We're moving!

[From Instagram: our first home improvement project -- putting this beautiful wood door back on its hinges!]
So I previously alluded to our exciting past weekend... exciting because we got possession of our new house!! I haven't written about our living situation over the past year, since I spoke of our plans to move in June 2012. To make a very long and complicated story short, the house that we had originally planned to move to did not work out, which was a real blow. So we've been living with my parents since our move from Indiana, with the exception of two months spent house-sitting for a friend this summer.

My parents are wonderful, godly people and they are blessed to live in a spacious house, so there was plenty of room for all of us and not once did they ever make us feel unwelcome. However, it's still been an extremely difficult trial to not have a home of our own for our little family, and my emotions have run the gamut from anger, depression, helplessness, and impatience. God has been teaching me many things through this time, not the least of which is opening my eyes to my own sin. I realized that so much of my desire to have my own home is based on pride and wanting others to think well of me. But I should not be ashamed of our home (or lack thereof), because this is what my Father in heaven has given to us. I hope that this experience has made me more content and more humble.

Still, I'd be lying if I said I'm not thrilled to be moving to our own home soon! And I am very thankful that God has given us so many good things in this new house. For one thing, there is much more space than I ever thought we would get in a home. Edmund and Lavinia will each have their own bedroom, and the new baby will eventually end up sharing with one of them, depending on if it's a "he" or "she." :) We'll even be able to have a guest bedroom! (I have longed to offer more hospitality to people than just a couch to sleep on, or a blow-up air mattress on the living room floor.) We'll have room for a nice, big dining room table to have lots of company over (we previously made do by adding on to our two-person dining table by bringing out extra card tables). There is nothing wrong with sleeping on a couch or dining on a card table... I do believe hospitality is about the generosity of your heart rather than the grandeur of what you can offer. But I'm still glad to have more space. :) Oh, and did I mention how HUGE the bedroom closets are?

Another blessing to me is that it is an older home, built in 1910, with lots of beautiful Arts and Crafts wood trim and built-in furniture. Most of the woodwork is in its original state and has only been painted in two of the bedrooms, the main floor bathroom, and the kitchen. The house has suffered some odd decorating choices over the years, but I could tell it had "good bones" underneath. We've been scraping off some painted-over wallpaper, re-painting rooms to colors that suit our tastes, and will be removing the vivid shag carpet in the bedrooms (thankfully, there are beautiful hardwood floors underneath!). One thing I really get a lot of pleasure from is taking something old, ugly, and worn-out, and then cleaning, polishing, and freshening until it looks beautiful again. I'm looking forward to slowly getting the house in shape and making a pleasant home for my family.

Can't wait to share some "homemaking" projects and updates with you!