Our house...

...is a very very very fine house. Yep, it did pretty well on the inspection. There were a few minor things that popped up but nothing should be a deal breaker so I feel confident enough to tell you more about the place. First off, I really think it needs a name. All good homes should have a name so we will have to work on that.

This house didn't exactly fit all our criteria. It's a 2 bed/1 bath as opposed to the 3 bed/1.5-2 bath we were hoping for. It is a ranch style which Craig loves but I was never partial too (and we all know, my opinion is worth just a tad more than Craig's in this area :-) and don't even get me started on the kitchen! I think the kitchen is one of the most important rooms in a house and ours looks like this:

Ahh! Seriously, why did we totally change our plans for this house?

Well, for one, we both feel pretty convicted that we* didn't need a large house and in that not-so-large house, we wanted most of the space to be common family areas. But the current trend in houses seems to be big with big bedrooms, especially big master bedrooms, along with several smaller rooms like tv rooms, offices, etc so everyone can have their own space. But we want to force encourage our kids to spend time with us by giving them little bitty sleeping areas and large common play areas. We're cruel that way. Another trend is open floor plans. I like them, Craig doesn't. With that in mind, we were pretty sure that we would be wanting an older home.

So what really drew us to this house is the floor plan. It's small but the layout really works for us or maybe I should say, it will work for us once we are done remodeling. The living, dining and kitchen are in a row but divided by walls. The wall between the kitchen and dining room will go down to give me the openness I need and the ability to keep track of Lucy while cooking. But the living room wall will stay so that the noise from the kitchen (Craig's big problem with really open floor plans) stays in the kitchen.

Which brings me to the living room. This house has a great living room with a wonderful bay window. It's big, bright and hidden underneath those carpets is hard wood floors that are just waiting for us to uncover. I love it!

(Don't be alarmed. The wood paneling is only on that one wall and it's removal is going to the first project.)

The master bedroom is small, but should be big enough for the 2-2.5 people that need to sleep there. And the other bedroom is almost as big as the master, so it should work well for several other people that we hope eventually fill it, especially since those people will probably be on the small side ;-)

And the basement. Right now it has two non-bedrooms. (They can't technically be called bedrooms because, while they have closets, the windows aren't large enough), a large open space and a shower in the corner. Down the road when we do need more space, we hope to remove the wood paneling and ug-lee carpet from the rooms, finish the rest of the basement for a playroom and turn the shower into an actual bathroom.

Besides the layout, we love the location. It is right next door to friends from church so we won't have to deal with suppressing our feelings of hatred towards any karaoke singers anymore. And it sits on half an acre so our deck looks out over a nice front yard and there is a ton of room in the back for the garden, compost bin and chickens we have wanted for so long. And it also has a nice concrete area in the back, perfect for all our future tricycle, little coupe and chalk needs.

But the kitchen, what about the kitchen? Ah yes, the heart of the home. Except ours needs a triple bypass. And no, Craig didn't just tell me to "suck it up." But I am going to be living with it for 1-1.5 years. Then when we have the cash and I know more what our needs will be, it will be redone. That is one good thing about growing up a military brat and then only living in apartments from then on - I can tolerate a lot of bad housing arrangments. My mom was always able to make small ugly houses not just work but really feel like home and I'll just be tapping into that with the kitchen for a little while. And when it is done, I get to design my own kitchen! However I want it (with certain budget and space considerations, of course :-) So instead of being in a okay kitchen in six months or so, I should be in a great kitchen in one to two years.

Part of me knows that the kitchen thing is going to be a big pain and stress in my life and during the remodel I'm pretty sure this blog will be filled with statements like "oh, why did I do this to myself!" and "If I have to make one more meal in a crockpot I'm going to scream" but promise me you won't bring that up later, okay?

But the house is in good structural condition, it's just a little dated so the only things we have to do before we move in are little cosmetic things like painting, removing carpet and wood paneling and other little things. So it isn't crazy to try and attempt that with a 3 month old, right? (Don't answer that!)

*When I say "we" didn't need a big home, I meant we. I don't mean that in a "big houses are evil" way. I know lots of people that have wonderfully large homes and I would never say that it is unbiblical, especially since many I talk to bought a large house because they feel called to have others live with them or to enable them to host small groups or church meetings. If you can afford a big house and feel called to have one, good for you.