Cottage By The Sea

This could easily become a home improvement blog.  That's pretty much been our life since buying this place 10 months ago.  Between mice in the attic and a flood in the basement, let's just say it's been more work than expected.  Don't get me wrong, it's a nice house.  It isn't some dilapidated fixer upper.  But, as older homes go, there are things we want to update, and others that have to be fixed.  Like, ASAP.  Anyway, before I get into all that, I thought I'd share some pics of the adorable little house we rented in Carmel, California before moving back here to Chicagoland.

I loved that house.  Absolutely loved it.  You could walk to the ocean.  It was less than a mile from downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea.  If you don't know that area, it's charming and beautiful. I fantasize about retiring there someday.

The house we rented had just been rehabbed.  We were the first to live in it.  Our landlord bought it as a project and adorably fixed it up with all her creative touches.  She was hoping to sell, but everyone knows how terrible the real estate market was 5 years ago.  So, she decided to rent it.  To us!  We lived there for almost 4 years.  It felt like home.  My husband proposed in that house.

Our landlord had it staged so nicely.  The pics below are mostly from before we moved in.  I tried to keep it cute, but her knack for decorating was way better than mine.  She also came every week to do the gardening. The yard was lovely.  I miss it.

Below are a few photos from after we moved in.  My favorite features were the fireplace (especially at Christmas) and the chandelier above the dining room table.  Oh, and the sunroom.  And the vessel sinks in the bathrooms.  And that adorable porch with a checkerboard floor and a dutch door . . . there were just so many nice little features.  It was small (1,450 square feet) but cute.

Our current abode isn't quite as picturesque and charming, but we're working on it.