As I mentioned in my last post, (like two months ago now) we bought a house! We have been in it for six weeks and still love it. There are very few things that we don't like. It has been so much fun decorating our home and making it ours. We haven't been to our ward very many weeks because we've been out of town, (and today I'm home with a sick little boy) but it is a good ward. It is in the same stake we were in, so I know several people either because they are friends with my parents, parents of friends I had in high school, or were in my ward growing up before boundaries were changed. Kids who I used to babysit are now of babysitting age themselves, and I will probably be calling them from time to time.
I didn't take any before pictures of our yard. When we moved in there were lots of weeds (there still are, but we're getting them under control. That is what happens when your house is built on an old hay field.) The grass was in pretty sad shape too, but it is looking so much better now. The few patches that haven't resurrected will be turned into garden or flower beds next year. Jackson has had lots of fun helping Daddy work in the yard. He'll go outside and dig or rake several times a week.
We live in a town house. This is our side of the house. If you're coming to visit, it's the house with the planter filled with flowers (currently pink petunias) on the mail box post and the wreath on the front door. We love that it is an end unit, which has a bigger lot and thus a bigger yard. And there's a gate to get into the back yard.
This picture was taken standing at the front door. Just to the right are the stairs. We love the space that we have in our living room. Our furniture actually fits comfortably here, and there's really room to spare! I also love that it is an open floor plan to the dining room and kitchen.
When we were looking at houses, I saw this wall and instantly knew that's where my piano would go! Isn't that such a perfect "piano wall?" Now that we are settled in one place for long-term, I'm going to start teaching piano lessons. I have a few students lined up, and I'm looking forward to it.
Another shot of our back yard, with the grass looking so much better than it did in that first picture. We have a decent sized patio as well, which will be perfect for barbecuing, just as soon as we get a propane tank for our grill. I am in love with the view out our back windows too. Just to the left is a wonderful view of the sunset every day because it is just a wheat field off that way, and there's an empty field with a wheat field across the street behind us. And it's almost a straight shot to the end of the airport runway, which is heaven for my plane-loving little dude! Whenever he hears a plane coming, he'll stop what he's doing and run to the back door or front window to watch the plane fly overhead. And that is usually accompanied by a very excited "Wow!"
This is our dining room. I love that there is actually space to expand our table, and move all the way around it too! In our first apartment, we couldn't even have all of our chairs, and in our next apartment, we had all the chairs, but there wasn't room to put the leaves in or walk around it.
I am in love with my kitchen! It is huge in comparison to what we've had...and yet every cupboard and drawer is full. Wherever did I put things before?! The wood is exactly what I've dreamed of having in my home, so that is perfect. There is tons of light. I have a flat-top stove, which is second best to my true desire of a gas stove (that's not even an option here though since we don't have gas.) I also love that our microwave is built in which saves so much counter space. It is nice not having to use my table as work space while I'm cooking. The counter tops are actually identical to my mom's. Our house was built the same year they remodeled theirs, so it must have been a popular choice that year. Good thing I like her counters! Lol. And it is a gorgeous tile floor. I may not like it quite so much in the winter because it will be colder, but it looks so good in that space. It's the same tile in the front entry and the bathroom upstairs.
I even have a pantry! It is under the stairs, so not super huge, but gives us so much extra storage! I bought these can organizers to save shelf space, but still have lots of cans sitting on the selves. I want Jeff to add a couple more shelves to give me more space, and I want him to build me a vertical can organizer for more food storage space. A re-done pantry will be my Christmas present this year.
I love my laundry room! There is a cupboard up above where I can keep my cleaners and detergent, and there is a clothes-rod above the dryer, so when I do laundry, I bring our empty hangers down with me and hang the clothes up as soon as I take them out of the dryer which saves me so much ironing time! I don't mind ironing, but if I don't have to, I am a happy girl. I love the window which gives us natural light too. Rarely do we turn on lights during the day, anywhere!
This is our half-bath downstairs. It's not even one of those itty-bitty claustrophobic half-baths like you usually see. There is actually room to move around just not quite enough to have added a shower. Jackson had fun helping me demonstrate how the built-in stool works. Is that not a genius idea?! All he has to do is pull it out and he can *almost* reach to wash his hands. He needs help stretching his arms far enough to reach the water, but give him another couple months and it will be perfect.
This is Jackson's room. He loves to stand up on his bed and look out that window to see the planes flying over. It took him some time to adjust to the new house, but he loves his room now, and usually sleeps through the night and takes great naps every day. His room has a good-sized closet, with nice built-ins for lots of storage.
This is our spare-room. I need to get a folding table so I can turn it into a craft room. I am so far behind on my scrapbooks, and I have a couple other sewing and craft projects in mind (shh...don't tell Jeff. That requires a trip to Hobby Lobby...and he says that place is forbidden.) This closet also has nice built-ins. Currently the shelves are being used to store books until I get another bookshelf and our extra towels and sheets.
Here's our main bath. I love the mirror that goes the whole length of the counter! There is lots of storage in the vanity.
This is our room. I love our room! Those prints hanging above the bed are some Jeff brought back from France. I snuck them away and had them matted and framed for him for a wedding gift so we could display them instead of leaving them in a drawer as he had done for nearly 10 years. They are beautiful! My grandpa made the sconce on the wall. I love how all the bedrooms have ceiling fans too. That really helps with air circulation to keep the temperature of our house down.
My grandpa also made the shelf and helped my dad make my cedar chest. That space is perfect for my cedar chest. I love having it out of the walkway where I am prone to crashing into it in the middle of the night. That little cubby in the wall will one day hold a TV. Yes, that's what it was meant for. There is a cable-jack in the wall! That's just not at the top of our priority list of things to get. Jeff is saving up points at work to get one that way.
We have a good sized walk-in closet, again with lots of nice built ins. This is the first time that we've really had enough closet space for what we need. We actually have lots of books in our closet too, at least until we get another bookcase...or four (I could almost have a private library!)
This is the top of the stairs outside all the bedrooms and bathroom.
We are so happy here in our home. It has been fun making it ours. We definitely prayed about the decision to purchase a home, and we feel that we were definitely led to make the right choice for our family. We will be very happy here for several years. We are excited to welcome our friends and family into our home to visit, so if you're in the area, please stop by!
