A Forever House. And a Cookbook Giveaway.
Monday, November 19, 2012 at 1:35PM 
By December 15, 2012, we will have moved our family four times in 18 months. From New Jersey to Atlanta and back home. But when we move to our house in New Providence, New Jersey, we’re done.
We’re done moving.
It’s the promise we’ve made to ourselves and to our kids. We simply can’t do it anymore, Karen and I. And our kids can’t do it either. They’re done. And so are we.
We’ve taken to calling the new house our “forever house.” Where we will live forever. This has to be true for us. We have to tell ourselves this is true. Mostly because we feel so fragile that we just might break for good if we have to move again. And if we were really honest with ourselves, which we certainly are not, we’re afraid our kids will break. Yes, kids are flexible. Yes, they bounce back. But a rubber band stretched too many times loses its ability to bounce back. Or worse, it becomes thin and worn and snaps. And all of us are feeling a little thin and worn, not just by the moving but also by life.
2012 was a lot. Among the many things...the death of a father at the beginning of the year. And a hurricane at the end of October that wiped out our second car and destroyed too many belongings in storage, flooding them with river+sewage water that came rushing back from the ocean.
But. This is the best we’ve been in a long time. We’re home, almost. Almost. And we’re almost feeling happy.
We’re staying in a temporary apartment while we wait to close on our house. Five people in a very small two-bedroom apartment. Three kids in two beds. It’s tight. Incredibly so. But we’re OK.
There is an empty apartment down the hallway from us. But two nights after the hurricane, we saw two Weimaraners poke their noses around the corner, dragging their owner, Amy, down the hallway. She and her niece were refugees from Hoboken, New Jersey. Their condo had flooded, water at least four feet high. Nearly all their belongings destroyed, they had grabbed clothes and the dogs and found themselves in our apartment building, dragging giant trash bags full of their wet clothes into their temporary home.
I had spent the day cleaning out our storage space after Karen took the kids to stay with her mom and stepfather in Pennsylvania, in an attempt to bring some sort of normalcy from a time filled with not-normal. I stayed in New Jersey, trying to save thousands of pictures in albums, throwing away mattresses and furniture. I got the easier of the two responsibilities.
Walking into our apartment building, there sat Amy and her niece and their dogs, waiting for the building custodian to unlock their apartment. I was covered in the remnants of river water that had flaked off our belongings. When she saw me, Amy said, “I bet I had a worse day than you did, and you look pretty bad.” I told her to try me.
“I lost my car,” she said.
“Nice. So did I. Try again,” I said.
A smile on her face. “I lost my home. And everything in it.”
We both started laughing, because if you don’t...well.
The next morning, we baked our new neighbors a loaf of Alice Currah’s Sour Cream Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. Because when the chocolate chips are still warm and melty, there’s nothing more comforting to eat, especially when you need some energy to just keep going.
;)
We’ve made a lot of Alice’s food this year, ever since we received a copy of her new cookbook, Savory Sweet Life: 100 Simply Delicious Recipes for Every Family Occasion. It’s joined the ranks of The Pioneer Woman's and Melissa Clark’s cookbooks in our house. That means we really cook from it. Every week. Because the food is good and reliable and comforting and filling. And honestly, we don’t have time to fuck around with food lately. It needs to be good so we can get on with life.
One of the most filling soups we’ve ever had is Alice’s Smoky Corn Chowder. Usually, it takes hours to get any depth of flavor. Quick soups usually taste like water and shortcuts. But this chowder is quick and memorable and terribly comforting. You'll have to buy the book to get that recipe. Money well spent. We depend on this book. And so will you.
Two of you are going to win a copy of it just by leaving a comment below. Tell us what you’re thankful for. That’s it. And thanks to William Morrow for making these two copies available for the giveaways and for our review copy.
We’ll go first. We’re thankful for our forever house. And for being a family. No matter what.
UPDATE
Congratulations to Jen Caplet and Betty Ann Besa-Quirino who each won a copy of Alice's book!
Savory Sweet Life, Soup 
Reader Comments (40)
I'm thankful for my family too. I have found myself in a houseful of boys by a series of interesting events. I'm thankful for my new husband (a week old and counting), the teenage boy who was there before, the once homeless man child we've adopted together and the new nine year old boy that social services won't let us call him ours just yet. I'm thankful for a past that keeps me from being a foster parent because that means we will see a judge who can look past mistakes and allow us to give this neglected boy a forever home. (I shot a car while target practicing when I was 20, it's called a barrier crime and can haunt you forever)
I've missed your blog and missed you. So glad you're so close to forever in New Jersey. And glad you write. You wield a mighty pen.
Oh sweetie... I feel for you. Your forever home is going to be awesome. My love and thoughts are with you guys. Wish I could give all of you a big ole Janis hug.
I can feel the weight of all you've been through. I am excited for you all to move into your forever home, what a wonderful Christmas present. What am I thankful for? That you're back where you belong. Close enough to come for dinner. XOXO
Awwwww. *sniffle* I am selfishly sad your forever home wasn't here, but I'm glad you're almost home, finally.
I'm grateful you're writing again. I've missed you here!
I am thankful for a healthy family and that I can ready many posts from people that survived all the craziness that has been happening in the world.
I'm struggling to feel compassion for you. I do for your wife and kids but aren't you the guy who thought it would be funny to eviscerate your peers under the pseudonym of @ShitFoodBlogger? Seems what goes around has come around and your poor family has been caught in the crossfires. By the way; do you own or EVER mention a cookbook that isn't from a well known food blogger that you can link to? You know, just Joe Schmoe? I thought not.
In the midst of the struggle you write with a thankful heart - I'm happy you & your family has found a home, and that you soon will be moving to a place with more room to all of you! I'm thankful for my family as well, and the little things in every day life :-)
I'm happy having found my way to your blog!
I'm happy for you, Karen, and your sweet kids. Please post home pics when you can! Praying for your peace and stability and an extra dose of bounce-back-ability. Love and miss you guys!
I am thankful that we are safe after Hurricane Sandy and that no enormous trees fell on our house. I wish the same for everyone else too!
i am thankful for smartphones that keep me connected and entertained even when i'm sick. and for bourbon. but not for this captcha thingie that i didnt see the first time i posted (and as a result, never actually posted). it was WAY better than this post, btw.
So glad you guys are safe and happy. And happy holidays!
I'm thankful for so many things, but in this moment I'm especially thankful for your true and raw writing. It reminds me of what you said at BSP. You inspired me not to be afraid to write with my heart on my sleeve, and for that I am more thankful than I can say. Congratulations on finding your forever home.
I can't imagine going through all that with small children, but here you and Karen are, with brave faces and comforting soup. Stay strong; we'll celebrate your move into your forever home with a G&T or three.
PS. I own and love Alice's book. Pls don't include my comment in the giveaway as I want someone else to enjoy it.
I am thankful to know you Chris. I am so sorry that this past year (and then some) has been so rough. Happy to hear you'll be in your forever home soon. xoxo
I'm thankful for my friends who have become my family and for my family who are my best friends.
I'm thankful for my "forever home" even though right now 50% of the foundation is exposed in an attempt to keep it from sliding down a hill someday.
I'm thankful that even though I may not read your blog with regularity (I should!) you never fail to impress me with your honest and clear writing.
I'm thankful you posted. And for gin.
I'm thankful for cooler weather, a good marriage and healthy puppies after an eventful year for them! (And of course, healthy, happy kids!!)
I am thankful for Michael Landon and I know that you are too.
I love the forever home and I love it even more that it is back in the Northeast! I'm most thankful for my baby girl who has the most infectious smile ever!
Thankful for having you guys as neighbors, even for a little while. :)
I have to say, I can completely relate to your "forever house." I told my husband when we moved into this one that it was our "Terminal House" and that whatever remodels we did had to be done right and not patched together because we'd be living with them a long, long time.
My husband is in the fire department and, being as we live in a small town, that means I am in the auxiliary. One night not too long after the hurricane, I went out to a fire to bring coffee and food to the firefighters and as I watched that house burn, I thought about how thankful I was that I had a house, despite its problems. That I had not only enough room for me, but for others who needed a place to crash. And that, even though many, many of my friends and family live in or near evacuation areas, we all came through ok.
Good luck with your forever home.
I'm thankful for my family, for good health, and for the roof over our head that wasn't peeled off by Sandy.
It's so great to hear from you again! Welcome home!
Mir and Melissa, thanks for being our good Georgia friends. We need you, north or south of the Mason Dixon.
I am thankful for my marriage. There was a point earlier this year that we both probably weren't so sure we'd make it another week. But we did. And here we are. Love and commitment is a powerful thing.