Home.

This past week, there's been burst of activity here.  I haven't been able to post as most of my time is now dedicated to homework, floor sweeping & scrubbing from drywall and sawdust, sorting an endless pile of paperwork from the girls' school, and kissing the wrinkled forehead of a sweet lil' babe.  

Last Thursday, the install of our kitchen cabinets began.  It's incredible how a kitchen can make our house feel less like a campground and more like our home.  Here's the kitchen we've been working with the past couple of weeks (it had a nice, minimalistic design):

I was feeling a little apprehensive about the new cabinets because I have never actually seen them in real life.  I was hoping they would be the perfect shade of cream and not too white & institutional-looking.  Turns out they are a perfect cream and pair wonderfully with the floor color.  Today, the cabinets were all hung and the crown molding was put on.  The countertop guy came yesterday with my 230 pound sink and took measurements. Fingers crossed that the countertops arrive yet this week.  Here's what my kitchen looks like today, without any staging or tidying up.  I have no time for such frivolity ;)

Our bedroom has also been drywalled and painted. Thankfully, I have not done any landscaping in the backyard because a giant truck pulled all the way into the yard to lift the drywall into the house through the rear window.

A lot of work has been done on our room in the past couple of weeks.

I had originally purchased a giant orb light fixture for the living room and it was way, way too large for the space.  We decided to hang onto it and use it in our bedroom which has a vaulted ceiling.  We looked the light over this weekend and decided to upgrade to the larger size.  So glad we did because the light is now up and is the perfect scale for the room.

As exciting as this past week has been, I was reminded today about what really makes our house a home.  Sure, it's cool to have a house with a rad light fixture, but what's really wonderful is watching our kiddos work on puzzles in the living room, do homework at the table, and help me out with gardening; it's sitting outside with our neighbors at a block party; it's walking to friends' homes for playdates or dinner; it's inviting friends & family into our home. Those moments are what breathe life into the culture of our neighborhood & our home.  I want my contentment to come from that.