So we have officially settled into life in Eugene, Oregon. I got a job at a nonprofit that certifies inputs for organic farming (i.e. fertilizers, composts, pesticides, livestock feeds, etc.). There’s a lot of chemistry and science to learn, as well as all of the governmental standards that regulate organic food production. But it’s definitely keeping my brain challenged, and I think it’s going to be such an interesting and fulfilling position. I just finished my first full week of work, and definitely need the weekend for the information in my brain to sort itself out a bit! Dave also just finished his first week of architecture school. He built his first site model out of cardboard, and will design a house, guest house, and tower to fit on it in the weeks to come. Whew!

Luckily we finished our living room just in time. Now we have a cozy space to come home and relax in after our new, exciting, and tiring days! When we first walked in the door of this apartment, my heart sank a little. It was musty and dark and ugly. But now that we’ve finally got it in order, I couldn’t be happier with it!

Here are some before and after shots of our place.

Before:

After:

The awesome bookshelves are from IKEA. They’re a perfect fit! You can see my new cat scratcher in the foreground, which I’m proud to announce Cricket has taken to swimmingly. She is using it like a pro these days.

Before:

After:

You can see the finished hall closet in the background. The cool wall lights are from IKEA. The awesome couch is a 1960’s vinyl couch we found on craigslist. The TV stand is temporary/a craft project waiting to happen.

And look at the finished coffee table!!! That’s the one that Dave and my father-in-law built this past spring. Isn’t it beautiful?

And this one doesn’t have a before picture, but you can see the blue accent wall we painted and a peek at our refinished library table in the dining area/kitchen.

We’ve still got to get the bedroom and the office/craft room in order, so our work is not done yet. Until then, though, it’s time to veg out in our cozy living space.