Leased House (check)

We've got a house in the UK and we zeroed in on it our first day of hunting. We saw 10 houses on a Tuesday and knew this house was ours by Friday. We met the current tenant, a lovely lady from Australia that's relocating to Houston for her husband's job this summer. We told her they'll be all the rage in Texas with their lovely Oz accents.

This house is a bit bigger than we need, but at least we'll have plenty of room for guests. The location can't be beat - just down the street from the 9th grader's best friend and less than a 5 minute walk to the Walton-on-Thames high street. 

We've traded 1930s character and charm from our first expat gig house for something a bit more modern. Underfloor heating has replaced radiators that often went on the fritz. And we sincerely hope we won't suffer through any invasion by ants, wasps or even sweet little ladybugs with this new(er) home in the leafy suburbs of Surrey.

Now that school is out, I've been busy plotting furniture and decor. Nothing pricey, but merely more modern than our current rustic hill country chic. No taxidermied critters or nailhead trimmed leather sofas are crossing the pond. Fresh citron, yellow and serene blues are my new color palette for the kitchen, with nary a red rooster in sight.

Here are some pics of our new digs. I'm looking forward to getting everything on the freighter in a couple weeks so I can have it all set up before Momcation 2015-16 (the start of school) begins.