Oh my goodness, unpacking is trying to kill me!
All our stuff arrived here Friday, and so of course we spent the rest of the day and the weekend unpacking, during which we realized the following:
1. Our Filipino packers in Doha, while extremely careful, were, shall we say, quixotic in their packing choices and less than descriptive in their labelling. Every box is HUGE and filled with the oddest assortment of things. Towels coexist with camping supplies next to boxes of files topped with placemats, all in one box. And that box might be labeled "Towels and Office." So unpacking has been a bit chaotic, to say the least.
2. While I was packing up boxes one at a time in Utah, trying to get stuff out to the storage unit, I didn't do such a good job labelling things myself, even though I know better! In fact, a few times I didn't write anything at all on those boxes, as if I thought I was going to remember their contents. NOT! I haven't even tackled any of those yet, since I am sure they are not essential items and that particular voyage of discovery can wait a bit longer.
3. We have a LOT of towels. I do remember deciding I didn't want to replace all our towels, I decision I still stand by, but one of the results of having 5 bathrooms in our last house is that I never really looked at all the towels at once since they were spread out all over the place. So having them all here, coming out of box after box (they liked using them as packing material, clearly), is shocking. Note to self: NO MORE TOWELS!
4. I know this is crazy to admit, but I have really missed my kitchen paraphernalia! I was so happy to unpack my dishes and my pans and especially the bin of new kitchen fun my parents got me for my birthday I haven't yet had the chance to use. I haven't uncovered the silverware yet, unfortunately, so it's still plastic for us, but having platters and bowls and donut pans at long last has been oddly satisfying!
5. My boys are far too distracted by bubble wrap and tape to be much use with unpacking. They also get derailed by the contents of boxes and bins, which are, to review, randomly assembled, meaning a toy could surface at any point, after which the boys are off to play with said toy, their "favorite ever."
6. Our new couch is far too big. While we were in the store, we sat on many, many couches, and we made a very careful, calculated purchase based on comfort, durability, style, etc. In the store, our couch seemed a good size, not enormous like all the huge, over-stuffed options we avoided, but not too small like several of the fairly uncomfortable, trimmer options we also tried. But then we tried to get it through the door of the storage unit, and we realized it was bigger than we thought but we hoped for the best. And Friday it took three men half an hour to figure out how to get the couch through the doorway and over the stair railing and into our living room. Getting it out of here will be virtually impossible; they suggested selling it to the next tenant! They didn't take the legs off, which can be done, so it may be slightly easier to remove than to put in when we try next year, but I am so annoyed that the couch is this big to begin with. Who designs couches that can't fit through standard doorways? Why would one do such a thing? It's preposterous!
All our stuff arrived here Friday, and so of course we spent the rest of the day and the weekend unpacking, during which we realized the following:
1. Our Filipino packers in Doha, while extremely careful, were, shall we say, quixotic in their packing choices and less than descriptive in their labelling. Every box is HUGE and filled with the oddest assortment of things. Towels coexist with camping supplies next to boxes of files topped with placemats, all in one box. And that box might be labeled "Towels and Office." So unpacking has been a bit chaotic, to say the least.
2. While I was packing up boxes one at a time in Utah, trying to get stuff out to the storage unit, I didn't do such a good job labelling things myself, even though I know better! In fact, a few times I didn't write anything at all on those boxes, as if I thought I was going to remember their contents. NOT! I haven't even tackled any of those yet, since I am sure they are not essential items and that particular voyage of discovery can wait a bit longer.
3. We have a LOT of towels. I do remember deciding I didn't want to replace all our towels, I decision I still stand by, but one of the results of having 5 bathrooms in our last house is that I never really looked at all the towels at once since they were spread out all over the place. So having them all here, coming out of box after box (they liked using them as packing material, clearly), is shocking. Note to self: NO MORE TOWELS!
4. I know this is crazy to admit, but I have really missed my kitchen paraphernalia! I was so happy to unpack my dishes and my pans and especially the bin of new kitchen fun my parents got me for my birthday I haven't yet had the chance to use. I haven't uncovered the silverware yet, unfortunately, so it's still plastic for us, but having platters and bowls and donut pans at long last has been oddly satisfying!
5. My boys are far too distracted by bubble wrap and tape to be much use with unpacking. They also get derailed by the contents of boxes and bins, which are, to review, randomly assembled, meaning a toy could surface at any point, after which the boys are off to play with said toy, their "favorite ever."
6. Our new couch is far too big. While we were in the store, we sat on many, many couches, and we made a very careful, calculated purchase based on comfort, durability, style, etc. In the store, our couch seemed a good size, not enormous like all the huge, over-stuffed options we avoided, but not too small like several of the fairly uncomfortable, trimmer options we also tried. But then we tried to get it through the door of the storage unit, and we realized it was bigger than we thought but we hoped for the best. And Friday it took three men half an hour to figure out how to get the couch through the doorway and over the stair railing and into our living room. Getting it out of here will be virtually impossible; they suggested selling it to the next tenant! They didn't take the legs off, which can be done, so it may be slightly easier to remove than to put in when we try next year, but I am so annoyed that the couch is this big to begin with. Who designs couches that can't fit through standard doorways? Why would one do such a thing? It's preposterous!
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| Here we are eating take out pizza on an overturned box and a laundry bin! Livin' the dream, people! |
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| At our local farmers' market with leaves just beginning to turn! |
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