I'm blogging again!

Sorry folks for the long break from the blog. The good news, is that we are officially moved in and are settling in nicely to our new home! The move itself went off without a hitch thanks to help from our friends. We split the move into 2 days. Kevin rented a Uhaul on Friday morning the 9th and had 3 guys (plus Kyle) to help him load the truck and bring over approx 3/4 of the boxes and furniture. Thank you to Steve W. from our church growth group, Kevin's co-worker James P and our long time friend Derek A who lives about a 1/2 hour from us. They all worked tirelessly all morning to help us and we treated them to a Subway sandwich lunch around 1.  That afternoon Kevin and Kyle went back to the house for more boxes and we were able to sleep in the new house that night. The next morning Kevin met the other 3 guys who helped us over at the old house. A special shout out goes to our new friend Dan S. who is the fiancee of my friend Sandy (a friend I met through the first church we visited when we moved to this area a year ago), Gaylen T from our church growth group and Gaylen's step-son Preston. Along with Kyle, they were able to get the rest of our belongings over here to the new house in record time and once again we treated the crew to Subway.

Literally since the first day we stepped in and put the first piece of furniture in place, this house has felt like "home" which has been so wonderful! This house meets all our needs perfectly and the perfect size for our family of 3. Not too big and not too small..just right! I've been taking my time unpacking and putting away, decorating as I go. We've been enjoying using the club house facilities across the street from the house and all of us have been working out practically daily at the gym. Kevin loved the fact that he was able to pull his golf bag across the street last weekend and play 18 holes without driving anywhere! Living on a golf course is truly a dream come true for my avid golfer hubby!! Additionally Kevin and Kyle have discovered "ping pong" and have been over almost daily to play several rounds of ping pong with each other. I've played too, but I can't hold a candle to the guys...they are REALLY good and usually leave me in the dust!

Over the next few days I'm going to be sharing some pics of the house! I'm breaking it up over a few days since there is so much I want to share. Today I will be sharing the LIVING ROOM, DINING ROOM and HALL area outside our bedroom. Hope you enjoy the tour!

Here is a shot of the living room. To get a better view of all the pics, you can click on each one for a bigger picture. We love how light and bright this room is and the upgraded laminate flooring is to die for! We are planning on putting an area rug down under this furniture at some point.

Here is another shot of the living room. Love the window treatments that came with the home...this was once one of the model homes for our development which is why this home has so many wonderful designer touches including the fabulous built in shelving you see to the left of the couch. This has proven to be the perfect place to display many of my mother's beautiful things I have inherited.

My Mom LOVED anything that was of Santa Fe style and lucky for me that some of the pieces that are indicative of Santa Fe syle cross over to Italian/Tuscan style which is what we love. For example, the Mary and Child carving on the top shelf, the St. Francis figurine, the crosses/finials and the virgin Mary figurine on the bottom shelf are all things that represent Italy and Tuscany. Here is a closer look at some of these beautiful pieces:

The plate was my Grandma Dorothy's and was given to my Mom a few years before her death. Grandma had a note that Dad and I recently found taped to the back of the plate that had said that the plate should be handed down to me after my Mom. It is such a beautiful plate and I love having it displayed!

I love these finials, the cross and St. Francis figurine.

                                          I love this Virgin Mary/Madonna figurine. It is beautiful.

Standing in front of the built in shelving looking towards the front door.

Right inside the front door is an antique piece of furniture that my Dad re finished/stained for us years ago along with some more of the wonderful treasures that were left behind my my Mom. I LOVE this painting that my Mom painted of a California mission. I plan on framing it, but for now it looks fine hanging as is on the wall. Additionally I love the angel and the shallow bowl that is the companion to the plate that was left to me by my Grandma Dorothy.

A shot of the dining room.

                                                           A closer look at our dining room table.

Here is the built in hutch with mirror in the dining room. I love all the added storage this built in offers!!

                                                                       Here is our hutch...

Another shot of the hutch and the arched entry way into the family room.

Here is the hallway outside of the Master Bedroom. This storage comes in handy and serves as the perfect spot for Kevin's golfing collectibles. Since we live on a golf course, the decor is totally appropriate!

Right outside our bedroom, I put this little shelf and hung these vintage golf clubs that Kevin has had for years now. This is the perfect spot for them!

Stay tuned until tomorrow, when I share the FAMILY ROOM and KITCHEN area with you. I hope you enjoyed day one of the home tour!