If you have stopped by Travelingmama lately then you know that I have a major case of Packingitis.  I have been following along with many of you as you pack up everything and get ready to head to greener pastures.  All of this packing talk has me thinking about our crazy packing adventures and after three continents, three countries, and 13 houses/apartments… well, I may not be an expert, but I do have a bit of experience.  I get asked pretty frequently on what to pack when moving overseas, so I think now is the perfect time to share!

Holly, over at Decor8, asked if we could only bring a few furniture items with us from the States what would they be?  When we first decided to move back overseas and were contemplating what items to sell in our tag sale I was adamant that I didn’t care what we sold as long as I could bring my couch and my bed.

Unfortunately we were misinformed and I was told that my couch was too big to crate.  I was heartbroken!  My Mom bought my slip covered couch with it’s fluffy but firm down pillows in deep cherry red.  Man, I miss that couch!  Instead we decided to bring our leather recliner, which is pretty much everyone’s favorite place to sit in the entire house.  It’s the best!  We also brought our side table with our favorite Eiffel Tower lamp.  If you have a favorite lamp or decorative item I highly recommend you bring it with you.  There is nothing better in the world than a new house in a new country feeling like home.  What better way is there to make your home feel personal than including some of those items that you feel a deep personal attachment to?  I also made my art work and family photos a priority.  I didn’t want our framed antique map of Barcelona to sit in storage with our family photos.  There are some things that just need to be with us, being loved and cherished!

It doesn’t matter if someone else thinks the item is silly or unnecessary.  What matters is you!  If you cannot stand the thought of parting with something and you have the space to bring it- pack it!  My only recommendation regarding lamps is that you have them rewired by an electrician when you arrive in your new country.  Also, consider packing the lamp shade.  It might sound silly, but the lamps we have found here and in Europe do not use the same system and no amount of “rigging” seems to get the shade to stay straight!  It is next to impossible to find decent lighting here in Morocco so we waited until we went to Spain to buy almost all of our lights.  Crazy, huh?

Another item that I absolutely could not part with was my pine table, which was a gift from my Mother-in-law.  It is, without a doubt, my most precious and sentimental piece of furniture.  We’ve had it since we were married and I hope I never have to go a day without it!  As you can see, it has become my work table, which really only makes it more valuable to me because I sit here more than I eat!

Another item I highly recommend you pack is books!  English books are like gold to us!  We packed nearly every crevice of our crate with English books for ourselves and our kids.  It’s the one thing that we cannot find here or almost anywhere else.  Since we are a family of avid readers it is always a joy to have something to read in our heart language!  I also brought tons of decor magazines with me.  I went through my collection and pulled out the pages with my favorite inspiration, but there were some magazines that I loved so much that I would have been tearing out the whole magazine!  Those are the ones that are still on my shelf!

Of course we brought our beloved bed.  You think I’m kidding, but we lived for two years in Spain on hard and uncomfortable beds.  We didn’t sleep well those two whole years and had constant back aches.  I still remember the first time we set up our bed after we returned to the States.  I literally ran and jumped onto MY bed.   There is no price to put on the luxury of sleeping well!  Some may say that there is no place like home, but I say there is no place like my OWN bed!

I also brought all of my bed linens for ourselves and the kids.  This is another thing that is hard to come by in Morocco.  They just do not make quality linens here…well, I’m sure everything is available for a price and if you are willing to travel to a major city like Rabat or Marrakesh.  This was such a high priority for us that we actually brought our linens, including towels, in our suitcases.  BTW- I haven’t done much with my bedroom as you can probably tell.  I am dying to buy one of these vintage Berber wedding blankets from Maryam in Marrakesh for my bed!

Last, but not least, is our tv cabinet.  It wasn’t so much that I was sentimentally attached to this cabinet, but more the knowledge that I would have a hard time replacing a good quality cabinet made of REAL wood.  We also packed our dvd player, vcr, and tv.  The tv did not survive the ride over and we ended up buying a multi-region system.  I am SO glad that we packed all of our movies, though!  We spent a few months recording our favorite shows off HGTV, Food Network, and Disney Channel prior to leaving the States .  Those dvd’s were like a priceless gem those first few months as we transitioned into our new culture.  It’s not that we really watch that much tv, but more the comfort of occassionally having it playing in the background.  Just having something familiar to listen to in the midst of countless new sounds was such a guilty pleasure.

Of course, now between satellite, Sling Box and the many ways to download shows, you can pretty much keep up with all your favorite shows!  I still miss HGTV and Food Network, though!

I hope you enjoyed the little tour!  I’ll be back with our food must-haves on Wednesday since the theme this week for Corner View is Food staples!  I’m trying to convince Jack to help me do a video of our “stash.”  (I’m SO technologically challenged!)  Maybe if we all butter him up and tell him how COOL it woud be to show you all in person?