I'm Home!!!!

I'm home! Finally! We were soooo busy this past weekend with our move. We started slowly moving things in last week but Friday was the big move day with the hired company and truck - weeee!







I cozied up the bedroom while unpacking, nothing is decorated, but I couldn't live around boxes so I tried to make the bedroom peaceful and cozy in the meantime in white and gray. Boring I know, color will be added soon!

This is the wintergarten from the bedroom. Nothing on it yet, but at least you can see what it looks like!














I HAVE TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE MOVE GUYS LOL!?!?! These three guys showed up at 9:00 a.m. and finished the move at 5:00 p.m. - they had to go back to fetch our things a second time since our stuff filled two trucks. I counted, they took 16 smoke breaks and were drinking beer in the back of their truck during the entire move. They were not German, they were Russian, so they spoke some German but not much so I really couldn't communicate with them other than pointing out where things needed to go. Despite the lonnnng move day and very chipper movers (hey, beer + smokes can do that) we ended up having a nice day of it.



A really sad looking kitchen, I know, but just wait until the massive Smeg stove that I ordered arrives and the kitchen is installed! Then I will be the iron chef!!!



We have four rooms in the front of the house, a dining room, entry, my office and the living room. Also another wintergarten. Above is the living room with the doors shut. Beyond those doors is my workroom.


Now I am standing in the door entering the living room, that is wintergarten in the back.


Approaching wintergarten with a nice backyard view.


In wintergarten looking left. It is heated so I can use it year round.

We have so many boxes to open! I haven't seen most of this stuff since April/May of 2009 because everything was packed in New Hampshire when we moved overseas. It was shipped by boat (80+ boxes) and arrived in Germany in October. Then when things arrived, they were transported to our little apartment here and we had the movers put everything in our cellar room because we could not even imagine having to unpack and put away everything in the boxes in our 53 square meter apartment. Can you imagine what we are facing now? All of what we've accumulated over the past 14 months living in Germany PLUS those 82+ boxes! But I imagine as I start to unpack them it will be fun to see what I have because I brought lots of crafting supplies, stationery, books, ceramics and fun stuff that I knew I couldn't find over here.



This is standing in the front of my office looking out into the living room and then the wintergarten is attached to it. The doors that you see can be used as french doors OR can be folded totally flat like an accordion in can you want the room to be totally open (ideal for parties).



Now I'm standing in the doorway of my living room looking into the entry "room" where the double doors are that go into the building corridor. My mail is dropped through the mail slot and the transom windows above give the space light during the day.

In these photos you can see what my flat looks like now that we've moved in. We are replacing the IKEA sofa because that was only purchased for our vacation apartment but now that we live in Germany full-time, we want to start replacing the things that we sold to move over here.

We also have to buy a dining room table, chairs, a desk for me, bookcases, kitchen cabinets, sink, stove (I already ordered the stove, it's a Smeg suggested by Yvonne), rugs, extra cabinet for my bedroom, furniture for the two wintergartens, the list goes on and on and on. I can't really unpack until I have furniture so now I must start looking around!

Guest what? The Danish neighbors upstairs came to visit and welcome us on Friday. First came the wife (so smartly dressed and super friendly, I love the Danes) gave me these gorgeous flowers...

Then her husband and daughter came by later to say hello. On Sunday, their other sweet daughter, Anna, brought us homemade chocolate muffins. She was soooo cute when we presented them to me -- she is the cutest girl!

It was nice to have the upstairs neighbors welcome us! We have no neighbors to the left or right and none under us as we are on the EG though this EG is higher than most so it feels higher -- you do not look out and see cars which is good as we're much higher than the cars so that is nice. :) The background is green and beautiful. In the front of the house runs the subway, but it comes out of the ground 1/2 block down so we don't see it but the stop is a second's walk and then we are 5 minutes from city center. If you walk around to the back of my house, there is a large mansion and the forest with it's 2,000+ acres of trails, parks, a gorgeous zoo with ice skating in the winter, a beer garden... it's such a great neighborhood. I am very happy here.

I think the only complaint so far is that it is SO COLD in this flat, the floors are like ice! I have to wear very thick socks and slippers at all time, sometimes shoes because I can feel the cold floor through the slippers. It makes me a bit scared that our heat bill may be enormous this year and that when winter comes my toes will fall off!!!!!

Oh and if you've been wondering about the kitchen -- I am going to buy one from IKEA because I just don't have the patience to source for vintage cabinetry as I intended. It feels odd to have only a fridge and microwave and to use the bathroom sink to fill the hot water up and I really want to cook because that makes a house feel like a home. Right now it all just feels so open and not at all warm or cozy so this is something that I want to change because I'm a warm person and the home needs to match me or else there is not fit! For me, warmth comes through the love in the home, the way things are arranged, the smell of food cooking, the soft glow of candles...

I really want to RELAX here. I don't want a lot of noise or stress -- and I don't want an all white apartment or a place filled with only brand new things. I want to sit down at night and feel peace and be surrounded by the atmosphere giving me a warm hug. Then I will feel 100% at home...