Living the Life

The move went flawlessly though the weather was terribly cold. No, actually it was bloody freezing! -20C. Cold enough to chap bare skin in only minutes. The movers arrived at 10AM and started loading the truck right away. Craig had worked most of the morning at bringing things down to the living room so that it was easier for the movers to load and I took a couple of runs to the new place in the meantime with the last of the boxes. Three hours later we were in the new house unpacking boxes and watching Shaun run laps through the family room and kitchen.

Our new home is nothing short of amazing. We love the fireplace, the gorgeous kitchen, the bright playroom, the huge storage spaces above the garage and in the laundry room, separate rooms for the boys; I could go on and on. The boxes are mostly all unpacked. The 20 or so that are left are for seasonal things like camping stuff and spring/summer things like rollerblades, sandals, and clothing. Those remaining boxes will find their home in the storage loft above the garage.

The appliances came on Friday and boy, am I in love!! The washer and dryer are silent and super fancy compared to my old top-loading ones. The stove is stylish and boils water in mere minutes. The fridge was a pipe dream that I happened to stumble on as an inventory markdown. There was no way we'd be able to afford a fridge like this otherwise. Craig asked me on Friday which I was most excited about and, no contest, it's the fridge. I can't wait to do our first grocery shop and fill it up with all kinds of goodies!

We ordered a new loveseat for the family room that will be ready in a month or so. It's custom so we're having to wait for it to be made. Mum and I went to Randall Klein Design in London about a month ago and I found a perfect couch so I dragged Craig back the following weekend and we ordered it. I'm positive I could have found a similar loveseat that would have cost much less but I also know I didn't want to spend the time searching for it. As it is I went to countless stores searching for what I wanted. When I finally found it at Randall Klein I didn't ask questions.

We've also ordered a bed and nightstands that should be arriving on Thursday and furniture for the playroom that will double as patio furniture in the warmer months. It's resin wicker and includes 2 chairs, a loveseat, and a coffee table as well as cushions. I figure it will be great for kids to use and then we won't have to buy extra furniture for outside. Craig's new TV arrived yesterday and he's been in Plasma HD Heaven ever since. The TV Stand is on backorder and won't arrive until the beginning of March so we have the TV on a toybox in the meantime. Hopefully Shaun doesn't want anything in there!

I'm heading to IKEA next week with my best friend Erika to buy the rest of the stuff: chairs for the TV area, a cabinet for the upstairs bathroom, a dresser for Shaun, and a few odds and ends. Okay, maybe more than a few.

The way we see it, we sacrificed so much by living in the condo as long as we did and every single extra penny was put on the mortgage while we were there. We were still using furniture Craig bought off his sister 10 years ago and she had it for years before that! Actually, we STILL have it, although it's been demoted to the basement for now. All our hard work and determination and penny pinching has allowed us to own this terrific home that we otherwise wouldn't have been able to afford had we not been so careful with our money over the past 7 years. So now we get to live a little.