Oct 1, 2018

Life/House Update

We moved out of the hotel yesterday and into our new (to us) home. We only have two folding chairs and a mattress, but it's wonderful to finally be in our own place.  The rest of our stuff should get here by the end of the week.

In the meantime, I am enjoying getting to know our house. It was built in 1930 and full of character and charm and issues! We'll be working on this place forever...

I'm curious about the original owners and hope to figure out who they were. I look out the windows sometimes and imagine a family living here and can't help but wonder what the woman was thinking when she stood in the same spot or how many kids lived here.

One of the bathrooms is from 1930 -- only the sink and toilet, and some overhead lights, have been updated.  We suspect that it was the only bath when the house was built.  If it wasn't original to the house it would be gone! But, given that someone laid those frightful pink, almost purple, and green tiles 88 years ago, we will preserve it. On the other hand, I love those built in cabinets.


And here's a picture of what will be my craft room. (It's much smaller than this realtor picture makes it look!) It used to be what we think was the master bedroom for the house, but a previous owner turned it into a family room and added those built in cabinets.

 There's room for a couple of chairs and a TV, so Mike can join me sometimes while I craft. (If you look closely, you can see the original wood telephone stand in the hall and the wrap around sunporch outside the craft room window.)  I cannot wait to fill up those shelves with my supplies!



Here is the front of the house. Those windows on the left enclose a sunporch. It used to be an open porch, but the previous owner installed windows and screens and it is now one of my favorite spots in the house.


This house sat on the market for quite a few months. As a result, the price kept dropping, and, because it needs a fair amount of work, we were able to factor that into the final price. I am so grateful to be living here.

Nevertheless, it's been a somewhat difficult transition. I just miss what I still refer to as "home." We see our son and Mike's brother's family almost every weekend and then I'm happy, but 24 hours later I'm homesick and missing my home and friends. The good news is that I'm confident that, once our stuff gets here, and we can make this place a home, I'll be feeling much better.

I'll let you know when our my stamping stuff arrives!

MOOD WHEN DONE:  Happy (most of the time!)

24 comments:

Cat Craig said...

Oh but the joy of having a completely clean space to fill up (or not) and organize would be delightful. Looking forward to the next update.

Joan B said...

thanks! I got rid of some stuff, but not much, and the reality is that this built in is not enough space. yikes. so I'll add a rolling cart and a table and pack away some stuff and rotate as needed!

Leslie Miller said...

It's absolutely beautiful inside and out. The architecture, the space, the lawn -- lovely. It's all a lot of work, but filling it with your things will be fun. You'll be too busy for a while to think much about your previous home. Later you'll have your stamp room set up. I'd welcome more pictures of the whole place anytime you're ready. Congratulations on your new home, Joan!

Betty said...

what a charming home, Joan - it's just beautiful and will be a "real" home to you soon. have my tickets to dallas so hope we can meet and have coffee while i'm there.

Sharon said...

What an absolutely beautiful home! Thank you for showing us! I've been checking your blog every day in hopes you would!

When we first moved to our present house, we had only two folding chairs, a folding table, and a mattress on the floor. I rather liked it! I liked all that space, with no junk!

Joan said...

Welcome to your new home. It won't take long to make new memories and meet new friends. You'll still miss your other home and friends but your life will be richer for the new experiences. Love the photos, but wow, that tile sure doesn't fade into the background, does it???? Nice to know everyone has kept it original though. The stories it could tell......

Jennifer Scull said...

Love love love the new house!!! Since I have family in Dallas and so many fond memories of my courtship with hubby there, (when we weren't down in Austin at UT where we met), I have nothing but high hopes that you will soon settle in and meet so many lovely people who will become fast friends to you and your dear husband. What a fabulous adventure lies before you, and you live in such a charming new home, full to the brim with character! Of course you get homesick for what you left behind, but those memories will be cherished always. And gosh, we are a transient folk. ;) People visit! The beauty of things changing is what gives us the gorgeous colors of the fall leaves...

I am sorry I haven't been around to read your posts and updates. Health ick has knocked me sideways and kept me in bed for months, so computer is not easy to manage. Know that I hope for you only the best! :)

I Card Everyone said...

What a fabulous house! You and Mike will make it feel like home I just know that to be true... though I do know exactly how you feel, Joan, so I won't make light of your feelings, and missing your friends, and the sense of home.
I met a wonderful gal from Dallas one Summer at a craft fair where I sold my cards. She would stop by my home to buy cards when she was in Michigan visiting her Mom. I'm betting she'd love your darling creations, too! Did you move any?
=]
=]

Diane McVey said...

The house is just beautiful!!! I love the front, the craft room, the porch...all of it! So much charm and character. And I’m so happy you are in it!
You will be feeling much more at home when your things come. It will be so fun to arrange all the rooms, and finally have your own bed to sleep in! I’m very excited for you and this new transition to your life. I am just sure you are going to be glad you are there. No one 0n earth is more wonderful than family, and you will love being closer to them. Your friends can come visit!!
Take care, and I hope this week passes quickly for you.

Cheryl Robertson said...

Joan, your new home is beautiful! I love the architecture and lines of the front of the house. Your craft room looks like it will be wonderful. And the bathroom, the pinky purple tiles are definitely interesting. Will you keep those? I think the color and style are coming back in style.i know everything seems so overwhelming right now but take it slow and enjoy your self while you make this home your own.

Elaine C said...

Wow, your house is stunning...inside and out!! I absolutely love it! We've kept the original maroon and gray tiles in one of our bathrooms, too, so I understand keeping the pink and green tiles (I think I like yours better!). Would love to have a sunporch, so enjoy it all! Looking forward to more of your gorgeous crafting :)

MyLittleBlueDog said...

Congratulations to be in your new home. It looks very grand, and is it made of sandstone? I have to say I love the wall tiles in the bathroom, I imagine the pink is quite overpowering but it is very in keeping with the age of the house. It looks to be in great condition, hope the work is all minor that you have to do and hope you stop feeling homesick soon.

Andrew and Bertha Pilgrim said...

Congrats on moving into your new home! It looks lovely, but that pink.....I'm sure the original owner will forgive you! I hope you enjoy the fun times converting it into exactly what you want.

Joan B said...

i would love that

Joan B said...

we'll keep that bathroom because it is original. the floor looks quite dull. the formerly white tiles look almost brown. i think I'll have it steamed clean and see if I can at least make it look clean!

Patti H. said...

Your new home is so lovely, Joan! What fun to organize a brand new craft room! I moved from WA state, ( where I had lived my whole life!) to Nebraska 20 yes ago & ,boy, was I homesick. I joined a couple clubs & found out I had awesome new neighbors & absolutely love it here now. I still see my famufa & friends once a year so not cut off completely & hopefully now that we are older, they will head this way more often. Enjoy your beautiful home & have fun meeting all the new friends you will make. Calling " home" a lot helps also. 😊

Joan B said...

thanks!!!

Joan B said...

we will leave that pink bathroom alone. it works and is a conversation piece. people either love it or hate it!!

Joan B said...

the house is a pale whitish gold brick. the house has a variety of issues. none of them appear (yet) to be overwhelming but it is a long list!

Joan B said...

thanks so much

Joan B said...

thanks. we are unpacking every day!! so much paper it is crazy

Joan B said...

thanks so much

Joan B said...

no, that pink is quite bright -- almost a purple. !!!

Joan B said...

thank you. our stuff has arrived and we are busy unpacking. this is going to take a while!