one thing done.

It's still a hive of activity at the new house, and we're slowly starting to acquire furniture.  We didn't bring very much with us, and the house has felt empty and full of echoes.  But we're excited about the things we've found on Craigslist so far.  We'll buy some new furniture, but we like furniture that has a little bit of "character"!

Like this antique wooden armoire that we found for a steal on Craigslist.  This will go in the living room and hold our board games and puzzles.

And this gorgeous secretary tucked away in an elderly man's garage.  I used Murphy's Wood Oil Soap to clean some splotches of mold from the legs and it's as good as "new"!  

I thought about what to do with it.  Then I decided to put it in the front entryway and fill it with my white dishes, which I thought was a nice contrast.  I added a little dish for our keys and some festive greenery from a tree in our yard and - voila!

There!  That's one thing done.  I'm very pleased with it...and glad to at last have a place to drop our keys, too!

We've also purchased a few chairs that we'll slipcover until we get around to reupholstering.  This one is a great, sturdy little chair that we found for just $15!

Even though we're consumed with unpacking, measuring, painting, tile issues, furniture purchases and placement, etc., I can't help but notice the wildlife outside...even though I haven't gone looking for it yet.

I was delighted to learn that there are several types of lizards in South Carolina, one of the most common being the anole.

Having spotted one, we now see them almost daily.

They're so charming!

Another almost-daily visitor is a turkey...or two, to be exact.

We've seen a whole flock of them once or twice, but it's usually just this pair. 

I noticed this in the leaves while taking the dog for a quick walk the other day...a little leftover skin from a recently-molted snake.

Having grown up in the country, I don't have to be told that nearby water + fall + piles of logs + drifts of leaves + a warm day = snakes. 

We made sure to walk much more carefully after seeing this!

I didn't see this great blue heron the first week we were here, but now I see him every day.

I'm pretty sure I've heard his unearthly call at night, too:

   great blue heron call

I noticed a particularly bumpy log in the water this week.

Sunning turtles are notoriously skittish, and the crackling leaves would give me away if I tried to get closer.  But I was able to zoom in with Todd's camera to verify that they were indeed turtles.

With the woods all around us, I can't wait to see new wildlife...or at least have the time to go looking for it!

Have a great week!