Ten things I love about our new home

1. The mailbox. It's on the front porch right outside the door. You know, the kind that are attached to the house and have that cute little top you just lift up? It's so cute, and I can just reach out the door and grab my mail. I love that the mailman walks to deliver the mail.

2. Rooms! Our old house had an open floor plan where the great room and the kitchen were sort of all one big room. It was nice for being able to watch the kids while I was in the kitchen, but after awhile it began to feel like we were just always on top of each other in the same space. Our new house has eight different rooms, not including the bathrooms or laundry area. I love rooms!

3. This whole being able to walk to the library and the park thing is still really blowing me away. It's awesome.

4. The privacy hedge. We have tall shrubs lining the entire front and side of our property, which is very unusual here. The privacy it provides is great, but even better is that added layer of protection between my kids and the street. It's better than a chain-link fence because of the aesthetic element and better than a privacy fence because it allows us still to see people on the street. You know how I like to be neighborly.

5. The built-in storage. Pretty much everything we own is put away now, and there are still cabinets and/or shelves that have nothing in them.

6. My kitchen. All of the lower cabinets (and the tall pantry cabinets) contain pull-out drawers, so I don't have to get on my knees and dig for things EVER. Plus, the corner cabinet has a lazy Susan for pots and pans.

7. My bathtub. 'Nuff said. (Although I don't like that there is a giant circular window just above my tub, so when I get in and out at night I have to do my Hunchback of Notre Dame impersonation to keep from flashing the neighborhood. My husband is supposed to be working on doing something to make that window non-see-through (to use the technical term), but he's also supposed to be installing carbon monoxide detectors and taking out the trash, so we'll see.)

8. The music room. It's actually just another living area; I guess most would call it a living room or a sitting room, but since it houses the piano and David's trumpets, it has been dubbed the music room. There is a loveseat in front of the window, and it's my favorite reading spot. Other than my bathtub, of course.

9. The window seat in the dining room. I just need Renae to come make me a cushion!

10. The playroom. We have never had a playroom before, so the toys have always been housed in the kids' rooms . . . and the living room . . . and the master bedroom . . . and the kitchen. I love how neat and tidy I can keep their rooms when almost all of their toys have a room of their own now. In fact, they have a floor of their own. Even better.