Some pictures to remember her by from our listing.
Many a times we had two leaves in this table but still not enough room. The little ones often sat on the stairs to eat!
I used to have an antique set in this room but my daughter took it for her home. We had to scramble but got a free couch for the showings. It fit nicely.
Yes, we had to show the house with the lizard in his tank. This basement hosted many sleepovers and video game get-togethers for my son. This was a new couch AFTER he left for college.
We didn't leave the punching bag for the new owners. Often times Mr. Saylor could be heard punching it as he went into the laundry/workroom.
Many dozens of cookies were baked in this galley kitchen. I fed a houseful out of this room!
I think I've mentioned this before but Saylor Street was only supposed to be a transition house. We were hoping to move into something larger along the way. Thirteen years later we were still there. We saw our kids go off to college or into their own homes, we hosted family parties and backyard bbq's and had some lovely memories in this house. To be honest though, this house never spoke to my heart, it never made me excited. Until the end and that's when I realized why.
Over the years we were just so busy, work, school, sports, family events and visiting friends. The house was just a place to eat and sleep. It was getting dated and in need of updates and it wasn't until we decided to move that we started to change a few things. Pulling off the stained carpet and adding a runner on the stairs was inspiring. We had to scrape, sand and stain the treads. We pulled up carpet in the basement and painted every room. I cleaned up my laundry room and added a white tongue and groove panel to the old drywall. I painted my master bedroom with a cheery color and added fun pictures. We updated the master bath. It all came together so nicely and at the end I felt happy in the house. That's when I realized that all this time I was decorating it in the colors and textures to fit the lake house I was hoping for.
My sons room after he moved out. It was never this neat when he lived at home.
Our updated master bath. This one was hard to let go.
The bright and cheery master bedroom. We even did custom trim around the windows.
A happy backyard. It almost felt like there was a lake behind it.
For two years I had been decorating the Saylor Street Cottage as if it were my lake house. I made Saylor what I wanted my next house to look like. You can see the nautical decor in the pictures.
The last day before we left I walked through the house to say goodbye and realized I wasn't going to miss it. We had built some memories but it was time to go.
We close on the new house this coming Friday. I have been homeless for a week and it's been stressful. Thankfully my daughter has an extra bedroom!
Our new house is going to need some slight updating but it will be fine. I have all the décor pieces I need to make it feel like home almost immediately. It's on a quiet channel that leads out to the Fox River. There was a little glitch along the way with regards to flood insurance and I have become quite knowledgeable on FEMA and flood plains!
New beginnings are exciting. I'm looking forward to making new memories.
Now I have to find someone who is selling a boat at a reasonable price!
Come visit me at my new blog home @ https://dutchcreekcottage.blogspot.com/