New Apartment

We're getting settled into our new apartment and actually feeling a little spoiled here! We loved living in our old place, and we were very suprised and disappointed when our landlord said we needed to move out so he could sell it. But it seems like this new place is a big blessing. It was the only available apartment in our same complex, and after looking around at a few other neighborhoods, we decided it was best to stay in this area. We love this location, and our kids enjoy the playground with swings -- very hard to come by in our part of the city.

Here are Samuel and Helen, two of our friends and helpers on moving day -- taking a little ma jiang break after working so hard!

One of our favorite things about the new apartment is the spacious kitchen that flows into the dining area and living room. Those doors open out to the storage porch.

In the photo below, the front door/entryway falls between the table and the cabinet.

Sorry for the photo quality! This gives you an idea of the living room.

 

One of my favorite features of the living room is this desk we were able to tuck behind a loveseat. It's the perfect place for homeschooling with the kids and all of their coloring and craft projects.

 The next photo is boring but gives you an idea of our huge hallway. The bathroom is at the end of the hall. On the left is our room and the office; on the right is the guest room and the children's room.

Molly and Hudson's room is bigger than our last apartment, but nearly identical since we bought the furniture from our old landlord. (There is also a wardrobe that matches the desk.)

The landlord agreed we could spend nearly the first months' rent on a few pieces of furniture so this giant wardrobe has been a great addition to our bedroom. There are lots of shelves and even a mirror inside of it.

We have one room devoted entirely to guests. After living here for three days, we had our first overnight guest -- a Family Retreat volunteer. This weekend, a close friend will be coming for two days and next Saturday, Kevin's mom arrives! It's like we're running a B&B. :)

This photo shows our glorious bathtub (Molly and Hudson love it so much!) and washing machine. It is so much faster and quieter than the washing machine in our last apartment. And since it's not in the kitchen, it doesn't interfere with cooking or washing dishes. It's fancy!

A few more photos for those of you who love details. Back in the kitchen, here is a view of our pantry cabinet and the door leading to our second bathroom. This bathroom is smaller, but it does have a shower.

 And here are two views of the kitchen porch. It's a handy place to keep cleaning supplies, and it is big enough to serve as additional kitchen space for our rice cooker and crockpot.

I still need to upload pics from our office and back porch, but this is more than enough for now. I hope this gives you a good idea of our new place. It's on the 6th floor -- exactly 90 stairs to climb -- but it's going to be a beautiful home for us.
~Dayna