Beginning the end of the beginning of a new chapter!

I just downloaded 311 pictures from my camera. That's what happens when you move and don't have the Internet to share them. So now I'm beginning the work of trying to put it all together to complete this tale of our building Glen View Cottage. Bear with me as I bring y'all up to date!

Here is the house as it stood on Friday (April 15) when we moved in. Sparkly clean but no shutters; landscaping but no clawfoot tub. More on all that later.

The kitchen pre-unpacking. LOVE IT.

From the living room looking to the kitchen on the left and the dining room on the right.

Master bedroom (mostly a fan shot...not sure who cares about this but there it is).

In the midst of my unpacking. The kitchen is MY thing to unpack so while Ashley and a few guys loaded up the bulk of our rental house, I went ahead with a load and started the big job. Notice all the diaper boxes...I've been saving them since October. They make great moving boxes!

Halfway through the morning I got really hungry but realized I hadn't packed myself a snack. So I dug through my boxes and found Nutella and saltines. Perfect for a porch sitting snack when you combine with a glass of well water from the faucet!

The pantry is amazing. I've never had a pantry before so it's taken me some time to figure out how to organize the space. I think I have it where I want now (pictures later) but here's my start.

AH the trucks arrive with our stuff!

A special thanks to Ashley's friend HL for helping us move in.

and Ashley's cousin Martin (who requested that I take his picture so he could be on this blog). There you go, Martin. Thanks!

Saturday night I couldn't wait any longer and invited over a group of friends who all have kids our kids' ages. We had spaghetti for supper and then spent a lot of time playing outside. It was so great to be able to entertain. And our friends helped make the house feel like home.

That night was a full moon and my friend Susan sent me a text, telling me that the house looked beautiful with the moon behind it as she left. So of course I dashed out and took a picture (much like I have done with my boys accomplishing their big firsts).

And here she (I think our house is a she) is on an early morning, nestled in the spring haze.

So that will get you started on the actual move to Glen View. Next will come what's been going on since then (clawfoot tub delivered, driveway graveled, shutters installed). Stay in touch!