11 Magnolia Lane

We are just a few short weeks from moving out of the MCC (Mint Chocolate Chip) House, and it’s been a great two years for us. For those of you who missed the update on what we’re doing next, you can get caught up in {this} post from last month, but to make a long story short, we’re just moving two blocks away!

We showed the house one time and that couple rented it immediately, so now I don’t have to worry any more about keeping things looking spic and span all the time. That’s my least favorite part of the moving process.

The MCC House was a temporary downsize while my husband moved out to Kansas without the family; we knew that in order to manage two rents and lots of plane tickets back and forth, we’d both need smaller houses/apartments than we usually live in.

| See more of the front porch here |

This one is about 1400sf and it’s actually been just the right size. We got rid of lots of things, my husband has about 3000 pounds in Kansas, and we do have a few things in climate-controlled storage, like my mom’s piano. I haven’t missed the things in storage and while I wouldn’t call myself a minimalist by any stretch of the imagination, it’s been nice to live in a smaller footprint.

Little old houses can be a lot of fun with all of their quirks, and this one was no exception. I wrote this post when we first moved in about all the things we love about the MCC House. Things like the crystal door knobs:

The creaky old hardwood floors are another favorite.

| See more of the living room here|

Since I put up a few of my own chandeliers, like this one in the dining room, I’ve started to take them down and replace them with the ones that actually belong with the house. I figure I save hundreds of dollars every time I change our lighting out myself. The first time I had an electrician show me how (plus my dad is super-handy and is always available to talk me through projects by phone), but it’s really very simple.

| See more of our dining room here|

The new house needs new paint in almost every single interior room; I’ll share some pictures at the beginning of July once we take possession and while I’m painting. My plan is to use a neutral taupe-gray like I did in this house (the color on the wall is Valspar’s Oatlands Subtle Taupe).

I painted the living room, dining room, and kitchen the same color, which helps to open up the space even more.

| See more of the kitchen here|

My daughter and son’s rooms are on the first floor and they share a bathroom/powder room between them. We painted my daughter’s room in Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt and she’s really enjoyed the size of her room and the light that it gets.

| See more of my daughter’s room here, or decorated for Christmas here |

I just realized that I have only ever shared photos of my son’s room decorated for Christmas; since he’s been away at college this year we have used it as a catchall for storage. My daughter would like to convert it to a yoga room but I haven’t let her! The paint was already on the walls when we moved in but it worked well with his decor.

| See more of my son’s room here |

The bathroom has been renovated; always nice when the house is over a hundred years old.

Upstairs is my bedroom and office area; it’s been fun to feel like I was living in the trees since our lot is so nicely wooded.

| See more of my bedroom here |

I don’t share my office very often because it was never really “done,” but here’s a photo with the window treatments that are original to the house. I changed them out after a few months but can’t find those photos! By the way, this is the only room in the house that has carpet.

| See more of my office here |

We will definitely miss this house, but of course we’re not going far! Our new house is still downtown, still smaller than our usual house (around 200sf so I totally get that some of you will roll your eyes when I tell you it’s smaller), and it’s also a sweet older house. It’s name is Magnolia Cottage, and here’s a somewhat blurry sneak peek at the outside:

I have a long list of projects to tackle and think it’s going to be a fun challenge to put my personal stamp on this new-to-us space.

As we end our time in this home, here are a few more posts about the MCC House:

Spring Home Tour 2018 | Spring Home Tour 2017 | 2017 Christmas Home Tour Part 1 and Part 2 | 2018 Christmas Home Tour

If you’re looking for sources for any of my furniture or decor, they’ll be in these posts, or just leave me a comment or send me an email.

Thanks for stopping by!