House Tour

Welcome! Come on in ...

That's a gardenia bush (above) by the way... We hear the whole thing blooms with the most amazing aroma. 

The Kitchen - 

It's tiny!! Hardly any counter space and limited storage. It's taken a lot of creativity to organize what we need the most and scale down what we have. It's cozy though. We can comfortably eat as a family by lifting up the side of the table. When we have guests, we eat outside.

The Living Area - This room is still a work in progress. We are likely to get rid of a few pieces and move  things around.

I didn't realize until uploading this picture that Gavie's birdie made an appearance on the mantel. He has been absolutely in love with this thing and holds it, kisses it, and squeezes it saying, "Bucka bucka baahk!" We'll forever remember this Christmas as the one with Gavie and the "chicken."

The Office - This space is in limbo, too. I have several ideas and I'm trying to forget the ones that involve buying something. What do you think? Should we move the desk over and put the bookcase next to it? Or, should the desk go under the window? Or leave it where it is? The filing cabinet will probably go in the garage. We're grateful we now have a place for the desk that's not in the dining area. Little steps!

The Boys' Room -  I specifically hung up wall decor that had been in their other room just to give them a sense of familiarity in this new place. Though after a while, I'd like to change/update a few things here, too. Hard to tell in this picture but the boys' gained 30% more space. That enabled me to bring in an old desk from my parents' house that I used to have in my room growing up. Kyle loves it and often uses it when he goes "to work."

I've really gotten into personalized/sentimental wall art. There's a story behind each piece and I love the idea of changing out/adding on to it as the boys grow. 

This one that says, "The Nights Are Long But The Years Are Short" really summarizes the past 4.5 years! :) I just had to color and frame it. Fortunately, moving here has been such a blessing in that area.

I don't mean to make my son's side of the room look like a classroom, but Kyle is really into maps and following directions. He cares very much about knowing where his family/extended family live. Even knowing where a cousin is in Norway. (He still talks about you, Tusen Takk! :)

We are painting the nightstand (pictured above) and this old chest of drawers (below) that was in my mom's room as a little girl. Both are primed and ready for some paint.

 The Boys'/Guest Bathroom -

The Master Bedroom - 

Our Closet/Vanity/Master Bathroom - Yes, I vacuumed. I need a picture of it so I can remember what that looks like! :) 

Outside! - There are two sliding glass doors, so the boys go in and out a lot. Gavie loves listening to all the birds that live in nearby trees. I'm telling you, we've got a menagerie. It's so peaceful outside. All you hear are birds chirping and the occasional airplane flying by.

We (my parents and I) spent a collected 9 hours weeding, trimming, and planting (back when Rudy was recovering from his injury). The planter to the left in the picture (below) was completely bare. Since we don't want to invest much of our own money in landscaping a temporary place, I was happy to find the little white-flowered plants for just $3 a pop. They're supposed to grow to fill the planter with some greenery and the occasional bloom of flowers. It's so fun to have some dirt to get my hands into. Hopefully we'll leave the place better than we found it. We'll see what color thumb I have.

K and G have a little play area. We store our bikes and other outdoor toys to the right of the picture where the width of their area continues down the side of the house. 

The boys got this sandbox from their GG. It's been a hit for them and any friend who comes over. Now the boys have sand, dirt, pebbles and rocks to play with.

Our new patio table has two ends that lift up to seat 10 people. This is how it looked a few days ago. It's been fun to eat outside comfortably (with elbow room and without neighbors seeing and hearing your every move). The Mexican blankets come in handy for early morning and evening meals.

And this is how it looked tonight with more lights up. 

So that's it (minus the garage). While this home isn't blow-your-mind amazing, it has greatly increased our quality of life. It's all the little things that add up to make a huge difference. Hope you can come visit us sometime soon! :)