Finally, we are in our “permanent” home.

We have now lived in 3 different places, and they all have had their pros and cons. This place is mostly pros. I’d say the main con is that it is on the edge of town, so we are a little further from most things. That extra distance has to be taken in context however. We are about 3 minutes by bike and 6 minutes walking further out. The other con is we miss the view from our last place. This place also has views, and they aren’t bad.

The main advantage of this place is the space. The boys have their own rooms.

  • Leo’s room
  • Oliver’s room

The kitchen is really big by Spanish standards.

And we have an oven!

The boys had a big list of things they wanted to be cooked in the oven.

  • Berry muffins
  • Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
  • Enchiladas
  • Quinoa muffins
  • Bagels
  • Garlic Toast
  • Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Nachos
  • BBQ ribs
  • Roasted Brussels Sprouts (this was for me)
  • Stout Cake)

We also have a small yard. I didn’t realize how much I missed gardening. Our second day here I excitedly pulled a few weeds and pruned the rose bushes.

It makes a great place for the kids to play.

World’s smallest soccer field

We also have a garage, which is fantastic for our bikes, beach toys and suitcases (we happily emptied them all).

Most exciting, we have a guest room! This room has the best views in the house, a double bed and a twin bed with a trundle underneath! Additionally, there is a trundle mattress under Oliver’s bed and Leo’s room had another bed that we moved to the garage that can easily be put back in. Oliver is eager for visitors! So, don’t be shy! We are ready for you!

And the beach is still just steps away.

Another bonus is the gigantic solar hot water heater

Surprisingly, there are very few solar panels here. Apparently, until very recently, people living in buildings with multiple owners and residents have not been allowed to put solar panels on the roofs. With the cost of electricity and the amount of year-round sun, it is a shame.

Where we live now is a two block section of townhouses. Because of this, there isn’t the same population density, so the garbage and recycling bins aren’t as close. Now we have to go two blocks to get to the closest ones. So generally, we go on our way to somewhere else.

My bike loaded with recycling (green bag), garbage (purple bag) and our pumpkin (it started to rot very quickly and attracted way too many bugs in this warm climate).

Knowing that we will be in this home for 8 months really makes me change my thinking. Immediately upon moving in, we started nesting. We moved furniture, a lot of furniture, to make it work for us. We also put away a lot of the decorations (I call them fru-frus), reorganized the kitchen cupboards, and decided to buy a few of things (whisk, dish drying rack, griddle, measuring cups, a few potted herbs and some marigolds).

We also took down some paintings. This house is a family’s summer home, so there are a lot of gigantic family portraits. We found them a little too intense for us to have looking at us.

This is a portrait of the owner’s father. He was the mayor of Vélez-Málaga (the town just north where Oliver plays soccer)

Especially this one in our bedroom.

Surprisingly, the boys think the house is too big, even though it is about the same size as our house at home. They got used to our very small apartment and we really grew to love the place. I’m sure this will quickly feel like home.

Leave a comment

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started