our house and that should help. 🙂 I did want to mention that for wasp control in the Northwest we used WD40. It makes them very lethargic as they are wasting away. We tried the wasp spray, and though it did th the job, it also made them madder than,well, hornets.
Mary says
welcome back to the east coast Miss Rosie! we missed you here. as for the bugs…spray baby spray!! you won’t regret it. praying all is well <3
Donna L. H. says
Thank you for the “catch up” post–with so many wonderful pictures of family….sigh….I am the only one of three who had children….wish my kids had cousins, too. You are all very blessed indeed!
I love the quote from Princess Bride–it is my all-time favorite movie~we often quote it around here…along with our family motto: “Never give up, never surrender!” from another family favorite–Galaxy Quest {not appropriate for children, though, so be forewarned}
So glad you are able to unpack–and stay put for awhile! Could I ask you to post your top ten tips for traveling with littles for a long trip? I am certain it would help me so much!
Catie Hb says
Yay!! Welcome back, Rosie. You were missed!
I’m one of 6 and we’re from PA and have recently wondered for a good place to gather all of us (and our spouses and children) for a reunion/vacay. I’d love to hear if you liked where you went and where it was!
God bless this next chapter in your adventure together! My husband and I have had several big moves since marrying and have found that it really sweetens the memories of our 12 yes together. These things provide so much history and depth to the story! (And yes, of course chaos, but most good stories involve some chaos:)
Rosie says
Aw, you’re sweet to say so! It wasn’t the *ideal* vacation house, but we probably can’t afford that one, anyway… Sukie tracked it down and arranged it all, so you should email her (her email’s in the sidebar) if you do want the listing – it was in the Poconos, a very short drive from the lake, lots of bedrooms, reasonably priced, especially if you’re splitting it lots of ways!
Catie Hb says
Ok, thanks!! We need to go more Central/Western PA to make it a viable location for our scattered crew, but that’s a great idea to look for a large house and split the cost by rooms.