our house

  • our house

    the ultimate fort, phase one.

    When David told me he was taking Wednesday through Friday off work, I was skeptical, “Do you really think you’ll be able to take three whole days off?” I wasn’t worried that our church wouldn’t let him — I was worried he would go crazy. But to David’s credit, he really did take three days off — because he planned a huge project for himself: the Ultimate Back Yard Fort. I had to laugh because when I called David’s mom to chat the day after Christmas, she texted back: “I can’t talk, Steve has us pulling everything out of our kitchen cabinets so he can paint them over the break.”…

  • our house,  the kids

    this week.

    We had our 12th week of Classical Conversations on Monday, which wraps up our semester. Now we have a nice long break to do some review work and keep plugging away at math and reading before starting back up with our co-op at the beginning of January. The kids were very disappointed to learn we aren’t “going to school” tomorrow which makes me happy. We had a fire pit mid week when the temps dropped. Can I just say how much we’re enjoying our house (wait, I’ve said that about a dozen times already, I know)? It’s cozy and snug and it feels like home, even after just four months.…

  • our house

    house progress.

    We’ve been homeowners for four months now and since our house is very clean this week I think it’s time for an updated photo tour. Without further ado, I give you our living room progress: In the beginning:   First month:   Today: We haven’t made any big changes to the living room, just filled out the space a little more. The first time we saw this house I wasn’t sure what we’d do with such a long living room (in the original house the space where we have our bookcases was the dining area), but now I love it. That extra nook is almost always filled with legos or…

  • columbia,  our house

    a year ago.

    A year ago, just as the South Carolina mornings turned crisp and the trees were tinged with flaming orange, we signed a lease and moved into a house in downtown Columbia. We brought with us a mound of suitcases and a few storage bins pulled from the recesses of my parents’ and brother’s attic. Oh and books. Lots and lots of books. Our furniture and bedding and dishes were somewhere in the ocean on their way from Asia so we pieced together a mish-mash of borrowed, hand-me-down, and Ikea pieces those first two months. The house felt a little barren with its rug-less floors, its futon/sofa and Tupperware bin-end tables. The…

  • our house,  school

    school room.

    One of the most heart-breaking things about leaving South Asia was giving up our beloved Richmond Town flat, and with that, our homeschooling room. After the decision to homeschool, we moved David’s office into our bedroom, and I worked for weeks picking out a school table and curtains and a reading corner, setting everything up for the kids and me to have an inspiring place to learn. And then, just when it was perfect, three weeks into our school year, everything unraveled. I wasn’t able to get out of bed most days to homeschool Judah and Amie. I had to quit my Hindi studies. And that’s when we knew something…

  • our house

    the back yard.

    I apologize if you are on Facebook or Instagram and have been subjected to photos of David’s poison oak. It’s been a long, itchy week for him, but after 24 hours of steroids it’s stopped spreading and he’s finally getting some relief (and we’ve learned that he should seek medical help at the first sign next time). This is the difference between my husband and me: I went out yesterday and got information on a landscaping company that will come clear out our yard. David on the other hand decides that since he’s going to be on steroids for the next 12 days, now is the perfect time to do…