I'm Thankful For: My House and the Things That Make it a Home

Warning: this is a very long post.

But don't worry, it's almost all pictures.

I have been thinking about the things I am most thankful for, and my house is high in the list. It isn't a big house, or a fancy house, or even a finished house, but it is our house. Our first house. And since this blog is above all a record of the days of this family, I thought I'd give a little tour of the things that make this house our home.

Come on in.

I love that the first thing you see when you walk in our door is our Hang It All. It tells you we love bright colors, we don't take our house too seriously and we're big fans of mid-century modern design. It's a place to hang your hat, and it's art.

After living with a tiny living room for 8 years, it is amazing to have room to spread out in our living room. I love our big window, our vintage orange chairs and yes, I love that very turquoise Grandma lamp. We found it at a garage sale and it was love at first site. Many people do not feel the same way.

I wonder what the kids will think when they grow up. Will they remember it with fondness, or incredulity?

I also love the way the morning light streams into our living room. It is such a warm, bright place to be. And that coffee table. I've never had a coffee table before. (again that space issue) It is a wonderful place to put out a constantly revolving selection of books, blocks and puzzles to play with. It gets a lot of use.

And aren't the shape of those legs just beautiful?

I love that we have a large painting of a trailer in our living room. Every time I look at it I think of Aaron. It makes me smile.

So does that credenza. It is also an Aaron. He designed every bit of it, from the hairpin legs to the color palette. It is a great place to hide a tv.

And, of course, I love this wall unit. We now have a growing collection of old furniture whose previous life was across the Atlantic, in Holland. I think that's cool.

Our bathroom before.

Our bathroom now. Oh I am so thankful for these changes.

And the floor..isn't the color amazing? Can you tell we have a thing for turquoise?

I love my old stove. It has towel racks on the side. And when you put up the cover, it becomes a pie rack. A pie rack!!

You know I love my red floor. Linoleum. Yeah, we're old school.

Our kitchen when we first moved in. As much as I might grumble about a kitchen that is not done, I am thankful for fresh, white paint and a new floor. Imagine how great it will look in there when we get rid of that back splash and replace those counters.

We have a dining room. That was on our list. A room set aside for dining. It is a truly wonderful thing to have. I know. I carried a fold up table into my living room 3 times a day for years. That was after I spread an oilcloth mat on the carpet in an attempt to keep it clean. Before that, we just sat on the floor and held our plates in our laps.

Oh a dining room. Such luxury.

And do you see our oranges? They're growing right outside the window.

I love the art that hangs on our walls. There is Aaron's art, of course. The Trailer, Bialetti, and another favorite, The Letter F. We have our collection of old sign photographs. Favorite cards we've framed, or simply tacked up. Then there's this printer's tray from an old letterpress. It makes a great shelf for all our little treasures.

I love our light fixtures. We have an eclectic mixture. The simple globes we got for a song at IKEA. Aaron was against them but I held strong. He liked them as soon as they were up.

It's nice to be right sometimes.

And the chandelier in the kids' room that I cleaned and repainted. I love it.

Lilly's side of the room: her flags, her art, her birds, her orange and pink bedding.

It makes me so happy.

And oh, oh, oh oh, our office. Here you can see some before pictures. But just look at it now! I am in love with this room.

And now, outside.

The turquoise picnic table. It is so cheerful.

The back porch is one of my favorite places. It is like an extension of our living room and it is used for all sorts of play all day long.

Our back yard is far from the picture perfect outdoor space I dream of. In fact, some of it is a downright eyesore. But I am thankful that it is big enough for forts, for slip and slides and a mud hole.

Oh yes, that mud hole that is so, so enjoyed by everyone. (Well, except the Mommy who is always cleaning up after it)

We've lived here for 6 months now. We're settling in. The boys still remember our old house. And our old. old house. But this is home now. They like it here. Memories are being made. Our house is not just a place to lay sown our heads at night. It is a warm, safe, happy place we are glad to come back to.

It is home.

And isn't that so much to be thankful for?

"O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good and His love endures forever."

Psalm 118:1