neither hilly nor on an island

So we've been living here, oh, almost six months.  Nary a post about this new house.  Can I even still call it new?  It's not new but it was new to us.  Can I stick with the newlywed 1-year rule?  Yes?  Ok.  Here's our new house.  Let me warn you that the pictures are tiny.  I was very pregnant when I was saving these off the online listing and didn't do a great job.  Bygones.

Yeah, this house is obviously a little different from the last one.  Bigger, less character.  But it's also newer and is in a great neighborhood.  Don't get me wrong--I loved the old place.  But while the neighborhood had good points it also had some sketchy ones.  This one is lovely and wooded (although our lot isn't so much).  It's conveniently located right between my family and my in-laws.  It shaves about 5 minutes off Hubby's commute.  Ooh, ahh.  And we switched to a different daycare where Chicken is thriving.  Good all around.  I do want to rip out almost all of the landscaping, though, and start over.

You walk in to the two-story foyer.  Beige walls, beige trim.  Beige, beige, beige.  Blah.  Old tile.  Dying to replace the tile but will have to be sure of the choice because there's a lot of it.  Ginormous light fixture that isn't really our taste.  Tiny Harry Potter room under the stairs as well as a hall closet.  Awesome.

To the right is my office.  Beige.  The old owners put in this new hardwood flooring after they moved out.  So it was nice when we moved in.  Any damage was our doing.  I like that I get to look out on the front yard again (like at the last house).  Would love a wall of built-ins on that far wall.

To the left of the foyer is the dining room.  Beige.  Even bigger light fixture.  Sigh...  Sometimes I wish people wouldn't even try to upgrade things when trying to sell the house.  I won't feel bad about replacing the light fixtures (hello, Craigslist) but I can't bring myself to rip out brand new counter tops, for example.



Through that doorway in the dining room is actually a little half bath on the left and then a mud room/laundry room.  I don't have pictures uploaded of those so you'll just have to take my word for it.  The mudroom was a big selling point for me.  Anyway, then there's a big ol' pantry.  I realized I never have had an actual pantry before.  Ever.  In 35 years.  Just some cabinets that served that purpose.  First world problem. 

And the real selling point.  The kitchen.  Oh my, it's huge and wonderful.  Giant island.  Sideboard/desk area.  Breakfast table area.  Hey, more beige!  Another giant light fixture!  Medium oak-colored cabinets (hint, they aren't anymore).  So yeah, more work here but good bones.  The same thing can be said for every room in the house as well as the house as a whole.

Those French doors lead out to the covered patio and backyard.  The backyard is basically a blank slate and isn't as big as the pictures make it look but it is a good size.  Smaller than the last house which I'm happy about.

Just beyond the breakfast area is the living room.  Great wall of windows, fireplace, wood floors.  Did I mention the windows?  I love them.  This house is so much more open and has so much more light.  Love.

So where the camera was in the above shot was basically my office.  You've made the full downstairs circle.  Then we go upstairs.  There are three bedrooms (2 for babies, one multi-purpose) that basically looked like this when we moved in:

And a bath for the kids to share.  It's the only room with wallpaper.  Yea!  Please note that, again, everything is beige.  Oh, but the carpet was also replaced after the previously owners moved out so that's nice.

And, finally, our master bedroom and bath.  Great wood floors again.  Nice ceiling height.  Love the windows.  When we moved in there were no window coverings so it felt like we were sleeping in a tree house.  Swoon.  And the bathroom is giant as well.  Totally bigger than it needs to be.  We each have a closet in there and there's a potty room.  I want to gut it but not anytime soon.

  

So there you have it.  It has a great floor plan that's really nice for living and entertaining.  Good bones.  It will be up to me to add character.  You've already seen the nursery.  I'll have to post Chicken's room, too, since that's the only other one that is mostly finished (just need to hang shelves and valance).  Kitchen is in progress and I can't wait to show you that.  Heck, I can't wait to be finished with it.  That's the low down.  You're welcome to visit but expect it to be much messier.