What a beautiful week so far! I can't get enough of this weather. These temps give me all kinds of energy to tackle projects -- we've been working outside a bit and and keeping the windows open as much as possible.
We recently hit the six month mark in this house (I shared all of the projects I've tackled in that time here) and at least once a week someone will ask if we miss our old house. I think everyone is surprised when we say no. It still surprises us too!
I know part of the reason we don't miss that house is that friends of ours bought it, so we know it's being well taken care of, loved and enjoyed. And we get to see it often! It gives me warm fuzzies every time we walk in, but I never get sad. I thought for SURE we'd miss it big time when we were in the hotel for months, but even then it didn't bother us. We just figure it's because we love this house SO much and know it was the right decision for our family.
But there are a couple things I miss about that house, and I miss them BIG time. The first one isn't a pretty or exciting thing, and will probably surprise you. But we got used to this little convenience and after nine months and still thinking about them...I decided it was time.
I know some of you will laugh at me. It's a bathroom item. Any guesses?:
Side note: I super miss that cute toilet flusher too. But I don't miss showing confused visitors how to flush. 😂
No, what I miss is the soft-close seats I installed on all the toilets over the years. I know, laugh at me all you want. But they ROCK. They are especially great if you have little kids! (The lid and seat close on their own.) It has been so long now since we've had them and to this day we'll forget and the lids will slam down.
We visited friends the other night and they had a soft close lid and I decided right then and there I was going to get one for at least one bathroom. So I did just that, ha!:
This is very similar to the one I used. These are a total convenience item and so as with the last house, I'll just switch them out as we can. They are usually less than $30 for the basic size (in plastic) so won't break the bank, but aren't a necessity obviously.
It takes just a few minutes to switch them out -- if you've never done it you'll be surprised. You flip up the brackets on the seat (if you ever clean under there you know how to do that) and take the plastic screws out. Then just reverse the process with the new seat.
I spent an extra $5 on a wooden seat because I just find them a little sturdier. This is now my favorite bathroom because...soft close. YES!:
No I still haven't finished the walls in there. Soon! If you have these seats I think you'll understand why I missed them so. Over the 13 years we lived in our previous house I added so many little details and this was a small one I missed. It's stupid how happy this new seat makes me. Stupid! 😁
This second thing that I miss dearly probably won't surprise you. But this one has been HARD for me. Ohhhh how I miss my plants in the garden! I don't even really miss the landscaping and garden really...just the plants, if that makes sense. I have grand plans (that will take many years) for our new, much bigger backyard, so I know it will be just as beautiful someday. I know I miss them especially because I planted each and every one myself and "raised" them, so it's not surprising. What does surprise me is just how much I miss them!
I miss my hydrangeas a lot already, but I had the builder put in a bunch up front, so I'm satisfied with that for now. I can't wait to see what varieties they planted and how they bloom! The plants I miss the most, especially this time of year, are the peonies I planted. They are one of my top three favorite blooms:
I've been counting down the days till I could safely plant some here, and during that wait I've been deciding on the perfect place to plant them. My big peony didn't do so well last year because I think the trees along the side of our old property were shading it too much. The plant grew and started to bloom like normal but then the blooms never opened up.
Peonies need a good amount of sun to flourish. If you're interested in growing them, be sure to check out my post from a few years back with tons of tips for these beauties:
They each have a ton of blooms starting so as long as I got the depth OK when I planted them (they are picky about that -- the only picky part about this plant!) I'll have plenty of big blooms in a few weeks.
These are the two varieties I got. I don't know what version I had before, but it looks similar to the Sarah Bernhardt:
My peonies before were HUGE and the most beautiful pink, so I'm crossing my fingers these will be close. I had a couple other peony bushes that never did great and hardly bloomed, and they were the darker reddish pink like the other one here. I think I had those planted too deep and that's why they didn't do as well.
I planted both of these on a corner off our back patio where they'll get full morning sun and some late afternoon sun as well. I hope to add my first big gardening spot on that corner and I'll show you more of that as I get it dug out.
Do either of these surprise you? After all that work I did in the old house and I miss toilet seats?? Yes, it's true. It really is the little details that make your house YOUR home. I have realized that many times over during this process.
Have you moved recently? What do you miss from your old house? Is it something random like mine? Is there something you know you'd miss if you moved? It has all surprised me!
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