Preparing for cooler temps

My landlord came and replaced my gas heater last week. I have a fireplace but unfortunately they have it blocked off at the top. So the gas heater and I are going to be really good friends this winter.

This is my original heater. 

 It was ancient but fit the house's character.

This is the new one. And I am not going to lie. It looks so odd and out of place in my older home. But I am sure I will appreciate the energy efficiency of the new one once the winter gas bills start rolling in.

I have already decided I need these to help me make it through winter:

A cute winter bath robe. It is going to be super cold in my little house with it being off the ground and having all wood floors. So a robe is a must. (photos from Belk.com)

I am not much of a slipper person, but I love warm, fuzzy socks. Let's be honest, if your feet are cold then your whole body is going to be cold. So we have to take care of the feet. :-) (photo from littlemissmatched.com)

Yes, I do know I live in southern AL and it isn't like we get REAL winter weather. But after our serious summer heat, it does seem cold. My body just doesn't like cold weather. The only consolation is that fall/winter also means boots and cute jackets!

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My "New" Little Home Sweet Home

In May I moved into my little Midtown Manor. HA. It is a little 1 bedroom duplex. It is old and has a lot of character. I haven't even finished organizing everything or making it homey. It's definitely a work in progress but I will post pictures as I go. There are hardwood flooring throughout with the exception of the kitchen and bathroom.

The Living Room

The Dining Room
It is tiny. Which is the understatement of the year. See that dinosaur of an air conditioner? Well, it only works on high and it is super duper old with no energy efficiency. Which would explain my $201.66 power bill for June... Absolutely ridiculous. Needless to say, Big Bertha stays off the majority of the time.

The kitchen is small but I love the built-in cabinet to the right. The washing maching goes on the other side of the fridge. Through the doorway in the back there is the hot water heater and dryer. It provides some room for storage but I am still working on trying to maximize the space to its potential. To the right, the wood "counter top" you see if the only counter top space I have. The sink is a single farmhouse style sink.

The hall closet is large and provides some much needed storage.
My bathroom is small. Somehow I did not manage to take any pictures of the shower but that will have to come later. Because the house is old there is no counter top space and the only cabinet space is there on the right(see the door?)I am really not sure what I was thinking when I took the pictures of the bedroom. There are 4 windows, the 2 there facing the backyard and 2 on the right hand side. It is a moderate sized bedroom so maneuvering my furniture into it was interesting but has been accomplished.

This is the bedroom closet. Thank goodness for the large hall closet. Could you imagine any female trying to fit her hanging clothes into this lil thing? ;-)Here is the backyard. Coach LOVES having a backyard after being in an apartment. It is large and shaded. Only down side is that I share it with my neighbor.
Well, welcome to my humble abode. It is old and it has some issues but it is mine. I am on my own and can afford to live by myself which feels like a major accomplishment after this past year. I finally have a space of my own, a peace of mind and feel like things are coming together.

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