Home Sweet HOUSE!

This is our home.

It's finally time to reveal photos of our new house! It was hard to get things organized when we moved in in May since Jordan and I were both working all the time and we had lots of trips that month, but now that's it's summer I've been able to do some work on the house and it's time to share.

This is the view from the outside. If you can't see it, our house number is 1. Yep, just 1. We are in a cul-de-sac with four other houses and our neighbors have been really welcoming to the cat weirdos that just moved in. See the lawn ornament? I bought that for our anniversary (well, I really just wanted it and used the anniversary as a great excuse.) It's an orange cat riding a bicycle with a mouse in the basket up front. Here's a close-up.

The rainbow wheels spin when the wind blows. Jordan suggested cutting the tail off the mouse so it looks more like a guinea pig. We'll see. Let's go in the front door...

The house is a split level, which I really hated when we were house-hunting back in December, but I don't mind this one. The entry is nice and big, there's a place for us to put our shoes and coats and a huge closet for storage. One down side of a split-level is that you're going to deal with stairs right when you walk in. If Jordan or I ever break a leg, we're kind of screwed. Let's go upstairs first...

At the top you'll find the living room. Unfortunately we don't have a ton of furniture for up here yet. You'll notice that the recliner that we saved from the dumpster made it's way to our new place. Eventually we'd like to get some nicer chairs and a couch for up here, but it's very functional for now and has a lot of natural light. You can't really tell in these photos, but the ceilings are probably 12' (I haven't taken the time to measure) and it makes the space feel very large. Right next to the living room is the kitchen...

I was really happy that there was an island in the kitchen. It gives us more storage and a nice gathering place. There is a dining area but it's kind of smushed in the corner next to the deck. Yes, we have a deck...

It's pretty bare right now. Who knew that patio furniture was cheap and uncomfortable or ridiculously expensive and comfortable? We're still looking for a set that falls into a happy medium. For now, it's a nice place for the cats to watch the birds and my first attempt at growing tomatoes (and I'm having some success!) Off the living room are the upstairs bedrooms and bath...

Notice the shelf that I put up to catch our mails, phones, pens, etc. I'm so handy. First stop in the hallway is the bathroom, Jack is kindly pointing to out to you. It's a lot bigger than my old bathroom which is nice, but I do miss that big whirlpool tub. Add it to the list of somedays for the house. The next room on the left is our room...

I know what you're thinking... "Wow, that's a big bed!" And yes, it is. Our first big purchase for the house was a new king-sized bed. It's everything we ever hoped for and we're never going back. You should buy a big bed too. Notice our old, junky dressers. We should probably update those at some point too. Next is the baby's room, right across the hall from our room...

Obviously this room is looking pretty bare right now since baby Parker is still baking inside me until December. Remember this changing table that I brought back from my parent's house last year and wanted to refinish?

Well, I bought new hardware for it and then kind of gave up. But now I'm on a renewed mission since our baby will need it. I took out the top drawer to make a shelf space and will hopefully be able to sand and paint it this summer. Stay tuned for that project being done hopefully in the next couple months. Other than that, right now the only other furniture in this room is the futon which may or may not stay once we get everything all set up for baby Parker. The previous owners had a son which is why the walls are painted a light robins-egg blue but I think we like the color enough that we'll keep it whether we have a boy or girl. And notice that baby gets a ceiling fan in his/her room! Only the best for our child. That's everything upstairs except the hall closet which is full of towels and sheets. Boooring. Let's head downstairs...

Another view of the entry, heading down... That string art should look familiar.

And at the bottom of the stairs is our second bathroom. Jordan prefers the shower stall so this is mainly his bathroom. Originally there wasn't a second shower in the house but the previous owners added it in which is nice and I think it looks like it was always supposed to be there. To the right is our third bedroom (yes, we have 3!)...

I just did some rearranging in this room recently. For awhile it was the room where we threw stuff that didn't have a home. Now that I've had time to find a place for everything, it's much more organized and useful. We decided to make our old bed the guest bed so now when you come to visit, you have a really nice and comfortable place to sleep- no more futons for our guests! We also put the desk in here so I can use it for my crafts and Jordan can use it for his calligraphy and writing. 

This room is also guinea pig central. I didn't get a great shot of their set-up but Peggy and Waffles live in the bigger teal cage and Bumble (the baby- his other two siblings didn't make it, sadly) lives in the smaller purple cage. This is because we've discovered that Bumble is definitely a boy and if he's with the other two females, well, he's trying to make some babies of his own with them and we've had enough guinea pig babies. If you have room in your home and heart for Bumble, we are trying to find a new place for him. Here are some photos of him being adorable and chatty:

We would love to be able to give him to a good forever home and we'll be in MN this July/August so we can bring him to you if that's convenient. He comes with his cage, water bottle, and food dish too. Now that's I've put in my pitch to make you fall in love with this little guy, let's see the rest of our downstairs...

We have a big open space that is where we're keeping our guitars and miscellaneous other stuff. I imagine this will be a great space for toys and playing when we have a toddler so I think we're going to leave it open for now. You can also see our second patio door that leads outside and the cat tree where Jack and Meg sleep and watch bunnies for 18 hours a day. To the right is the tv/movie area. And we have a fireplace! We haven't needed to use it at all since we moved in but I'm envisioning lots of cozy nights down here in the winter. And just off that room...

The laundry/furnace/water heater/softener/workbench/catbox/luggage storage area. Notice the large cage at the back of the room. This is where Jack and Meg are put at night now while we sleep. I made sure it was big enough for sleeping areas, and it has it's own little litter box and water dish. We are sleeping so much better now that we're not woken up at 4am with meows at the door for treats and attention. And finally...

We have a backyard! If anyone know how to put a screen door back on the track, I could use some help. 

So this is where we live now and will stay for at least the next 5-10 years. We're slowly learning how everything works (I found the circuit breaker box!) and buying all those things we didn't really think about when we had an apartment (hey, this grass is getting long... someone should probably mow it...) but we're so happy with our home and neighborhood. 

Shoot me an email or message on facebook if you'd like our updated address! And come visit us- we have room! :)