The New House - After

We're finally all moved in and really loving the new house.  It took some paint, hardware and a lot of new light fixtures, but the place really feels like home (just click here to see how much it's changed!)

 Our new bedroom

 The kids room

 The kids bedding and beds are still the same, I love them!

 Bathroom

 I tried to create some little spaces that were pretty and functional.  I like how this one turned out in the bathroom.

 The pantry is full!  You'll probably remember, this large pantry was what got me most excited about the house!

 The kitchen... yes, still pink counters, but much better with accessories!

 My new knobs....

 The kitchen really wasn't big enough for a table, so I created a desk area.  Stone and I really enjoy working here!

 The kids do have a table in the kitchen and eat their snacks here.

 With the dining right off the kitchen, who needs it to be eat in?  We've already had several people over for dinner and this space works really well.

 This is the front door/entry/living room

 Music area in the living room

 This is what you see when you look down the long hall.  I love the family photo and the light fixture.  I'm still struggling with the telephone shelf and the chords that have to be strung down... we're working on a "fix"

 This is the kids' bookshelf.  Love it!

 Kids' playroom... this house has three bedrooms, since the boys all share we used the spare as a playroom.  The crib has been used for napping some, but is mainly just extra seating

 This is also the playroom... this is our workbox shelf for school time

 The view out of my kitchen window

 And my tea sets!

There's still some work to do, but we're settled in well!  I've been surprised that we haven't felt cramped at all.  Considering we went down to almost half our square footage that's a huge accomplishment!  The floorplan here flows really well and there is so much outside space.  We actually haven't used the living room too much at all!

The New House

We're renting our new house.  We've never rented a house before, so this is totally new territory for us.  I think, however, that we're going to like it.  We're downsizing quite a bit to what we really need (read: Yipee!  Less to clean!) and we're getting some extra outdoor space for the kids.  We don't quite know where we'll wind up in this area, and we're looking to build in a few years, so this house will give us some time to sort it all out until then. 

So here's a little tour.  The house is old, with original hardwoods throughout.  Again, we're renting, so not tearing things apart to rebuild is going to make me a little antsy, but I am excited about having to be creative.  I'm a builder's daughter, so "Hey, why don't we move that wall?" doesn't sound like that big of an undertaking to me.  Remember this?

Here's the new kitchen.  For an older house, this is a ton of cabinet space!  Yes, yes, the counters are pink, but some new light fixtures, knobs, rugs and some paint can go along way.  We're also putting a white fridge in there.

This is the only full bath in the house.  Again, it has some good storage and is quite large.  The tile is good and clean.  I'm planning new knobs, new window treatments and the removal of that weird light fixture.

This will be the boys' room.  It's HUGE!  So, so much bigger than their room now.  It's painted purple with dark purple trim (lovely, no?)  Heath has already started in on painting this room and putting some Kiels on the moldings.  This room has brand new carpet, with hardwoods underneath.  The hardwoods need to be refinished (per the owner), but we thought the carpet might make for some good rowdy play for the boys.  The '80s light fixture is going and we're painting it green to match their curtains and bedding.

This is our room.  Like the lilac walls?  (are you sensing a trend?)  It has a super tiny 1/2 bath off the side.  I don't know how much we'll use it, but all the fixtures are brand spanking new.  Heath has already painted this room yellow and switched out the light fixture.

Another big bedroom.  This will be our office/schoolroom/playroom.  It's the second largest of the bedrooms and closest to the main living space.  We'll change out the light fixture here.  I'd like to paint as well, but that isn't in the immediate plan.  I already have some awesome curtains picked out for this room that will add a lot of color!

This is the living room.  It's got some great space.  The front door is right off to the left of this picture.  He has painted the room grey.  It already looks great!  I have some great curtains and a good furniture layout in my mind.  I think it's going to be awesome!

Another view of the living room, with a peek into the dining room.  I have a new light fixture for the dining room and the grey continues throughout the living space.  The door in this picture goes to the garage and there is another large window overlooking the back yard that you can't see from this photo.

And this, my dear friends, just about made me do a happy dance!  It's a pantry!  A super, duper large pantry!  Oh, glory!

Isn't it cute?  I can't wait to get to the after and show you some pictures!  I love the style and age of this house!  

Stay tuned!

Stuck in the Middle

Lately I've been feeling really stuck in the middle.  We have our new house in the new, small town, but we're not living in it yet.  We have our old house in the big city, and it's holding our stuff hostage.  I really didn't want to move the furniture out of our old house until it sold.  I knew it would sell better with our stuff in it, but that left us a little homeless.  Heath's already working in our new small town and we need to be near him.

Need isn't a drastic word in this case, it's the truth.  We tried not being together as a family last week and that resulted in a lot of tears. (Although Heath got a ton of stuff done at the new house while we are gone and it's looking great!)

Right now, no one is really out looking at houses in our area.  Most likely because it's 110 degrees outside.  I don't blame them!

So, I presented my case to our Realtor.  A Realtor we've used for every home purchase and sell we've had in our almost decade of life together.  I expected some pushback, I had prepared myself for it.  Instead I got none.... I think she saw how close I was to a breakdown!

We're moving our stuff out on Friday!

I'm so excited to get into the new house, yet I'm so sad to be leaving our old house behind.  See? Stuck.

But I know that I can't keep one foot in both places.  We need to live and fully embrace our new small town and I'm excited about doing it.  So, I guess, here we go!

It's getting more real...

The sign went up in the front yard and the swing set is coming down in the back yard. It's really beginning to feel real now.

I'm equally excited and scared, but Heath and I feel confident that this is a good move for us. I like having him on my side, he's so level headed and calm,
just like me
the complete opposite of me.

I'm holding tight to Phillipians 4:6-7. It's a hard verse for me, I'm an anxious planner by nature.

Deep breath, big step, let's see what God has in store...

What's Going On?

"Oh, not much..."

- We're putting our house on the market, so there have been people in and out all week.
- I'm still talking to insurance adjusters on an almost daily basis due to our car accident on June 20.
- The handy man is fixing a few things today and tomorrow. We all know how much I love dust and disorder.
- Cash just dumped brownie mix in my pantry floor. His new favorite word is doggoneit. He says it a lot.
- I really think Holden has lost all ability to hear, he's totally awesome at ignoring me.
- Stone doesn't like disorder either and really doesn't like the new paint color in his room, which somehow prevents him from sleeping late. I don't get it either.
- Heath quit his job today!
- We're moving to a small town!
- I've been stress eating and not following my dietary guidelines. This makes me sleepy and needs to stop.
- I'm currently working off three to-do lists and my inbox is overflowing.
- I'm overly concerned about who I'm going to borrow sugar from when we move.

"How have you been?"

I love my crazy life. I love where it's going and the possibilities it holds. I love my crazy husband and kids and all that God has blessed me with!