So there is nothing ultra fancy about our little unit....other than the fact that we call it home and we are in love with it. Yes, it is cramped...yes, one more room would be nice just to store things.....BUT we know from experience it is a rare occassion to find a perfect home even when you are looking to buy. We all know we can't have our cake and eat it too, there is always compromise. We are lucky to have secure parking that is covered with visitor parking. So everything that we would store in a garage has had to find a spot in our unit...well ok, mostly out on the balcony. Our home is still a work in progress, we have purged a lot, continue to purge, and are so much more thoughtful to what we purchase, it's been quite nice actually...in more ways than one!
Below is the balcony. I need to figure out how to take better pictures of it. Our dining room set is out there, a day bed, our huge metal shelving with most of the clutter (I "forgot" to take a picture of that so you won't see the major clutter), and stroller, bikes, and other modes of transportation...a la ttrike and scooter. It is big enough for Erik to ride in a circle around but also we have pathways in our common area of the complex to take him down to as well.
The day bed (with crap stored beneath). I will say that just since these pics have been taken things look different. But those pics will have to wait for another day. The bed is large enough that if you took off the cushions its like a twin size bed but longer. Totally comfy and awesome in the beautiful weather.
The kitchen, we love the countertops (aka.."benchtops" in Oz) and overall like the kitchen. We do have a lovely pantry next to the fridge that is really deep and I am actually having a hard time figuring out how to fill it correctly because I hate pulling things out from behind, but I will figure it out. The oven is small...couldn't fit my largest baking sheets in there nor my pizza pan...so got rid of some of my large cooking items (we are getting to that point anyways, with most our stuff being almost 10 years old and wearing out, so we will treat ourselves when we move back...IF we need it. It's been amazing how much we realized we could live without. Our fridge is small as well but there is a larger spot for it. If I had the hindsight I had now I would choose a larger fridge just due to the fact that the humidity makes everything moldy so FAST, I mean SO FAST! I keep nearly everything I can in there. Especially bread! But we lucked out with buying it off the guy who moved out of our unit and we didnt have to move it, so I am NOT complaining....what's the saying, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"....yeah I really like that saying.
The view of our main living area from our bedroom doorway. You can see we have bar stools at the counter. The three doors you see are from left....laundry, entry, and small broom closet. OUt of the picture on the left is the main bath and Erik's room. We have amazingly big and beautiful windows but they all sit on the same side of the unit so back in the kitchen can seem a bit like a cave on some days. I am just glad our windows are so huge and beautiful!
Opposite the couch
The couche and entry into our room, a linen closet, and the balcony..Sweet thing....each room has their own sliding door to the balcony....well ok, if I could keep Erik from trying to come through his when he doesnt want to nap :)
Our serene master bedroom, with a little maniac bouncing around
To the left of the above picture is the walkway to our "walk through" closet. On one side is a "built-in robe" as they call them here...or as most of you would know- a closet with sliding doors. On the other side is our new dresser that I absolutely love from IKEA. and then you walk through to our bathroom or "ensuite." There I just taught you some more Aussie lingo without realizing I was going to.
Our laundry room. I can't tell you how stoked I was to have not only our own laundry room, but have it in our unit. I hated having it in our garage in our last house. The complex provided the dryer, we bought the washer from the previous tenant. I will tell you that majority of washers/dryers here are about half the capacity of a typical american appliance. You can pay top dollar for larger capacity but it's not common. Plus our unit would fit one anway....what does that mean you ask? Double the laundry. But I would rather it be how I have it now, than a large capacity in my garage...is that crazy? I LOVE having laundry in my house and it helps me stay up on it better. Plus there is a door I can shut....DOUBLE BONUS!
Erik's room, he doesn't always keep his toys in his room, but he DOES help clean up quite well. Since we have paired down he knows that each toy has a home and where it belongs, he knows how to put his books away and where most of his clothes go. He is such a good helper. It's hard to tell in the pic but behind where his fan is, his room is really deep. There is a cut out alcove that has been great for storage and things. Ideally I would love to set it up more as a structured play area, but we are ways from that, so for now it's great storage.
across from Erik's bed is his dresser and his books have actually moved in front of the closed shade by his sliding door to help block his mind from trying to go there...plus Santa may be bringing something that needs the spot next to his dresser...but we will have to see what the leves have up their sleeves.
At the end of his bed are the toys that we have out at any given time. I have been really good about rotating toys here. And I really got choosy with which ones I kept and which ones I thought he has grown out of. Those we donated to friends, sold, or to donation centers. It's been hard to get rid of so much knowing we may have another child. But we have really taken on the mantra of only keeping what is absolutely necessary. In the event of another child we have a car seat, pack n play with bassinet and our bottles, the nice burp clothes and few other basic needs items. Luckily our new nephew has most of Erik's old clothes in rotation in his closet and will be kept in strage at his house, but toys and young books will have to be rebought along with a few other things. Oh well, we are happy as clams without the clutter.
All in all, I have realized this little unit is perfect for me as a homemaker. Yes one more room would be nice for space. But I am not a fantastic housekeeper and this unit has helped me get better and better because its easier to clean and quicker. I am hoping that I will train myself so well that when we go back to a larger dwelling I will keep on with my new habits. And I have also learned, I don't think I ever want a really big house. I think I am happy with a small home. We can make do when visitors come, no doubt about that, so this unit has taught me quite a lot...Thank you to our little happy home!
1 comment:
I love it! Being here in my Mom's house has made me realize that I definitely never want anything bigger! It takes forever to clean up!! It's so cool to read about all the fun new things you are learning and doing. Thanks for sharing with us!!
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