What I Love About My House

If I'm like most people out there, it's easy to focus on all that my house is lacking rather than dwelling on the things I like about it. Our 1960s ranch had only one previous owner, but the place was not taken care of very well. We bought the house almost 2 years ago because it had potential to be exactly what we needed: not too big, not too small, on 5 acres in the country and nothing seriously wrong with it. Dirty, yes. Lots of projects, oh MY, yes! Full of character? Not really. But perfect for our family? I think so. 

The first thing I like about my house are the views. Our nearest neighbors are about 1/4 mile in each direction. Other than that, it's big open sky!

Our diamond in the rough.

We love to watch the sunset all year round.

Sunset last night. No buildings to block my view!

Our eastern neighbors

Didn't want you to think it's always green! That little dot in the sea of snow is our mailbox. 

The driveway is to the right of the mailbox and there's a road down there at the end.

And 4 feet of snow. 

Keeping it real!

Sometimes I'd rather NOT be able to see the storms that come rolling in! 

I also love our cozy little living room. It's warm and inviting, and when winters are cold and loooong, you need that! We have a wood-burning stove out there, so you know you'll be warm in the living room, if no where else! The furniture is kid-safe and put-your-feet-up safe and our books are mixed with children's books, candles and some of our favorite things.

 

Our living room.

G won this at an auction. I love that it's the right size for a coffee table and it has storage!

G doesn't love it as a coffee table at all. Sigh...

Yes, I know J2 is cute. Now check out the new carpet and G's leather chair!

The TV hutch, two-tone brown walls, the comfiest couch ever, DIY art, plants and a free piano! 

I have a love-hate relationship with my kitchen. It was SO dirty and greasy and *shudder* GROSS when we moved in, but the bathroom was worse, so it got the make-over. We cleaned and bleached and cleaned some more, then slapped on 3 coats of paint as we were moving in.  The 60s range was down to 1 burner and we did an energy audit and were appalled at how much power our old fridge was using, so we found newer ones on craigslist. I got a new faucet for Mother's Day last year (I love it!) and put contact paper (yes, really) on the horrible countertops and now the kitchen works just fine, thankyouverymuch.

Here's a sneak peek at my kitchen and table.

I guess I haven't actually taken pictures of the kitchen proper!

Take out the adorable birthday-boy and the loot and you've got my country kitchen table!

Some found objects mixed with thrift-store treasures on a bookshelf in my kitchen.

I pretend it's a hutch! LOL

A glimpse of my kitchen:

New faucet, gorgeous views, dishes in the sink (like usual!) and making-do with the rest.

I love our bedroom! It's a cozy little sanctuary for my husband and me. I fully believe in the theory of no electronics, no TV, no stacks of things to do. I bedroom is a place to relax and sleep and just be husband and wife. We have candles and plants and pretties, and pictures of our wedding. 

In the master bedroom we have another awesome view! 

We like to turn out the lights and look around outside. 

It's best with a full moon and fireflies!
To see our cozy winter look, go here.

A corner of our bedroom

Our boys' rooms are nice too. Like every room, there is a list of what we want to do, but for now the boys enjoy playing in their rooms and are great little sleepers there too.

A small part of J1's room (how do I not have a picture of his bed?!)

Brothers in J1's room

J2's room

J2's night-night. Read more about his room here.

I guess I can't finish this post without getting sappy. But it's true, so I'll say it anyway.

I love my house because it's the structure that lets our family thrive. We are protected from the snow and ice and sub-zero temperatures, as well as the humid 90-degree weather. We are safe from storms here--both literal and figurative. We chose to live in the country so we could have peace and quiet. We have no nosey neighbors and no traffic except farm vehicles! Our things are here. All the things that make up a home and the people who make us a family.

Our family, May 2010

Ok, was that mushy enough for you? No? Wanna hear more home-lovin' stories? Or the eye-candy of some people's homes that have already been fixed up? Go see Grace at Sense and Simplicity for more links to other What I Love About My House posts. Have fun!

~Ellie