Holiday Season 2008-2009

We spent the holidays at home this year (after our time apart) with our friends. it was quit, but full of joy and friendship!

Christmas "dinner" was at our house. We feasted on buffalo chicken dip, little pigs in a blanket, ad other appetizers! We watched Christmas movies and participated in the British tradition of Christmas crackers. You pull on either end of the wrapping and a joke and little gift pop out! The jokes were cheesy (and so were the gifts), but fun was had by all!

New Year's was spent at a friend of a friend's, but we all had a good time eating, drinking, and watching the fireworks in London over Big Ben and the Thames!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2009! Enjoy some pictures from our Christmas festivities!

The gang in the afternoon; already full from brunch.

Bailey and Melissa take a mid-afternoon nap!

Kyle and Loni

Melissa and Griffin using their Christmas cracker gifts!

Fall 2008

Our Fall began with a trip to Sacrewell Farm and Country Centre! We picked pumpkins, went to pumpkin carving demonstration, and visited the farm and all the animals!

Halloween was fairly uneventful; back in our cottage in the woods we had 3 trick-or-treaters, who were all in the same group of kids! We didn't buy any candy, but luckily we had some in our stash to hand out.

This time of year also saw the arrival of our furniture and tons of unpacking. As well as saying goodbye to our good friend Kate, who departed good ole England to be stationed in Washington D.C.

Thanksgiving was also nice, but busy. We had a big Thanksgiving dinner with friends at our house. Melissa flew back to the U.S. the following day for the weekend to attend her mother's wedding. Congratulations Mom and Greg!

All-in-all a busy time of year! Enjoy some pictures from our trip to the farm!

Before Pictures - Part 4

Last set of pictures!

Our Bedroom.

More bedroom.

We would like you to notice how none of the bedrooms have closets in the rooms, which is going to require some creativity in terms of storage.

Also, we would like your opinion on something.  Please look at all the rooms upstairs.  We're having difficulty trying to decide how to paint them.  Since all the ceilings are slanted, it's difficult to determine where the ceiling ends and the wall begins.  Any suggestions or advice please!!!!

And remember to stay tuned over the coming months as we unpack and settle into our quirky British cottage!

The Chrastinas

Before Pictures - Part 3

More pictures!!!!

Upstairs hallway - we've already bought a chest for the hallway

to put extra sheets, blankets, and linens in.

Spare Bedroom #1 - this will house a twin bed for guests 

as well as a desk and Melissa's crafting/knitting supplies.

Spare Bedroom #2 - this room will have a double bed 

for guests to stay in.

Upstairs Bathroom - very spacious, but no room for a shower

due to the slanted ceiling.

Upstairs Bathroom.

The Chrastinas

Before Pictures - Part 2

More before pictures of the inside of our house!

Downstairs hallway and cupboard under the stairs - Harry Potter style.

More hallway, internet equipment, and the door that won't open.

Dining room - complete with loaner furniture and hideous tangerine walls.

Living room - with loaner couch and our awesome entertainment center

(i.e. rubbermaid storage containers).

More living room.  There is also a fireplace on the wall you can't see.

We intend on putting bookshelves on either side of the fireplace.

The Chrastinas

Before Pictures - Part 1

Since we're going to be living in our house for the next 3 years, and our landlady has no problem with it, we're going to be painting the rooms of our house.  Here are before pictures of the inside of our house before unpacking, before our furniture is here, and before we paint the different rooms.  Stay tuned over the next few months as we paint and unpack to see the final results!

Downstairs bathroom - the only one with a shower.

Tiny kitchen - which is currently a complete disaster.

More kitchen - thankfully we have a regular size fridge.  

British refrigerators are much smaller.  And yes, our

washer and dryer are in our kitchen.

The office - completely filled with boxes.

This room is currently totally un-usable.

More office.  This is the only room in the house with a closet.

The Chrastinas

Our Life...

...is just completely inundated with boxes!!!!

The Chrastinas