Operation BWYP: New Fridge
When we first moved into our rental house, there were some…undesirable characteristics. It’s small and our things didn’t fit, for one thing. But the bigger problem was the refrigerator. It was tiny and didn’t hold too much, but it also was in the process of dying so it didn’t stay very cold. It was so bad that we couldn’t keep a whole gallon of milk because our fridge couldn’t keep a container that big cold enough, so he we had to use half gallons. Same thing with yogurt. Couldn’t keep it cold enough, so we had to buy the really small containers and eat them really fast. It wasn’t impossible to live with, but it was certainly inconvenient. But instead of doing anything about it, we just reminded ourselves that we weren’t going to be here for very long and we would just deal.
After our conversation about blooming where we are planted, I decided it was time to call the landlord about the fridge. And it was pretty easy to ask for a new fridge because last week we think the motor in the freezer blew because suddenly, it wasn’t even cold enough to keep an ice tray frozen. Which also meant I lost a month’s worth of meat I had just bought and put in our freezer. Our landlord was super nice about it and within a day we had a new (slightly used) fridge in our kitchen.
Of course, it’s never as easy as you think it will be. Turns out, the landlord bought a fridge that was too big for the hole where the old fridge had been. The only way we could fit the new refrigerator into the kitchen would be to move the stove to where the old fridge had been and put the new fridge where the stove used to be because the stove hole was bigger.
So, we loaded up all the cold and (slightly) frozen food that we could save from the old fridge into coolers…
And Chris started moving the stove around. But he discovered that, naturally, the plugs for the oven didn’t reach over to the new hole.
That’s when I suggested an extension cord. But, apparently, ovens can’t be plugged into regular old Christmas light extension cords… So, Chris broke out the power tools and started moving around electricity and such. It was all very manly and had I not been worried that he was going to electrocute himself or burn down our house, I might have been slightly turned on.
Of course, moving all this stuff around meant I had to practically empty the kitchen. So, there was crap all over our house! Thankfully, my parents had taken Bean for the night, so I didn’t have to worry about being baby-proofed in the middle of a kitchen remodel.
By the time Chris finished moving the stove and the new fridge, our kitchen looked much better. And we had cleaned out cabinets that we had stuffed with crap when we first moved in and rearranged some things. When we were done, the kitchen felt completely different. It was clean and organized and everything had a place that actually made sense, instead of just having stuff randomly stuck places.
And though it is still the same tiny kitchen it was when we first moved in, it felt better to be in there now that we had taken the time to set everything up.
Naturally, like any home project, I decided that we shouldn’t just stop at the kitchen. If we were really going to bloom in this house, it was time to stop treating it like a rental. Like a temporary home. We had been leaving things out because we just hadn’t made room to store them anywhere and so the house was filled with large pieces of furniture and Bean’s toys and it made it seem even smaller.
So, while Chris was finishing the kitchen, I started moving everything around in our living room. I took down Bean’s jumper-roo finally, which we had just stuffed into a corner of the living room, claiming we had no where else to put it. I took down Bean’s play pen, which I kept up so that I could throw him in there during the day if I needed to get something done. But, you know, if our living room had more room in it, then I wouldn’t need to confine Bean to a play pen. And, there’s no point in keeping that huge thing in our dining room, taking up most of the space, just ” in case” I needed it. If I really needed it, I could pop it up and then take it down when I was done.
By the time I was finished, it was midnight, but our house looked like a new home. There was so much more room in the living room and our office (which is actually a dining room that we have converted). We have twice the space now in our living area and so the house feels twice as big. What an improvement!
Is it ideal? Not really. Is it what we would choose to live in forever? Probably not. But if this is going to be our home for any period of time, then it’s time we started making it feel like home and stop treating it like a rental house.
First step of Operation Bloom Where You Are Planted was a big success!
48 Comments
Jessica @ How Sweet
I think the room looks great. I wish I would have taken this approach when we first lived in my husbands bachelor pad. Instead, I just whined.
Jess
I love it, it looks great!!
Sarah H.
Love it! Very cool! Don’t you just feel so much better with less stuff? My favorite thing about moving is getting rid of stuff and finding ways to rearrange your things.
Alaina
Good job! I feel you on the rental house issue…we’re renting, too, and we want to treat the place like it is our own, because we’re going to be here for awhile. However, rentals always come with their own special “quirks” which can be a pain. At least your landlord was really nice about it!
Meredith N.
Your blog inspires me! Just thought I’d let you know. 🙂
Jordan
hmm, in two weeks we’re going to be moving into my in-laws basement and living there for an unknown amount of time (I’m thinking around 6 months). I will try my hardest to bloom there, butttttt I just don’t know how possible that will be. I think it will be hard to bloom when there are other, larger, plants already there with big root systems blocking your sunlight 😉
Abby @ They Lend Me Their Hearts
Wow it looks great! Everything looks so much more spacious! I need to declutter my own house now!!
And yay for the ice maker!
Katy
I love your rugs! And, generally, how rugs define spaces. Lookin’ good!
Shannon
I had to do the same thing a few months back. Truth be told, I’m still doing it. I moved into my husband’s house – that I didn’t like. It’s small and we both have way too much stuff. So, I just put my things here and there and in storage. That was 3 years ago.
We’ll be moving within the next year or so, but that still is a lot of time to have my stuff everywhere and basically you couldn’t really tell that I lived there besides my clothes in the closet. So, I’ve started making room for my things and re-arranging things. Now, you can KINDA tell I live there. LOL It’s a work in progress.
Nate's Mom
I love that you embraced your home and made it your own. I find that when my home is cluttered or filled with the “I’ll deal with that someday piles,” my mind becomes equally cluttered. When the clutter goes, my mind clears. My desk can usually be used as a window into my mind…gosh…looking around, I ought to clean this thing soon.
And the best part of renting? When something breaks, you don’t have to go out and buy something new!!! You just pick up the phone and dial “0” and order a new-to-you fridge!!! If you have renter’s insurance, they might cover the cost of some of your lost food.
Diana @ A Little Bit of Life
Shoot – we bought our house in September and I still haven’t found where to stash everything and now we have a baby on the way so I better figure it out soon. We are also still waiting to buy couches and finish a bunch of repairs so you are light years ahead of us!
Jody
What an awesome idea, bloom where you’re at is a wonderful motto to start living by.
Lindsey
I love posts like this! Good for you guys 🙂
Jenny J.
Good for you!!
Also, two things: 1) I love the rug in the living room, it’s so pretty!! 2) How much do you love your KitchenAid mixer?! I love mine, best thing we registered for!
Jen @ Life with Jen and Ronnie
Looks great! I always feel great after I get my crap, I mean wonderful stuff organized. You have inspired me to declutter and organize our home…but not until tomorrow! Thanks for sharing!
Heather in NY
I think you’re house looks great! It may be small, but you’ve done a great job of turning it into a home. I’ve been in my house for four years and it still doesn’t look that good!
Jen at Cabin Fever
I always love how moving stuff around just a little bit can give your room a whole new feel! I am thinking that I will have to do that to my living room sometime soon… its starting to feel boring and cramped.
And we need to hook our generator up to the power source of our house so when we lose power we can just fire up the generator and have running water and a cool fridge and nice things like that, but I refuse to let Shawn attempt it. I don’t want him electrocuted. You’re a brave wife for letting him attempt that, but he did a great job!
Cabin Fever in Vermont
Beth
My husband is in the marines, which means that we are renting a new house every two years…so I know how you are feeling! Think of renting this way: it gives youa chance to redecorate and try out new set ups with the things you already own. I try to have a different arrangement every time we move. With a few new small pieces, I practically feel like all of my furniture is new again!
Tabitha (From Single to Married)
wow – good for you! Looks much better and I’m sure it feels great too. I always feel better after doing some deep cleaning. Why don’t I do it more often is the real question. 🙂 btw – your kitchen looks amazingly like ours, very small and full of “character.” Got to love old houses!
Lissa
Wise, Wise, Wise…..
YAY for you!
Miranda
I feel the exact same way when my husband is doing manly electrical things around the house, “Wow. He looks really hot doing that, maybe we shoul…. OH GOD. HE’S GOING TO DO SOMETHING WRONG AND THEN I’M GOING TO BE A WIDOW! I’m too young and pretty to be a widow!!”
Maggie
Great idea – you’ll feel much more comfortable now! We did the same thing, we’d been in a rented townhouse for a while, knowing it was temporary 2-year grad school thing. We’d made it our home but once we knew jobs would keep us in one place for at least 2 years we opted to stay in the rental and just really make it ours. We built shelves in every closet, a huge wall-unit in our office, all kinds of stuff! It really went a long way for us.
Marlene
Hurray for accepting where you are and doing something about it! And if you stand back and look at it, your kitchen has some pluses – plus’s – plusses – what the heck?!?!? Anyhoo, good points! You don’t have to walk too far to the fridge or the stove from the sink/cupboards! Saved energy for catching Bean! And very little floor to mop up spills! I’m lovin your tiny kitchen! Mine is long and narrow….but I’m going to look at differently now! Maybe I can find pl – good points too! Way to inspire, girl!
courtney
When we first got married we lived in a trailer house (I’m sorry to anyone that offends manufactured home) on my parent’s ranch. It was a nice little home, but I always thought about when we would move. As a result I never felt quite at home. Then we lived with my in-laws 6 months while we were building the house we currently live in. A lot of our stuff was in storage, but I decided to take what we did have and made our space our own. I was much happier when I did that. It isn’t easy, but I think it reduces the stress and helps you feel at home. When you feel at home then you are just more comfortable which leads to less tension and fighting. I often find myself looking toward what’s next, and I’m having to learn to enjoy my life in the here and now. As a very driven, goal oriented person I completely understand where you are coming from.
Amy
Katie,
I love your blog and your writing. I’m crossing my fingers for big things for you in the future. Being a landlord myself, you guys are awesome tenants. I have never heard of the tenants doing the moving work. You guys are both kind souls but FYI that the landlord is responsible for making your place livable. Don’t feel bad about calling to tell them someone needs to come over and fit the fridge in. Man, I wish you two were renting from me.
Again, good luck with love and life!
Amy
melissa
dear katie,
this is great news! i understand putting things off because you are waiting for something better. i am super lazy. but working really hard for a day can make such a huge difference. congratulations.
love, melissa
melissa
p.s. now your two liter bottles fit in the fridge! hurray!
Katie
LOL – that was my most exciting feature! 🙂
Sandy
gotta ask…did you have a place to hook up the ice maker?
Katie
No! Darn it! There wasn’t a water line to hook up the ice maker to! So bummed! But, at least we have a freezer now that’s cold enough to freeze ice trays!!
Lindsey M.
I love reading your posts and wanted to thank you for the inspiration! The timing for this topic couldn’t be better. I’ve been living in my current place for 2 months and haven’t gotten around to hanging up my pictures or purchasing a book shelf… I only signed a 6 month lease because I might have to relocate for work, which is how I keep justifying not getting everything in order. I think it’s important to not leave things unresolved, especially if they are things that we can take care of. Your place looks great!
Jenn
We move almost every year due to my (old) job as an apartment manager. We finally got our first not-tied-to-a-job rental this month. My kids know that home is where we ARE, not just what we OWN, and home can be anywhere. We all work together to figure out where things should go and how to make it feel like home. As soon as we put up our family pictures, we know the place is ours. Keep on blooming!
Jamie
“It was all very manly and had I not been worried that he was going to electrocute himself or burn down our house, I might have been slightly turned on.”
LOL, so funny yet I know exactly how you feel. My husband loves to do handyman things and the harder it looks the sexier it is.
Tressa
GREAT teamwork!!! Looks so much bigger!
Emilyc
You did an awesome job with your house…care to come down and rearrange mine? 🙂
Beanie's Nana
Whoa there Little Missy! Where’s Beanie’s School Bus?
Jenn
Yeah! Where’s the school bus? That looked like the greatest toy ever!
Leah
I loved this! Great job. I can completely relate to this. My hubby and I were in a too-small apt and I just had given up even trying to do anything but keep it clean. Finally, last fall, I sucked it up and threw out tons of junk, rearranged everything, sent an entire couch to charity and bought some new furniture. It was amazing… I felt like I could breathe and like I didn’t mind coming home and like it really WAS my home. And guess what. Six months later we moved. But that really didn’t bother me at all… because it was worth all those days of work to spend those last six months feeling like it really was my home; and I left feeling nostalgic, not bitter and desperate.
abi
Love this post! “Bloom where you’re planted” was a great reminder and hit home for me too. We were planning on moving overseas recently for my husband’s job and were really, really excited about it. Things fell through at a late date and I am now having to unpack and reorient our lives to be staying here. I am disappointed and was so ready to move! But I decided to stop moping and unpack and redecorate a little. It made me feel tons better! Your rental looks great too!
12ontheinside
It’s such a completely alien concept down here, that a house should come with fridge – or washing machine, dryer, etc etc! Down under, these are things you buy yourself, and take when you move. The only things that usually come with the house, whether renting or buying, would be the oven and the dishwasher, because they are usually hard wired/plumbed in.
Sara @ embrylovescookies
St. Louis church goers must really like your blog! I saw no less than three! church marqees this week with “Bloom where you are planted” on them.
Wendy
First the house looks wonderful! Where did you get the rugs? I’m in love with the rugs.
Katie
I need to do a post on those rugs, there’s a story with them. But I got them at Home Goods. Love them!
Heather M
It does look great. When we moved from the UK it took weeks for our stuff to come over to Oregon. I hated living in our apartment. I missed our house from the UK. Then our books arrived and everything was better. Silly person that I am – it was discomforting and ‘alien’ to me without our combined lives. I think part of it was that I was in the house on my own 🙁
Anyway – even putting pictures on the wall made our rental feel more permanent. We just signed for another year’s lease (I’m still hopeful that we will get our own place in the not too distant future but until then – we’re happy!)
Brenda
Love it!
Some of the most wonderful things in my life “bloomed” from extremely difficult times. My marriage would not be what it is today had we not gone through some valleys together. One of the best lessons we learned was to be grateful for what we have, focus on our blessings and most important….quit looking at what others have and comparing. You, my friend, will be blessed beyone belief with this new line of thinking!
Megan
Good for you!! And such a good lesson. We are slowly but surely working on this house. I’m ashamed to say it but we’ve lived here for a little over a year and we still haven’t hung all the pictures and things. We run into problems though like wall space and such. Our last two houses had big walls so we have big pictures. This house has small wall spaces so we don’t really have many places to hang our big pictures. We’ll figure it all out eventually. Hopefully before we are ready to move again!
Megan
http://reddirtandcrazy.blogspot.com/
Angela
Even after you’ve lived in the same place for years, it’s always good to move around the furniture.
It feels so NEW and fabulous, even if you have’nt bought any new pieces.
P.S I love the picture frame with the photo of you and the Bean! ( The one that’s on the cabinet with the pots)
Katie
It looks great! I’m glad y’all were able to get everything worked out, and now it all looks so much better!