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|| our little cottage ||

Not that it matters in the grand scheme of life, but I've been wanting to do a little post on our house for quite a while.  I couldn't imagine what life was like here in Z before I met Leon.  But let me assure you, it is quite normal.  Yes, there are many inconveniences but it is normal.  I don't live in a mud hut and yes, I have indoor plumbing and electricity.  :)

Luckily, Leon and I have similar tastes in decor which has made making our house a home easy.  I really wish I'd have taken pictures from when I first moved in.  Myy goodness, how it has changed!

It is a tiny little thing but our house is full of character and we love it.

Looking through these photos, I see a list of to-do's.  We had fully intended to have our permanent house built by now but that hasn't happened.  I jokingly have said we'll be here for the first seven years of marriage but I really don't think that's a stretch.  Good thing we love our home.  :)

This table is the perfect fit for us.  We can pull out both leaves to make a full sized table.

After Liesl was born, we added the two rooms to the right.  Before, there were no windows on this wall because the pool is on the other side of the house.  But having two rooms with windows has made an incredible difference in the lighting.  Also, my brother-in-law built double thick walls and insulated the roof.  So this half of the house is much cooler.

Bookshelves made by my brother-in-law.  They are so handy and there's still more books in storage!!

My little corner.  I added new Christmas cards and the calendar this week.  Makes my space a little more appealing. Perhaps I'll be more motivated to sit down to do office work?!?! Haha!

Liesl's room is airy and bright but a little too white.  I've dragged my feet at decorating.  No Home Goods or Target or Marshall's here to steal a quick deal.  Also, I despise hanging things on the walls here.  All of the walls are plastered. In other words, made with bricks then plastered over with cement again.  So to hang a picture is a mission and it is permanent.  

The crib belonged to my two youngest sister-in-laws then to my two nieces.  I had no idea the family had kept it.  Until one day, they sheepishly mentioned it was in storage.  They didn't want me to feel obligated to use it for Liesl but I love family heirlooms.  It was in disrepair but easily fixed with new drawers and a fresh coat of paint.  

I have fully intended to paint this wall in chalkboard paint but have never gotten around to it.  :(  And now with another baby coming and the insertion of a second bed here, I'm not exactly sure what will be the plan for decorating.  Anyways, we shall see what happens in the future.  Maybe the nesting stage will bring more progress here.

Our bedroom is the plainest and needs the most decorating help.  The chair was bought in SA and just needs to be recovered.  Leon really wants a tufted headboard so we're waiting on that.  

We just bought new curtains in SA but I don't want to hang them until we repaint the room.  

And the biggest change is this unsightly closet  area.  We're talking of built-ins which would be great as we will be living here for a while.  

What makes this house work is that I have a locked (!!!) storage room with all of the extra things in it.  I probably go to storage once a week to get something or put something away.  Everything of mine from the States has been shipped in barrels.  So that is what we keep our extras in.  

I'm so thankful for a cute, little house to make a home.  We are truly content living here.  I know one day when we move to our permanent, new, bigger, made-for-us home, we will miss this little cottage.