We found the place we were going to live essentially the first weekend we were in town. We knew temporary housing was not going to be ideal for the kids and all of us were anxious to find our permanent place and get back into a normal routine as quickly as possible.

We met with a realtor on Columbus Day and saw four different places... in all honesty, the first three homes were all great, but this one stood out from the rest because of its space. We put in an application and got approved for a 2-year lease.

We had our household goods delivered on November 7... these pictures were taken that day. So, there are boxes around, but at least you can get an idea of what the main floor looks like. Unfortunately, with everything going on, I don't have any pictures of upstairs or the basement...

We're in a three-level townhome with three bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs, a half bath on the main level, and another full in the basement. We were definitely impressed with this house because of the space... our furniture fits. However, we are struggling to figure out pantry and kitchen cabinet storage. We had a TON in the last house, and not as much here... but, we're figuring that out.

And now for some pictures...

This is the front room... we'll be using this as our living room, even though we have a "family room" in the back.















Stairs going up and down.



















Kitchen











































Family room, which is on the back of the home on the other side of the kitchen... you can see the deck. We're thinking this will be a family hang out area with NO TV! It's my favorite room in the house.





























We have a really good sized master bedroom and bathroom - all the furniture and the treadmill fits :) And, the kids' rooms are smaller, especially Mary Grace's, but they work. Downstairs, we have an absolutely awesome utility/laundry room, with tons and tons of storage, and we're using the finished space downstairs as a spare room and play room. Eventually, we'd like to put up a false wall or some other way to separate the spaces.

I really, really like the house :) And, we love the neighborhood... it's a fairly small area with only one entrance from a public road. We're in Germantown, which is pretty far out but as a result not as congested... my commute has increased to about an hour and fifteen minutes, but it's primarily on the bus and train, so I get to read - and, most importantly, I'm not driving. Our neighbors have been super nice - and, are quiet :) And, everything we need is close.

We have a playground, which is awesome, too. Here are a couple pictures of the kids enjoying our new play area.












































The house's only drawback is that it needed a seriously cleaning when we moved in. Seriously, we should have requested a professional cleaning when applying for the lease. But, it slipped my mind and we're on our own. We made progress before our stuff was delivered, but I'm still working my way through to bring it to my standards. OMG, the kitchen specifically was disgusting. But, so it goes.

We signed a 2-year lease, so I'm confident we'll be here at least that long. Now, I'm trying to get going and decorate and make the house comfortable and homey - I hated that I liked our last house the most at the point we were trying to sell it. I'm planning on asking for permission to paint the kitchen and family room... and, am trying to make the decor items we have work in the new house... as rooms come together, I'll post pictures!