Winter is finally here...for reals

It took a while for the snow to really accumulate this winter....but over the past 4 days we have gotten over FOUR FEET OF SNOW! And not just us up here in the mountains. Down in town they have gotten over two feet of the white fluffy stuff and schools have been closed now for 4 days in a row! I have to say we are LOVING the winter wonderland up here. I will also say it's a LOT of work. We have a long driveway, and we all help as a neighborhood to clear our road because it is not maintained by the town. Carlos has been getting up early before work to snow blow our entire driveway, walkways, and the road, and then coming home from work to do it all again because it KEEPS SNOWING!!

I am grateful for all this snow so we can really see what kind of things we need when we renovate. Bigger eaves, maybe a steeper roof, definitely a front porch. We knew this already, but living through all this snow fall is helpful. I want to just rip off the existing roof, and put a steeper one on with bigger eaves....and then we can also create a cute little loft area for the girls to have a playroom/hang out space. 

We have started the process of getting permits. It's very challenging up here...we are SO close to the river, that they won't allow for much. Also, being so close to the river, they may make us install a brand new septic system, which apparently is VERY expensive and will greatly impact our budget. But, if we don't do it, they won't let us do anything, and we probably could use a new septic system since ours is very old.  

I am getting excited about having a new kitchen and bathroom, and floors and windows! These old windows are so drafty...the whole house is drafty. I will make a post soon of all my ideas for each room.

I have started driving down to our house in the just the last week. Driving on the snow down the steep hill over the bridge is a lot less scary then the sheet of ice it had been a few weeks earlier. Prior to that, I hadn't driven to our house in 4 months....it's a 1/4 mile walk in, and I have a big sled to pull groceries if needed. Here I am pulling a sled full of things for goodwill!



​Here's some photos from the past few weeks.... Thanks for stopping by!

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