Homesteading

I may be off a little (I’m not getting any younger), but think today is our move in anniversary. 8 years we’ve been here, and in some ways, I feel every single day, and in others, it seems like we’ve only been here moments. Buying a house is a serious adult move, and after months and months of hunting (at least 200 properties), we held the keys in our hands and realized we had no idea what we were doing.

It’s been a trial by fire. The previous owners were pretty lazy, I must say. They neglected the heater so thoroughly that when the first cold snap hit and inside temperature was colder than the outside temperature, we discovered rusted out pinholes throughout the entire system. Forewarning to new homeowners, the warranty wouldn’t cover it. As winter became spring, we found that we lived on a plot of weeds. It wasn’t until later that our next door neighbor mentioned that no one had really done anything with the lawn in years. We’re still fighting that one.

The best thing we could have done and did was add the second living area – oh, let’s call a spade a spade, the playroom. We’d all be on top of each other without it. I’ll be honest; I’m looking forward to the day it becomes more of a computer room and multifunctional space instead of a shed for toys and wayward crayons, but I know that day will come, probably sooner than I can imagine. The worst thing was the carpet. Never replace your carpet while your kids are young. It will look older than what you replaced within minutes.

And now we’re in the midst of the great bathroom redo. It’s been an uphill battle, and we’re not at the top yet, but we’re moving forward little by little. There is no way at all it will be even half done by the time the in-laws descend for 2^nd Thanksgiving in 2 weeks, but they’ll understand (hey, my brother-in-law and nephew-in-law built the playroom, so they know something about construction progress). Maybe by Christmas (crossing my candy canes).

Even though it frustrates the heck outta me a lot of the time, I love this house. It’s the first house I’ve ever bought, the house that is the only home my kids have ever known. Oftentimes, it’s too small for 4 crazy people, and oftentimes, it’s too big (when I have to clean it), but most of the time, it’s just right.