I wrote this set of moving tips the last time we moved. And once again, I’m not following my own advice. On top of that, we’ve accelerated our moving plans by a week, which means I’m not going to be making most of the meals I’d planned to have in the freezer. I did make the Chicken Pot Pie Empanadas from Real Simple, at least, so I have one ready-to-go meal in the freezer.
Here are the recipes I won’t be making this week:
Happy birthday to my sweet girl!
Poppy has been less than enthusiastic about our upcoming move. She’s having a hard time letting go of our current house, she says, and I know she’ll miss being able to run next door to play with her friend who lives there. 
I’ve assured her repeatedly that they’ll still see one another and that we’ll keep all of the memories from this house. She’s kind of a delicate soul, though, and she’s struggling with the change.
So far she only sees two slivers of silver lining: The new house has a garage, so she won’t have to board a sunbaked car quite as often; and she gets to paint her room in her favorite color. She’s been asking for a pink bedroom for a few years now, and I’ve been telling her for years that “Yes, sweetie, when we buy a house you can have a pink bedroom.” And here we are! So a pink bedroom it is. She didn’t have any requirements other than the wall color, which leaves me quite a lot of leeway in choosing artwork for her room. Thematically, I suppose I’m leaning toward Whimsy with a Side of Girl Power.
Poppy already has a few pieces that will work well in her new room. Among them are a custom portrait of she and I from Lemons with a Pea (who, you should be warned, sells mostly ribald cards and art in her etsy shop) and these sweet little rocker girls from The Black Apple.
My sister-in-law has a print of Gustav Klimt’s “Baby (Cradle)” that used to hang in the bathroom. It was years — years! — before I actually noticed that there was a baby under all of those toasty quilts. “Cold Toes Warm Hearts” — another one by The Black Apple — reminds me of the Klimt painting. And I think it’s perfect for Poppy’s room.
These four pieces by Sascalia are a little bit brighter than what I’m generally drawn to, but the girls’ sweet expressions are just so very Poppy. And there are owls, of course. Every good room needs a few owls.
And then there’s this. I love nearly everything by Matte Stephens. It doesn’t really fit my overall color family (assuming I have one) for her room, but Poppy is a big fan of cats. And I am a big fan of anthropomorphizing. “The Cat Family Relaxes” would seem to be ideal for us, but it’s far over my budget.
