Virtual tour

Recognizing that probably almost everyone reading this blog will not make it to London while we are here to visit us (although you are most certainly invited!), I thought I would at least provide a virtual tour of how these Americans are living in London.  

Welcome to our home!

Entry way - This space is a bit awkward to do much with, but Olivia has discovered it's perfect for driving her little car in and other running antics.  Along the left hand wall is a half bath and in the back left corner is the master bedroom/bath.  The door to the right of the bookshelf leads into the kitchen and the other door in the right corner goes into the living room.  In the right front corner, just around Olivia's car, is a bathroom, Olivia's room and the baby's room. Over my shoulder from where I took this picture is a hallway that leads back to the 4th and 5th rooms and another bathroom.

Living room - We brought with us all of our own furniture.  There were a few pieces that got left behind in storage because there either wasn't space or they just weren't worth the effort to ship over.  With the exception of a piece of the guest room bedframe that didn't make it which now prevents the headboard from being properly installed, all furniture arrived in perfect condition.

Dining Room - The back wall of the house has big windows/doors that look out over the patio and backyard.  As with the patio and backyard in general, we are looking forward to when the weather gets nicer and the days are longer so that we can enjoy the view.  Gray skies or darkness is typically what we see these days.

Play area - This was another bit of awkward space just outside the kitchen and adjacent to the dining room.  I don't recall how the previous tenants used this space, but for us, it's a perfect play area for Olivia.  That way she can be right there playing while we're in the kitchen, dining room or living room.  It has also lended itself to another bedroom of sorts when my family was here with the use of the sofa bed by my brothers.

Kitchen - While the kitchen is much smaller than what I was used to in Houston, it is significantly larger than almost all the kitchens we saw when we looked at various homes to potentially move into.  Yes, the countertop space is limited, especially these days when Olivia wants to "help" in the kitchen and ends of taking up or creating messes on two-thirds of the available space.  Yes, the oven is small, small enough that I had to go buy new cookie sheets and baking tins because my ones from home wouldn't fit.  Yes, the microwave is weird and sometimes acts funny.  But...I'll take it!  Oh and by the way, never install solid black countertops in a kitchen.  It's a horrible color that shows every single little crumb.  Drives me crazy!  :)

Olivia's Room - With our move over here, it was time for Olivia to upgrade to a big girl bedroom.  (Tear)  So we hit up Pottery Barn Kids pretty good right before we left.  For the most part, I think she's transitioned pretty well into it.  Hard to know for sure with all the other transition we've put the poor girl through the last couple months.  Anyways, this is my favorite room in the whole house because it gets the most natural light.  Plus, it's also probably the warmest room in an otherwise cold house where I'm typically wearing 2-3 layers.

Baby Nursey - It is currently in a state of DISASTER as I have been sorting clothes and baby gear in preparation for Baby #2's arrival.  Maybe I'll post pictures again when it's all ready.  By the way, for anyone wondering, we have decided on a name.  There was very little discussion to it.  I threw out a name to Geoff for his thoughts.  After thinking it over for awhile, he said he liked it and so that settled it.  End of discussion.  However, it shall remain nameless until she makes her arrival so you'll have to wait 4-5 more weeks.

Master Bedroom -  It has doors that can open up to the back patio, but they currently aren't working.  Plus, we have no reason to go outside from our bedroom this time of year.  I didn't take pictures to show, but the master bedroom has lots and lots of storage space.  The wall to the right of the picture is all closet/storage.  Behind me from where I took the below picture is the master bathroom along with a entry way of sorts with more closets and storage.  All the great storage in the flat is something pretty rare for these old homes in London and another reason we are grateful for this place.

Guest Room - Not much to show here other than a bed that is waiting for guests.  We are currently accepting reservations so let us know when you'll be coming!  :)

Other - There is a 5th room that is essentially functioning as our garage/attic.  Again, so thankful for the space to store stuff.  I've spared you pictures of the 3 1/2 bathrooms.  Before we moved in, the landlord had all bathrooms except one full bath renovated so they are nice and modern (with square toilets and fancy sink bowls).  She would of done the last one but ran out of time before we needed to move in.  Sometime this summer when we're out of the house for a more extended period of time for vacation, she'll have the last one finished off.

While there are times I have an overwhelming sense of homesickness and really miss our old house back in Houston, this place is becoming home.  We haven't yet done a lot of exploring of our neighborhood beyond the main streets we take to get to where we need to go due to the weather and short days.  So I'm very eager for the weather to warm up so we can get out for more walks and see what else is around us.  However, we know where the important stuff is:  There are two different train stations within 5-7 minutes walk. There are two grocery stores, Starbucks, various restaurants and three movie theaters within 5-15 minutes walk.  The local gym and library take about 7-10 minutes to walk to.  And there is a Baby Gap (very important these days) that takes about 15 minutes to walk to.  Olivia and I recently joined a neighborhood playgroup with other kids (primarily Americans) her age so I've enjoyed getting to met other local moms who are also good resources for things I need to know about the area.  So slowly but surely we are getting settled in to our new life!