making THIS house MY home

We bought our house almost 5 years ago. I was a realtor's daughter and I just couldn't stand to rent any longer. I really do love our house, but we bought it with the mindset that we would probably only be in this house for about 3 years. We thought I would finish school and then maybe we would think about a family. This would be fine for maybe one child. Especially a baby.

Dan graduated from Purdue on May 15. We closed on our house May 17. We moved in on May 20. We found out we were pregnant around the 2nd or third week of June. Plans change.

So we quickly started filling up our empty home with stuff. Used furniture, baby stuff, college dorm furniture, stuff from my parents house. Before we knew it our house was full. Isaac came in Feb of 2006 and with him came, you guessed it, more stuff. The clothes, toys, baby gear, was everywhere. Then we found out Asher was coming and our office had to be converted to a nursery. At this point we started considering the idea of moving. However, I was so sick and Isaac was a toddler. Plus, by this point we needed to really work on the house to get it ready.

So we dedicated some time to getting the house in order. Then we listed it last year. We had a few showings, but nothing really happened with it. We followed out our contract and then took it off for the holidays. We listed it again this spring. We haven't had a single showing. The funny thing is I'm ok with it.

My plan has always been a big house. I want a room for homeschooling that I can decorate as a classroom. I would like lots of bedrooms for guests to stay. I love hosting so I would love a large open living room and big kitchen. I have dreams of a laundry room with two washers and dryers. I want a basement with a toy room, but also with fun stuff to have youth over. I want a yard where the kids and dog can run. With a swing set and lots of room to kick a ball. I want a master bath with a big tub, a bathroom for the kids, and a guest bath.

However, I am learning I can use what I have to attain the same goals. Our kitchen is tiny, but functional. When we have house church here we just do an assembly line through the kitchen. Our living room is not huge, but we still fill it with friends and we have others over often. We have turned the basement into a toyroom and I use a bookshelf for school stuff. I don't have to have a room designated to each. Just an area that is functional. I am learning to not hold on to stuff to keep more usable space. I'm learning that I don't need more to do more. I'm learning how to get more and more happy with the space God has blessed us with. I'm learning to be content.