I’ll be putting up several posts and not bothering to alter the dates to fit. Just so you know.

We’ve been here for coming on 2 months now (see: guilt). We’ve learned to size down from a 4BR, 2BA house to a 3BR, 1BA house. Scheduling is important for showers. Also important is the potty chair outside the bathroom for a certain three-year-old who gets caught short. I like the fact that I’m short because it means I have a very poor view of the top bunk (of which we have 2 now) so I can’t see how badly the child made it.

Because I more often feel discouraged rather than inspired when I see pictures of other people’s perfect houses, I deliberately did not clean up every little thing before I took the following pictures last month. So you can feel free to feel superior or sympathetic or whatever strikes you.

I love the fact that a bookcase fit perfectly right next to the kitchen. It houses overflow children’s books, overflow plastic-ware and cookbooks. Notice the open shelving.

Open shelving is actually convenient and encourages less clutter. No dark corners. It doesn’t look artistic the way I’ve done it though.

These pantry doors are the back side of some old shutters original to the house. I loved how the back looked and requested that they not be painted. The person doing the renovations on the house whole-heartedly agreed and was thrilled that I felt that way too. They’re hung perfectly (courtesy of the renovator’s brother).

This little area worked out perfectly.

This window seat is at least 10 feet wide. Really. I had to leave my sewing machine in storage at the old house so I haven’t tackled cushions yet. I already have the fabric though…

One of my forever dreams was to have bookcases surrounding the dining table. Guess who’s in seventh heaven? (Notice the inadequate number of chairs. Oops. Left an extra chair at the old house.)

See: I didn’t clean up. There are still a few boxes, etc. out in this picture. Not in view are the three bookcases on the wall behind the couch. In case anyone is counting: living room: 2 built-in and 5 free-standing bookcases; mudroom by kitchen: 1 bookcase; Girls’ room: 1 bookcase; Boys’ room: 1 bookcase. Only 10. We need more. A small one is doing alternate duty in the bathroom holding towels.