Home Sweet Home: Part 3...We're in!

Day 20

Friday, August 30th

We're in!!!! I'm sorry I haven't updated for a few days, but we had no internet
and then even when it was installed, due to having the floor done, we couldn't connect it up. Rubbish! Anyway, we're back in the land of the living now.

So, Wednesday 28th was moving day and after the hectic day previous, we were ready to get it done and dusted ASAP. I had to go over for 8am because the Sky installer was arriving between 8am - 1pm. He arrived about 9am and was really quick, installing everything and making sure he didn't do too much damage in the process! I was watching the freshly painted walls like a hawk!
Then Woody came over with the removal guys and all the furniture. Good job we cleared out the dining room as it's now chocka block with everything we own. 

The poor rats are confined to the dining room until the living room is functional - shouldn't be more than a couple of days, thank goodness.
You all remember how the living room floor looked after we pulled up the carpet, right?

Well, TA-DAAAA!

I'm still in shock at how lovely it looks. I keep going in just to stare at it. 
It needs 48 hours to dry before we can put heavy furniture onto it, so by Sunday we should have a functioning living room - finally! At the moment, only 1/3 rooms downstairs is accessible, and upstairs, other than the bathroom and toilet, only 1/3 bedrooms is useable. So it's a bit squished. Once the living room is okay to use, it'll free up the dining room and we should be more comfortable.
It also means that unpacking has had to wait as we just don't have the room for it all yet. Luckily, we have full use of the kitchen and have unpacked all but one box - even though it appears now that the old cooker doesn't work but that's being replaced ASAP. 

So we're in. And we have a new member of the family to introduce you to, of course! But he deserves a post all of his own.....
It's hectic, especially with a puppy who thinks he's a newborn baby, but it's finally all coming together and we're so happy!

I also have to add how much we're going to miss our old neighbours. We have grown so close, especially recently, and they're so important to us. It made me really sad today sat with her thinking we can't have these chats in the hallway anymore and check each others pets during the day, neighbourly things we do for each other. But I know they will both always be a part of our lives, and I'm so grateful we met them!

And so is Scout!

Keep checking this post for regular updates on the house!

xo

Day 23

Monday, September 2nd

We are finally able to unpack and settle in now, and the floor in the living room
is finally ready to have furniture put on it! It feels like the longest wait ever.
We decided to just move everything in, except the accessories and photos, and then whilst I'm working in the week, hubs will finish the painting so we can start hanging up our frames and buying little accessories to add our stamp to the room.

The walls look so bare. I can't wait to get the mirror and frames up!

It looks really odd because the skirtings arent on, and obviously we still have the old curtains, sofa and fireplace. But we're in! And we can finally sit and watch tv and chill out. 

As for the rest of the house, the dining room is still full of boxes and the kitchen is still the hub of the house. Upstairs, the bathroom is Scout's bedroom, and the bedroom is still being unpacked, but they're both tidy and usable. The two spare rooms, however, are full of boxes, the other bed, furniture, etc. This weeks plan it to sort everything out. 


xo

Day 31?! (really?!)
Tuesday, September 10th
 
Wow. We've been at it for an entire month now.
It's time to sit back and reflect on how far we've come.
A month ago, we had a lovely house that needed an entire update.
In that time, we've stripped, plastered and painted the living room, removed the skirtings, had the floor completely sanded and varnished, and bought new skirtings ready to go on soon. 
We've stripped and prepped the main bedroom ready for 
decorating at a later date. 
Perhaps most importantly, we've completely moved everything from a one bed, top floor flat into this 3 bedroom house and it still doesn't fit (yet!). 
 We've unpacked the majority of our belongings, with the rest waiting for the living room to be finished. 
We've completely taken back the garden, although there's a lot more work still to be done but that's a job for next summer (pond, veg patch, replant flowers when Scout's old enough to know not to eat them...!).
 But what we've really done, is make a house into a home. It may not be finished yet, it may have a few holes and cracks, but they're ours to fix. 
-
Yesterday, we cleared all the boxes from the dining room up into the future nursery. Although they're still sat waiting to be unpacked, they're tidy and organised, which couldn't have been said for the way they were downstairs! 
That means that the dining room is slowly coming together now. We set-up the computer ready for me to start my Masters degree in 2 weeks time (yes, I'm bricking it!) and Woody hooked up the internet. The only things left in there really are the frames, mirror and a few other bits to go up in the living room when it's complete. This last bit of painting and skirting board attaching keeps getting put off but it's our mission to finish it before the end of this week!!!!

Functioning work station!

It's so weird having to disassociate myself from the memories of each room, and forget where things were, or what rooms were used for. It's nice to have the photos to look back on. I'm hoping to Shutterfly a book to show how the house was, and how it is now, so that our children can see how it's changed.

A family Christmas.

I'm sure I'll have more to tell you by Sunday. We have the disc cutter tomorrow so can remove the old masonary nails from the wall, meaning the skirtings are free to be attached straight after. Let's hope I can show you a finished room soon! 

Over & Out 
xo

Day Whatever!
Monday, September 16th

We had our friend over for a Sunday roast yesterday so I spent the morning getting the dining room into a suitable state. 
Although it still looks like DFS with the amount of wood in there,
it's coming together nicely.

Everything everywhere....

to a more civilised room...!

I love having high bookshelves - I don't feel like I live in a library anymore, as before in the flat I had too many books for our bookshelf. 


We also bought a shower today as this house only has a bath, and we decided to look for two wall lights for the alcoves in the living room. Originally, they looked like this...

Pretty vile, right?! 
We wanted to go for these beauts...

but eventually found these lights that we just loved. 

Although they're 'city' themed, and don't go with our beachy, cottagy feel,
we just loved them and they look really effective and cosy in the evening.
We may well end up putting them in another room one day, and getting more 
natural ones to match the living room furniture, but for now, we love them. 

We also finally got the mirror up! It's the one thing I've been banging on and on about for days. (Poor hubs...)

BEFORE

AFTER!

My favourite part has been slowly adding little ornaments and accessories.
We haven't finished the skirtings or painting the other wall yet, but I've taken it upon myself
to start putting little things into their places, and free up some space upstairs.

Believe it or not, the photo of me (L) as a baby was taken sat
in the dining room window of this house. I may have to recreate it
when I have kids of my own here :)

xo