Personal Essays

Old House Seeks Soulmate

/ Katie / 18 Comments

Single blue farmhouse seeking patient, loving life partner.

Sturdy bones. Cozy disposition.

Loves summer sunsets, fall bonfires, winter snow, and holiday decorations.

Great at parties.

Good provider.

Solid community and kindly neighbors.

Serious replies only.  

Inquire at: https://www.thomasandtalbot.com/Property-39243_Little_River_Turnpike

*************

Sigh. But seriously, won’t someone please buy my house?

Graham and I knew, when we made the difficult decision to move away from our beloved heritage home to be closer to family, that it would be tough to find the right buyer. Not everyone is interested – or equipped with the right combination of crazy and persistent – in buying an old home, especially a 200-year-old one. But we figured that, just like we did, someone would walk in and fall in love with the unique house and the beautiful but manageable property.

Alas, thus far, nine months on the market, and no luck.

So, here I am, writing a blog post, wondering if someone reading, somewhere in the world, might want to own their own small piece of Virginia Piedmont paradise.

I thought that we were forever, this wonderful old home and me, but sometimes things don’t work out, and it has nothing to do with how much you love each other. And so now it’s time for someone else to step in and mend the broken heart I’ve left behind.

I mean, there’s someone out there for everyone, right? And every house??

I believe in love. Somebody show up, please, and prove me right.

Becoming a Beach Person

/ Katie / 14 Comments

I’m a mountain person.

Always have been.

Graham grew up by the water, and spent pretty much every summer day of his entire childhood on the sand. He’s the first person I’ve ever met who actually lived at the beach.

Before we got together, I think I’d visited the beach, like, five times, maybe?

All of that to say, the beach was never a huge part of my life, and it’s taken some getting used to.

It’s silly, I know, to say something like that. Lots of people love the beach – they visit every year, they make plans to retire there, they dream of owning a house and staying in it as often as they can. And I totally get it! It’s just never been my thing.

But y’all, sometimes, you gotta get over yourself.

And in this case, you is me. I am you. Because, as it turns out, Lucy loves the beach.

She’s a little intimidated by the all that sand and water, sure, but she’s a fan. Graham is elated. 😊 And me?

Well, I guess I’m finally, slowly, and for the best reason ever, becoming a beach person.  

Annie

/ Katie / 42 Comments

We had to say goodbye to Annie on Monday.

It’s been a hard week. Monday was a hard day. I don’t know when we’ll feel better. I do know that from the day we brought her home way back in 2010, Annie gave us all her love, and she brought us so much joy.

I do know that she made our lives better every day that she was here. I hope we gave her a happy life, too.

And I know that we’ll love and miss her always.

My sweet little weirdo. She was tired and slow, at the end, but she never lost her spark. She was a good dog.

Wait, what? New house problems?

/ Katie / 20 Comments

I’m used to old house problems. Remember the mystery pipe? Or the ceiling with no actual support joists? Yeah, I was pretty unfazed.

And silly me, I thought when we moved to our new home – a relatively young and spritely 25-years-old – that I just wouldn’t have to worry about any kind of house problems for a while. Which is good, frankly, because it’s crazy around here with a toddler, a dog, a cat, and a husband who is amazing but often forgets where he left his everything. But y’all, here we are.

New house problems.

Sigh.

It’s not that big a deal. Our washing machine is leaking, and we didn’t notice until it started actively dripping. Through the ceiling.

Because you know, we don’t have enough going on, and they do say that when it rains it pours. Apparently, through the ceiling.

The good news is, this should all be fixed relatively quickly. There’s not any real water damage, and no signs of mold, and the washing machine will either be an easy repair or an exciting replacement. (Because when you’re almost 40 with a toddler, a new washing machine that works better and faster is, in fact, very exciting.)

So, as always, onward. Dryly, hopefully.

The Very Best New Toy Ever

/ Katie / 20 Comments

Lucy has inherited, it seems, many things from me. My temper, my stubbornness, my curiosity, the shape of my eyes, my sleeping habits. We discover something new every day – some little look or mannerism – and it’s fascinating and funny and wonderful. Most wonderful of all?

Lucy loves music.

Musical toys have always been her favorite.

She’s super intrigued by my dad’s guitar and mandolin.

She likes it when I sing to her.

It’s been so lovely, to share music with my baby. And I knew that when we moved, we’d finally have the space for something I’ve always wanted, something that would bring even more music into our home.

It got here over the weekend.

And, y’all, it’s a big hit.

I am over the moon. Lucy and I agree: This is the best new toy ever.

Surprise! (It’s a Snowstorm!)

/ Katie / 8 Comments

I’m admittedly a little late to the party, posting about this. It’s been over a week ago now. But I couldn’t just not write about it, given how much I love snow. (If you’ve been here for a while, you know I love snow. If you haven’t, you should know: I love snow. And winter is my favorite.)

Anyway…

I just can’t believe it, y’all. I thought I’d never see a snow like this again. But the universe just loves proving me wrong, and so here we are. Virginia Beach got a foot of snow.

I mean, in this case, it’s like the universe proved me wrong to make me happy, and I just can’t complain about that.

There’s like no snow infrastructure around here, so we were snowed in until the weather warmed up enough to melt stuff.

And I’m not complaining! Many cups of tea. Lots of snuggles with the baby. Good naps.

Lucy loved watching the snow fall.

And was entertained trying to catch it in her hand and feeling little flakes on her head.

She was…decidedly less certain once we got her outside to actually play in it.

Maybe next year, kid. 😊

Although, who knows? This was a pretty historic snowstorm for Virginia Beach, and I doubt we’ll see anything like it again for a long time. But a few inches next winter? That’s possible!

For now, I’ll just be grateful for the abundance we got.

A Very Happy Saturday Indeed

/ Katie / 6 Comments

I’ll start with the good news, right up front:

As of now, it appears that Lucy is not, in fact, allergic to peanut butter or eggs!

Y’all, I am so relieved. I was ready to hear the opposite news, and ready to make the subsequent lifestyle changes, and I know we would have managed just fine, as many people do. But I’m really glad that we don’t have to do that.

The sort of not great news is this:

The allergist thinks that what we saw was a contact reaction, and Lucy has really sensitive skin.

Apparently, this is quite common in very young children, and he was not concerned. We do need to be careful, though, and until she’s a little older and neater, if we’re feeding eggs, peanut butter, or other allergens or irritants, we should feed them to her, rather than letting her feed herself. (Lucy will NOT like that, but it will be fine.)

The allergy test itself was super interesting. Did you know that these tests have a 50% false positive rate? I didn’t. Or that they are 97% accurate when they come out negative? I didn’t know that either. Lucy actually reacted to everything, even the negative control, but the doctor was able to measure anyway, and was not worried at all. It was very reassuring, and we got some good advice for introducing allergens in the future. (Happy to share, if anyone is interested or curious!)

Lucy did not enjoy the tests, and still has some little marks on her back, but she was back to herself within a few minutes. And today she’s just doing her usual stuff. All’s good here. Just ask the napping people:

So, that’s that for now. And hopefully for good. Being a parent really is a whole new world!

The Dreaded Peanut Allergy

/ Katie / 13 Comments

Well, this is not the post I expected to write this week. We’ll start here:

Nutritionist, food-savvy, and parent friends, I need your help!

Because, alas, it appears that Lucy is allergic to peanuts. (And eggs. But I’m much more worried about the peanuts.)

We’ve fed her peanut butter several times, and thought we were in the clear. I was relieved, because I love peanut butter. Like, love it. Like, ate it constantly during my pregnancy and breastfeeding, always have it on hand, believe it is both a healthy snack and a dessert, eat it on a spoon in a pinch kind of love. It seems we will not be so lucky.

Yesterday, while eating a peanut butter sandwich, Lucy developed a small rash on her face, and it spread to her neck, arms, and belly. It wasn’t that bad. It didn’t look like hives, and disappeared quickly, so we weren’t sure how concerned to be. A call to the nurse line at our pediatrician’s office sent us to the emergency room, which felt excessive. And it was, because a later, follow-up call from our pediatrician – when we were most of the way to the hospital – confirmed that while this looks like an allergy, we could just monitor for worse symptoms. There were none. She is fine.

Thank goodness.

We cleaned EVERYTHING. And we’ve been advised to get rid of any peanut products in the house for now. And I’m getting a new high chair, because it is impossible to clear all the peanut butter off of the one we have. (Lucy is a leisurely, messy eater. It’s beautiful to watch.)

And now, until we have our next appointment and can hopefully get a referral to an allergist to confirm what’s going on, we feel like we’re operating in the dark. I’m not too worried about the egg allergy. It’s apparently quite common in very young children and in many children will go away when they’re older. But peanuts? I’ve heard that one’s scary. Neither Graham nor I have any major allergies, and aside from checking food labels and being careful, I have no idea what to do here.

So, friends, do you have experience with peanut (and egg) allergies? How do you handle it? Know of any great peanut butter or egg alternatives? Have favorite recipes that use neither? (Seriously, cookies! I have to be able to make her cookies!) Have any good advice for how to approach this situation?

What I’m saying is: Tell. Me. Everything.

And also, thank you! I do, in fact, get by with a little help from my friends. And I’m so grateful!

My 2025 Word of the Year

/ Katie / 10 Comments

Before Lucy was born, I worked really hard to set tangible, measurable goals every year. I enjoyed the process, and I enjoyed the results, too. But…life looks very different now. So last year, I started a new practice, and chose a word of the year.

I have friends who’ve done this for a long time. They appreciate it, and it works for them.

It didn’t quite work for me last year.

But, to be fair, last year was very…overwhelming. (In a good way. And in a hard one, too.)

So, we’re trying again!

I thought hard about my word this year. I wanted to choose something that would adequately capture the challenge of living in a new place with a one-year-old and trying to figure out how my needs and the things that I want to accomplish for myself fit into that picture. I came to one conclusion:

That’s what I’m going to do this year.

I’ll explore my new home, and my creative goals, and my writing journey, and my own (scary messy but still somehow organized-ish) mind. My heart, my relationships, my feelings, my anxieties, my fears.

I’m going to make this year a year of glorious, purposeful exploration.

I’m so excited to see what I’ll discover.