Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Home....

I haven't mentioned much about it, but we've been doing a lot of home improvement this summer. You may have heard me say that our house is close to 100 years old. It was a bit of a fixer when we bought it, but it had good bones (still does). To say that the house needed updating is an understatement. Avocado green, Goldenrod and Rustic Orange were the colors of choice throughout most of the downstairs, with the exception of the Pepto-Bismol pink bathroom. The carpet was green shag. Every single room in the house had carpet (including the bathrooms). Can I get an "ewwwww?"

There have been so many times these past four years when I have griped and complained about this house. But the truth is, I love it. I have grown to love it. It is really perfect for us and our family. Not too big, not too small. Yes, it's tight in places. But I've learned that more space isn't necessarily better. (Remember the beautiful house we lived in for a week while our friends were on vacation? Yeah. Goregous. But waaaaay to big for our family.)

And the Lord has been so faithful to teach us much as we've lived in a less-than-perfect house. We've learned contentment. We've grown to absolutely love and cherish our neighbors. We have taken pride in each and every improvement we've made, because we've been the ones doing the work. Correction: Most of it has been done by my willing and hard-working hubby.

Granted, it's not perfect. We're amateurs in training. There is still so much to be done. The rest of the house still needs to be painted. The trim needs to be scraped, sanded, primed, and painted. The storm windows need attention. There's landscaping....OY...the landscaping is a big task, and there's still so much more to do.

And yet, it's home.

It's where we work and breathe and live.

It's where we learn and love and cry.

It's where we say we're sorry, kiss each other's ouchies and hug.

It's where we snuggle up, play games and smile.

It's where we pray, read, and grow.

It's home.

And I'm so very, very thankful for it and every person in it.

9 comments:

Jessica said...

What a great house!!! We bought an older home, too, and you're right... while it is really tight and I feel like we're on top of each other all the time, I love our yard and all the memories that we've already made here!

Jody said...

What a sweet house and sweet post.

Glass Half Full said...

I've never seen a pic of your house. SOOO CUTE! You've done a great job with it.

Lori

PS I loved catching up today!

Kari Lynn said...

What a great post!

Barbie @ Mamaology said...

It looks so cozy and inviting. Older homes have such character.... I love that about them!

You've done a great job so far:).

The Kempiak Party of Five said...

You're house looks like it has so much character, so inviting and full of love. I love it!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful post and beautiful house!

Tonya said...

Hey Happi!
That is so sweet and so true about contentment. This next week we have VBS at our church and I'm helping with it. But the following week I believe should be open except for Monday and Friday as of now but that could change! What does that week look like for you?

Anonymous said...

The house looks great! I know it's been a long old process, but that it's also so rewarding.

Can't wait to see you guys!