New Digs

Closing Day! We drove down, waited five hours to finally sign the paperwork, and drove right back up to Hoboken only to move 48 hours later. 

Where to begin. My dreams and aspirations of becoming a better blogger (and even a professional one, at that) were all lost in the whirlwind that's been the past few months of our lives. SO much has happened in such a short span of time that even the thought of sitting down and documenting all of the changes at the end of the day seemed overwhelming. Long story short, we...

...found out we were expecting baby #3 (due late January) in early August. 14 weeks in! (A story for another day...)

...decided that with 3 kids, our 2-bedroom, 4th-floor walkup would just not do.

...also decided that with 3 kids, we would be much better off in an area with more family support.

...threw ourselves into househunting in the DC area. First rental apartments, then rental homes, and then homes for sale.

...spend 3 solid weeks vetting home after home online (redfin.com is amazing!), visiting as many as we could in person, and finally, finding a home we adored.

...had our first experience negotiating as a home-buyer. Stressful, exciting, and satisfying (because we got the price we wanted for a house that is worth way more!)

...said many tearful goodbyes to all of our dear friends in Hoboken, and packed and moved our entire place in the span of 48 hours as Superstorm Sandy barreled down on NYC. (Pulled out of our town at 1am; the town was flooded and powerless no more than 24 hours later). Mark and I caravanned down the Turnpike in a hurricane, barely survived crossing the Delaware Memorial Bridge in tropical-storm force winds.(Another story for another day...)

...enjoyed the good life with the Flynns for a week or so before we could move into the new house.

...finally, MOVED on November 4 with the help of some amazing family members who not only lugged our hefty boxes and furniture into the house but put new stuff together, too.

...and have been settling in ever since.

To say we love the house is an understatement. We are so fortunate that we happened upon a property was extremely well-cared for over the past six years by the prior owners. It was virtually move-in ready and we've done NOTHING but fill it with our belongings. They left no stone unturned, and we hope to continue to legacy by adoring this house as much as they did. Big shoes to fill, sure, but we're determined to keep it up.

It's quite an adjustment living in a much larger space in a very quiet neighborhood where deer frolic in our yard and our neighbors actually talk to us. But I think it was definitely time to begin this new stage of our lives and let Eamon and Nora (and soon, baby GIRL!) enjoy the ease of suburban living. Just the little things make us all happy...that they can run outside and play without a huge production and we can pull up to our garage without having to search for a parking spot for 45 minutes gives me a huge sense of peace and calm. Not to mention they are loving being around all of the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends whom we can see anytime now as opposed to special occasions or hectic weekend trips.  Eamon started school on Monday and the transition was absolutely seamless. I know he misses his Hoboken friends dearly, but he is doing a great job adjusting to the new class and is fitting right in--even though he is the youngest by over two months! (Some of the kids are almost a year older than him, which in preschool might as well be decades!)

I have untapped my inner domestic goddess and have been decorating and organizing like a crazy lady. For so long, I've filed away many ideas for how I'd like to live. But because we simply ran out of space in Hoboken (and the interior of our place was a crumbling old mess), I pretty much snuffed out my creativity when it came to design. Not anymore! I am loving making each room in the house a beautiful space we can enjoy (and as for all of the shopping that comes along with it, I can't complain! I've been scoring some major bargains and having fun doing it).

So, nearly two weeks after moving in and many late nights later, I'd say we're just about "settled". There are a few projects left to be done, but I'm going to shift my focus (and my budget) to the holidays before we make any more major changes. We'll be here for a while, so why rush, right?

Here are some photos of the house, so far. I have a few rooms left to take pictures of and we're still working on Eamon's room and the soon-to-be-nursery. One of these days, I am going to put together a nice tour if I can figure out how to take better shots of entire rooms.

View from the living room into the dining room/my "office". We purchased the furniture after seeing it on Joss & Main and absolutely love it. It has this cool gray finish that gives the rustic farmhouse finish a modern twist. 

A shot of Nora's "big girl" room. Skinny bookcases flank each side of the daybed (a Craigs List find) , and the custom prints are from Etsy. Nora picked out the pillows herself at Home Goods! 

Little girl on a big bed! 

One of my DIY projects. I cut leftover styrofoam from our table  packing material to fit in the back of each shelf, then covered with fabric. Gives the boring bookshelves a pop!

More DIY projects. The table was an old one we had in Hoboken that had seen better days. We repainted it white and then I later painted the vertical stripes in aqua. Hoping Nora uses this as a little table she can play on or as a mini vanity. The frame collage on the wall I found at Target for $5 and spraypainted in pink, than filled with scrapbook paper to add more color to the room. Oh, and the rosette lamp was another clearance find at Home Goods! 

The Master Bedroom. It offers just the right amount of serenity we need at the end of the day. I am working in a lighter shade of blue to correspond with the calming blue walls. With three large windows, the lighting in this room is fantastic and it's lovely to wake up to the view of the trees in our backyard. 

My bedside table. With two drawers to store stuff, I'm hoping to always keep the surface this tidy!

Our largest purchase this far...a mondo sectional couch from Macy's for the living room. It's heavenly! I am still toying around with colors for the rest of the room, but with the stone hue of the couch, you can go many ways and change it up season to season with throw pillows. 

Our kitchen table. The kids love the bench and I love looking out in the morning during breakfast and seeing the leaves fall (oh, the leaves...they are so pretty on the trees, not so much when covering the back yard!). 

Always wanted a yellow kitchen!Another choice color we won't have to change. Thinking about a nice photo gallery on this blank wall.