Monchichi on the Move!

Okay, first off...how many of you remember what a Monchichi is? Yes, I know most of my readership far exceeds my years and wisdom, but things like this are easily forgotten! And, yes, I also realize that these were popular before I was born, but that's still not the point...Monchichi were little monkey-people who lived in trees. For those of you who don't know, this happens to be one of many nicknames for me, courtesy of my Uncle Billy. He's been calling me Monchichi for as long as I can remember, because apparently there's some resemblance between my early years and a Monchichi...what do you think?


Next on the agenda...did you know that in the moving process you can learn things about your stuff that you never knew before? As many times as I've moved (and, yes, Aunt Cawnin, it's been a LOT...LOL), it never fails to shock me that I'm forever learning things about my own stuff, particularly my clothing! First, I realized how much of it there really is, especially when combined with BJ's and Addisons. Then, an even more shocking revelation...I have a pair of lounge pants that I've had for ages. Did you know there's a pocket on the back of them? Cause I didn't! *sigh* Live and learn!
I have folded so many articles of clothing that my arms hurt! I've also folded clothing so tiny (Addison's) that it should never be folded! It's like trying to fold up a grain of rice! I also didn't know that a man could own so many clothes. I always kinda thought men had a couple shirts, a pair of slacks (just one, mind you...), some jeans in various states of decay, two pairs of shoes, a couple socks that don't match and a a handful of drawers they've had for at least a decade (of more, depending). I learned today that this is not the case. If it is, then I got the most clothing obsessed man on the planet, which would bode badly for me because you know me and clothes/shoes. Mom used to call me Little Imelda because of all the shoes I had! And bear in mind - I gave away a lot of things before I moved to Tennesse. I divided up my clothing into bags: One to keep, one for the GoodWill, and one for each of two church missions. And to be honest, I put the better clothes in the bags for the churches, because I've seen what families go through when they lose everything they have...they deserve a little something extra, even if it's just a shirt with one less rip in the seams.
In conclusion to my clothing realizations, I also realized it was time to step away from the laundry when I could no longer see our queen-sized bed for all the piles (each a foot and a half high) of clothing stacked on it. I decided to undertake a simpler task: Addison's bed/playpen. I gave up on that after 20 minutes of wrestling with it. I got so frustrated with that contraption that I briefly contemplated setting it on fire, then decided it would be just as freeing to launch it through the back door and onto the patio, where it sat for a few hours until I made Matt go collapse it. Me and playpens have never gotten along, not since Matty's when he was little. Mom and Jess remember the fight we had with Cilla's playpen, and I will not go down THAT road again!
On another moving note, I have to say that I've had it with this family and extremes...BJ was born during one of the worst lightning storms Burkburnett, TX, has ever seen; his sister was born on the hottest day of the year (and it still ranks as one of the hottest for Burk), and we moved out of the old house and into the new one on one of the most bitterly cold days we've had this winter. The natives have been restless in TN for the past couple weeks, because the weather has been so insane. It goes from moderate to warm, warm to bitter cold, bitter cold to moderate, then moderate to absolutely polar. It was polar on the day we moved, if only for the wind factor. I was so cold, I had to stop carrying boxes and just stick to throwing things into them and trying to tape them shut, because my fingers had locked up from the cold. It didn't help matters much that there was no heat in the last house, just a pair of space heaters that we didn't bother to turn on, because we didn't want to pay more on the heating bill for the old house than we have to.
The house we've moved into is much bigger than we realized...our stuff, which looked like so much in the old house, is DWARFED by the empty space in the new house. We've gotten the living room situated, and we're still working on the bedrooms. My first order of business the first night here was to arrange my kitchen, and for now, it'll just have to do. The only appliances that came with the house were the stove and the central air/heat, so we had to buy a fridge. We found a REALLY nice one on Craigslist for $75 and brought it home the day we moved in. The lady selling it lives right here in Springfield, so Matt and BJ strongmanned it into the house. We had to take the door off the hinges to get it in, and it doesn't exactly fit in the space provided...but it's a nice fridge and it works! It's a big side-by-side, and the lady who sold it to us said we could have the mini-fridge she's got for free, just because we were the only ones who showed any interest in it. Our first thought had been to get the mini-fridge as a temporary fix until we could afford something bigger, because moving expenses had stretched our budget to its limits. Sue, bless her heart, loaned us the extra money it cost to get the big fridge (THANK YOU, MOMMA SUE!), and that's what we have now. As for a washer and dryer, BJ talked with Addison's mother, and she told him that if he came and dug theirs out of the shed, he could have them since she has no use for them (she lives with her mother). So, one day soon, BJ and Matt will head up to where she lives and bring them down. It would have been this weekend, but Matt has his son and BJ is hurting from karate class. He's been in Wado Ryu (a defensive non-aggressive karate style) classes since he was roughly 15, and for a while he had to miss out because of financial and time restraints. Now that we live a couple blocks away from the Dojo, he can go back on Thursdays, and his Sensei is very pleased to see him get back into it. He went to class this past Thursday, and Sensei worked him HARD. He's still a little tender from the strain, but he's happy that he's back in it.
And now for a yummy note! When all was said and mostly done with moving (there are still things in my car from the last round of hauling), we gave it up in favor of sitting down to a nice warm dinner - some good, hearty chicken soup and biscuits! The biscuits were the kind in the exploding tube, and the soup came from various cans, but damn, was it good! Here's the recipe, and remember, it's a BIG one! You can always cut it down to size! (I've adjusted it, not only to be Tody-friendly, but also because we've made this twice so far and adjusted it, so I'm combining the best of both recipes.)

2 cans chicken broth
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 soup can of milk (if desired)
2 additional cans creamed soup, any flavor (broccoli, cheddar, chicken, mushroom...we used mushroom)
2 cans mixed vegetables
3 6-0z. cans chunk chicken in water
1 C fresh chopped onion, or 1 can whole kernel corn, depending
2 Tbsp fresh chopped garlic
Salt and pepper, to taste
Paprika, to taste (if desired)
2 healthy Tbsp butter

Saute the onions (if any) and garlic with the butter in a pot (same one you'll use for the rest of the soup, it cuts down on dirty dishes). Add the chicken broth, and let it simmer together for about 5 minutes. Flake the chicken chunks with a fork, and add to pot. Add soups one can at a time, mixing together thoroughly for each can. Add the veggies and heat through, adding milk as desired. Season to taste, and you're DONE!

Without the milk, the soup has more of a hearty chowder consistancy, the milk just thins it out a bit. Either way, it's thick and creamy, and it goes so nicely with biscuits and some fresh tea (aka House Wine of the South). And, if for some reason you don't like the veggies in the mixed can, you can always grab two cans of whatever veggies you like! The first time, we used the mixed can, but the second time we didn't have anymore, so we used a can of green beans and a can of carrots. The onions vs corn is just a matter of taste...you can always use both, if you like onions. BJ doesn't like corn, so we used the fresh onion. No matter what veggies you add, this is a soup that will DEFINATELY warm your bones and stick to your ribs!
And since I mentioned cooking again and the fact that Tody leans to the anti-'shroom side...wanna hear some interesting things about my life since I moved here? Well, you're going to, whether you want to or not! For starters, I eat green things now. I eat buttered broccoli, I eat turnip greens like they're going out of style, AND...are you ready for this...I eat CABBAGE! I know what you're thinking..."Who is this girl, and what has she done with Kati?!?!" Well, rest assured, it's still me! I've just developed a more open taste for food. Sue is a wonderful cook, and I made her a promise - if she made something that I don't usually eat, I'll at least TRY it. If I still don't like it, no big deal, at least I gave it a shot. If I like it...all the better for me! The same applies for things that BJ makes, like the black-eyed peas I tried and didn't really care for. As for saurkraut...yeah, I don't think we'll ever see the day that I snarf that stuff down. But in the meantime, give me Potlick (a dish Sue makes with cabbage) and leave me alone! I've also developed a taste for tomatoes! This happened back in October at a restaurant, when my burger came with tomato slices on the side. I looked at them and wanted to cringe, but for some reason they just looked GOOD, so I took a bite of one...before I knew it, they were GONE! I actually ate them all before I touched my fries, which made me wonder if I wasn't a little ill, because you all know me and potato products.
So, there you have it...the adventures, thus far, of my new home! I can't wait to post more, including pictures of the new house! Stay tuned!