news on our small-space move

Hey, y'all!

When I posted the other day about moving, y'all were so sweet, helpful, and supportive that I wanted to share some unexpected updates with y'all!

My dad was already doing renovations to update my MaMa's house, but really kicked it into high gear when we decided to move up there. My dad is one of those people that can do pretty much anything, especially when it comes to cars and homes. But I didn't expect him to go to such trouble to add some extra goodies in the process of updating the house.

I've marked the photos below, and I'm sorry they're grainy. Baby C has been sick, so I couldn't go see the progress in person. Daddy sent these photos from his phone.

Two things to notice about the below photo: the cute new cabinet my dad got for us, and where I marked "corner". That is a seriously, seriously small bathroom y'all.

My MaMa didn't have central heat or air. In the hallway was one of those large, free-standing oil heaters that heated the entire house. It has been removed, and there are now washer/dryer hook-ups. My dad also got these cabinets from a builder buddy of his. They're new, just a little dirty from being in storage.

This next picture was a huge surprise! Daddy knew we were super concerned about storage in the kitchen. So when he sent me this with the caption "part of your new kitchen", I couldn't believe it! There was a panel over this before, and I guess he popped it off because he knew it would be hollow behind it.

He also stripped the wallpaper for us!

*fist-pump*

I really, really hate stripping wallpaper.

Here is a wider shot of the same area as above. He opened up the top of the cabinets over the fridge, and added a shelf in the corner there between the fridge and counter. The water heater sits in that corner, so the space was useless. But that little corner shelf is pretty deep, so I can put who-knows-what up there...but I like it!

I was surprised by all the fresh paint too, since I didn't know he was removing the wallpaper for us as well.

Finally, over the stove I had asked him to add a shelf, under which I *may* hang my pots from hooks. I haven't quite decided though, because I hate to block all the natural light from that window with my cookware.

Y'all, I am blown away. I totally did not expect all these extra details, and my dad's intuition on what I would like has been spot-on.

When he sent the picture of the cute new bathroom cabinet, I said "wow, Daddy, you did a GREAT job picking that out. I love it!"

To which he replied: "Thanks. Just call me Mark Stewart. Martha's long-lost cuz."

(his middle name is Mark)

*giggle*

So, what do y'all think? What would you store in the open spaces? Would you use containers to conceal what was up there?