After a month and a half of living in our new home, I finally got the last box unpacked (or put in the attic!), pictures on the wall, and found an official "place" for all the various stacks of stuff that were just sitting around the house. It feels great. I am so thankful that we purged the excess before our big move - because I have always wanted a clean, simple home. I always found it terribly hard to maintain - and especially to CLEAN - our house because we just has SO MUCH CLUTTER and nothing had a place to belong. But now, it's the way I want it. My heart is happy. My eyes feel calm. Some may actually consider our place to look a bit empty, but I like it, and that's all the really matters. I guess DJ's opinion matters too... but he's only here a fraction of the time I am... so let's be real - it's all about me!! ;-) 

As our official "home tour" via photos, I have decided to introduce to you one room at a time, and share a bit about what I like (or dislike) about various facets of the house, and especially make mention of some specific danish attributes that are a bit difficult to adjust too - though we are trying... we have realized in some ways that we are just VERY American, and change can be pretty hard.

So... welcome to Slåenhøj 21. Today I will show you the outside & entry into our home. 

We have a mailbox and a small storage shed. It's where I keep the stroller, the kid's bikes (ours can be parked outside once we finally get bikes!) and a ton of extra trash / recycling... because WE ARE AMERICANS and we create way too much trash. See the trashcan next to the shed? That's all we have to use, and it is emptied ONCE per week. And we fill it to the brim in about 3-4 days... We are working on how to create less garbage and recycle EVERYTHING possible, but the trash situation is definitely a difficult thing to adjust to. 

Between the shed and the front door is a small patio. It's been great for the kids to run and play while I work in the kitchen. I am sure once the spring & summer hit we'll be spending a ton of time outside. I was a bit bummed we didn't ship over our patio set, but we had NO IDEA we would be in a house that actually had space for something like that. Maybe I'll at least get a chair when the weather gets warm!

Check out the big window on top. That's the master bedroom. The bedroom windows are fantastic!

This is the view from the front door. Kitchen, dining room and living room all in view. The space is significantly smaller than our house in NC, but it still feels very spacious... and I don't feel cramped at all. It's a great space for us - and the wide open floor plan is great for keeping an eye on the kids while I do work around them. Plus... they LOVE running back and forth from the back window to the kitchen. I think we're all pretty happy here.

That's my intro for you... tomorrow I will tell you about my favorite - and most frequently used - part of the house: the KITCHEN.