butler's pantry

kitchen... breakfast!

dining room... plus a few boxes and a couch that will be moved!

family room...

i love this entryway. the twisting staircase, the wallpaper...

the wood arch.... (the box that needs to go upstairs!)

this is the second story... at the end of the hall are the stairs to the third story!

jamey's room

guest bedroom

still guest room

the play room... still needs curtains!

another play room angle

the play room is an equal opportunity venture. anyone can enjoy it!! (note my cute stolen desk... thanks em! it's perfect in there!!)

our fireplace. we guess it doesn't work (since NOT MUCH does!!). to note. most of the outlets work. however, only one outlet on each works. you have to guess which one. and we learned today that when we use the toaster, it blows out the power in the fridge. guess i have to move the toaster. and, the ice maker works, but you can't get it through the fridge. david's closet door was never really on its hinges. there are light switches that go nowhere, and lights that just won't turn on. there are exposed wires where, i think, the smoke detector used to be (in the kitchen... so maybe they just cooked like me!). you have to almost stand on your head to use the stovetop! just kidding. it's touch, not knobs, which is great for the kids, but it's interesting to try to use! we had to call the owner to get talked through it, then still had to figure it out on our own! there are certain closets that you can't open from the inside, so don't get locked in!!

on tuesday, david got here early to make sure he was here for the movers. LESSON LEARNED! always come at least a day before the movers to clean. he called me and was less than encouraging in his description of the house. although, for his benefit, i will say there was a vine growing in through the window when he got here. he put it out of the window, and it needs trimmed.

also, there was still a bed in one of the rooms, along with piles of clothes and other bedroom paraphenalia. he called the guy who said he would come get it. mom and i got here with the kids, and at first glance, it wasn't so bad. then, we started to see everything. i would guess it had been quite some time since the house was cleaned. there was poop in the toilet. seriously! dishes in the dishwasher. a dirty pan in the oven. food in the fridge. dog/cat food on the floor of the pantry. a junk drawer full! including their checkbook. i got panic attacks opening another cupboard- never sure what i would find. there is a bathroom (in the guestroom) that doesn't work, and really looks like it shouldn't! another sliding door is stuck shut for some unknown reason. there are cracked windows, missing outlet covers. paint peeling. things that i might not have noticed or really cared about if it wasn't such a shock to find the house so utterly just LEFT.

the owner stopped by and said he was disappointed with the person he had clean the house... although he admitted it was someone who just stopped by his house, asking for money. he admitted that he never came back to check it out. when i talked to the real estate agent we went through, she said they just moved to a fixer-upper and have five kids. i wanted to laugh and yell at the same time- "HOW IS THAT MY FAULT?". while he was here, he said he would talk to his wife about having someone come out and clean it. then, later told me that because we were already here with movers, making a mess, he didn't feel comfortable having the house cleaned (because we had made SUCH a mess!!).

all that to say, NOT AT ALL how i thought i would move into a house. ever. but, my mom was here and did extreme makeover, haile edition! she was awesome! it was such a blessing to have her here. in the middle of the day on tuesday, nora came down the stairs and said "i have a happy heart. that makes God happy." it was such a good reminder.

i could see God working throughout the day. and, the house is great now. okay, maybe good! it's an old house, with old house charm. you can hear the wind whipping through the house (and it's way windier than i expected!). it's made like they don't make houses today. gorgeous windows with gorgeous paneling. the kids have an AMAZING play room that the LOVE! it's really fun. it has its quirks, but we are enjoying it!!!

more on the move later...