*Note: There are a lot of pictures of the house in this entry. Not real exciting, I know, but I thought my friends who have yet to see my home and surroundings here in Madrid might enjoy a peek at some of the house. The rest of you (and some of them, it's true) might very well be bored. My apologies.*

While Daniel was gone I tackled some extra projects around the house. Up until recently these projects had been on "hold" because we were waiting to see how much our driveway expansion would cost, as my projects would involve purchasing extra storage. Just before Daniel left for Spain, he more-or-less finished the driveway/retaining wall and came in under budget. (Yea for that! ) So after he left I ordered bookshelves and baskets for storing toys, books, and our growing stash of toddler art supplies; and I bought a side table for the dining room so that I could move the dresser that had been in the dining room to the kids' room, allowing me to move Jackson's clothes from a laundry basket to a dresser. (Happy 6-month birthday, Jack!)

With the help of two guys that now call my parents Mom and Dad and therefore get the joy of helping me with jobs around the house, the furniture was assembled and I worked to my heart's delight at re-organizing.

I also transplanted a bunch of wild lilies from the borders of our yard to the area under our bedroom window. It's so shaded there that not even grass grows but--as those of you familiar with these lilies and their wild (and, at times, obnoxious) growth habits can attest--these flowers grow anywhere and are perfect for such an area.

At any rate, the kids' room is finally looking like we've moved in, after a long several months of boxes and laundry baskets and a severe lack of pictures/personal touches. There are always more things I would like to do/find/buy, but I'm happy for now. I don't mind the "settling in" process taking a long time, but I do like to feel that we haven't completely abandoned the efforts.

The kids' room as you look in from the doorway:


The kids' room from the rocker where I sit and read aloud at night:

(Gabriel sleeps in the bottom bunk and Bronwyn is just learning to use the "big bed" so Jack can have the crib.)

The room when standing near the crib:

(That's the dresser for Jack's clothes--where there used to be a laundry basket, plastic bags, and carboard boxes.)

The side table in the dining room:

I'm now tired of uploading pictures, so if you want to see the family room, come visit me.