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 other toy creations: it’s so nice that the room is big enough for the kids to have a play area, but we can keep the seating uncluttered.

We’re being very cautious about hanging anything on the walls, trying to take our time and make sure we know what we want. Sometimes it feels hard to wait but we’ve changed our minds so many times already that it makes sense. I found that big painting at a yard sale, not sure where it will end up, but I like it by the front door for now.

After several years we became a normal American family and got a TV: Happy birthday, David (just in time for college football season of course). My favorite addition to the room is that second pine bookcase but I was also very happy to switch out our loved-but-dust-filled India rug for a cleaner version (that was, ironically, made in India).

And the kitchen/dining room . . .

In the beginning:

First month:

Today:

Our former dining room set was very bulky without providing a lot of seating, so we sold it on Craigslist before we moved and replaced it with this set. We’ve been able to easily fit ten people around the table yet it’s still a good size for our small-ish dining room (and to be perfectly honest, even with that great homeschooling room, most of our school day happens right here).

The biggest change to the dining room and kitchen is organization. The day we got another bookcase for the living room and I was able take all of those books out of the hutch was a happy day. However in case you haven’t noticed I must have books in every room of the house, so I used the space at the bottom of the shelf for the kids’ books. It makes my heart happy to see one of them plopped on the floor absorbed in a book as I cook dinner.

And finally, the back porch . . .

In the beginning:

First month:

Today:

The screened back porch was one of the selling points of the house for us. It’s a work in progress: I want to get some potted plants out there and we’re having a friend wire the electrical so we can have lighting — twinkle lights on the ceiling, perhaps? We tried to hang a ceiling fan but the tin roof is way too low. Thankfully these October days have been so beautiful we haven’t needed a fan at all. David and I painted that dresser back before we moved and I love the pop of color. The porch is my favorite spot to take a book and afternoon cup of tea.

Thank you for being excited about the house with us. It means so much. We love our house. Of course my mind is usually spinning with new ideas of projects I want to do, but I also love it right now, just the way it is. I’m so, so grateful to God for giving us a home we want to spend time in and making memories in. I’m grateful to be enjoying our first fall as homeowners. It’s just the right fit.