I Would Like to Introduce You to......

Moving Day ...finally it happened. 

As many of you know, my husband, daughter and myself have become home owners, moved in and are slowly settling in, we are definitely in a period of adjustment. Since getting the keys on December 22nd, our daughter setting up camp on the dining room floor since that very night, moving boxes on Christmas day, hubby putting in a new toilet the day after that, since the one with the house ceased to work, and then moving officially in last Thursday, it has been little adventures in being home owners again. 

Just in the last few days we discovered we have an ant issue, and will have to get pest control out. The BRAND NEW toilet on Sunday night began busting and cracking due to being screwed down too tight for the cold tile floor(like walking on solid ice all day and worse at night) when it expands and contracts between the cold of the floor and the heat being on....bringing an early morning run to the hardware store and replacement of the toilet yet again.... a must with only one bathroom and a very long night of not having one. This resulted in an unfortunate accident of hubby dropping the tank in the living room of the toilet being removed, drenching the carpet in the main pathway of that room and a day and evening spent trying to dry the large 2x2 foot area. While battling the ants we discovered caulking around windows needing to be re-done, vents for the heat facing windows and NOT out to the room(s) they were supposed to heat. Oh and then there is the bathroom. Around the base of the tub, when a shower is taken the water pools and puddles and dampens the grout on the bathroom floor and because of the cold in there, never dries.... the list of little things goes on and on and I am sure will continue to do so. 

Other things that have happened, appliances delivered (if you are one of those that follow my FB fan page, you know my run in with purchasing Home Depot appliances...if not email me and I will fill you in LOL it was a comedy of errors)the day after we moved in and that was both exciting and frustrating. They delivered the fridge, but forgot the ice maker, though they were paid to put one in. The handles were on the wrong side (hubby had to fix that as the delivery man refused) and the same man left the fridge nearly tipping over when opened, thank goodness for the second delivery man who leveled things out and made it safe. The internet, tv and phone came the day after that, and ever since I have been having issues with every web site I try to use, including this one... even though they told me fiberoptics is so much better and faster. Oh the fun of home ownership.... but as our very blunt daughter puts it "You wanted this." I can not say she is wrong. 

We have not had a chance to do much of anything since moving in past unpacking. Hubby has been working every day and very long days, but we are hoping to at least get window blinds tomorrow. We are planning on using plantation blinds in white.... made of plastic to fit our budget, and for easy cleaning, but even up close they don't look half bad. At least it is far better than the current paper blinds! Hopefully it will make things warmer in the living room.... since moving in, and with the cold temps outside, my feet never have warmed up... not even with socks and slippers! Also hoping it will help with sound proofing, this indeed is a busy and noisy corner. We also will be calling a couple contractors for quotes on a new drive way.... so excited for that! Parking in mushy, muddy grass right now. There is a current drive on the side of the house, but only my husband is brave enough to back out on the street it empties out to. 

Now there has been some good things. I simply LOVE my new industrial size washer and dryer; the washer has no middle spinner and thus I can do the towels and sheets all on my own and then get them out and dry them as well. In the past they would tangle around the spinner so badly I always had to wait for hubby to switch the laundry or hurt myself.  The rooms are all very bright, every room is filled with light, and I love that! After a couple of apartments that seemed very dark, it is a nice change. Another thing I am enjoying.... mail delivered through a slot in our wall by the front door. No need for a quarter mile trek to the apartment complex mail box center. That really just makes me positively giddy!  I am sure I shall discover even more things as time goes on and hoping it will outweigh the noise from the four lane road right outside our window(s). I have yet to explore the area physically, but from what I see via the computer and hear from our daughter, there is everything we need all under 3 miles away... always a good thing... and most is very easy to get to. 

Now without further wait, I would like to introduce you to our little house. The photos are from the MLS listing, but they are good enough to give you an idea for now. In the coming months and I am sure years I will be using them as my "BEFORE" photos. Each time I do a renovation post, I will be showing them to you, along with photos to vote on of materials and projects we are thinking of doing, and hoping for some feed back. Hopefully I can count on you. 

Our House...

The front .... minus the swings and chairs. The large
portion of grass, will soon, we hope be our new drive way.
We also hope to add tall fencing along the side and picket fencing
along the front. New pathways and landscaping and perhaps
even railing along the porch and soon this 1940 ranch style
cottage will have even more charm. 

A path will wrap from the new drive around the side of the house.
It will replace the stepping stones and help prevent water
seepage into the base of the house...something that
happens now because of the grade not being away from
the house, but actually flat.

Facing the front of the house, looking through the kitchen
from the laundry area. 

In reverse. 

Another view.

This is the view from the DR and just to the right of the
front door. NO, the door you see is not the front, this door exits to the courtyard. 

Another view the window on your left , that you can just see
the corner of , faces the front porch. In the distance
the door to the bathroom and next to it, a built in cabinet,
now serving as our cats litter box closet. The bedrooms,
one to the right and one to the left. 

A bonus storage shed... complete with sky light. Hubby plans to
use it as a work shop. To the side is a little "dog"
yard that one day will be a vegi garden. 

The "courtyard" . To the right, my bedroom window,
and to the left, the garage and just past the garage is an enclosed
carport that now serves as storage. 

The very large back yard and side gate entrance..we hope to make
this a mini forest of trees, shrubs, ground cover, bulbs and
maybe, just maybe, even a walking path for me ...yes there is that much room.

So there she is. Now here is a question to you, we need a name for her. I love naming homes. Any ideas???