Our New England Home

*disclaimer* I am not an interior designer/decorator and I am not a photographer. This post is purely for the purpose of showing curious family and friends what our little home looks like inside. :)  

I posted this picture awhile back, but here it is again. Cute, huh?

It was built in 1900.

 front entry way - isn't the banister gorgeous?! The woodwork is so beautiful - I wish I had a close-up! And do you see the cool little stained glass window on the right?

Here's a close up of the front of the front door - I love the blue. And I love the crocheted valance in the window pane.

 The parlor - I was so excited to have a room I could call the parlor - I'm living the Jane Austen dream :).

 The parlor (view from the dining room)

Isn't our piano perfect for the parlor. This was Aaron's family's piano growing up. (He is the only who still plays, so he got to inherit it - lucky us!) It used to be a player piano and has tune dates from the early 1900's (possibly even late 1800's) - COOL!!! Unfortunately, the humidity has not been kind to this piano, but hopefully it's something we can fix later on down the road.

Dining room (view from parlor)

A close up of the china hutch I got for FREE a couple weekends ago (my neighbor couldn't sell it at her garage sale and said she would rather have me haul it off for free than to have to take it back down to her basement).
And I got all this pretty china (for the girls' tea parties) for $6 at a consignment store! Isn't it so pretty - I'm sure I'll be collecting more.

kitchen from the front - we totally lucked out again and got a large kitchen with plenty of cupboards. (It's definitely been updated in the last 100 years)

 kitchen from family room (back of house)

 Family room - TV/library side (We just bought our first TV a couple weeks ago - pretty exciting. By the way, this TV is the ONLY piece of furniture in all of these pictures that we have actually purchased - everything else has been given to us.)

 Family room - girls' side - crafts, etc

 itty bitty teeny weeny half bath off of family room

That's basically all of the downstairs (except I didn't show you the laundry closet) and there's not much to see of the upstairs. It's just three little bedrooms with beds and dressers - nothing unique (except some peeling lead paint).

Oh, I will show you a shot of the upstairs full bath (the only full bath). It's way tiny also, but for the first few days it was my favorite room in this home - it's probably the most updated room in the house, the cleanest, and it didn't stink, didn't have peeling paint (in fact new paint) and even though I don't LOVE the yellow color - it is a happy color.

Oh yeah, and one more picture from the girls' room

A furry little friend we found in their room yesterday morning - caught in one of those sticky spider/mouse traps. So sad! It was making the most forlorn little squeaks and the girls were just about in tears over it - they wanted to keep it. Aaron "helped it" later that day find it's way "home".

Our first week in Stonington

 The smell of a one hundred year old home in 90% humidity is enough to knock you over. So, here we are scrubbing away in the kitchen when we first arrive (this is before we knew that the smell cannot be scrubbed away - it is part of the home and can only be masked with candles, essential oils, and other smelly products).

 As Aaron and I and the big girls got to work unloading the car and cleaning, this is what Aubree did.

About an hour after getting there the girls discovered that our next door neighbors have a swingset - so we went over to introduce ourselves. And lo and behold they do have kids - a 5 year old girl and a baby boy. The mom, Melissa, was so friendly and kind and said that her husband, Mark, would be home from work soon so we could meet him. We asked what he did and she said he was a landscape architect (not very many of those around). Aaron said, me too, and we were all amazed at the coincidence. Then we find out that Mark used to work for Cummin Assoc. and Aaron is filling Mark's old position! Crazy, right? (By the way, Mark really liked working for Cummin Assoc., but he was offered a job at a firm he used to work for with a substantial pay raise. But they said they loved Cummin Assoc. and that Aaron would really enjoy it there.) The girls have already become such wonderful friends with the little neighbor girl and Melissa has helped me to not feel so lonely and homesick. It also helped to be in their home since it is the exact same as our home. It made me feel like our house could become a cozy home.

 Our neighbors took us to Watch Hill in Westerly, RI where the girls rode on the only surviving flying horse carousel in the country!

I think we're going to love it here!

Kaysville to Stonington

Journaling the road trip to our new home

 The girls have been doing so well in the car! They have been coloring, hand knitting, and listening to books on tape (All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot and the theatrical version of The Chronicles of Narnia), and we've only gotten out the DVD player once!

 Our first stop was Cheyenne, WY to stay at my aunt Janet's house one night. Unfortunately she wasn't there, but she left some homemade dinner for us and lunch for the next day - so nice!

 The next day we stopped at the Cabella's in Nebraska

 We stopeed in Omaha for a night (no pictures),

 then went to Nauvoo on Friday. When Carly saw this old well, she pulled the rope and said, "I've always wanted to do this." :)

 That night there was a country fair and a pageant that we attended. The pageant was pretty good - although I always have a hard time watching someone play the part of Joseph Smith - I never think they do a good enough job (same with Jesus actors).

 We spent Sunday in Kirtland and had a tour of historic Kirtland. That night we stayed at the hotel and watched the swimming and gymnastics Olympics. Carly has been begging us ever since to be in the Olympics.

Monday we were in Pennsylvania and stopped at Hershey world - yum!

 Tuesday we started out for our new home - Stonington, CT. This is the view of NYC from the New Jersey Turnpike. By the way, tolls are expensive! We probably spent at least $40 on road tolls in the eastern states.

 The highways in Connecticut are unbelievable - this isn't a great picture, but they are so beautiful. It can be hard to find your way if you're not familiar with the area - thanks to my Dad we had a GPS to help us find our way.

Home sweet home! (It doesn't feel that way yet, but hopefully soon!)
The house was built in 1900, and it smells like it too. It doesn't help that the neighborhood has a skunk problem - seriously. The house has a way cool layout - parlor (I get to call it that because it was built back then :)), dining room, large kitchen, family room and teeny, tiny half bathroom on first floor, and three small bedrooms and a small full bathroom upstairs. There is also a basement - totally unfinished, stone foundation, super smelly, and really creepy.
So, there it is - our travelogue from Kaysville to Stonington. More to come on our adventures since being here.

Hey friends,

So, we are now in our new (50-year-old) home! We like the community (most people do) - we’ve found that most people living in Davis county, are from Davis county. I don’t blame them, because I think it’s a great part of the SLC area.

This is part of our backyard and these are our new pets (awesome, low maintenance pets – they take care of themselves). My father-in-law took this picture and said he counted 16 mule deer living in our backyard! This backyard is going to be absolutely breath-taking in a few weeks with new spring– I’ll post pictures of the view from our living room windows.

Aaron – Aaron loves having a yard to take care of finally – lawn to mow, trees to prune, leaves to rake – he really does love it (lucky me). We also have a piano here, so he’s been playing the piano more and we all love it! He’s been going to bed early, waking up early, and taking long bus rides. Aaron’s commute is a BIG one – 1 to 1½ hours one way. He’s usually home by 6pm, so it’s not too bad (for me and the girls). Work is really slow right now and they just did some more layoffs and cut more hours. So, he’s down to a 4-day week. It’s nice to have him around more and this will give him more opportunity to do his own work with residential designs. Luckily our insurance premium is being lowered quite a bit, so we’ll still be taking home as much money each month. We’re just really hoping that he can keep his job (just like we’ve been hoping and stressing about for the last year). Aaron is so talented so we’re hoping that if he does lose his job he’ll be able to make enough money doing his own work and networking with other design/build companies.

Camile – I have been dedicating myself to trying to make our days here at home a little smoother and happier (lifelong goal). Having a bigger home has not cured Carly and Ellie of sibling rivalry like I was hoping. I don’t think that they know how to separate themselves from each other very well – even if they are totally annoying each other, they are still stuck like glue! So, I’ve started making a loose agenda for each day so that I feel a little more organized. I’ve been scheduling time for doing preschool with the girls and going to the library or park. I plan what we’ll have for each meal and what chores need to get done that day. It seems so simple (and maybe a little too overboard), but for me if I don’t have it written down and planned it just doesn’t happen a lot of the time. Well, this has helped us all A LOT – my stress level is a lot lower and I think we’re all happier. Another thing that has helped my stress level is having a bigger kitchen – our last kitchen was claustrophobic so I hated being in it. A picture of me with our top-of-the line-fifty-years-ago oven/broiler. The cutting board below actually pulls out and that is where our stove top hides – pretty cool!

Carly – She has been such a sweetheart lately! She is so sensitive to other people’s feelings (unless Ellie is driving her crazy). I especially appreciate that she recognizes my efforts to be a good Mom. She has made a new best friend here – Rosie (our 10-year-old neighbor). Carly is very outgoing and makes new friends very easily – whenever we go to the park she makes a new friend. She also just started a music class through a program called MusikGarten. Carly is so musically talented and she is just loving it! She’ll be going to the elementary school just 3 blocks from our home in the fall and I think we are all really excited for that day.

Ellie – She has recently informed us that she likes to be called Ellise (with a hard “e”). She had her 4th birthday in January. I planned a big family party for her on MY birthday (kind of a stressful way to spend a birthday – but it ended up being a lot of fun for everyone). I worry about the second child – they have so much to live up to! Her and Carly are so close in age that they compare themselves to each other (and I think Aaron and I do too sometimes). She is also doing a music class and we specifically put her in a different class than Carly so that they can become more independent from each other. Ellie took naps up until she was almost 4 (I realize that’s pretty lucky), but the afternoons get to be pretty rough for her still. It will be really nice to have Carly in Kindergarten next year so I can spend more one-on-one time with Ellie – our relationship needs it.

Aubree –

Look at those cheeks!!!

She turned one in February. She is still our little baby, but is starting to do things that are showing us how fast she’s growing up. She says, uh-oh, doggy, ma ma (for me and Aaron), thank you, baby and hi (not with perfect pronunciation, but we know what she’s saying). She folds her arms for prayer (or when she wants food), she loves to talk on the phone and she also loves to wash her hands with soap – so cute! She stands alone and walks along furniture, but she has not even attempted to take a step alone – but that’s okay, because I still want her to be my baby for as long as possible because we probably won’t have another baby for a LONG time. She sleeps in until at least 9:30 in the morning and takes one nap in the afternoon. I’m still nursing her in the morning and at night (she wants absolutely nothing to do with milk in a cup or bottle). Aubree brings so much joy into our family – she is at such a cute stage and makes all of us smile whenever she’s around! I can totally understand now how the youngest in a family gets spoiled, you just want to keep them a baby for as long as possible!

We're moving...

into a HOME!!! We'll still be renting, but hey, it's a home!

The rest of this post is long and full of details (that make me really excited)...

Several months ago we were trying to find a bigger 3-bedroom rental (preferably a home), but after looking we realized that we would be paying quite a bit more money to rent a 3-bedroom. And right now we are trying to live as cheap as possible so we can own a home some day. So, we have been trying to have a good attitude about living in our TINY 2-bedroom with Aubree as a permanent roommate with Aaron and me.

Well, a little over a week ago, our friend, Ashley*, called us up to tell us about a 3-bedroom home for rent (they have connections with the people who own it). The lady renting it to us grew up in this home and it has a lot of sentimental value to her. So, she really wanted a family in it that would be able to take care of the yard and be respectful to the home. (Thanks to Ashley who gave us a raving recommendation!) The home was built in the 60's, but was top-of-the-line when it was built, so it's still in great shape (although a very out-dated interior - it has personality :)).

It's on a 2-acre lot, with a big back deck, laundry ROOM (not closet) ;), 3 big linen closets and 3 coat closets (as opposed to our 1 linen/pantry closet now), two family rooms, it's 3 to 4 times bigger than our apartment now, and it has a garage. We will finally be able to put Aubree in her own room so she can learn how to sleep through the night, and when she does start sleeping through the night we'll be able to put her in a room with Carly and Ellise and have an extra room! We're still trying to decide what we'll do with an extra room - office, sewing/craft room, guest room - probably all three. The girls' bedroom has TWO WALK-IN closets - so one will be for clothes and the other will be a fun fort for toys, books, etc.

I can't wait to have the extra space! I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much - but I really think it will help my sanity to have more space. With three kids at home all day long, our little apartment sometimes gets depressing.

Everyone who is familiar with the area that we are moving to RAVES about it. It has an awsome school system and a very nice neighborhood.

And best of all... we will be paying the same amount as we are paying now!!! (The owners will be covering utility costs.)

What a blessing!!!

There are a few downsides to all of this: First off, they have a pool in the backyard (which could also be considered a pro). Aaron and I were really nervous about this, but after talking over it with the owners and each other and our girls, we feel much better about it. The pool is hard to get to from the house and has an electronic cover that has the power shut off when not in use. We have also sufficiently scared the girls about kids drowning - and I'm pretty sure they get it. But, we'll still always be on guard.

Also, Aaron could possibly have a commute of one hour (one way) - ugh! (Right now the commute is about 25 minutes.) But, we have other options for the commute (such as the front runner train), so we'll have to see how it goes.

And of course, we are way sad about leaving our friends and ward here. We have really felt so loved and needed here and have made some really great friends.

*Ashley was also the friend who let us know about this apt complex we're in right now. What a great friend!

What we've been up to...

In July we had a get together with a bunch of friends from Moscow. It was so good to see our friends from the good ol’ days in Moscow – we had such great friends there. It was fun to see the new babies that people have and see how the kids we knew had grown so much.

We are going to be moving again on the 30th. We found an apartment (thanks to Ashley and my sister, Steph) that is still in the SLC area. The apartment we’re moving to is a lot smaller than where we are now, but we’ll be able to save $400 a month compared to where we’re living now – which will hopefully get us into a home sooner. I’m really excited for the move (not the packing and unpacking though). There are a lot of young families in the complex which will be fun for the girls and I … and a swimming pool!

Since we’ve been in our ward here Aaron has been serving as the ward mission leader and I have been the nursery leader (Ellie really likes that). I have enjoyed my calling more than I thought I would – it’s fun to prepare the lessons and to hear what those little ones have to say.

This summer, my sister, Angela, has been teaching a few cheer classes. Carly and Ellie were part of the Itty Bitty Black team. They had a performance on Friday (I couldn't get the video to post, so maybe I'll try later.)

Carly in the middle and Ellie on the right.

Terrance and Camille moved to the Salt Lake area a few weeks ago – Yay! (That is Aaron’s cousin and his wife). They have a son, Liam, who is 8 days older than Carly and a little girl, Katie, who is 1 ½. They are living at Camille’s sister’s home right now until they sell their home in New Mexico. We are so happy to have them here – we can’t wait to get together again!
Aaron with the girls and Camille with Liam

Today we went to see some Irish Wolfhounds (these are Aaron’s favorite breed of dog). They are also the tallest dogs (along with Great Danes). We will probably have an Irish Wolfhound someday …this is very important to Aaron. :)