I’d like to take you on a tour of our new home. New to us, that is… There’s not much new about this place (except for the things we’ve added or things replaced because they were broken when we moved in) – it was built at the turn of the century, and some parts of it haven’t changed at all. =)

Pros:

• Hardwood floors: they’re gorgeous, and mostly original!
• Location: I’ve moved into the neighborhood of my church and the vast majority of my Indiana friends. Who cares if it’s the ghetto?
• Size: Much bigger than our last apartment – there’s room for us and our things!

Cons:

• A very wet Silence of the Lambs basement – it’s scary down there, and unfortunately, that’s where our laundry is.
• It’s hot. There’s no air conditioning, and we moved in during the muggiest week of hte year so far.
• It smells really bad. The woman who lived there before us had 7 (count ‘em – 7!) cats. My theory about the smell: they ran feral and used the carpets as a litter box. Oh wait, she had the litter box in the shower! (That was gross to clean.)

There’s good news, though. We’re addressing the cause of the smell asap, and in the meantime we’re covering it with air fresheners (which work pretty well for now). The colors in the house are great – tans and greens and off-whites – colors I’d have chosen on my own if I got to pick, and that match all our furniture. And I really love being here – this is where I’ve wanted to live since I first started going to this church years ago. There are adjustments to make, of course, but I think things are going to be great.

Here’s a look at the chaos:

This is our living room, the first room coming in from the front door. I love the hardwood floors and the wall color. =)

Another view of the living room – my piano has already been played many times, and will continue to be played because of its location (in the middle of everything).

The dining room. You can see that large blank wall behind David (he’s taking a break)? We’re going to hang a HUGE mirror there. It’ll open and brighten up that room (which is bigger than it looks).

The only bathroom, which, maybe because it was used as the litterbox or maybe because there’s something wrong with the plumbing, smells horribly in the absence of air fresheners. It’s bearable, and barely noticeable, with a new air freshener in there or after a shower.

The kitchen. It’s nice now. =) It was really, really gross. We have a new fridge because the previous (moldy, rusty, mildewy, catty, stinky) fridge broke. Thanking the Lord. =) I now have my first gas stove, which I’ve already learned to prefer to electric ranges.

The stairway. Two different colors of rug. The scratches on the right wall are from trying to get our boxspring into the master bedroom (the bottom of the stairway has a very tight turn). We ended up trading some friends who have a split boxspring until we move out.

The second bedroom. It will be our computer/guest room, but now it’s just a storage room. It’s the least necessary and therefore most unpacked of all the rooms in the house. Smelled like cat, but after a few pet shampoos (vaccumed by my wonderful husband) and a strong air freshener, it smells tolerably.

Our bedroom. I love the colors, it’s huge and has two huge windows. It’s fabulous… Except that awful smell. It’s, in my opinion, the worst smelling room in the house. It’s the one we are really trying to do something about. If we can’t find a solution SOON, we’re going to beg our landlord to rip up the carpet. I think I might leave the air fresheners off for a hot day and then invite him to breathe in our room. =)

More pictures later, as we clean up. This was just for you folk too far away to come see the mess in person.