Amidst the Craziness
Our strategy for creating as much normal as possible amidst the craziness of moving has been to unpack everything and assign it to a general spot. We are getting very close to assigning everything to a general spot. For example, all extra towels, sheets, and pillows have been placed in our bathroom closet.
It’s slightly overwhelming to think about going back to organize all of the “spots” around our house (e.g., we don’t have any shelving in our bathroom closets yet, so stuff is literally just piled/thrown in there). But at least our house is in a quasi-comfortable place in the meantime.
Here are some of the things that are making us happy about our new house these days:
Our giant sectional couch from IKEA: We had friends over one evening, and it literally fit four of us and our giant bloodhound (with one person lying down).
Our giant dining room table: It’s so fun to invite people over to eat!
The view of trees out our windows: They make me happy.
A giant kitchen island: Our kitchen is relatively small, but the island provides plenty of workspace. It’s also been so fun to have guests sit at the barstools and chat with me while I finish up something in the kitchen.
Hidden storage: Our house is a very simple design–entryway, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and one large room for kitchen/dining/living for a total of 1,779 square feet. It doesn’t have a garage or an attic. Fortunately, we added some extra storage above the closets. The access doors don’t look great, but we don’t mind because having extra storage for momentos, holiday decorations, etc. is so necessary.
Our neighbors: Two different sets of neighbors brought over welcome gifts (note to self: I need to get in the habit of doing that for new neighbors!). Plus, Henry, Tate, and I have randomly gone over to our neighbor’s house just to say hello and visit.
The sponge drawer: It’s a little thing that makes a huge difference. I love being able to completely clear off the countertops and store the wet sponge in a convenient location.
Someone in the comments section asked for a post about moving tips. I don’t have much to offer on that front; I feel like we kind of threw everything in the truck and moved it. I guess that’s to be expected when you move right after the birth of your child. My one recommendation is to pack a suitcase just like you’re going on a two-week trip. If you put all the most important stuff in one or two suitcases, then you buy yourself a little more time in the unpacking department.
4 Comments
Stephanie
Where do you end up getting your dining room table? I love it!
Sara E. Cotner
Thanks, Stephanie!
We were searching for used tables on Craigslist and found a furniture maker in Austin who uses reclaimed wood to craft furniture. The wood is 100 years-old from a pub in the Czech Republic. It's been through so much–there's not much more damage we can do as a family of four!
Shawn
Oh, I love the rug! Can't wait to see more. Moving is always such chaos and so much work, but I think the idea of just starting to move things in the general direction of where they go is a great idea. Looks like it's really coming together!
Anthropolochic
I have those chairs in grey! Love them. They look great with your table.