A New Nest

I love my new house! But it is rather intimidating. As I told a friend or two already, I find myself walking around here thinking, "I just don't have enough class to live in a place like this."

Although everyone reading this has an open invitation to come visit us (but do give me a few days warning), I understand that my NJ friends may not be able to make that trip. (But you should try, really!) My Facebook buddies can see pics of the house on my profile (although those were taken when the former owners were living here). When we get all of our various computer cords found and sorted out, I'll ask Keith to show me how to upload some house pictures here to the blog.

In the meantime, let me tell you some features of the Kandts' new home in Siouxland.

- A walkout basement -- which makes it look like a three-story house from the back, which is why those who have seen the pictures keep saying "It's HUGE!" It's actually not bigger than our NJ house, and has even less real storage space. (Good excuse to get rid of stuff -- see earlier blog.)

- An incredible view from the back deck. I'm sitting here looking at it now from the kitchen table. We're on the south edge of town, so behind us is a hilly pasture area which is turning some lovely fall colors right now and which our neighbors tell us hosts some cattle and the occasional deer.

- A central vacuum system. I plug the hose into one of the various receptacles on the walls throughout the house and vacuum away. I haven't quite decided yet, though, how much preferable this is to my traditional vacuum. It's a really long hose and kind of a pain to carry around.

- A fireplace in the main living room and one in the master bedroom. Our only beef with those is that they are both gas. No wood-burning fireplaces apparently in Sioux City -- at least Keith didn't see a one in the plethora of houses he looked at. That's a bummer. Our family LOVES the smell from a wood-burning fireplace . . and toasting marshmallows. Someone suggested we get one of those outdoor ones. That's a thought . .

- The place is decorated beautifully. The former owners hired an interior decorator and the results are fabulous. That's a blessing, because I have no eye or talent for that kind of thing. (Those of you who visited our NJ home will recall the white walls we had for ten years.) Christopher Lowell, who hosted an interior decorating show I loved years ago, used to say, "If you can dress yourself, you can decorate your house." Well, I'm lucky to dress myself, so the house needed to be dressed before I moved in.

- Top-of-the-line appliances (washer, dryer, fridge, dishwasher) that are not only very energy-efficient (yay, Robin!) and cost-effective, but quite complicated with all the various buttons and options. I'm keeping the manuals out for the foreseeable future.

- A gorgeous, open, curving staircase going upstairs and downstairs, which you can see the minute you walk in the door. Beautiful. Definitely one of the biggest selling points on the house for me. I'm thinking Christmas swags. I'm thinking daughters descending in lovely prom dresses. I'm starting to well up.

Of course, our house only becomes a HOME when we start living, loving and growing in it. Which has been happening already, but that will start in earnest Monday when we rev up the homeschool again. (At least, that's the plan . . but as we know, the best-laid plans of mice and men . . )