Today we bought a home. Today we bought a home. I had to put it down there twice to make sure you knew I wasn't joking. Today we bought a home. The only thing I can say is that the Lord is unbelievably good and gracious to us. If you would have told me a couple of months ago that we would be home owners today I probably would have laughed in your face. But that's how the Lord likes to work. He is most definitely always in control. And not only were we able to buy a home for our family, we were honest to goodness able to buy our dream home! Seriously, y'all, I am still in shock. So here she is...
Our beautiful 1945, corner lot, perfect neighborhood, dream home with a curved path to the front door (which I will be painting red very shortly... Right after I remove the hideous fake shutters... What is up with the fake shutters in this town, folks?)
And these are some of the reasons that this house is my dream home...
The front of the house faces south. This means we receive even light throughout the day in our living spaces and a front door that will not be too hot to touch at 5:00 when Jonathan gets home.
The bedrooms are all on the east side of the house. This means that the sun will shine in our rooms early. I know some of you may disagree with this being a plus, but I am an early riser. I love to wake up to a sun drenched room and feel ready to get going. I also love being able to put my kids to sleep on the darker side of the house at bed time in the summer.
The kitchen and dining room are on the west side. I don't know why I love a kitchen on the west side. Sun = hot and kitchens = hot and sunny kitchens = hot hot. It makes no sense. I like to look out the widow while doing dishes and see the orangy color of an evening sky. This is great for maybe one window, but a house with many west facing windows could be stifling. Our west facing windows (other than the one above the kitchen sink) already have fabulous black and white striped metal awnings to block the sun. So I am in love with our west facing window filled rooms as well.
Great mature tree placement. Our house has two large shade trees. One is in front and one is in back. Both are set away from the house but are large enough to provide good shade. Our third tree is a bit of a problem tree as it is very close to the house and very large. However, it is in relatively good health (I've had five arborists come look) and provides fabulous shade over the roof which is a major plus for any homeowner in northwest Louisiana who would like to cool a house in the summer. We also have two huge pines that will probably be a source of grief during raking season, but I kind of feel like a house is not a home without a good line tree. It's just the way I was raised.
Windows placement. What good will a well situated home do you if you have no windows to let in the light? None. That's the answer. Our house has absolutely fantastic windows. Sure, we will be wearing sweats and slippers in the winter, but some things are just worth it. Good natural lighting is just worth it to me. Every room in our house has at least two huge windows. Both kids rooms have true corner windows. And the house has so many jogs and recesses that you can even see into some rooms from other rooms! My favorite example of this is how you can see from the sun room (yes, I said sun room) to graces room. It's great! Also, a mother can never underestimate the necessity of a window low enough for a toddler to see out of. Put this window on the corner of a house in a very family friendly walkable neighborhood and you've got yourself hours upon hours of non tv entertainment right there. My house has two of these windows.
Well layer out living spaces. We have three living areas. Three! Three, I tell you! I would have been rejoicing over one, but three! We have a formal living room, large sunroom and (knotty pine) den. I love each room for obvious reasons. The living room is open and airy and has a (closed in) fire place complete with a glossy white mantle! If you know me then you know this has been on my wish list for a while. The sunroom is on the corner of the house and is just wonderful! I think I may spend most of my time there! The den is a den if there ever was one. It's off the kitchen in the back of the his. Even though it has five windows it still feels den-ish due to the knotty pine. And I guess this I where I admit that deep down I do love a small and well placed amount of high quality mid century knotty pine in a house. Once again, it's just how I came up. This house does not disappoint in it's knotty pine use. One room is just enough.
Ample closet space. Sometimes older homes are known for having no closet space. This is not the case in our spacious abode. We've got a whole hall of closets! Yes! Four huge closets lining the bedroom hall! And in each bedroom because the ceilings are so high there is an extra short but deep closet above the regular closet. And let's not forget the entire floored attic for all those christmas decorations I'm going to be putting out when the time comes.
Cause this house is a great Christmas house... Which is really actually very important, you know. When you walk in and the first thing you think is "oh, that's the perfect place for a Christmas tree and it won't even require me to move all of my other furniture around" you know you've got a good Christmas house. Other plusses for a good Christmas house: a good separation between bedroom space and tree area. We have a 12 paneled glass door closing off the hallway to the bedrooms. A good barrier with just enough transparency to really get your heart thumping. It's also important to have Colors that are easily incorporated into decorations. White house... Check! Red front door... Check! Green stoop and ironwork... Check! A sunroom of windows to hang wreaths on... Check! A white mantle to decorate... Check! Things are going to be festive in a few months. I've got to make up for having ALL of our Christmas decorations in storage this past year.
On to more positives...
A good good yard. We have a great yard (in my opinion)! It's very flat, can be mowed in under and hour (I think), has every sun/shade combination for planting every kind of plant you could ever want. It has a natural spot for a future deck, a paved area inside the (near future) fence for ride on toys and chalking and basketball. Also although the backyard is not too big it will easily fit a swingset and still lead room for throwing a ball.
Good location. This house is on a great street in a great neighborhood. We are an easy 1 mile walk to jonathans parents house. We are a half mile from Betty Virginia park. We already know at least five other couples with young kids who live within a couple of blocks. There are sidewalks and curb cuts on both sides of the street. We are an easy drive from shops and restaurants and grocery stores. Most houses in this neighborhood are WAY out of our league. Like, Way out. The lord really is amazing. We do not deserve this blessing!
And last but not least quality construction. The house just feels solid... feels well taken care of, you know? We have hardwood floors throughout. The tile and grout in the bathrooms is in great shape. Each door (except 1) has the original glass knob hardware. I've had the whole place inspected about as much as anybody could. Every electrician/plumber/contractor/inspector who comes in says the same thing. They can't believe how good everything looks! There are a few things we are going to upgrade but over all the systems look great.
Now, there are some less than perfect areas to our house (notice I did not mention the kitchen much in the above ranting), but it is totally liveable and I think the thing that I love most about it is that it oozes potential. I think this is what saved it for us and got it to our price range. Where many people have difficulty walking into a space and seeing the re-finished end product, I have a hard time seeing things as they are. I just see the potential and end product. That, along with my love for knotty pine, glass knobs, windows and crown moulding made me never one time second guess the value of this house.
The Lord has blessed us with not only a house, but our dream home. We are overwhelmed by His provision and blessing and timing and we are giving Him all the praise and glory and honor for his work! The last people who lived in the house bought it in 1960. They lived in it for fifty years. I hope we will be so blessed and take such good care of this home. And our prayer is that we would not be too comfortable in our home but that we would use it to do the work of the Lord to further His kingdom! I pray I will never take this blessing for granted and I also pray that my joy would not be found in earthly possessions but in the heavenly. A house is a wonderful thing, but it is just a thing. In the end it's what is done in the home that matters. May our live in our house be pleasing to the Lord!
