House tour: Floor #1

I love taking peaks into other people's homes, don't you?  Well, thought I would give you a peek into ours.  


Most of the time, when people add photos of their home on blogs, rooms get "styled" before photos are taken.


I will admit I cleaned before I took these photos.  But that's it.  No styling.  This is how it is.  Tricycles in the kitchen and all. 

our kitchen.  

Yes, there is a trike in our kitchen. We don't have a garage to store outside toys in.  Those windows?  Open like doors.  So, J#3 just gets to sneak out there to play outside.  This faces the courtyard that is in front of our house. 

more of the kitchen, including our fridge.  see it?  

The other side of our kitchen.  See the oven type looking thing?  That would be our microwave/oven/grill combo.  Interesting.  Haven't tried out the grill function yet.  Don't think we will.  Just doesn't seem right.  

The fridge is right next to that (on the right as you are looking at the photo).  Kind of fun that it blends in with the cabinets.  The size ends up being pretty comparable to fridges in the U.S.  Well, maybe a bit smaller.  The freezer though?  MUCH smaller.

To the right of the fridge/cabinets is my "command center".  Sometimes.  I move stuff around a lot.  I lead an exciting life, right?  Right now that table is mostly bare.  


Hiding to the left of these cabinets is our extra kitchen shelf, with the limited cabinet space we just had to have more "pantry" space. 

the view from our kitchen to the rest of the first floor

dining room.  yes, the lights are uneven.  

Stroller in the dining room?  Doesn't everyone have a stroller in their dining room?  No?  Hmm.  A victim of limited space.  Our entry way just isn't big enough. 

Those shelves are really the only place we have for photos and decorations (with a two-year-old running around).  I am guessing the shelves should actually be used for dishes.   Our "not so pretty" plates + need for space for photos = improvisation. 

Living Room

You ask "why nothing on the walls?".  Good question.  See the wall behind the TV?  Concrete.  We just aren't going to be here long enough to overcome that obstacle.  

The windows here?  Overlook a parking lot.  Nice.  

Our Ikea couch.  Perfect for our situation:  extra sleeping space (folds out like a hide-a-bed) and somewhat inexpensive (have you seen what two-year-olds do to furniture???).  

Oh, and this is baby world.  There is another baby tool hiding behind the chair.  She almost has more places to hang out than we do. 

a view of the living room from the other direction. love our
world map.  now we just need to start adding some pins. 

hiding behind the couch?  J#3 world.  toys.
 oh, and another place (walker) for J#4 to hang out, guess that
means she definitely has more places to hang out than we do.

Next up.  The bathroom.  I usually wouldn't share photos of the bathroom.  Or, this bathroom could possibly earn its own post (but that seems wrong).  This bathroom though?  Well, I will let it speak for itself: 

yes.  NEON green.  yes. grass art piece.
neither of these are our doing.

Also, notice the lack of a mirror.  Always present in an American bathroom--not in a Dutch guest bathroom, I guess.  Oh, and in Dutch guest bathrooms, they usually have a "birthday calendar".  

And, in the profound words of Forrest Gump, "That is all I have to say about that."

Next up?  Floor #2.  After our steep and winding staircase.  

Let me know if you have any other questions about living in the Netherlands--I'm all ears...