Our House

I've been trying to post these pictures of our house for a while now, but life seems to be keeping me really busy lately. It's a good busy though... we've been ice skating, eating out, shopping, and exploring the city; it's been lots of fun.

Before I get started on the tour, I want to answer a question from Mumsybyrd. She asked how I liked the travel pillow that I talked about in this post. Well, I actually slept for several hours on the plane, so I guess that would make it a success! The pillow had its pros and cons, but it was still the best pillow I have ever tried on a plane. Mumsybyrd, I'm with you about wanting to make it yourself and save the money, and it could be done, but then it wouldn't have the feature of being able to deflate and store away easily, so you'll have to decide if that's important to you or not.

Okay, onto the tour of our new home!! There are a bunch of pictures here, not all of which are interesting I'm sure, so feel free to scroll through if you'd like.

This is the view when you enter our front door....
To the left is a large closet with rods and shelving-- perfect when you have lots of winter gear!

Next is a small foyer that really isn't good for anything....
To the left is the kitchen, and the right is the living room and the stairs to the 2nd floor.

The kitchen....
I would choose a different color if it were my own, but I've had worse! The counter tops are granite, which I'm really enjoying, and there are some neat features in there. The refrigerator/freezer is on the left, but blend in very nicely with the wood fronts. It is a European size though, and it's taking a little time to get used to not having very much space in there! There's another feature in the cabinets that I think is really handy. Penny explained to me what it was since I'd never seen it before. Do you see the cabinet directly about the sink? This is what's inside....
A dish drainer! Very handy, functional, and keeps the counter tops clutter-free and usuable. And when it's closed you'd never know it was there. Penny said she had this same feature when she lived in Russia. Have any of you gals that have lived in Europe ever had one of these? (Some of you may have noticed that there is a dishwasher in the kitchen, but I still prefer to wash them by hand.... strange, I know.)

The kitchen also has a nice big pantry "room" [not in picture], a big window, and a table....
They supplied us with an extra large dining table with 10 chairs, but we had to give it back... there just wasn't room for it downstairs. I'm thinking that I will have them bring it back when my sewing machine arrives. I can put it in my sewing room and use it as a craft table!

Here is our living room....
Of course, it's larger than just this, but not all of it will fit in one view.

Also in the living room is this lovely feature....
We even had someone give us all of their firewood since they were moving, so we're ready for many cozy fires.

My poor kids were so cooped-up in Jerusalem; I prayed for a yard at our next home. And of course the Lord supplies....
It's even fenced in which settles my over-protective side. One of our neighbors is even going to bring us a swing set soon!

We live within walking distance of the grocery store, which has been very nice since we don't have a car. But if we did have one (or do get one in the future), we would love this feature of our home....
This is a double car garage with an automatic garage door. Of course the main space is empty, but for now it's very handy for keeping a freezer & shelves for all the firewood. Once we get all of our belongings I'm sure this area will get filled up quickly!

One more lovely feature of the downstairs is something that is quite common in Estonian homes....
A sauna!! We have yet to step inside this room, and I'm not sure that we will. I have a condition called anhidrosis which causes little or no perspiration. While this can be nice, it definitely makes me a poor candidate for a room that is supposed to make you sweat! I'd probably just end up with heat stroke... in the dead of winter. My husband might try it out some day though. There are a couple of features of the sauna room that I do like....
There's a large shower, which would be nice if anyone wants to visit us {hint, hint}, and the landlord also left behind a small refrigerator in the dressing area of this room. That extra fridge space has really come in handy since our main one is so small.

Next we go upstairs....

This second level holds three bedrooms and the master bathroom, which is the only full bath in the house. (There's a half bath in the foyer area) There's also a large closet at the end of the hall....

This is the master bedroom....
The room is much larger than the picture makes it look. Out of camera view is a walk-in closet and plenty of space for dressers and chairs.

This is my daughter's room....
Her room is also very large with a walk-in closet as well.

My son's room....
This one is not much larger than the picture shows, but it's plenty big for him. The door goes out onto a little balcony, but I don't see that getting much use.

The master bathroom is enormous! Too large in fact. This is part of it....
A jacuzzi tub and heated towel rack in one corner.

The opposite side holds the washing machine, double sinks and cabinets....
To the right of this is a stall shower and toilet, and also a clothes dryer. The floors are all heated which makes it nice on a cold morning.

Onto the third floor....

This level only holds one large room. When our shipments arrive it will become my sewing room....
There's plenty of space and it will have a good deal of light because of the skylight....
During a portion of the year we will have about 20 hours of sunlight in a day, so I'll be able to have natural light to work by in the evenings; that will be nice. Of course on the flip-side of that, the sun doesn't come up now until 9 or 10 in the morning and it makes it really hard to get up each day!

Some of you asked how I plan on decorating our home, but honestly I have no idea. I have NO skill for decorating. I can make the decorations, but I need someone else to give me the directions! I'm thinking that I will keep it simple as always. We move so much that I don't want to buy items that are specific to a certain space... I might not be able to use them again at the next house. If you have any ideas I'm all ears!