No place like home has a NEW home!

  Some of you have kept up with my family blog in the past, and you know how my husband battled with some life or death illnesses, and eventually lost his job from the missed work time. You know that I had to give up homeschooling and returned to work and college, and that I am now finishing up my ECE degree from Western Governors University (visit my teaching/daycare blog at www.Iteach16kids.blogspot.com). You may also know that in addition to my Bachelor's degree courses I have already taken one course on running a preschool from home and am now taking an additional course on starting a preschool at home (I want to have plenty of job options upon graduation so I can repay those big ole student loans!). Some of you know that in the midst of all this we have been looking for a more affordable home, and we looked and looked and looked. We found a few we loved that were too pricey or ended up having structural damages, and it was heart-breaking. But the first house we looked at ended up being the one we got. Life's kinda funny that way.

  So these long-time country dwellers are moving back into the big city (hah!) of "McVegas" as we call it here in jest. The street we're moving to is actually very quiet considering it's basically in the heart of downtown. We will be within walking distance of all our town's main street events, and I love that.

  I always told people I wanted to live in a two-story home and I'd like to remodel an older home. Well, be careful what you wish for! ;) Our new house on Highland Drive, aka the Blue Cottage (if I had a home preschool one day wouldn't that be a cute name for my small business--"The Blue Cottage Preschool"?) fits that bill. It is a 1940's cottage style home with a solid, sound structure, new windows, new roof, new water heater, new wiring...just needs a LOT of cosmetic updating. It's an answered prayer as we needed a budget-friendly home that was good and solid and this is it.

Here are more "before" photos of our home. It was once occupied by a school teacher from Warren county, a Mrs. Womack. As she is elderly and in assisted living, much of her old furniture remains to be cleared away. That is step 1. 

back side of the house

Ashleigh's room

dining room

the "Elvis bathroom" (guy's bathroom)

entry way

blue bathroom (girl's bath)

blue bath

living room (looking into master bedroom and attic rooms)

living room view 2

master bedroom

Nick's attic room

future playroom

another view of playroom

recessed shelf in playroom

entry way

breeze way (future mudroom)

Jarred's future work room/office

another view of Jarred's workroom

Step 2 is massive cleaning, because of the mold and dust accumulated from the home sitting locked and vacant for a couple of years. Step 3 is removing the blue carpeting/kitchen linoleum to reveal the hardwoods that are underneath. Step 4 is to try to strip the wallpaper from the rooms where it is already peeled or falling, and to try to paint those rooms for now. Step 5 is to move in by next week! Whew! Steps 6-1000 are to work on a room at a time, stripping wallpaper, painting, laying new flooring in breezeway and entry way, updating and just generally making this house our home. This will take some time and money. I am slightly short on both at present. :) I told my family I feel as if I just enrolled in the "Room-of-the-month Club". Ha ha. My mother in law shared her wisdom with me yesterday in the form of a saying. "Lynn", she said, "how do you eat an elephant?" (pause for dramatic effect). The she answers her own question with "one bite at a time." So there you have it from Meme's own mouth-- this will indeed go on for a very long time.  But all in all, we are EXCITED! We've had the chance to view a lot of updated homes in our search for a house and we can see the potential this house holds to be beautiful. Jarred fell in love with it the first time he saw it. And as we are both big history buffs and love old things, I think this house is a perfect fit for us. So as I have time I'll continue to add photos of our progress, and I hope you'll check back often.

Blessings,

Lynn