What We Love About the MCC House

We’ve been at the MCC (Mint Chocolate Chip) house for about three weeks now, and we’re feeling settled in.  There’s still a little to do in every room, but I’ll be showing off the interior room by room as I get things situated.

As you know, it was a challenge to downsize to less than half of the square footage of our last house, and while we definitely miss living in the lap of luxury on one of the nicest golf courses in the area, I have to say that I adore living downtown!  Also, the things in our house right now are our very favorite things, because that’s all we had room for, and that’s kind of nice, too.

I thought it would be fun to share with you all the things I love about this quirky little house.  If you’re a fan of quaint old houses, then you will totally get this list!  This little craftsman cottage is about a hundred years old, and it’s just oozing charm.

So, in no particular order, here are the things we love about the MCC House…
1. Porches!

The deep front porch, typical of the craftsman style, is basically an extra living room.  We also have a small screened porch and a deck on the back of the house, so the outdoor living areas really make the house feel larger.  I’m actually sitting on the glider right now as I write this post; it’s heavenly.

 

2. The trees and their shade

We have several mature magnolia trees (how fitting, right?), a pecan tree, camellias, and lots of wisteria. I love wisteria, but it’s so invasive, so that might prove to be my nemesis!

We also have lots of hydrangeas–regular and oak leaf–and hosta.  I haven’t had a shady yard in eons, and it’s nice to know that I can plant shade loving flowers and they will actually survive the summer.

My impatiens always wilt and die in the sun, but you can see that they’re already getting big and bunchy in the window boxes we added to the front of the house:

I found a white rope hammock for only $35 {here, affiliate link} and it’s going to go between the two magnolia trees in our front yard.

We also have a fire pit area in our side yard, and I know the kids are looking forward to having their friends over for a fire.  After all, my son’s senior year is the whole reason the kids and I downsized and stayed in NC, so we’re going to be sure that we make lots of fun memories with friends!

Our posts contain affiliate links.  If you make a purchase after clicking on these links, we will earn a small commission, which helps to keep our content free.  You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise, since that would be tacky! Read our full disclosure policy here.

3. Our old brass doorbell.

This one is so neat–you have to turn the doorbell like you’re winding a clock to ring it, and it’s on our door instead of next to the door.

I’ll probably patch the chippy door at some point, but I don’t really mind it–it adds character, right?

4. Crystal doorknobs on every. single. door.

Every single doorknob is the original crystal knob, with the keyhole for a skeleton key beneath it.  Sometimes the doors want to stick, especially the front door, but I just consider that extra security. 😉

5. Creaky, sloping hardwood floors.

There is literally no way to tiptoe through our house; almost every board in the floor creaks. In the little hallway that leads to the kids’ rooms, the floor is so unlevel that it’s like walking on board a ship.  Can you see how the top of my daughter’s door is cut at a slant to match the doorframe?

While I adored the dark, dark hardwoods in our last house, the lighter color of our current heart pine floors matches Harley’s fur, which means that I can vacuum every other day instead of every day.

6. Quirky architectural touches.

We have lots of fun windows, many with their original wavy glass.  This one in the dining room (sorry for the iPhone photo):

The little living room has a cute set of built in bookshelves, and of course the entire house has gorgeous trim, molding, and baseboards.

 

7.  The convenience of downtown living.

It’s true almost anywhere you go–if you choose to live downtown, you often sacrifice square footage and amenities for convenience, and you’ll usually pay more.  We could rent a 2500+ sf home for the same price that we’re paying for this 1600 sf house, but we’d have to drive to get everywhere.  My kids love being able to walk to school, and I love not having to be the school bus driver!

There’s always something going on downtown in Southern Pines (read my posts here, here and here if you’re planning to visit), and I’m completely comfortable letting my teenagers walk around by themselves.

In just the last week, we’ve walked downtown for yoga, dining, school, shopping (bless their hearts, they both went out to shop for Mother’s Day gifts after school this week), coffee, and the farmer’s market.  My daughter can walk to her job at the bookshop, and Harley adores being a “town dog”–so much to smell!  So many new places to pee!

 

8.  Less to clean = more time to relax!

Again, I did love our last house, with its big deck and yard, but when you’re in a small house, it only takes an hour or two (at the most) to clean.  That is gold, people!  I want to savor every spare minute with Connor during his senior year, not spend it vacuuming.

OK, random aside, but speaking of vacuuming, I did just buy the Dyson stick vacuum, and I love it.  We’ve had a Dyson for almost twenty years–the SAME one–and my husband has been urging me to get a new one for at least ten of those years.  I’ll review this one in more detail soon, but it’s so lightweight and easy to maneuver–I’m hooked!

Don’t forget that our awesome Grove Collaborative deal ends tomorrow; you really don’t want to miss it.  The little scrub brush is my favorite, but all the free Mrs. Meyers goodies are nice, too.  More details are {here}.

Last, but not least, Happy Mother’s Day to all of you who will be celebrating tomorrow.  You can visit all of our Mother’s Day posts {here}, and read my tribute to my own mom, who’s been gone for fifteen years now, {here}.

Thanks for stopping by!