We Bought a Fixer - The Move-In!

Hi there. How are you?

You may have noticed that I didn't blog last week.....

We were busy moving! 

   We were lucky to be able to borrow a truck from some friends.

And some more friends (Hugh and Heather) helped us do the physical moving. 

I only snapped this one picture during the actual move, which features the back of Hugh's head. 

Great work Jen!

It only took 2 trips with the big box truck to get most of our things over to the new house.

By the end of the weekend, we were settling into our new digs!

Matt is working on building an entertainment center and some shelves in the back third of our very long room. 

We've already picked out places for two of our big paintings.

The iMac is up in running.

Our bedroom is in good shape. Just needs some art on the walls! 

And of course, there's this awesome kitchen! 

I promise to post pics of this masterpiece next week. 

There's still much work to be done.

Our guest bath has been gutted, and is awaiting renovation.

 

Jack's room needs flooring. 

But....

We're getting there and we love our new house! 

Come visit soon. 

Ta-Ta for now! 

* To see pics from our whole renovation journey, click here. 

 

New Surroundings

Vintage map from Maral Sassoun's Flickr Photostream

Greetings from Southern Illinois! Just about 2 weeks ago, I quit my job, packed up all of our belongings in Rockford (up north, right on the border between Illinois and Wisconsin) and Matt and I moved 366 miles south to Carbondale. Though we are still in Illinois, it feels like a whole another world down here!

Carbondale is a truly southern town. Things move a little slower, you hear a lot of southern drawls and country music. That renowned sense of "southern hospitality" pervades and barbeque is big. Our local news comes from Paducah, Kentucky and Cape Girardeau, Missouri and the closest big cities are St. Louis, Missouri and Memphis, Tennessee.

Unlike our hometown, the locals here are proud to call Southern Illinois home. They tell Matt and I about their lakes, hiking trails, art, university,  schools, and wineries (YIPPEE!!!) We are excited to be here and explore our new home.

So why did we move to Southern Illinois? Matt's new job with the Illinois Education Association (teacher's union) brought us down south.  I am currently playing the role of "housewife" while I set up our new house and figure out what I am going to do with my life. Though I do miss my babies (students) at school, I don't know if I will go back to teaching. I would love to make art a full time gig. Maybe this is the time and place to do it!

Once we get the condo all done up, I'll share some pics of our new space.

More soon! Ta-ta for now.