Home Sweet Home

Whoohoo! On December 1, our family celebrated our 1-year anniversary in our new house:



Christmas Day 2010

I love our house. I love the open layout, high ceilings, and natural light. I'm thankful for our garage, especially on cold and rainy days. I love that we have extra bedrooms for family and friends who visit. I love that we have more storage than we use, which makes it easier to stay organized and keep clutter away.

I also love our new church, which is less than 10 minutes away. Tal really enjoys playing the drums and singing in the choir every Sunday.

Most importantly, I love our neighborhood. I love the miles and miles of sidewalks and walking trails, as well as the lovely homes and views of the golf course. I'm also glad that Savannah will attend one of the 3 elementary schools in our neighborhood.

Over the last year, we've made a few small improvements to our house.

1. Last December, Tal and I painted every wall (minus the closets) in our 3,200 square foot house. It took us 8 days to paint 11 rooms plus the entryway, stairway, and hallway. However, our house definitely felt more like home after we painted over the wallpaper and murals, patched up the countless nail holes, and gave everything a fresh coat of paint. 

2. Our new washer and dryer arrived 3 weeks after we moved in: 



3. In January, Tal and our friend Craig installed 6 ceiling fans, which gave us some overhead lighting, as well as lowered our energy bills year-round: 

4. In February, we purchased a dining table and 8 chairs. We finally have enough seating when family and friends visit!

5. In August, I created a picture wall that included Savannah's artwork, as well as pictures from our wedding and Savannah's first year: 

Although Tal and I tackled a few small projects in 2011, we invested most of our time, energy, and finances into our family and educational pursuits this year. 

However, Tal and I have big dreams for our house. New carpet, fixtures, and hardware. Curtains. Rugs. More picture walls. Cabinets in the garage. A big screen TV in the bonus room.

Lord willing, Tal and I plan to live in this house for the next 20-30 years and raise Savannah here. We remind ourselves that we have a lifetime to transform our house into a home.