The kids are as excited as if it’s Christmas Eve, except this time they’re getting like the most expensive Christmas present ever. Hope they appreciate their father and I enslaving ourselves to 30 years of debt for them! (I’m not above using mom guilt to get them to remember to stop peeing on the toilet seat!)
Tomorrow’s the day we escape from the hotel and move into our new house here in Colorado! After a few minor glitches (and one kind of major one that made me dramatically despair that we were going to lose my dream house), and a whole lotta paper signing, we now own a little house on a little lot in a little town at the foot of some very, very big mountains. And I love everything about it!
Of course there are definitely some fun things we’ll miss about hotel living. Like the do-it-yourself waffle maker at the free breakfast every morning. Son #3 had so much fun doing this every! single! day! that I’m contemplating getting him one for his birthday in a few weeks…
We made good use of our time (and got out of our cramped quarters) by seeing all the Denver sights! We did a tour of Hammond’s candy factory and got to see how the workers make candy canes in July on tables heated to 200 degrees with no air conditioning. And we got a ton of free candy. Plus, we’re enjoying the heck out of my sister’s kids – combined with her four we’re practically the Von Trapp Family Singers! And you know I’d make clothing out of curtains in a heartbeat.
We hiked up tall-ish mountains. Son #2 does everything in style, takes after his momma he does! (Side note: My sister was like, “Where are your hats? Your water bottles? Your sunscreen??” This was our first whole day in Colorado and I was clearly unprepared for a state that has 300 sunny days a year (for serious) and very thin air. Shopping List: Hats, sunscreen, water, chapstick, lotion, more lotion, aloe vera)
We got menaced by large trains, which clearly I’m the only one enjoying…
We helped son #3 get over his fear of coyotes and mountain lions by having him… ride a rainbow cheetah on a 100-year-old merry-go-round. (What? Cheetahs are very aggressive cats!)
And we met lots of new friends and took funny pictures with them! Which is what I do with my friends. Funny pictures first, everything else is incidental.
But! Back to the house! Lots of you have asked for pictures of it and, being an HGTV junkie now (thank you hotel cable!), I totally understand the urge and I am here to indulge your whims! (Or, if this is horribly boring to you feel free to just skip to the end.) Forgive me for not taking pics of any of the bedrooms. They’re all big squares with light carpet (perfect for puking on!) and big, light-filled windows.
THIS. This is my favorite part of the house and what made me decide that we must buy this one. See the double oven? Think of how much food I can healthify/ruin with twice the cooking capacity!! Plus I’ve got a gas stove and a new fridge with – wait for it – a WATER DISPENSER. My kids stood in front of it in awe for a solid 10 minutes. Plus the counters are a gorgeous light gray and gold swirly granite. The kitchen opens up to a great room so I can keep an eye on the kids while I cook.
This is the kids’ favorite part. When they saw it, my son looked up at me with glowing eyes and said “You bought us a house with a room just for riding bikes in?!?” Um… sure, son. I was a little weirded out at first by the unfinished basement but apparently it’s A Thing here in Colorado – everyone has them and very few people seem inclined to finish them. Which, after seeing my sister’s – they hung a swing from the rafters, set up a tent and have a scooter circuit – I can see why. I just tell people I’m going for the whole modern-industrial look. Like, really really industrial. (P.S. That’s our realtor Jan Selinfreund who is amazing and we love, love her so if you need a realtor in Colorado we totally recommend her!)
This is my husband’s favorite part. No, I’m not kidding. I’d never seen one (or even heard of one) in a house before but this is a “crawl space” which is like an unfinished basement but more… unfinished. That’s plastic on top of dirt. It’s good for storing stuff in. Like husbands. Hi honey! Seriously, it’s huge. And I have no idea what we’re supposed to do with it. Our realtor told us we need to get it sealed for radon, a cancer-causing gas that’s apparently everywhere in Colorado, which I haven’t had time to do yet. So I have a cancer chamber. In my basement. Whee.
And then there’s this. I was super duper thrilled to have a new shower with gorgeous glass tile work and no latent urine (like every other house I’ve lived in). But then I realized it’s all glass. Am I just supposed to shower naked?! Okay, I always shower naked. I’m not a never-nude. But after an entire life of opaque shower curtains (or at least large plastic maps with a very strategically placed Africa), I don’t know if I can handle being so exposed! Clearly these designers do not have small children that insist on bursting into the bathroom every two minutes to do things like ask me to make them a sandwich. In the shower. Am I weird to be a little freaked out by this big glass box? I’ll get used to it, right? At least it’ll preclude any Psycho-shower scenes!
But really THIS is my favorite thing. Our subdivision backs up to a wildlife refuge at the base of the awe-inspiring Rocky Mountains. I seriously cannot get enough of them. Pictures don’t even do them justice. (Well, not my pictures anyhow.)
I still can’t believe that I walk out my back door, cross a street and this is my back yard!! It’s almost like living in a fairy tale! I find the mountains so incredibly soothing, I’m not sure why. And they’re so close it’s easy to get out in them every day.
And for the kiddos, we have this super fun park right at the end of our street. Not to mention it comes in really handy for my park workouts these days too. Sprinting one time around the perimeter takes me about 20 seconds so instant Tabata training! (And yes, when I see our suburb – we’re about 15 minutes from Denver – I do get a slight Stepford Wives/Edward Scissorhands/A Wind in the Door shiver.)
My husband and I, just after he carried me over the threshold of our new home. (Nothing like the super-flattering angle of a 6-year-old taking your picture!) He’s done that in every place we’ve ever lived – 8 houses/apartments in 14 years. That’s a lot of lifting! Hopefully this will be the last one. At least for a long time:)
So the plan is to have our storage PODs delivered tomorrow and hopefully we’ll have some of our new friends come help us lug all our junk into our home. I expect it to take all day. And then the unpacking will take more days. So I’ll be scarce around here for the next few days but I wanted to tell you all thank you for putting up with all my angst, anxiety, grief and general weirdness about this move! You have all been unfailingly kind and helpful and supportive and that has meant more to me than you will ever know. I’m so very blessed.
Now: Someone tell me how to use my stripper shower! Is there, like, etiquette for this? Do I always stand facing the back corner?? And do you have any new-house rituals you do?
Mazel tov! Congratulations! Wheeeeee!
Good luck unpacking and finding everything – we moved 2 years ago and I JUST found my tea canister hiding in our cookie tin. Which shows me a) I didn’t really need the tea canister and b) I really should bake more cookies. But anywhoo..
Love your kitchen, love your shower (ours is like that and you get over the exposure once you realise there’s no shower curtain to stick to you and trap you foreverrrrrrrr) and love your view. Here’s to many, many, MANY years of happiness and love and laughter in your new home.
I love the new house! The mountain view is beautiful.
The bathroom shower is a familiar problem. I solved it with window clings. You can search privacy window film using Google. The local retail stores sell it, but not in big sheets. I was told craft stores sell paint that has a look like stain glass. Just a thought…..
Seconding the window film. You can get it frosted glass or even stained glass or patterns. Works wonders for privacy (I have them on my living room windows so that I still get natural light but don’t have to worry about outsiders looking in and nevermind that my rescue dog ripped the blinds apart during his first week in our house lol).
As a recent house-hunter, I want more details. Like square footage of your house and lot, and pics of your back yard. Do you have an enclosed back yard? How many beds/baths?
Drooling over your giant empty basement. The possibilities are endless!
Congrats Charlotte and family!
My in-laws have a glass door shower in the guest bathroom (which is attached to the guest bedroom). I’ve never really worried about it since I don’t expect anyone else to be in the bathroom while I’m in the shower. I can see how that would be an issue with kids though. I’m sure you’ll work something out. 🙂
When we bought our house, my favorite part (aside from the yard) was the kitchen, and my husband’s favorite thing was the fact that it had an unfinished basement, because it meant we could finish it ourselves. Which we have still only partially done. Eleven years later. Ahem.
So, new realtor? You can lock the bathroom door if you’re worried about kids coming in while you’re showering. Or, just shower at night when they’re sleeping. We’ve had clear glass before but in this house we actually don’t have any doors. One side is a big block glass window and the other side is tile. It is a walk through shower with two openings so no doors. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about that but it has turned out to be fine. Thanks for the pictures! I like Micah’s picture of the two of you.
That is so sweet that your husband always carries you over the threshold! The mountains are gorgeous.
My FAV thing from Pinterest that actually works on these pesky glass shower doors (which I had to get used to also when we moved to Colorado….along with stupid stucco walls) is this
http://pinterest.com/pin/282952789060128752/
Invest in a squeegee and use it on that glass every time you finish showering – saves a lot of work when you’re cleaning. You’ll get used to the glass doors in no time, but can also buy an etching kit and “frost” the strategic areas!
You new home looks lovely, Charlotte, and you will have that crawl space full in no time, believe me!
I have the same type of shower. My husband & I strategically place a towel over the top of it and let the majority of the towel hang over the outside while showering. We have a pocket door going into the master bath that I leave open about 3 inches (cat can still get thru…instead of annoyingly pawing to get in) When I shower I mostly face the pocket door so I can see the hands moving the door wider to open. I can quickly turn my back to said intruder. Now ages 13 & 15, they have learned to stay in the bedroom and ask the question thru the opening. Want a kid to talk to you? Take a shower or talk on the phone 😉
Ditto on the squeegee. I also keep a small spray bottle of vinegar to spray the walls &glass with to cut down on the hard water stains. The smell goes away pretty quickly….vinegar actually will nuetralize the air.
Congratulations, Charlotte! The house is great and the scenery is gorgeous. 🙂
What a neat spot!!! And a beautiful home – congrats! As for your shower – if it is too weird for you – just cover outside with clear contact paper from the dollar store for a while. You can even ‘stencil’ the contact paper to make a design. Look on Pinterest for ideas. There you go – Kids don’t get more than they anticipate, you feel more comfortable, but hubby might be a bit disappointed. 😉 Once you are more used to it, simply remove contact paper and really enjoy your shower. Or, if you are worried about ‘residue’ from clear contact paper, use Glads Press n Seal wrap in a design because it won’t leave any residue. Good luck!
GORGEOUS!!!!!! I’m getting a little green over here. (With envy, not nausea. :)) I think you guys are going to love it there!
Here’s a quote from A.J. Cronin you might like:
“Life is no straight and easy corridor along which we travel free and unhampered. But always, if we have faith, G-d will open a door for us, not perhaps one which we ourselves would ever have thought of, but one that will ultimately prove good for us.”
Mazel-tov!
The house I grew up in had an unfinished basement. My dad put up swings. And it was great for rollerskating!
Gorgeous house and incredible views!
So happy that you will be able to spread out again after the hotel life!!
So happy for you and your family! What a beautiful home and amazing location! How sweet that the hubs still carries you over the threshold! Made me tear up a little!
We had a clear glass shower in our last home. The trick is to lock the bathroom door! And if colorado water is as hard as utah water, you’ll need plenty of vinegar/Lime Away to keep the glass that clear. So if cloudy glass is your preference, just let the hard water build up! 🙂
Congrats on the house! I love the kitchen, the shower and the view! Enjoy!!
Congratulations on the beautiful house!
Congratulations! Wonderful to see. A few things… the basement.. a great place for storing things (not the garage) … like Christmas all those exercise machines that we buy that we are just so “sure” we will use… and for a place for the cat’s litter box ( you will appreciate this in the winter) .. I usually just leave my door open a few inches and my cat finds it on his own… You are in a fantastic school district and great neighborhood so the only last thing to say is… Welcome.
My friend put a cat door in the door that leads down to his basement so the kitty cats can find their litter without him having to leave the stairwell door open, which I thought was a cool idea.
Yay! What a gorgeous house!
There was a glass shower in the master bedroom of my parents’ old house, and I think it would fog up to the point that you couldn’t see much, once you started showering. Just use uber-hot water! 🙂
That’s a pretty sweet abode there Charlotte!
I particularly like the basement. You could build one heck of a home gym down there.
I love it looks amazing, congrats
That top photo of your kids at the new house is SO stinking cute!
And we had crawlspaces when I was growing up, in our house and many of our friends’ houses. I think it makes it easier to get to certain things (pipes, wires, etc) for repair work, if I’m remembering correctly (and I may not be…)
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So. Beautiful.
We recently moved (October was TOO recent!) – to Parker (see how I’m hinting around to find out if you live anywhere near me? But I think you don’t. I think you live near my great aunt). But our house was a foreclosure that needed lots and lots and LOTS of love. I am envious of your gorgeous house. We’re getting there, but I’m getting to where power tools give me PTSD.
Turn the water on really hot. The steam should take care of the rest!
Lovely house – congrats!! We had an unfinished basement growing up and had wayyy too much fun in it. My parents had a plastic Christmas tree that they would leave put together, undecorated, and we used all kinds of other storage items, etc. to make our own worlds. Cheap entertainment especially when the weather outside was super hot or thunderstormy. I miss miss miss basements. We sign our own tons o’ paperwork tomorrow – it’s daunting.
I am most jealous of your kitchen. And the view looks so in credibly soothing. 🙂
So glad you’re finally moved in and things are getting ready for you to settle into your home.
After living in a dorm I can tell you you get used to the showerey freedom pretty fast. 🙂 If you do find it really bothers you you can get strategic window etching or film put on the glass.
I’ve looked at houses in MI for sale, and some of the really old ones have similar unfinished basements… only no plastic sealing them in! Just an area with low ceilings where it looked like someone started digging out a basement then gave up. It seriously creeped me out, as I imagined things just tunneling out of the ground into the house. The realtor said they were called “michigan basements”, but I imagine every place has their own name for them.
Oh! Seriously if you’re concerned about privacy use a glass cling. My nephew is the VP of a company that makes/sells them. Check out http://www.windowfilmandmore.com/ If you like the product, tell Tim Eber your a friend of mine!
(they did a bunch of window coverings for The Avengers movie company when they were filming in Cleveland.)
I’d just put a line of some privacy film at the mid-body level… And when they’re old enough to respect your privacy you can remove it!
1st: CONGRATULATIONS! I’m so happy you’ve found a place you love.
2nd: Just wanna point out that all of your kids are smiling at the same time. Congratulations on that, too!
Your home is absolutely lovely and I know you’ll be very happy there. We’ve been in our new house for almost three weeks and I can’t wait to be done with boxes! We’re having a birthday party here in a few weeks so I have a unpacking deadline.
So between your shower and the public bathroom post I think you need to do a post on at what age to not let your kids see you naked. We have the same type of glass shower and it hasn’t been an issue because.. um.. A lot of times the kids just shower with us. They are six and four and think nothing of seeing us or each other naked. I want to cut it off before they decide its embarrassing, but I’m not sure what that age is.
Have fun unpacking. 🙂
Congratulations, Charlotte!
AND… I am currently in flight on my way to Denver right now too 🙂 I’m going to one of my best friends’ weddings in Aspen, and then stopping back in Denver on Sunday to round out the weekend. The big news, though, is that I’m actually contemplating a move to Denver myself within the next year. I’ll keep you posted, but thought it might be fun to meet in person if that ends up happening 🙂
Congrats! I just moved from Minneapolis 3 months ago! You will love it!
Your kids are adorable! And love the place!
Absolutely love the house, the mountains, your adorable family, and how happy you sound.
Yay!!!!!
Hooray! Congrats on the new place, and I think your threshold tradition with the hubby is adorable!