Hello out there...

It's me...

'Lyssa!

I know, it's hard to recognize me at my new desk in my new house but it's really me! That's right, MY new house.  Not my husband's grandparents' extra house. It's our own home!

And boy is it a whale of a house! 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, large kitchen, dining room, and enclosed porch/mudroom that's bigger than most people's living rooms!

Oops! I'm getting ahead of myself... Let me tell you the story - from the very beginning.

Once upon a time there was a handsome young man, and a beautiful, skinny (it's my story, hush!) young lady.  They got married but their housing fell through a mere 3 weeks before their wedding.  What were they to do? They moved in to the young man's grandparents' house while they tried to find a home for themselves.  In 6 months they looked at 7 different houses to possibly move into but nothing worked out.  Finally they moved into a little trailer down the road
. 
The ceiling was caving in, there were mice, lots of cheap "wood" paneling and green shag carpet that disintegrated each time she vacuumed.

One day the dashing husband came home to his lovely bride and declared he had a solution.  The original house they were to live in was now an option again.  The man's grandparents owned a house nearby and could get water pumped to it again so they could live there! Within a month they were moving.

A few years later the wonderful young couple discovered the household of two were to become three!

What a joyous time in their lives! As time went on in this house they weren't very cramped, however, if another babe were to arrive it definitely would be.  But there were no housing options in the area of his work. 

After laying their little girl in bed one evening the most admirable husband surprised his loving wife.

"What do you think about buying Mrs. Brehm's house?!"

"No, thank you." the wife modestly said.  "I just don't see how we can afford it."

They talked for a while and realized that this was an opportunity they couldn't let pass by.  They went to the auction where the brave husband did not back down from the bidding until, victoriously, the house was theirs!

What a lovely story, eh?  So here we are.  On April 7th we closed on this house and it has been nothing short of a whirlwind since then.  My friend, Maggie, cam down immediately to help us paint because every square inch of the walls and ceilings were institutional green.  It was also carpeted in 1968 and that all stayed in the house until we ripped it out.  The house is so great but needed a lot of TLC! A week later she went home and my brother, SIL and 2 nephews came and stayed with us for almost a week.  After that we had a big Easter celebration for both families at our house. Then... Then... Then...

Oy.

The house:
2200 square feet on the main floor plus an almost-full basement.  Beautiful hardwood floors throughout the main floor except some tile left to be reckoned with.  Fireplace upstairs and downstairs, dumbwaiter, LOTS of windows, and a very large kitchen (built for a short lady!) where I can do a lot of damage.  Tons of storage everywhere including an eight foot wide linen closet in the hallway, 2 built in display hutches, very large (not quite walk-in) closets and an office lined with desks and bookshelves.

Aspen started walking about a week after we moved in.  (I think it may have something to with the hard floors but she hasn't told me.)  She loves to run around the house squealing, enticing someone to come chase her!  The floor plan has a round-about nature to it so we can run a lot of miles before stopping.

I got so wrapped up in the work that I didn't take any "Before" pictures until about the 2nd or third day.  Maggie has those on her camera.  The walls are plaster so we've had a time getting things on the walls, so the "After" pictures are still coming.  And no one room is complete yet.  The majority of the upstairs is done all except for new baseboards.  But what can I say? Harvest (if you can even call it that) interrupts a lot of things.

It'll take a while to get it all the way we like it but that's how remodeling goes.

So if you're ever in the area and are bored, stop by. I'll be glad to hand you a paint brush!