Our new HOUSE

-Dan and Tucker summer 2010

Last summer coming home from church one day, I noticed this house that we had driven by week after week had gone up for sale. Dan and I had talked a little bit about the possibility of getting back into a house, but at THAT time we were also considering moving with a job promotion. Then one day he said to me "Hun, did you see that brick house on the way to church up for sale?" A smile welled up from deep down within...and I knew that our hearts were ready once again. Whether it was this house, or another house, we were ready. It was a super long process, and we were most patient and it paid off!

Our home was built in the 1920's...and then added on and bricked in the 1950's. Along with the house, we received a photo album of original photos and every bit of information ever done on the house-it's really cool! The house has true charm and character for this area and has only been owned by 5 families (none of which died in the house, thankfully). It's been very well maintained and cared for which is evident upon entering. And although there are things we are working on to make it our 'own'...we couldn't be happier. It's hard to compare my first home to this house because they are in two different categories, and YES, I still miss my first home, but this is where we are planting our feet for awhile and we feel so blessed.

Now that winter is winding down and the weather is warming up, Dan has been busy working hard getting a few spots updated. The first being the attic in the front garage. He and Kyle got up there and cleaned it out, re-wired it and laid a new floor and insulation so we could get boxes stored. They did such a great job! The second project in progress is our *NEW* food storage room in the basement...previously called the dungeon because it was dark and no one wanted to go in there. He and Kyle are just about finished with the drywall, and soon the shelving will begin! There are other projects, like the mud room, the utility room and the other 2 car garage that are in waiting-but one thing at a time! It's so nice to be able to work on home projects again, and I look so forward to getting in the yard this summer.

Front of the house: Lots of mature trees and lush green grass. Curb side appeal is great-especially here in Alliance, it's really hard to find a nice updated home that looks NICE as well...we really were blessed.

Part of the backyard...the whole yard is bricked in...LOVE THAT! Plenty of room for that ginormous trampoline of ours and still lots of room. We have lots of squirrels starting to come out-Tucker likes to chase them and they tease him through the windows...AND we have 3 neighbor dogs that like to jump the wall and come over for play time, it's funny and cute at the same time.

The patio area...although there is no sliding door to enter the yard, there is easy access through the mud room, and I LOVE the large window in the kitchen over looking the yard & garden.

This is the second 2 car garage-detached in the back...it's cool to have a 4 car garage! For now this is the only garage that will house the truck & suburban during the summer hail seasons...the front garage doors are too narrow and we can barely get the burb in by maybe 4 inches!

The dining room...favorite feature is the floor to ceiling window overlooking the front drive...I can't wait to put shutters there! Yes, that is WHITE carpeting...yikes! It's beautiful lush carpet though :)


Kitchen. This is where we spent 90% of our time, just hanging out...it's nice to have room to breathe again, AND I have a window above my sink!! Projects for kitchen are, darken cabinets, add new bronze fixtures, knobs and put granite with a nice back splash like my other kitchen.



The Family room...it's long, so you aren't seeing the full scope of it. We LOVE the fireplace, mantle, book shelves and windows-this room is an actual add on to the original home.

We are still unpacking and hanging pictures. Both garages are full of boxes that need to be unpacked or stored, and we also have our storage unit full of items that have been there since we moved here almost 3 years ago...wow, it's been that long! Sometimes it doesn't feel real, but reality is our life is here now, at least for the time being.