anniversary | This Old Colonial Home

Today marks one year since Jamie, Luca and I moved into our very first house. On June 8, 2013, we said goodbye to renting and hello to home ownership! It’s been a year full of hard work, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. In the past year we have managed to:

Rip up the cranberry carpeting on the first floor

Refinish the hardwood floors hiding underneath said cranberry carpets

Install a stair runner

Replace the switch plates and outlet covers throughout the entire house

Install a smart thermostat

Paint the living room, family room, dining room, first and second floor hallways, upstairs bathroom, and master bedroom (including a stencil wall)

Replace the light fixtures in the dining room and entryway

Create a gallery wall in the living room

Add decor – artwork, pictures, curtains, etc.

Make a mirror out of a window pane

Refinish a dresser into our new TV stand

Build a coffee table for the living room

Freshen up the front flower beds – ripping out dead bushes and adding mulch

And of course we’re not done — there are always more projects on the list. But the sense of pride in owning your own home makes it all worth it! So please join us for our second year in this old colonial home to see what we’ll be up to next!

My husband and I recently celebrated our 3rd anniversary, and I wanted to share the gift that he got me. It’s a simple throw pillow, but it holds a lot of meaning.

Home means something different to every person. For Jamie and me it’s always meant a state of comfort. Our physical home may have only just been established this year, but we have always felt at home just being together. Our first dance at our wedding was to Duncan Sheik’s “Home.” One of the lyrics says “When I’m with you it feels like I’m home.” And it’s so true. While we are working on making our house a home, together we already are one.

I recently came across this artwork on Etsy.

I found it beyond appropriate for us. I’m adding it to my list of projects in hopes that someday soon I’ll make it. I believe a home doesn’t have to be 4 walls and a roof, it can simply be a feeling. What does home mean for you?