Making a House a Home....

So many of you have been asking about our house and how it looks. I've been dreading and trying to put off sending and posting pictures, but here goes! Houses here are hilarious. There is very little "design" to them. They are all made from concrete blocks and then stuccoed. They are square boxes, with a little modern touch....or so it seems. Nothing says home like a white metal front door....

The insides are cold and white....very white! Every wall is stark white, and I can't paint! At first I felt like I was in a hospital....but I just decided to cover as much of the walls as possible. John has been hanging stuff for weeks for me! By the way, hanging stuff on a cement wall is difficult! I don't have any after pictures to post now...but I'll take some soon. Everything is tiled. 3 freaking floors of all tile! Not a shred of carpet, however our stairs are made out of some type of wood. Pictures are of the stairs, the dining room, and the living room...
Moving on to the bathrooms…there is no counter.....only a free standing sink. Did I mention that the houses have zero closets or storage space? You have to buy cabinets or "shrunks" to store clothes, shoes, towels, toiletries, etc... Everything in the bathroom is tiled....the walls, everything. Again it's white, and I haven't figured out how to hang anything on tile. For now I put up some curtains to add some color. The bathrooms are large...but a waste of space since there are no cabinets or storage areas. Ikea is your best friend here to get cheap cabinets and storage solutions.

Now for the kitchen….the kitchen used to be one of my favorite places. I love to cook and entertain. I about passed out when I saw the kitchen, which is surprisingly large in German standards. I have my cabinets full and still have 4 boxes left to unpack of kitchen items....guess it's back to Ikea to find a place for those. First let's start with the German fridge.....but let's be honest and call it what it really is....a mini fridge. That's right; it's no bigger than a mini fridge. However, I would rather have a mini fridge...at least it gets cold. The German fridge is cool at best....so I only put juice boxes or stuff that doesn't need to be refrigerated in it. What a waste of space. I'm thinking of turning it off and using it as a cabinet....it would make for a better use of space that way. We were issued a small American type refrigerator that has a small freezer. Space is still very limited....so I have to take small trips to the store every 2-3 days.....no stocking up on anything! Next, the oven! I love to cook full meals in my oven. Not anymore! You can barely fit a 9 x 13 baker in it! There is only one shelf and it takes about 30-45 mins. to heat up completely. It's more like a convection oven because it basically blows hot air around. My sink (that's right, only one) is super small. No more running a sink of soapy water and washing dishes. And no more garbage disposal!!! Whaaaa!



But after complaining about everything that this house is not, there are great aspects of it. It is very big and we have lots of room for everyone to have a space of their own. The house is new, so no worries of a bunch of stuff breaking. While the house is stark...it also is fairly easy to clean. The other thing I learned, and probably the most important, is that this house is our home. Not because of what it offers, but because the people I love the most are all here with me. The house is filled with our stuff, and our love, and that to me makes it home.