More of the house

Our living area is OK sized.  It's small, but not freakishly so.  The brown paint on the wall is lighter on the east and west sides and darker on the north and south.  It doesn't bother me as much as I thought it was going to haha!  The drapes are a little tricky, as they don't open easily and let in a lot of heat in the afternoon.  We have to arrange every room around the piano because there really is only one place for it, usually.  In this case, we had to be a little more creative because there was no spot for the computer desk, after all the furniture was settled.

These couches have held up amazingly well considering we have had them almost 12 years.  They are a wee bit outdated-- I always feel like they would do well in a den.  But they are comfortable and I don't worry about the kids doing anything to them.

Dusty built this table for my Grandma quite a few years ago and we traded my aunt for it because she wanted our smaller one.  The countertop height is tricky for Jack, but he seems to have accepted it. 

We left almost all of our books and scrapbooks left boxed up, so styling this bookcase proved to be harder than I expected.  Oh well.  It's a random mix and will be fine for a little while.  :)

(side note)  Ruby loves her little play mat and even rolled over on it a few days ago! 

Notice the paint?  It's interesting, but whatever.  The landlord told us they would buy paint if we wanted to do something new, but that is a project I am not willing to undertake for this rental.  My cello found it's home in the corner as there was literally no other place I could find for it. 

(another side note)  If Jack is watching cartoons, he drags his chair from his room to this very spot everytime to watch.  He will not watch the TV unless it is from head-on, and so he will not sit on the couches to watch.  Silly boy!

We had to take out all of my piano-teaching stuff and music from this armoire and put our computer in it.  Talk about a quirky set-up, but it has been working all right.  I am going to have to figure something out for when I begin teaching again so wish me luck. 

Moving into the kitchen/laundry, here is our tight squeeze of a space for the washer and dryer.  Our own set is being stored in the garage.  We brought in this bookshelf to store kitchen items because there is no pantry in this house and storage is nil.  My Mom and I had to really stretch our abilities for finding a creative place for all my food and things to go.

This view shows the only wall of cabinets and countertops. I didn't think I had that much stuff, but there was no way I could fit all my stuff into these cabinets. 

So, on the way up here, I stopped at IKEA and bought this kitchen island, and also a rolling cart that sits by the stove.  The island holds all my pots and large bowls.  The cart holds all my containers of grains, oats, seeds, etc.  We also brought in another bookshelf to hold my bowls, cookbooks, and other things like that.  We decided to bring in our kid table for Jack to use during the day.  He likes playing on it, and chooses to eat there when he can.

We slid the fridge clear over to make space for yet another bookshelf that is basically functioning as my pantry.  (all these shelves held books in our basement before).  I am also using a fridge in the garage as another place to store our food.  It is not plugged in. 

This is my baking corner, which has been put to use already.  It didn't feel like home until I had made a batch of chocolate chip cookies!

 

Dusty hung my pan rack for my pans and you can see my rolling cart here. 

One thing that was pretty important to us was having a backyard, preferably one that was completely enclosed.  This was fits the bill nicely!  Tyson requested that we find a backyard with a tree. The trees aren't big enough to climb, but there is one out front that is. This walk way leads out to a dirt alley that holds all the garbage cans.  The garbage truck drives through twice a week. 

Instead of setting up our backyard, we got everything ready for winter, as it will be here quickly!  Wyoming winters are no joke. 

This shed is another reason we chose this place.  It holds all of Dusty's tools and my seasonal decor. 

To keep Jack busy, Dusty loosened a bunch of dirt in this corner for him to play in.  There must have been a garden here originally?

On both sides of the house are gates that lead to the front.  On the left is a paved alley that we are storing bikes and strollers in.

The front porch. The star came with the house, and I feel like it would be weird to take it down.  Is that strange of me? A lot of people have stars on their houses here.  And I mean a lot.  Even Jack pointed it out to me.  The potted flowers also came with the house. 

This little garage is our storage unit. 

As we get more used to where we are living, and more settled into routines, I am finding I really love the location of this house.  It's close to our Elementary and the High School, the library, and our neighbors have been really friendly.  We come out and play most evenings and enjoy the relaxed feeling of this small Wyoming town. 

The new place

Yes, it's true.  We have moved to Worland, Wyoming.   I had to look at the map when Dusty first mentioned it to me.  Where was it exactly?  Oh, right there in the middle.  Small, little, and very much Wyoming-ish.  I can say that because I grew up in Wyoming.  So I know.   (Is it sad that this gets my first blog post in a year, and not the birth of my baby?  yes) 

Dusty got a job as a Facility Manager for our LDS church.  His area is wide, about 5 hours of driving north to south and 2 hours east and west.  He LOVES it, which makes me so glad he got the job.  And willing to move to another state, and to leave my beloved Cedar City.

So far, it has been surprisingly great. The people we have met are amazing and we have been getting involved in more and more around us.  Tyson has started soccer and really loves his new school.  Jack and I frequent the library and walk to get Tyson from school everyday. 

When we drove up here initially to find housing, to our dismay there were only two (two!) houses to rent.  Both were simliar, but the one we settled on had a spacious backyard.  Tyson's only request about a house was that it had a backyard with a tree in it.  Done and done.  Honestly, I wasn't planning on being too picky.  I just didn't want an apartment or anything to icky, creepy, or nasty.  So, this fits that bill nicely.  The neighborhood is nice and close to the schools and library. 

I was hoping for something a little bigger than what we got --it's very tiny --three bedrooms, one bath.  But we didn't have the luxury of being choosy. The paint colors are all in the dark brown spectrum except in the boys room and the kitchen.  Luckily most of our decor seems to fit in nicely with those colors.  Our garage is acting as our storage unit, holding all the things that were in our basement, until we can find something bigger.  But honestly after moving so far and getting it all unpacked I am not in a super hurry to move again.  
To satisfy my sisters' curiosity, here is a gander at a few of the rooms.

We are mostly settled in, but I couldn't possibly show you rooms that weren't done!  Gasp!  Or tidy!  So here are the first three that are currently the most put together. 

The master?  Or the room in the back that is slightly larger than the rest.  Complete with a microscopic closet and flowey curtains.  (all window coverings came with the house)  We have raised our bed in order to store much of our clothes and linens in ikea boxes underneath.  Due to the paint color, I am thankful my bedding is white.

The oversized TV, that used to reside in our basement, gets a place of honor.  It has been used once, and could probably have remained unpacked, but there it is. 

Dusty's chest he built me is perfect in this room for sitting, gathering mass amounts of laundry, and for little boys to jump off of.

Here are most of my shoes.  I really downsized before we moved.  The only ones not hanging are my boots, which I somehow squeezed into Dusty's closet. 

In the hall is our bathroom. It's not icky so that is a major bonus. 

I can tell you after many years of dealing with pedestal sinks, I am not a fan of them. Enough said.

Our hallway.   :)

Dusty told me to not go crazy hanging things on the walls, since this is temporary-ish.  Obviously I didn't listen.

She isn't hanging from the wall exactly. . . .

The boys room.  I have not yet regretted getting Tyson this loft bed.  It leaves so much room for other things.  Like acres of legos and bins of cars. 

Somehow we fit most of the boys' toys and dressers into the room. It's a bit chaotic feeling, but they have been rolling with it like champions.

We fit Jack's dresser in the closet -- along with lots of other things.

Stay tuned, there is more to come!

Savoring Summer: Final Edition

So, the end of July, we visited our Motherland, up in Wyoming.  I'm going to be brief on words and heavy on pictures.  We did things like: 

• light sparklers
• eat mass amounts of good things
• go swimming
• go golfing
• reconnect with our family
• float in a lake
• build a fence (just Dusty, not me)
• play wild games of croquet
• water fight
• eat more food
• take family pictures
• hike up steep mountains
• relax and be lazy

So without further ado,  I bring you our summer finale.