homestead // settling in

we have officially moved in!  what a whirlwind this whole process has been.  looking back it all such a blur.  a swirl of chaos, really.  but now that we are getting settled into what will be our forever home we feel nothing but swelling tides of gratitude and joy.  we are here.  we are planting our seeds and starting to make memories.  things may not be in their rightful place but our hearts are and that's all that matters.

the only room that is currently unpacked and arranged is our beautiful kitchen so we are spending most our day there.  soon enough i will post more photos of this lovely space but for now, a babe munching on veggie puffs while we made coffee at our coffee bar will just have to do.  we also have a lovely cobblestone patio to enjoy as well and a front yard to boot.  so i suppose we haven't been left to pace about the kitchen entirely.  our outdoor space is a true gift and we have used it every day since moving in.  luckily, the weather has blessed us with reasonably low humidity and little bursts of sunshine as to make it comfortable as we wait for paint to dry.  

this place, our home, is magic and we felt it once we stepped inside a few months back.  once putting on offer on the house we started dreaming big dreams and remodeling here and there in our heads.  this home doesn't need much but a few little details will go a long way.  in keeping with the darling 1920's style of this home we are keeping it simple and letting all the charm speak for itself.  currently, every inch of this home is getting either a few coats of bright white paint or a color called "ski slope" which is an icey grayish white.  everything, doors and all, have gotten a good scrubbin' too.  what a difference clean, spider-web free windows make!  my goodness.  we have more plans for later on down the road to renovate parts of this beautiful home of ours but for now everything, and i do mean everything, is getting a fresh coat of paint to freshen it up and make it our own.  trims and baseboards and doors included.  you should see it now.  such an incredible difference bright white paint makes in an almost hundred year old home.

to my surprise, andrew has enjoyed doing little chores here and there like sweeping the patio, cutting our lawn, and the like.  i've found just like when we lived in our condo, great pride comes from doing menial tasks such as these because they are done in our home.  boy, it feels good to say that.  our home.  our backyard is now trim and neat and quite the sweet oasis if i do say so myself all thanks to andrew.  as a little gift we got ourselves a beirgarten table for our wedding anniversary (we are going on five years this july eleventh!) and it has already been used for breakfast, lunch, and supper.  what a good purchase that was!  it reminds us of the time we backpacked in europe, making our way from biergarten table to biergarten table in munich.  we vowed to bring bits of europe home with us and we are doing just that.

in between the brightening and whitening of the interior of our home we hosted a little fourth of july gathering on our patio yesterday.  we lit our charcoal grill and made steak tacos and corn over the open flame.  we sipped beers with lime and ended our meal with a strawberry lemon ricotta pie topped with wild blueberries.  for a bit of fun we played bochee ball under a simple string of lights and finished the evening watching the sand lot all huddled around the screen as the surrounding neighbors lit fireworks overhead.  it was a perfect little first celebration to host in our new home.  at one point i looked out at my family gathered around and saw nothing but smiles.  this is what it is all about.  i wish i could bottle up that happiness and hold it for moments when the sun isn't shining.

in a few days time our walls will be dry and we will get to setting up the rest of our nest.  together will hunker down really make our house a home putting things here and there and probably arranging for the next year or so until it feels just right.  for now, in this moment, both of us are pretty eager to curl up on our blue velvet couch and watch a movie after the kids go to bed.  maybe sip a good glass of red wine and munch on some chips.  those little things we love are waiting...but in the mean time, we will be thanking god for making all of this possible for us.  we are home.  home.  and it feels better than i thought it would.