Binkies and Briefcases • Page 121 of 268 •

Our New Neighborhood

September 20, 2013 By: Stephanie5 Comments

We still have 4 more weeks before our new house is scheduled to be finished, but we have been spending a lot of time in the neighborhood visiting our construction site and taking Nicholas back and forth to school.

The other day I brought my camera along so that I could show you some pictures of the ‘hood. (That is probably the one and only time in your life that you will hear Central Pennsylvania referred to as “the ‘hood.”)

This is what we see as we walk across our acreage to pick up Nick from school…

Around here it’s pretty normal to see a tractor parked in your neighbor’s yard.

I’m very jealous of this neighbor’s gazebo garden.

Our mailbox is at the end of this gravel road, which dead ends right into the parking lot of Nick’s elementary school.

This is our view on our walk to the mailbox.

And this was taken from the same spot, looking in the other direction.

Lately, if Nick has a “smiley face day” we go to a park about two blocks away after school. The kids like the river that runs through the park.

I’m not sure why, but there is hardly ever anyone there. It’s really nice to have the whole place to ourselves.

My school guy is getting big!

I can’t wait to share more pictures of the neighborhood once we are settled!

Penny in Pictures

September 19, 2013 By: Stephanie3 Comments

It occurred to me that I might have a touch of “Mom of a Third Child Syndrome” because I have hardly shared any pictures of Penny with you at all.

And now my “baby” is almost two years old!

How did that happen?

Her name is Penelope, but we call her Penny and I think it fits her well.

She has been such a blessing and a great addition to our family. She was truly the easiest baby I have ever come across, which was a very welcome change because neither her brother or her sister were what I would call “easy.” We had no issues at all with nursing or sleeping or health. She just slipped right into our family in her own quiet way.

Penny is very laid back and calm most of the time. (Although as we start to get closer to the Terrible Twos she is getting some sass!)

She ADORES her big brother and sister.

She is getting very independent. I let her do so much more on her own than I would have allowed my first two. (Mostly because my hands are usually full.)

We have an awesome park just a few blocks from the neighborhood where we are building our new house. It’s kind of a hidden gem and we almost always have the whole place to ourselves. Penny loves the slides.

And I love her serious little face. It is hard to get a smile out if this one. She really makes you work for it!

Building the Dream: Drywall and My Covered Porches!

September 18, 2013 By: Stephanie7 Comments

This week and every week from this point forward will be super exciting!

First, the drywall is up!!

It’s amazing how much this changes the look and feel of the space.

Drywall-in-a-New-Construction-Home

I’ve already picked up the AirStone for the fireplace and we are planning to install it on Saturday. Hopefully, I’ll have a big reveal for you soon.

One of my favorite places in the whole house is the girls’ shared bedroom. I love the double closet with the window seat (which will double as storage). I had the electrician add a recessed light that wasn’t originally in the plan because I want to create a reading nook in that area. I’m also in love with our extra tall windows. The ceilings are 9 feet high (12 feet in the vaulted living room) and the tall windows let in a ton of natural light.

The pool is going in! I took this picture from our back door. I pinch myself every time I look out at this view. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the fact that this gorgeous space is our backyard!! (It’ll be a little more gorgeous without the construction fence and giant piles of dirt.) I can’t wait until next summer when I can sit on the back porch and watch the kids play out here.

And speaking of the porches…They are in!

One of the biggest reasons I fell in love with the design for this house was the large covered porches on the front and back of the house. I forgot to take pictures of the front porch, but here are a few of the back.