We're Almost On The Move...

Saturday is the big day! Moving day, to be specific. Some friends are swinging by to help us move the bigger items like the couch, bed, and our desks... things that won't fit in my tiny hatchback. Aside from that, most other things are already at the house. Our now-minimalistic apartment is actually kind of sad... the walls are bare, the fridge is almost empty, and there's nothing left in any of the many closets. We've spent two years here and all we really have to show for it are a couple of pictures and some memories. This move is bittersweet - I'm sad to leave the job and people that I've gotten to know for the last two years, but I'm really excited to see what happens next, and to be back amongst old friends.

We made two trips this past weekend; our usual Friday night-Saturday trip, and another ride out Monday-Tuesday to celebrate my brother's birthday. I made him a key lime cheesecake on Monday night, along with some candied lime zest (...which would have turned out slightly more attractive had I not forgotten to pick up some superfine sugar and ended up having to use granulated cane sugar instead) I don't make cheesecake very often because it's usually too rich for my tastes, but I was happy to oblige at my brother's request.



The pre-cheesecake scene... siblings and cats; I love looking at the living room from this arial view:



Speaking of the cats, I've shown you plenty of photos of them already but never introduced them on the blog...


They are Mushu and Bamboo; they both enjoy lounging in the sun and being pet often, and Mushu also likes to get in your way when you're trying to get any sort of work done. They're my parents' cats but I think they may be staying with us once the rest of the family moves to Switzerland... they were confined to the top floor of the house when the dogs were around, and they've really been enjoying having full reign again since the dogs were moved. Either way, we're happy to have them around.

Bamboo gets grumpy when Shawn picks him up though... why so grumpy, kitty?



Here's a strange sight from Tuesday afternoon:


I heard the sound of something hitting one of the windows by the deck, and found these two birds lying there. Upon closer inspection, it looks like they may have been mating and didn't realize that they came upon a window. Poor things...


But, to end this post on a bit of a happier note - I made brown sugar from scratch the other day! I've been out of brown sugar for a while now but haven't bought more since we're trying to work our way through everything in the apartment. It's surprisingly easy to make your own - for every one cup of white sugar add 1 tablespoon of molasses and whisk it until all of the molasses is incorporated (that took about 5-6 minutes with my kitchen aid). What a difference it makes! The sugar itself was so incredibly fluffy, and the cookies I made with it were by far the chewiest cookies I've ever made. I might just start making my own brown sugar from now on - why spend the money on it when I always have the ingredients on hand to make it?



Next time I post, it will be from my desk in New Jersey!