5 years ago today we moved into our house. That was a good day. It was exciting to put things away and know that they'd stay there forever.
These pictures are from the housewarming in January. In those first two months I made lots and lots of curtains. Last week I took them down and washed them. It may have been the first time I took them down. They were very dirty. It took FOREVER to iron them all, so it may well be another 5 years before I get up the gumption to do it again.
Here's the living room now. I knew the furniture was faded and crumpled, but boy! you can really tell when you put the two together like that.
And here you can see the two little schefflera that Mom air-layered for me from Grandma Madge's plants. I knew that they grew...but I didn't remember that they started out this small. 
I feel pretty good about all that we've accomplished in the first five years. We have grass (though still weedy) and a shelter belt (started) and some shade trees planted (if they survive). We've painted our bedroom, both bathrooms, Anna's room, and the hallway. We painted the mudroom and put down flooring, and we built a whole room in the basement.
In thinking about all of this (and to pass the time as I ironed and ironed those silly curtains) I started to wonder what other things I ought to be doing in the house. Before this, I only lived in apartments, and moved out in fewer than five years, so the whole thing got a good cleaning then.
What all are you supposed to do when you stay in a place forever? Any help from the grown-ups out there?
6 comments:
I remember that day. :)
I had to dust the numbers on our house!
I can't believe how big those plants got! Gracious. I can't believe you've been there 5 years already.
Wow, a forever house - what a unique thing in our age! All that you've done looks great, and I think the house you choose in the first place is great, too - that wall of windows and the stone fireplace and the big open kitchen! Sometimes I try to think if I could imagine living here forever, but there are a couple of things about it that I just don't think I could live with for the next 40 or 50 years.
We're coming to town tomorrow through Sun. Will you be around?
Only thing I can think of is taking everything out of your cabinets in the kitchen and cleaning them out then putting everything back in. We just moved out of our apartment, and I was surprised how dirty our cabinets where in only 5 months of living there. I didn't even know it because it was covered up by stuff. Oh, and moving the furniture and vacuuming under it all. I usually do that once or twice a year. Congrats on the 5 year mark. Hopefully we will get to that mark with our new place and more. I'm SICK of moving:)
"What all are you supposed to do when you stay in a place forever?"
Just take care of one another. Fix and adjust and adapt. Fuss and forgive, paint and sew and cook and laugh and cry. Celebrate and endure. Earn and learn and enjoy. As my Granny Tilda liked to say, "It takes a heap of living to make a house a Home"
Post a Comment