Flashback Friday!

We did a lot of painting in February.  When I see what our house looks like now, it always makes me reminisce about the old days.  

First, we moved into an attic apartment, but only for two months.  Then I was excited because a house became available and we got...

THIS!

The house was 60 years old in 2001.  

What I loved was

1) It had a huge pantry.

2) The space heater was the best wipe warmer ever invented. 

3) The front porch.  We did a lot of swingin' on that porch.

4) The rent was $350/ mo.   

What I did not like was:
1)  The crack in the floor in the hallway.  My "crack house".  You could see the ground through that crack.  Not to worry...the landlord covered it with carpet.  What a guy...    
2)  During the winter, the temperature in that house would be the same as that inside my refrigerator.  Ironically, it came with a refrigerator that worked really well.  
3)  Not the most ideal place to bring my firstborn home to.  When Riggs was learning to walk he would have to climb to the middle of the house and roll down the other side.  (The infamous crack was in the middle of the "mountian") 
The picture above was taken on move out day.  What a glorious day that was! 

Then we moved to this house in Bentonville, Ar.  We found it via the internet and figured it had to be a step up.  It was only 7 years old at the time.  You could huff and you could puff, but you weren't going to blow it down.  It had 1200 square feet of flat, carpeted, centrally heated and cooled coziness.  We were glad to have it.  We brought our sweet Anne-Claire home to that house. 

What I loved about that house was: 

1) All the above mentioned! They had become luxuries we could now afford!

2) The dishwasher!  

3) The circular floor plan--It had a galley kitchen on one side, a bathroom in the middle and a hallway on the other side.  We played chase constantly! 

What I did not like:

1) The carpet was in the bathroom.  Not that I was really complaining, but it discouraged me from potty training. 

2) The hot water lasted long enough for one person to shower, one load of dishes, or one load of laundry.  I had two very young children.  There was more than one of all of those things quite frequently.     

If you look past the 3 musketeers, you can see our Fayetteville house.  That was a GREAT house.  

What I liked about it:

1) Big yard

2) Two living areas, huge bathroom. 1800 square feet of 1970's charm.  

What I didn't like:

1) The grass to mow in the summer and the leaves to rake in the fall. 

2) It wasn't mine    

And now, here we are.  A home of our very own.  It's nothing ostentatious.  It is FULL of love and laughter.  We were living here when Dez and Bethany were born.      

What I like:

1)  The yard is not too big--it doesn't take ALL of Saturday to mow.  

2)  The house is not  too big--I can thoroughly clean it in a few hours.  

3)  I can paint it.  

4) We've lived here longer than any other place.  It's starting to feel like home and my oldest two have told me that it's our old house.  I love that.  

What I don't like:

1) Nothing really.  If something bothers me, I change it.