Our move-in date for the new apartment is March 24. I am really excited.
So many people have been generous to us. Furniture-wise, we will start out with a couch, a chair, a china cabinet, and a desk (thanks to a man at Cheryl’s work); a bed (thanks to Will and Sarah); and a TV (thanks to Robert and Julia).
My mom gave me her other wicker basket to use as a hamper–she started out with two, and I had one of them in the apartment. That will lend a sense of normalcy and familiarity to the new place, although I did unfortunately break one of the handles.
We’ve also already got dishes, including a set from someone at Sean’s work, a set from Aunt Carol, and some nice Japanese pieces I picked up at various Asian grocery stores. And Cheryl gave us some lovely silverware for Christmas. I’ll have to buy some glasses when I do the shopping for other necessities. I’d also like to buy two coffee cups for hot cocoa, a treat Sean and I indulge in on cool evenings.
We have some bedding, from Aunt Carol and Aunt Irene, some beautiful towels from Uncle Tom, and two towels I bought at Wal-Mart, but I will need to buy pillows and a few extra towels.
Aunt Carol gave me a Magic Bullet, which I am very excited about–I can’t wait to try out some recipes with it. With that, I shouldn’t need a blender or food processor, but eventually I would like to replace my Kitchenaid mixer. (Mom says I should have a Bosch mixer/processor. They are industrial-strength, strong enough to grind grain. They are very expensive…I’m not sure I would use it enough to justify it. But you never know.)
I will need to get a new can opener and toaster.
Mom and Dad gave me a wonderful set of pots and pans for Christmas, so I shouldn’t need anything in that department except a wok. I already have a rice cooker, given to me by my mother’s cousin. With the pot and pan set came some cooking utensils, but I still need wooden spoons and plastic and metal spatulas. I also need to buy a set of glass bakeware.
As I mentioned, we’re getting a desk for the office, which Cheryl says she thinks is an L-shaped desk. David gave me a nice CRT monitor which I plan to make liberal use of; at first I’m just going to use it as a second screen for my laptop, but eventually I’d like to have a desktop again. It will be so nice to have a CRT and be able to see colors and details properly. I’m used to LCDs now, but they still don’t feel as “real” as CRTs.
We got a printer free when we bought our laptops, so we’re covered there too.
We will eventually need chairs for the office. I want to get Aeron chairs again, of course, but we might not do that right away. We’ll see. Herman Miller has also come out with a different chair, the Celle, which costs less and is available in burgundy and pink. I definitely want to check those out.
As far as dining room furniture, all we have so far is the china cabinet. However, Sean has agreed that we should get a kotatsu. For those of you who don’t know, a kotatsu is a low table–essentially coffee-table height–with a heater built under it. The top of the table comes off so you can put a blanket (futon) beneath it, and you sit at the table with your legs under the blanket on cold days.
A kotatsu is a decent-size table, and I think we will probably just use it to eat on at first (or maybe permanently). For that, I’ll want to invest in some zabuton pillows for sitting on. (For now I’ll probably get some cheap Wal-Mart cushions.)
When we’re not using the kotatsu, it will serve as a coffee table. I’m kind of imagining Sean spending most of his time there, maybe leaning back against the couch, legs tucked under the warmth of the blanket and heater.
As you can see from the floorplan (we’ll be in an apartment like the one on the left), the living room and dining room are one big long open area. I’m not sure yet how I’m going to arrange the furniture. I will need something to put the TV on, but that’s not a high priority right now. I’d like to take my time and find nice furniture pieces that will go with my style.
I do want to buy a shelf to keep books and DVDs on. My collection is rebuilding, slowly but surely.
I’m going to have to live in the apartment for awhile before I decide on a noren, but I really do think I will want one–or something–for the doorway to the kitchen right off the front door.
For the bedroom, we have a walk-in closet, so we might not need to get a dresser/chest of drawers. If we do, though, we can certainly buy one. Other than that, we’ll need bedside tables, and then we’ll be pretty much covered.
A large expense will be the washer and dryer set, but thanks to the generosity of Mom, Dad, and Hai, we will save a lot of money when we buy them at Sears.
I think that pretty much covers what we’ll need for our new place.
It is, of course, due to the generosity of Aunt Bev and Uncle Josh, Aunt Irene, Grandma, Uncle Steve, Hai, JP at Japundit, Matt, and so many others that we are able to replace so many things, move into a new apartment, and still have money left over to invest in our future. And then there are those dear souls who bought us treasured things from the Things We Lost in the Fire list! I’m continually amazed that we are doing so well, given that we had no renter’s insurance and did not receive any assistance from the Red Cross. Our well-being is completely due to the kindness of our friends and family, and for that we are grateful beyond words.
Here’s my schedule for the next two weeks:
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March 13 onward: accumulate smaller needed items
March 16: try on bridesmaid dresses for Brooke and David’s wedding
March 17: order kotatsu (delivery estimate is 5-9 business days via FedEx)
March 18/19: head to Washington, Georgia with Brooke to check out a possible wedding site
Week of March 20: shop for and decide on washer and dryer
March 24, 25, 26: move into new apartment–gather up donated goods from across Augusta (neighbor’s house, a storage facility, friends’ houses); pick up washer and dryer
Thereafter: organize, arrange, and buy any additional needed items
And there you have it.