Happy Christmas Eve.

This is our Christmas card from this year. Artemis makes a photoshopped appearance on the back of the card along with our new home address. I guess you can say that it doubled as a greeting card and "hey, we moved!" announcement. I had a different vision for the picture on the front, but two uncooperative animals had a different plan for the day. We had a friend take pictures of us, after last year's very difficult two hour long photo shoot involving a self-timer. Yup. So, here's what we have. I'm very happy with it. Plus, the point is there -- Merry Christmas!

It's been exactly two weeks since we closed on our house. We now live in a world filled with bad wallpaper, a billion built-ins, older door hinges, and some horrendous wood paneling. But the size is right, the location is perfect and paint and fixtures can always be changed. Right? Right. Here are some pictures from the day we closed all of which were taken with my really older iPhone. The house is really cute. It's a cape… a typical New England home, if you will; 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, traditional first floor with a kitchen, a formal dining room, a formal living room and a family room. I'm just totally in love with it. 

We've had our fair share of learning experiences -- like trying to replace the older thermostat with a new one at 8:30PM on Sunday night only to realize the house isn't ready for said "hip" thermostat leaving us without heat in negative degree weather. Or waiting until after the snow storm to buy salt for the driveway. Or frolicking down the extremely cushion-y carpeted stairs only to totally wipe out and fall down the last 6 steps. Or leaving the screen porch door open during a snow storm. Or replacing 2-prong outlets with regular 3-prong outlets at night time only to be left without power in certain parts of the house because the electrical box is totally unlabeled and utterly confusing. This last one, by the way, is the reason for the lack of blog posts. Electricity around these parts can be slim… and the ability to use a 3-prong outlet is few and far between. I haven't charged by Mac, at home, in two weeks. Along with the learning curve, we're realizing why people who own houses are always so busy. There is just always something to be done. Sean's been replacing older items like bathroom fans, and tightening stair railings, and putting together our make-shift mailbox since the ground is frozen. He's been moving things and carrying things and I've been unpacking boxes and figuring out where to put all this stuff that we probably don't even need. I totally see how basements get packed filled with stuff. It's been two week and with every bin full of stuff that I can't find a place for I quickly ask "will you bring this down to the basement?" I'm sure it'll be this way until the outlets and switches are replaced and until the stacks of boxes are done. Then I'll be fixated on tearing down the wallpaper and painting all the wood stuff white. Then, hopefully, we'll be able to rest until spring time when the "outdoor" work begins. 

In between our Christmas shopping, which I started this past Saturday and finished Monday, we've been frequenting Lowes. Some days it seems we make it there more than once. It's crazy. But I'm happy to report that house shopping for the next few days will be nonexistent as we take in the holiday. I almost went to Target today to pick up some more curtains for the living room and then I thought… wait, Target on Christmas Eve? I don't think so.

I think it's safe to say we're settling in a bit. The cats love the fresh air, the change in scenery, the stairs, being able to see us outside through the windows -- the whole thing, really. In our apartment, our windows didn't open, they never felt a breeze… and the only "scenery" was 18-wheelers at the factory next door. Now, they have trees and squirrels and chipmunks and people and cars. It's a whole new world.

Currently, I'm nestled in my bed with the cats… watching Harry Potter. It's perfect.