I can't believe we've been living in our house for 2 full months already. Time flies when things are crazy busy (but the blog sure doesn't get updated)! Although we had 90% of our belongings unpacked and put away within the first week, it takes a long 
time to actually finish moving in to a brand new house and that process will continue for the year(s) to come I know. But the hard part is behind us and we now have time to really enjoy our new home. It's a lovely retreat from the cold South Bend winter and I found over the holiday break that there were many days that I never left the house and never minded or felt cooped up. These first pictures are from the literal and figurative 'heart' of the house. Our new kitchen feels just right! And the wait for our Amish-built barstools was worth it - they are both sturdy and comfortable. I don't mind spending time in the kitchen so much anymore. (Don't forget to click on the pictures for bigger shots if you want a closer look!)
When we're not curled up at the island with the morning paper and a cup of coffee, the dining room has plenty of room to accommodate the three of us or much larger parties. It's not always set so grandly, this picture was taken at 
Thanksgiving. Brian was a picture-hanging fool over Christmas and we now also have a wall of family pix up which makes that big wall seem a little less...I don't know...what's the word?...oh yes, YELLOW!I've decided that pictures on the wall are what really make a house seem like a home, they make it personal in a way that even the most carefully chosen fixtures and furniture can't touch.
The main living area is coming together, although it now looks a little bare without the Christmas tree taking up a
major amount of space. The furniture fits well and is very comfortable, but I'll be actively looking for a sofa table and some end tables so that our guests don't have to clutch their drinks all night! Our shelves also need some brass &%#$ (otherwise known as tchotkes to everyone but my stuff-phobic husband) to fill them up but there's lots of more practical purchases higher up on the to-buy list.
The office/library shelves, on the other hand, filled up as if by magic with books, photo albums, framed photos etc. I'm sure it will evolve overtime, but it is one of the few spaces that became 'finished' and functional very quickly.
The man cave is still very much a work in progress, but the men are working on getting their visions to mesh into a coherent design. While I
unpacked, washed and organized an entire house, Brian unpacked, washed and organized his beer can collection. There's actually a nice story that goes along with the collection, but you have to visit to hear it. And I'd rather have it out and sparking conversations and trips down memory lane (most of our visitors, oddly enough, have drunk A LOT of beer in their lifetimes!) than packed away in boxes for another 30 years. Brian and Conor are actively shopping for a pool table to complement the collection and hope that will be installed before long.
The other side of the basement is kind of a hodge-podge of old, but completely servicable, furniture. It's not up to Conor's high standards, however, and he is lobbying hard for a flat screen plasma TV and some leather reclining sofas. Brian assures him that a straight-A student can have all that and more! For now, he seemed to somehow manage to spend nearly his entire Christmas break playing video games without suffering too much!
The guest suite in the basement turned out very nicely, even if the paint that was specifically chosen to match the shower curtain doesn't...match the shower curtain! It would appear to have been mixed incorrectly, but we actually prefer the color and it works with the bedroom linens, so we'll call it a happy mistake and move on! PLUS, it's much easier to replace the shower curtain than repaint both rooms!
Early visitors will be happy to know that Brian's lovely sheet curtains have been replaced with temporary blinds and we are probably ordering permanent replacements for most of the windows this week! Sometimes you just have to live in a house for awhile to know what will work best! One thing we know works (and how fortuitous given the climate)...our house looks GREAT in the snow!So that's it for now. I think this may be the end of the blog but I really want to thank my loyal readers (you know who you are). It has been good therapy to put it all into words and share it with our friends and family. Like the photos on the wall, it has kept me connected to the people and places that were and are important no matter where we call home. You all know where to find us. Just know that until you get here we'll be........
