Sneak Peak

It seems that some of you have been waiting with baited breath to get a glimpse of the inside of our new house! Sorry for the delay on posting any photos, it has only recently reached any level of cleanliness that I feel comfortable publishing photos of it. In the interest of full disclosure, on the off-chance that you think my house actually looks like this in the midst of homeschooling four littles, I shamelessly used the old real-estate trick, "Hide the Mess out of the Frame". When all else fails, and the mess is unbeatable, just don't include that room! So without further ado, here is some of our new house!

Here is our living room, photo taken from the top of the stairs leading to the bedroom hallway. The window looks out to the front yard, the kitchen is behind the partial wall on the left side of the frame. Beneath me (down two half-flights of stairs) is our front entry, garage, and school room. Our house is a four-level-split style that you might be familiar with, but I think one unique thing about it is that the main entrance doesn't come into the living room but into the level below it. I've been enjoying the ability to keep our living room completely clear of shoes and coats so far!

Dining room/kitchen view. Behind me is a sliding glass door to our deck, which Paul has been painstakingly cleaning, staining, and painting. The dining room has room for our table with all its leaves without feeling crowded at all!

The photo below is taken from the dining room looking through the kitchen. The small table is where we usually eat breakfast, lunch, and snacks. There is a sliding door behind that table that leads to our three-season porch, or "smoking room", as Paul has dubbed it. Past the table you can see an opening in the wall. That's the closest look you'll get right now at our school room...I am going to save that project for another day. There is a door in that room that leads directly into the backyard, and it is on the same level as our garage and main entrance. 

Then there is the girls' room! My mom's amazing friend painted the bedrooms and they look beautiful. I'm so excited to actually decorate instead of simply shoving stuff (and kids) into any available space. My parents set up the kids rooms while we were in North Dakota picking them up from Grandma, so they got to come home to their new rooms all ready to go! 

The boys room I am also saving for another day... I want to do it justice, but it rarely lives up to its potential, with a constant carpet of clothes and legos. Our room also needs a lot of work... it, along with our basement, has become the dumping ground for things without a home. If you're curious about the rest, come and visit and I won't be able to selectively hide the mess from you!