My House is now a Home

Sometimes it hits me, I own a house.

It's not that I just own a house, it's that I own a house on my own.  It's a tad scary to realize - am I that much of an adult? lol.

I don't have anyone to lean on or go through with things, so doing it all alone is at times uncomfortable, but also empowering and proud.  And of course if I have questions or need advice, I ask coworkers or friends or look things up online.

And luckily, I learned A LOT from my Dad about how to fix things around the house. And of course, we learn from watching and so I learned from him and my Mom growing up about general things around the home.

I have lived in many apartments over the last 30 years, and also in 2 rental homes.

The first house I owned I had with my ex-husband.  We didn't really do too much to it - just made sure of the upkeep.

And then I bought this house in 2009. My Mom lived with me until her passing in 2011.  I never had any concerns or fears those two years - if something came up, I would just ask my Mom what to do.

After 2011,  I didn't really do anything to the house except change filters and upkeep of the yard.  And in my many days/years of laying in bed most of the day with hangovers, the last thing I felt like doing was getting out of that bed and doing anything around the house.

Now, things have completely changed.

I few things triggered the change.

First, I interviewed my friend Rachel for a magazine I contribute to, and in the piece she said this that really hit home for me and changed my outlook on my house.

"Going into real estate was a natural transition for me.  I love to help people see the potential in a property – and to watch them turn it into a place they love to be.  This is particularly true because I’m essentially an introvert – so to me, my home is the place I feel the most relaxed and nourished.  It’s incredibly satisfying to help other people find that home that feeds them in that same way."

And shortly after that, I read somewhere to make your house feel freash and new, just move some furniture and pictures to change things up to make it look new/different.

So, I started to look around at my house and wanted to change things, move things, DO things.

And finally, because I don't drink anymore, I have more time, energy, and passion to be more productive around the house.  It's no longer an-upkeep, it's more of a how can I make this feel like home and more relaxed.

I have a rock garden now and even trim the shrubs. Sounds finny, but I only mowed and edged the yard, the first 8 years - did nothing to the trees or shrubs.  Now, the front part of my landscape looks good.

I installed an upgraded faucet in my kitchen. OMG do I love it!  So much more functional and pretty!  I also installed (on my own) a new garbage disposal. I was without a working one for over a year and then bought one after the success of my garage sale in May, and installed it my own little self :)  I also filled and sealed the gap between my patio and foundation (now adding pebbles to it!).  These are just a few of many changes/upgrades/improvements I've made.

At that garage sale, I was able to sell a lot of furniture.  In the last several months I have rearranged the furniture that's left and now I have less things near windows (let the sun shine in!).  I've also swapped some furniture between upstairs and downstairs for more functionality for storing things.

Further, the decluttering that came naturally to get ready for the garage sale helps me have even less in the house and it looks so much better!

And finally, I have made some small changes that make for a more productive and 'easy' daily routine as I go through my house throughout the days.  Simple, but impactful, things that make my life easier and less stressful. For example, like adding a shelf to my bathroom, figuring out changes to my dining room so I can walk around the table without squeezing between things, rearranging my closet so I can reach things without stretching around badly-placed furniture, etc.

Rachel was correct - I feel more relaxed, love coming home to a pretty, more-organized home.  And it feeds my soul to walk in and love it.

P.S. And I have a ton more plans - I've just started!

How You Were Raised

I beleive one of the reasons why I'm so responsible is because of how I was raised.

Yes, going back to that all-important philosophy how you were raised impacts you as an adult.

Growing up on Saturday mornings, if my parents and I were not out camping, I was helping them do yard work or things around the house.  It has helped me become the person I am today.  And I really like this person! 

I love doing yard work. I love getting things done around the house. I can do a lot of things on my own.  All because that's what my parents taught me.  I can put together a bookcase, install a new light fixture, do all the yard work myself, work on things around the house.  Etc.

The difference is I like to do it all.

A friend of mine dated a guy who didn't do anything unless asked.  He didn't do the laundry on his own, he didn't do the dishes if he saw them piling up, he wouldn't put things away.  He wouldn't even help her bring in the groceries when he saw her walking into the house with her arms full of bags.  And in my opinion, this is just the way he was raised.  I would find out later that all his brothers are the exact same non-assertive way.

I remember the days as a teenager kicking and screaming being dragged to Home Depot by my Dad.  Now, I'm thankful, tho, as I can find just about anything on any aisle because of all those tantrum Saturdays.  lol.

Even in my lower 20s, I had an ex that didn't understand why I couldn't tell my parents no, and instead go to a movie with him one Saturday morning.  Little did he know, why I became so much more responsible than him.

Being independent and self-sufficient is one thing, but truly enjoying being productive is a pretty cool character to have.

For instance, a couple of months ago I met up with a friend who works on homes and we talked about things I wanted done around the house.  As we walked through the house together, he asked me about things and we would add them to the list.  Like, new light fixtures, installing a new back door, adding window film art, replacing rotting wooden fence posts with metal posts, fixing some of the cracks on the back patio, etc.

We didn't set a deadline, so I noticed on my open Saturdays I started to do some of the things on my own, lol, that was on the list for him to work on.  Sure, I let him install the new back door and easily let him put in new metal fence posts, but I just wasn't the type of person to sit around and not do some of the things on the list myself.

For instance, I removed the large and obtuse florescent lights and their containers from my living room ceiling, then added a new, cool light fixture:

My friends were like, really?  Yea, really.  And the handy man was just as confused as he was impressed I was doing things on my own.

I also installed the window film art, and I am going to paint the walls myself.

Some people seem to be shocked when I do things on my own.  But to me it's a direct attribution to how I was raised and how grateful I am of the woman I've grown into. 

Beautiful upbringing and blessed for sure.