Making Someone Else's House Your Home

That's what your doing when you buy a house from someone isn't it?  Your making what was someone else's home your own.  It takes time and it takes a while before your new place starts to really feel like home.  Or at least that's always been my experience.  I'm just now after over 2 years in this house starting feel like this is "our home".

I think it's easy as a design enthusiastic diy'er to look around your home and see all those things you still want to do.  It's not that you don't appreciate what you have; but because of the love of "making it home" you can't help but notice the "unfinished" spaces.

I didn't start this blog until after we had already moved in and had been living in the house for a few months.  One of the things that I've always regretted is that I didn't take any pictures on move-in day.

Imagine how surprised I was when I decided to look up real estate listings in our area (I do this every now and again just to see what's on the market) and stumbled across the online listing of our house complete with a virtual home tour!  The listing shows that the house has been sold, but I guess it stays active for awhile?  I guess once something is on the Internet it stays out there forever - kinda scary for a blogger huh?

Anyhow, take a look at what our family room looked like when we toured this house.

Here's what the room looks like now.



This room is close to being done - or as done as it gets around here.  I'm amazed at how much progress we've made in the "making it our own" department.  One of the biggest changes to this room was whitewashing the brick fireplace.  That one change made a world of difference and brought in so much light to this room.

We refreshed the wall color, painted the fireplace wall a different color, had the carpet replaced with bamboo floors,  stenciled some drop cloths for curtain panels, and had new doors installed and painted black.  

While I still have a few things left on my to-do list, it feels good to look back and appreciate all that has been done.  

Just for fun, here's what the dining room looked like. 

And here's what it looks like now. 

Except I added stripes to the lamp shades.......

                     

and got a new rug.  You can get a full run-down on all the projects completed in this room here. 

It's good to do, but it's also good to sit back and appreciate.  My mom quoted scripture a lot when I was child, and she always liked to remind me (when I would complain about house chores and homework) of Ecclesiastes 3:1 - There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.  This is our last weekend of summer.  School starts on Wednesday.  The unfinished projects can wait.  This is the time to celebrate, live it up, soak up the last few lazy summer days, and enjoy what has already been done! 

Have a great weekend.  I'll be back Monday! 

*Linking up at Thrifty Decor Chick