burton bradford

So we're in our new house. Darcy and I did not end up getting sick..YET. We've been in our new locale about 5 1/2 weeks I think. I am very lucky I have a sitter who comes in M, W, F and helps me out with the girls. She's a nice girl and a college student. I'm just dreading when she gets a real job. It has been a bit of a struggle for the girls to get used to Daddy going to work every day. They ask where he is all the time. It definitely puts more of a burden on me. But, with my sitter Kayla, I do have some free time to go shopping and to tea and meet up with people. My mom was here for a few weeks too...which I won't go into, but it was rather stressful.
Kathryne stayed in California...she's in her little apartment, college life and working at the Vietnamese restaurant seem to suit her well. She even has her own little Christmas tree!

Our house is pretty good...the wood floors and taking the wall out were very good ideas. This weekend I am hoping we will be working on the bar area, get that finished off. I also plan on doing a bit of priming on the paneling. I was gung-ho about covering it up and doing something "unique" with the paneling, and now I don't care...I think paint will do just fine. With Doug at work all the time, I am limited to what can be done...the girls love to get into everything, so I can't do much when he's not here.
I love all the space, it's very pleasant and liveable. The kitchen is okay, but not great. Not much counter space at all...things are rather awkward for baking etc. The cooktop is horrible. I hate electric, as I burn everything. I have read it is safer for people with allergies though. Hmmmm.
We also decided to put our bedroom in the front of the house where the living room used to be, it's a much more pleasant and airy space than our old room. Holland has the "master" bedroom, but this will double as a guest room as it has a small bathroom. (Will have to be gutted at some point - no bath, just a teeny walk in shower). Or if Kathryne decided to go to school out here she can have that room. It has a giant closet too...
One day we will have to address the lack of closet in our new master bedroom...we have our clothes in other closets. But it would be nice to have everything together.
The other thing that is nice is having an office/study area. I would love that to be done soon. I want to put a countertop along one wall for my projects, sewing etc. Underneath will be storage and I'll put a curtain across there to hide the clutter. Then have a book shelf (or other cute cabinet) to display stuff and put my decor/craft books on. Doug will have the other wall for the desk we found and he can put his computer there and the printer etc. He'll be at work most of the time, so it will really be a fun space for me. It smells like old cigars in there right now. Ugh.
The family room is great, we put the leather couches in there and the huge mahogany coffee table. We splurged and got a 40 inch flatscreen which we'll eventually hang over the fireplace. We will put book shelves along the back wall at some point and build a bar area and eating area along the kitchen wall. Right now that space has no purpose. Having a bar space for Doug to mix drinks and display his barware will be nice. The eating bar part will be great for the girls as they get older, they can eat breakfast there or do homework. I'll have to get some cute barstools of course. I'm also keeping my eye open for an office chair for Doug. And new dining chairs. Mine are falling apart.
The weather here is very changeable. I forgot how cold 20 degrees feels. I will have to find a good coat soon. I have only been going out on sunny days and wearing a hoodie. Holland also needs a coat, as she has sprouted. Darcy can wear all Holland's old ones.
I don't like not having a front garden. It's basically an oak tree with a patch of acorned grass underneath. There is gravel all around the base of the house...which eliminates weeding, ha ha. I miss my cabbage roses terribly. I knew I would. I also miss my potato vines. They wouldn't survive here I'm sure. I do have some bulbs that need to go in asap. I got them from a cute store down the road. (There are some super cute stores around here btw.)
Well, that's all for now. Time for more coffee.