We decided to move in before we left for Italy at the end of June and boy was the moving out stressful! My sister says moving is one of life's most stressful moments and I can attest to that. My cats were not happy as you can see from the pictures (they probably thought I was abandoning them). I wasn't happy and cried my eyes out on the first night as the aircon wasn't working amongst many things and I was homesick - ironic since I'm in my own home. Funnily I wasn't the only one - my friend Sandra also cried when she moved out haha.
It took me a month to settle in and find my groove since we returned from our summer vacanza in Italia. I will blog about the trip when i got time but it was a wonderful trip as my parents went for the first time and discovered why I love Italia so much! :)
From Italia, we lugged back tons of food, ham, cheese, coffee, and souvenirs like the ceramic plates, jug, pasta pots, post-wedding gifts, angel door knocker and cat doorbell in cast iron! Luigi's nonna gave us a precious antique framed Saint Antonio to bless our home; bless her soul - grazie! I particularly love the ceramics that we bought from Ischia and Capri. It certainly feels more and more like our casa when we put up all these personal artefacts and gifts.
And I have been busy shopping for the home, even when I was in Pozzuoli. My brother spotted a Med-style rattan set of glass-top dining table and 6 comfy armchairs on sale for $350 on a forum and I bought it at my mom-in-law's approval! Then my friend Lynn sent me a list of designer cast-offs from her friend and I also bought 2 Phillip Starck storage stools and a cute coat stand.
We also got the Mango wood dining table that seats 12 (sustainable wood!) and a matching long bench from Crate and Barrel for $2k and easily spent another $500 on kitchen accessories so that the delivery is free. Next up on my list are curtains and Venetian blinds, as well as an Ariston oven. I had my first dinner party - italiano style of cos - for my group of close amici and the kitchen survived the test!
Oh not forgetting the kitty litter boxes, scratching post and beds so they will feel cofortable at the new home. I miss them a lot especially when L comes home late. Talking about cats, the past 2 months were also crazy as I had to juggle a punishing workload and organising the annual COTW exhibition and Purrzaars! But it was worth it to see all the cat lovers and our supporters together and celebrated our love for kitties. I even went on the CNA morning tv show with the CWS president and 2 cats! Check out the video link.
