The Art of Homemaking: 10 Years in Our Home

This month's installment of TAOH will be a little different. I want to make mention of a special anniversary for Justin and I. 10 years this week we bought our house.

Here's what two 23-year-olds who have no idea what they're getting into look like.

For the first 15 months of our marriage we lived rent free in my parent's house in Mapleton while my parents were living in Alaska. Before they returned home that September, we needed to find a place of our own.

These are the photos I took on our second walk-through.



When we moved in we brought a bed, cedar chest, computer desk, two nightstands, and a TV. That's it! Well that and loads of wedding presents that we hadn't needed until then. That week we bought a sectional and dining table. We didn't have a dresser for months!

Luckily we didn't have to build the retaining wall

Here's a few more of our first month here.

Pretty sure having two cakes and cinnamon bread was the best birthday decision ever.

Behind these cute boys is a magenta wall that I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't paint over for 4 more years.

First major project was painting the yellow kitchen a more soothing brown.

Thus began a long list of home repairs (too many for Justin's taste) and home improvements (not enough for my liking). Over the past ten years we have finished a basement that added a bedroom, bathroom, family room and storage room. We've replaced carpet and linoleum with laminate. We're on our second table and second microwave, second washer but still first dryer. We've repaired the garage door, the dishwasher and the icemaker. Cleaned up one minor flood caused by the washer overflowing. We've added garden boxes, planted 4 trees, sprinklers, and planted dozens and dozens of flowers and killed a bazillion wasps. And painted the front door.

And added four more occupants.

Although we've been here longer than we planned, and there are maybe only 5 families in our ward here longer than us, it is our first and only home together and the house I brought all my babies home to and where they will all learn to walk. Every night at dinner we give thanks for our home. We may be outgrowing it but we have made it ours.

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And just for fun, here's some more pictures of us at that time. Three of those kids are in high school now and one is leaving on a mission soon. Holy moly!