The week so far, in pictures.

Laundry, Squat Style

Greetings, lovely followers of the Squat! We don't have any progress to share, but I wanted to check in while I have a chance. Mr. Squatter turns a year older this weekend, so there won't be much work going on. We're opting to sit in the backyard and eat piles and piles of Mexican food instead. Really, you should see my overly ambitious menu. The food might be good, but I will be an exhausted, grumpy mess, and it's my own damned fault.

Quilt on a Fence and Grand Plans

After moving stuff over from Old Home last weekend, I finally have my iron, ironing board and other necessary sewing supplies. This has resulted in the loss of our kitchen, but the gain of Mrs. Squatter's Craft Room! My next project will definitely be cleaning up the basement and setting up some rooms. We're going to set up a living room, which will stay nice and cool during the summer months, and a proper sewing room for me. At Old Home I had two rooms full of crafting supplies, but never actually set up a functional sewing space. This resulted in a lot of pulling crap into the living room, then shoving it back into my rooms of shame and tidying up when Mr. Squatter was due home. I am determined to not let history repeat itself.

A Sampling of Progress

I know I said you could injure me if I didn't do a post on the 14th, but I have a very good excuse! We rented a Uhaul and moved another truckload from Old Home to the Squat. How do we have so much stuff? As we were driving it all over I kept hoping the truck would burst into flames, incinerating all the crap I've accumulated over the years and forcing me to make due with what we'd already brought with us. We did get our bikes, though, which we are very excited about. It's been years since we lived in a neighborhood where we could actually ride them around. Thanks to my pops for bringing his pickup into town and helping out!

We've been busy working on the place, too! Mr. Squatter put some shelves up in the sink room, which make a world of difference. We bought them in December, but were waiting to fix the walls before installing them. We finally decided that as it will be some time before we have the money or time to invest in a room that houses our dirty dishes, and the shelves can always be taped off or taken down when we get around to it, we should have a place to put our clean dishes in the meantime. You know, like normal people. I'm kinda glad we waited, though, because before I probably wouldn't have been so excited over something as simple as having kitchen shelves.

Get Out(side)!

One of the funny things about Portland weather is that it seems to be able to sense when you are ready to take outdoor pictures. It will be sunny and clear for hours, but the minute you step outside with your camera in hand, clouds roll in. Everything turns a shade of blueish-grey. The wind cuts through your lightweight sweater and knocks the bouquet of tulips off of the table. Rain drops threaten to obscure your lens. You manage through it, getting the shots you need as quickly as possible, then frantically moving everything indoors before the impending downpour hits. As soon as you've safely secured the last item in the dryness of your home, the sun breaks through the clouds again.

Fenced In

The amazing Mr. Squatter (with materials from Amil and Vanessa; thanks again!) put up a fence and gate. We now have a private backyard! Here are some before pics, to give you an idea of what we're working with:

WE'RE BACK!

Wow, two months with no posts. Here's what's been going on:

We worked out issues with the landlady, thus continuing our stay in the Glorious Squat. We even went as far as to extend our lease. We love this place.

Mr. Squatter's appendix burst, which stalled the work process for over 6 weeks.

We got lazy.

In the last week we've been working again, so updates will resume. Yay for you!

As Promised

Here's as far as we got: