Home Sweet Home

Today is Nigerian Independence Day and we have the day off of school.  I have chicken adobo simmering on the stove, a sleeping dog at my feet and it finally feels a little like home.  Our household effects arrived exactly 60 days after our arrival in Abuja.  It was an exciting Friday afternoon to be reunited with our stuff.  I was most excited about my kitchen supplies and the kids were delighted to see their toys again.  It felt like Christmas in September.

Here is a tour of the first floor.

Enter the front door (ding dong). The alarm system chimes every time a door or window is opened.  It is especially useful to warm me if Sydney is leaving or arriving.

Dining room.  We moved our dining room to the front of the house to avoid having the TV be the first thing I see upon entering.  I love the bright natural light and the furniture.  I know that Drexel Heritage is not very popular with a lot of folks in the Foreign Service, but I personally, prefer a traditional and classic style.

I briught my china with me and love seeing it every day.  I use it regularly and it reminds me our picking it out with my mother in law before my wedding 11 years ago.

That buffet is full of wine underneath.  A great storage solution until I can get a wine rack made.

Next, the "front room," as they call it in Chicago.  We like to read in here and use these chairs to dock our backpacks and work bags.  Oddly, we left almost all of our books in storage thinking we could save on weight.  We came nowhere near our weight allotment and now I have four bookshelves with very few books. 

Here is the family room. We spend the most time in here watching Netflix, AFN (Armed Forces Network) or practicing letters and spelling.  It is a vision of beauty in various shades of brown, don't you think? I am planning on ordering slip covers and ordering some new bright and fluffy pillows.

The kitchen has a room off the side that is a pantry and houses the washing machine, dryer and deep freezer.  It's basic, but gets the job done.  

Guard dog.