Rediscover your home.

a good home must be made, not bought.
-joyce maynard

when you think back to the first time you walked through your home, do you remember your initial reaction? was it excitement, anxiety, anticipation, fear? did you have big dreams for it, or was it possibly just a temporary thing? now that you are moved in, and possibly have years of this home under your belt – are you in love with it? does it feel like home?

i think back to my initial reaction of our home. at the time it was my then-boyfriend, now-husband’s home. you see, we have been lucky enough to rent the exact house my husband grew up in. so, my first thoughts were, oh okay so this is where he lives. never did i think that five years later i would be moving in. another five years have passed, we have worked to make this our own. we have brought both of our babies home to this house, we have said goodbye to our precious pug here. we have made memories and shared many laughs and many tears. friends have visited, parties have been thrown, many (oh so many) coats of paint have been put on the walls. our lives started here, and in just four weeks we will be closing the doors behind us one last time.

for me, it was a tricky situation. i had a difficult time making this home ours, after so long had been theirs. i struggled with many aspects, but so badly i wanted a place that reflected us. thus, began my journey of self discovery with our home. i attempted many color palettes, re-arranged this, purged that. i burned yummy candles and hung big black & whites of our family. i let the dogs run free and made sure to have plenty of yummy throws around for the kids to cuddle up with. with time, it evolved into a place that felt more like us.

soon we will be downsizing quite a bit, and moving our little family into an entirely different situation. are we looking forward to this? yes, in a way. it is bittersweet. i must remind myself however, that a home is not made in an instant. it is not made by having all the latest from pottery barn, or keeping a spotless floor. it will take time for this new place to feel like home for us, but again, my goal is to do so.

a little something i have been doing, ever so slowly, is to document this home of ours through my photography. every nook and cranny has a moment tagged onto it. from the baby gate that produced sweat and tears during installation, to the bathroom in which i discovered we would become parents. i want to remember.

i would urge you in the coming days to step back, and with fresh eyes take a gander at your home. putting away the goggles that nag at you with “this needs to be fixed” or “that is a mess”. look deeper. what do you absolutely love about this nest of yours? what are you passionate about? what can you really enhance?

it is so easy to get caught up in the what ifs and if onlys. it is even easier to look at your neighbor’s home and feel envious of this or that. don’t ever allow this feeling to consume you. instead run your fingers along the chair rail, lay tummy down on your carpet, hop up onto the kitchen counter and feel the chill of it on your legs. appreciate these small things, find the joy in the memories that they hold.

i am curious as to what you love about your home? did you take my challenge and if so, what did you discover with your new eyes? can’t wait to hear!