We headed out in the late afternoon yesterday to do some shopping.  First stop was to order the new dining table I liked, which is scheduled for delivery on Wednesday.  While there we checked on my recliner, but it sounds like that won't be delivered until close to the end of the month rather than around the 12th, as originally predicted.

Then we tried to look at hot tubs, but by the time we finally located the warehouse we were looking for (near the furniture store) it was 5:01, and that store was closed.  Of course they didn't have any business hours posted (why do places of business 'forget' do that?) so we had no real idea of whether or not we had just missed them....

Tom elected not to play in the rush hour traffic on the 101, so we dined in situ at Applebees (where we were one of the few tables without a toddler in a booster chair) to give traffic some time to lessen. A major topic of conversation was what to cook first in the new kitchen tonight.  Alex had "voted" for Tom's fried chicken and mashers, a family favorite (though of course I did point out that that one that always makes a mess.)  So guess what we've decided to have tonight? <g>  

What followed was an evening of unpacking boxes into the new cabinets.  That went quite well until we had unloaded virtually every box (except those harboring all the penguins) from the computer room.  At that point we appeared be missing a very important carton of cookware we use the most: the 2 red pots and all the sets of covered baking Corningware.  After looking "everywhere" (and making sure all the leftover boxes in the computer room truly were just hiding penguins) Tom was sure the MIA cookware had 'somehow' mistakenly been given away - though I knew that hadn't happened!

I eventually saved the day 

when the 'lightbulb went on'

and I remembered we had stored a couple of boxes in the kids' bathroom.

We tried to restock the kitchen by loading stuff pretty much where it used to live, though of necessity some has been switched around to new locations.  Until we get comfy with the new arrangement I'm sure there will be a certain amount of looking in all the wrong places. 

But the kitchen is coming together, and (SO FAR!) we seem to have plenty of room, at least for all the big stuff.  Still have a carton of all the little stuff that need to find new places to live.

For a change I have nothing 'official' planned for today.  I do want to mop the floor (with all the workmen tramping in and out I have been sweeping daily) for all the visitors I expect today.  Patti and Gary plan to swing by to check out the new kitchen; he hasn't seen any of it, and of course there have been major improvements since the last time she was here, which was before Thanksgiving.  Marcie and Mike will likely come by to see the finished (sans paint) project, and Alex hasn't seen it since yesterday's work was done.

I'm trying to get as much done as possible because the latest news from Marcela yesterday was SAD SAD SAD.  

She thinks it's possible the end could come as soon as this weekend (!) which means I could be flying to California any day now.