transforming a house into a home (intro)

The words house and home may have the same definition (a building for human habitation, especially one that is lived in by a family), the two words mean very different things to me.

I have lived in a lot of houses.

Growing up we moved a lot. I lived in ten houses before ever moving out from my parents. Then I lived in eight different houses with boyfriends, other family, friends, etc. before finally getting one apartment of my very own. This was followed by the first house I owned with my now husband, a hiatus with my in laws while in between closings, and the house we currently live in.

If you kept track, I have lived in twenty-two different houses in twenty-eight years of life.
That seems outrageous when I say it out loud.

Once I dated this guy, he turned twenty-five while we were dating and in those twenty-five years.. he had only ever lived in one place. The house he was brought home from the hospital to is the same house he lived in his entire life.

I always envied that.

They had so many memories in that house, so many different spaces where different things had happened that made an impact in their lives.

I wanted that.

We brought Camden home to our first home together in Delaware. I thought it would be our home forever. I wanted him to live in one place forever.

But almost a year and a half into living there, we realized that it was not going to be our forever home. After constant battles with our neighbors, it was discovered that 1/4 of an acre is not nearly enough land to keep yourself and your neighbors happy. At least not when your neighbors are two elderly, retired, nosy women.

When we decided we could no longer live in this house, we made a list of the things we wanted in a house and started to look. We discussed building, looked at many different locations – staying close to my family, going closer to his family, finding a half way point, etc.

Eventually we realized that everything we were looking for in a house, Michael already owned. You see, Michael bought a house just four months before we met and lived in it for a short time before a separation and divorce put him in an apartment right above mine. Once it was all said and done, the house remained his but we were renting it out.
After a short time of searching (with no success) for the perfect house, it dawned on me that this house that Michael was already in possession of checked all the boxes.

I will be the first to admit that I NEVER, EVER thought I would want to live in a house that he technically had bought with his ex wife. But once I put my big girl pants on I realized that it is a house. A house they jointly owned for four months before separating, a year before divorcing, it was hardly ever “theirs”.

It is an amazing house, but it took me two years together to realize that this house was perfect for our family. Along with checking all the boxes, it was close to Michaels family who were very helpful with Camden.

We already owned it, so there was no buying process to go through. Huge plus.
The day that Camden turned nine months, we moved out of that house and into my in laws. Our tenants weren’t moving out until Jan 1st and in order to sell our house, we had to be out by Dec 17th leaving us with a period of time that we were essentially homeless.

We have now been in this house for going on two years.

I have NEVER once regretted the decision to move here. It was a little odd at first, feeling like I moved into a house Michael shared with someone else. But with no kids, no holidays, four months in this space, and the hours that he works – I know there couldn’t have been many memories made.

For us two years in this home has included watching our baby boy grow into a little boy, bringing our baby girl home, our dog enjoying three acres worth of land, many days outside playing, lots of bonfires, holiday after holiday, new traditions, etc.
These are the things that make a house a home.

Well, THAT and furniture, curtains, pictures, decorative touches, etc.

Because I feel that our house is finally complete, finally made into a home, I would like to begin sharing our space with you.

Each week on Tuesday, I will share a before and after of different spaces in our house.
Going room by room to show the transformation that our house has taken to become a home.

I will try to link as much as possible, or at least let you know what store some of the items may have come from in case you are interested in grabbing them for yourself.
Let me know what space you would like to see first.

xoxo K