It's been a month since we moved into our new house.
People ask me if we've settled in. I'm not exactly sure how to answer that.
People ask me if we've settled in. I'm not exactly sure how to answer that.
Is all the big furniture moved in? Yes.
Are we living in the house and adapting to the new layout? Yes.
Do I have every room painted, decorated and organized? NO!
When Nick & I moved into our first house together, we were dating. No kids. What a difference that makes. We had the kitchen and foyer painted within the first month. All boxes were unpacked. All furniture was in place {granted we had about 1/3 of the furniture we have now}. And I was spending all my free time shopping & decorating.
We're trying to balance getting things done around the house and spending time with Kimber & family. Since we've moved in - Auntie Paige got married, Auntie Oobie and the girls came to visit for Labor Day weekend, we celebrated Abrahm's birthday and spent a day at Adventureland. So that fills up every weekend since we moved in!!
But the new house is slowly coming together.
Kimber's room is painted.
Her closet is painted and the closet organizer is installed.
I've decided to decorate her room the same as the old house. I feel like the colors/designs can grow with her as it becomes her 'big girl' room. And since there are only 2 bedrooms on the first level, when we decide to have baby #2, Kimber and the baby will share a room. So I want to keep the room gender neutral.
I've decided to decorate her room the same as the old house. I feel like the colors/designs can grow with her as it becomes her 'big girl' room. And since there are only 2 bedrooms on the first level, when we decide to have baby #2, Kimber and the baby will share a room. So I want to keep the room gender neutral.
Yes, that's my dorky husband shooting ground squirrels out the window.
And yes, that's blue carpet in her room.
And yes, that's blue carpet in her room.
The first coat of paint is on in the main bathroom.
It took me almost 5 hours to trim out the bathroom...and about 15 minutes to roll it.
I haven't found the time to get the 2nd coat on yet!
I haven't found the time to get the 2nd coat on yet!
Paint color: Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams.
The spare bedroom is set up for guests.
We had our first guests a week after we moved into the house.
Paige and her bridesmaids stayed at our house the night before her wedding!
We had our first guests a week after we moved into the house.
Paige and her bridesmaids stayed at our house the night before her wedding!
The kitchen is put away.
I was tired of eating cold meat sandwiches off paper plates, so I wanted to get the kitchen organized right away so I could start making healthy meals for the family again!
I was tired of eating cold meat sandwiches off paper plates, so I wanted to get the kitchen organized right away so I could start making healthy meals for the family again!
Look at all that storage!! I'm loving it!
One of the reasons we're holding off on doing too much is because we're putting new flooring on the first level. We'll be putting new tile in the kitchen, dining room, hallway, main bathroom, mud room/laundry room and master bathroom. We were going to put new carpet in the living room & two bedrooms on the main level, but it will cost double of what we budgeted for new flooring. So at this point we'll hold off on getting new carpet. Even though Kimber's carpet is blue and kills me every time I see it - I'm currently searching for large area rugs!!
These are the two types of tile we were trying to decide between.
I like the one on the left. It has a marble look to it and is more traditional.
Nick likes the one on the right. It has a concrete look to it and is more modern.
Guess which one we went with?!?
{like that's even a question, right??}
Since I will be the one decorating the house and I tend to decorate in a more traditional style - I thought it made more sense to go with my style.
Well that...and the flooring lady called me so I got the final say in it!
These are the two types of tile we were trying to decide between.
I like the one on the left. It has a marble look to it and is more traditional.
Nick likes the one on the right. It has a concrete look to it and is more modern.
Guess which one we went with?!?
{like that's even a question, right??}
Since I will be the one decorating the house and I tend to decorate in a more traditional style - I thought it made more sense to go with my style.
Well that...and the flooring lady called me so I got the final say in it!
Overall, I am loving the new house!! And as hard as it was to leave our first home, I have already forgotten about that house. This is our new home.
The new house is a ranch style house.
Why did no one ever tell me how amazing ranch houses were?!?!
No running up & down steps 100 times a day!! Especially with a little one - at the old house it seems like we were always forgetting something in the nursery and had to run back upstairs to get it. Now, we can just walk down the hallway!
We basically live on the main level at this point.
I'm sure once our kid{s} get older, they'll use the basement more since it has two bedrooms, a full bathroom and a living room area. But until then, it will get used a couple times a year when we have guests.
The new house has a better open concept.
Why did no one ever tell me how amazing ranch houses were?!?!
No running up & down steps 100 times a day!! Especially with a little one - at the old house it seems like we were always forgetting something in the nursery and had to run back upstairs to get it. Now, we can just walk down the hallway!
We basically live on the main level at this point.
I'm sure once our kid{s} get older, they'll use the basement more since it has two bedrooms, a full bathroom and a living room area. But until then, it will get used a couple times a year when we have guests.
The new house has a better open concept.
Kimber is able to play in the living room while I cook dinner in the kitchen and I can see her. She loves that she has so much more space instead of being confined to the room that we were in.
She also likes to run laps around the house.
Kitchen to laundry room to master bedroom to hallway to living room to kitchen.
She'll do this over & over!
She also likes to run laps around the house.
Kitchen to laundry room to master bedroom to hallway to living room to kitchen.
She'll do this over & over!
The new house is built so much better.
Yes, the old house was big and looked grand from the road. But quality? It did not have.
The new house has better quality cabinets - which is should since the previous owner was a carpenter. The old house had builder grade cabinets and I had to slam the kitchen cabinets to get them to close, so at least one was hanging open at all time. Drove me crazy!
The new house has better quality cabinets - which is should since the previous owner was a carpenter. The old house had builder grade cabinets and I had to slam the kitchen cabinets to get them to close, so at least one was hanging open at all time. Drove me crazy!
The new house has granite counter tops {I think}. The old house had the basic laminate counter tops {or whatever they're called} and it wasn't very nice.
The new house has SO much more storage in the kitchen.
The old house had a good sized kitchen area but NO storage!
The old house had a good sized kitchen area but NO storage!
The new house has a zero sub refrigerator and I LOVE IT!
So overall, I think it's safe to say - I am in love with my new kitchen!
The new house has nice big low windows.
They bring so much natural light into the house and Kimber loves that she can see out the windows!
So overall, I think it's safe to say - I am in love with my new kitchen!
The new house has nice big low windows.
They bring so much natural light into the house and Kimber loves that she can see out the windows!
Most importantly, the new house is close to family.
I have already watched Kimber & Abrahm's relationship grow since we moved to Alden. He wants to come to our house to play with Kimber. I made a fort for them last week and they played tractors together!
Family stops by to see Kimber.
Papa was driving by our house on his way to help loadout a semi and he stopped by for 10 minutes to see Kimber. I love that she's going to have so much more time with family!
Papa was driving by our house on his way to help loadout a semi and he stopped by for 10 minutes to see Kimber. I love that she's going to have so much more time with family!
We'll be able to see Nick more often.
As a famers wife you get used to not seeing your husband during the fall & spring when he's busy in the fields. But since we're just up the road {3.5 miles from the farm to be exact}, we'll be able to stop up at the farm and ride with Nick in the tractor or combine during his busy time!
Nick mowed our ditches this week and Kimber had her first tractor ride of the season!
As a famers wife you get used to not seeing your husband during the fall & spring when he's busy in the fields. But since we're just up the road {3.5 miles from the farm to be exact}, we'll be able to stop up at the farm and ride with Nick in the tractor or combine during his busy time!
Now of course, not everything about the new house is perfect. Nick and I have already had conversations about these items. Some things we could change at some point - and some of them we're stuck with!
The new house is a ranch style house.
Remember how I said this is what I loved about the house?? But when you have the world's lightest sleeper living in your house it makes it hard! I have to be super quiet in the morning when I get up to get ready for work or Kimber is wide awake at 5:30am!
The new house has nice big low windows.
So another positive about the house is a negative. I love that the house has such nice windows, but it also makes it hard to decorate because I don't have the wall space to put some of my pieces. The living room has two big windows and we will be covering one of the windows up with our entertainment center.
The entertainment center is not complete put together, but it's in front of one of the large windows in the living room.
The new house is a ranch style house.
Remember how I said this is what I loved about the house?? But when you have the world's lightest sleeper living in your house it makes it hard! I have to be super quiet in the morning when I get up to get ready for work or Kimber is wide awake at 5:30am!
The new house has nice big low windows.
So another positive about the house is a negative. I love that the house has such nice windows, but it also makes it hard to decorate because I don't have the wall space to put some of my pieces. The living room has two big windows and we will be covering one of the windows up with our entertainment center.
The kitchen sink and sink area.
The new house has one big kitchen sink. The old house had two sinks - one for washing the dishes and one for rinsing. And we had a garbage disposal. We did almost all our dishes by hand at the old house. We can't do that at this house because there is not much counter space next to the sink. Guess we'll have to get used to using the dishwasher. I'm sure most people wouldn't see that as a negative!?!
See that sink in the corner behind my goofy husband?!?
The master bathroom in tiny and not laid out very well.
We were spoiled at our last house and had a huge master bathroom. Honestly, it was too big but it was nice having two sinks so we could both get ready at the same time. This bathroom only has one sink and the closet is right behind the sink, so it's hard to open the door to get things out without hitting yourself or the sink.
The distance to 'the city'.
One of the hardest things for me is something I can't change. And that's being so close to aTarget bigger town. Our last house was 10 minutes away from Ames. Kimber & I could run down after work and wander around the mall or main street. Now, I am a solid 45 minutes away and I can't justify going down there even once a week.
I went thru this same situation when we moved into our last house. I lived in Des Moines for 10 years and was used to having everything within a short driving distance. I adapted to living farther away and I'm sure over time - this will be the new normal for me.
And my red card will be getting a lot of use online!!
The new house has one big kitchen sink. The old house had two sinks - one for washing the dishes and one for rinsing. And we had a garbage disposal. We did almost all our dishes by hand at the old house. We can't do that at this house because there is not much counter space next to the sink. Guess we'll have to get used to using the dishwasher. I'm sure most people wouldn't see that as a negative!?!
The master bathroom in tiny and not laid out very well.
We were spoiled at our last house and had a huge master bathroom. Honestly, it was too big but it was nice having two sinks so we could both get ready at the same time. This bathroom only has one sink and the closet is right behind the sink, so it's hard to open the door to get things out without hitting yourself or the sink.
See that door?!? It's always in the way!!
The distance to 'the city'.
One of the hardest things for me is something I can't change. And that's being so close to a
I went thru this same situation when we moved into our last house. I lived in Des Moines for 10 years and was used to having everything within a short driving distance. I adapted to living farther away and I'm sure over time - this will be the new normal for me.
And my red card will be getting a lot of use online!!
We are adapting to our new house and loving it!
I'm hoping to post pictures as we complete projects around the house...if I find time between work, working on the house and watching Kimber while Nick in the fields!
I'm hoping to post pictures as we complete projects around the house...if I find time between work, working on the house and watching Kimber while Nick in the fields!
No comments:
Post a Comment