With Josh's upcoming job in Eastern Washington (about four hours from where we are currently), we decided to try a buy a house in the new area as opposed to renting. We were so happy to be approved and start looking. In one whirlwind weekend we traveled (with all the kids, and my mom) to our new hometown to start the search. During that time we saw a few houses that stuck with us for not so good reasons (dirty underwear in the bathroom, garages transformed into bedrooms...) and some that stuck with us for all the right reasons (bright light, beautiful new carpet...) but it ended up boiling down to this one house that was: a) within our budget; b) in a good school district and c) had a great neighborhood.
I'll share a few pictures here, but keep in mind everything inside is the previous owners.
I fell in love with this house because of the kitchen. All that counter space, a great big window and lots of cupobards. Plus they're white, which is my favorite!
This little bonus laundry room space is pretty cool too. Josh and I may have to play Rock-Paper-Scissors as he's thinking it'd be a good office for grading papers, and I think it'd make a pretty nifty craft room. ;)
The twins will continue sharing a room;
While Wyatt & Carly will share with each other, instead of having all three boys together.
The main bathroom looks small in this picture, but behind the door is a huge amount of space. I'm thinking we will put in a laundry basket for the boys' laundry and maybe a bench for when they're waiting their turn for the shower or sink.
What won me over (other than the kitchen) is the master bedroom. It's huge. And it has an en suite bathroom, plus a walk in closet!
The garage is a bit cluttered with things they were preparing for their move, but it is as long as the house, so storage will abound! Plus there's a really good size storage shed in the backyard.
We are still in the midst of all the paperwork, but I finally feel like it's actually going to go through, which is very exciting. I had no idea all the steps involved in buying a house and feel like a "for real grown up" for going through this experience!
This house is going to be a wonderful place to raise our kids. It's going to need a little elbow grease and some TLC, but we are ecstatic to be homeowners. But this is where you come in... With all our extra money going towards a moving van, closing costs, the down payment and the few things we need to take care of from the inspection, things are a bit tight in terms of furnishing the house.
When Josh left Alaska in May, everything we owned was shipped in a box via USPS back to Washington. All the furniture we owned was left behind in Marshall. Since then we've purchased a table, beds for everyone and a few dressers, but we are still short on making up an entire household since we've been able to live with my in-laws. I know many of you have been cheering for us to find a job closer to home (and we're so grateful we did!) and I also know many of you have offered help in any way. So today I'm posting here a list of things we will need (or want) for our new house. If you have any of these items (new or used... we aren't picky!) please let me know, and we would be so grateful to take it off your hands.
While I am excited to have a house, as I think of the things we will need from room to room after five years living in the bush, I get a bit overwhelmed. So a little help from my friends will be lovely.
Stand alone high chair with adjustable tray
Kitchen table chair (one of ours broke)
2 bar stools
Recliner
Coffee tables
Kids desk
Kids play table
Bookshelves
Area rug
Entry rug
Laundry baskets
Laundry hampers
Plate set
Large crockpot
Rocking glider & ottoman
Vacuum cleaner
Mop
Iron & ironing board
Washer & dryer
Storage of any type: bins, boxes, drawers
Thank you all in advance for your generosity. We are so excited for our family to be together under one roof, we can hardly stand it!
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