Another look at "our" house

We went to see the house again.  This time, Kevin's mom, Jonathan, my parents, and the girls all went, as well as my Uncle/Realtor, Phil.  I love the house more than the first time we looked.  This time I remembered to check out everything I forgot the first time.  Lots of closets and storage.  Natalie's room has built-in book shelves that I  missed before, and the part of the basement that will become the rec room will need carpet, which I suspected.

This lady has 40 years of accumulated *stuff* piled in there.  I have no idea how she'll get it all out in the next month.  Boxes piled to the ceiling leaving only paths to walk through in the basement.  It's spotless clean, but piled full.  She made me sad when she said, "I hope you take care of it, I'm gonna miss it."  Poor lady.  Everything she knows is in that house.  We'll take care of it, ma'am.  We love it.  Seriously, though, there is so much stuff in that house, I couldn't take pictures inside.  It wouldn't have done any good.  I promise pictures as soon as it's ours.

She has 5 of the seven dwarfs in gnome form in the front.  Gnomes freak me out.  Nightmare material, that's what they are.  I picture them looking in the window at me.  I told Kevin weeks ago that she better take them with her.  Today she told him we could keep them!  ACK!  THEY.HAVE.GOT.TO.GO.  I'm afraid, if I throw them away, they'll find a way back and get me.  This is gonna be a job for Kevin and Dad.  I don't have many irrational fears, but this one is here to stay.

The house is on a hill, and the back porch has a great view of the river bottoms, behind the houses across the highway.  The yard is big, but ends in a steep hill down to the highway.  It's gonna be tough to mow, but we'll figure something out.  Dad wants to bring in a bull dozer and make it more gradual.  Sounds like a lot of work to me, but he may just get hired for it! 

The East end of the house is a great sun room.  I see us in that room most of the time.  Both computers and the TV and Stereo will be in there.  The bedroom will be a bedroom again, instead of the office/rec room/bedroom.  It is bright and sunny and wonderful.  The back porch wasn't quite finished when her husband died, but a couple of light fixtures and some drywall, and it's done!  It overlooks the back yard, and the river bottom view.  Coffee in the quiet of morning will taste much better back there.

The kitchen is small, but I like it.  Lots of cabinets and a seperate dining area.  The rooms are all good sized, and all have decent closets.  The basement bedrooms, where the kids will be, are wood paneling, so they're a bit dark.  I may need to paint them white or something to lighten it up down there.  It's so hard to judge when it so FULL.  You have no idea folks.  Full.

As we were getting ready to leave, Mom said, "if I was a little girl, I'd want to lie on the ground under the water tower and look up at it." (the water tower is across the street)  Natalie said, "will you go do it with me, Grandma?"  Of course she will!  They did, too.  Walked right across the street and sprawled out on the grass.  My mother is such a cool grandma.

I love my house, and can't wait until the keys are in my hands.  I'm excited and nervous.  I've had so many things fall through in my life, and I've never bought a house before, so I'm scared to get too excited, but I'm getting there anyway!

I think I want shutters.  Yup, it needs shutters.