Spring in the New House

Tulips! So very pretty! And a very pleasant surprise :)

Our pear tree blossomed overnight! I love it so much :)

Every new house has it's surprises. No matter how new, no matter how good your home-inspection, there's always surprises in the first year in your new home. Ours has been no different (so far). But thankfully the good surprises have FAR outweighed the bad!!

Our "bad" surprises were pretty nominal, especially considering the age of our house. We found a few cold spots around the house that we'll need to check out this summer, and maybe boost the insulation, but we certainly didn't freeze over the winter, especially with the fireplace! ;) The other issue was plumbing. We had a great home inspection, and the issue was mostly with our sink in the basement, which is in my craft room. Being able to use a sink while crafting was a great idea (especially with stamping, or painting with the kids), but loss of use was no big deal either.

The good surprises have been pretty great, and have mostly been in the last few weeks as spring has sprung around the house!

• The trees in our yard are alive and well, minus one. We thought that tree was completely dead, but are thrilled to see half of it budding leaves. 
• Our pear tree is blossoming. We got to enjoy some of the pears last year, but this year I have plans - canning, pies, and just letting the kids nom on them while they play because hey - it's less work for me ;)
• Flowers! We have flowers! The red ones I posted above (I *think* are tulips!) and we had no idea they were there! :) We also have chives, and a rose bush that is budding leaves too. We're also have a Japanese peony that's starting to bud which is awesome because it's a cut from our old house, originally from a plant that Greg's grandfather owned (he used to run a greenhouse), so it's kind of important that we keep it going! ;) We want to go to a few greenhouses soon and get some more flowers for both gardens in the front and back as well. We never really had this space before.
• Sunshine. Oh my goodness, the sunshine! The windows give us an amazing amount of light, especially in our kitchen. We're considering putting a skylight or similar into the front room just to help with the light there, but we're not 100% sold on that yet. We've got the name of a few companies, and will keep in on our 5-year to-do list ;)
• The breeze. There's something about the placements of the windows and doors that 
• Our "go outside" yard!! This was not a surprise to us, we bought the house partially based on it. But the surprise has been the extent of it's awesomeness!! We've got a beautiful backyard right off the kitchen, and the kids can happily come and go as they please while I get stuff done in the kitchen, whether it be cleaning, cooking, or (let's be realistic) crafting! It's awesome!! 
• Our cedar deck! Our deck in the old house was composite - a plastic-based deck material that was awesome! No staining, no splinters, no hassle. Truth be told, we thought about replacing the deck here with it, even though the deck was in pretty good repair. But this deck is cedar, and NOTHING beats the smell of it after the rain!! Oh my goodness! It's amazing!!!

I loved our new home when we bought it, but every day this spring has brought more and more joy to my family through it. It's beautiful!!