Choice Choices

So as most of you know, we picked the 1920's bungalow instead of the new condo downtown. It was interesting seeing how evenly split your opinions were because we had a really hard time deciding between the two. I loved that condo and I hated to let it go. It absolutely would have been my first choice were it not for Creed. I almost had myself convinced that we could make it work, but Larry was all for the house and in the end, I think it was the right decision. As far as we could figure there were no parks within walking distance of the condo, and we would constantly have been trying to keep Creed quiet so he wouldn't bother the neighbors, and should every kid be free to bang pots and squeal with delight as needed? We also guessed that there would not be many toddlers around downtown for Creed to play with, and how do you bring groceries into a condo like that while keep track of a busy toddler?

There are many things that would have been nice about the condo, but you can't beat the details of these old homes. They are so intriguing to me after moving from a new neighborhood full of similar houses.

Fun patterns in the brick outside.A coal shootThis huge old walnut tree in the backyard that I have a love/hate relationship with. It shades the whole backyard so even on the hottest days of the summer, we can still play in the yard. The downside is that I hate picking up all those walnuts that we just throw away since Larry's allergic to nuts.We have an old school mailslot that goes straight into the house. Huge heat registers that temp Creed's little fingersBuilt-in storage like this And this little alcove that I think must have held a phone at one time, and now holds odds and ends that don't have a home (hmm . . . maybe I should have cleaned before taking these pictures).
And the built-in bookcases around the fireplace (did you notice I bought the rug and I'm mid decorating for Halloween)
A steep twisty staircase down to the basement.
The basement is a lot nicer than most old homes and is actually where we spend most of our time. I'll have to give a housetour another time. It's too messy right now.

We didn't know much about our neighborhood when we decided to rent the house, but it's perfect. There are several parks that we can walk to, along with lots of little boutiques and restaurants and Creed has already made friends with our neighbors and has a few playmates to choose from. I couldn't ask for more.