In a little over 3 weeks I'll be leaving this house that has been my home for more than 12 years.
It has seen the very, very best of me and the very, very worst of me.
tears and laughter;
fights and making up;
ups and downs; hot and cold;
babies, toddlers, preschoolers, grade schoolers, middle schoolers and teens;
times of great faith and times of great doubt;
fears and failures; joy and triumphs;
marriage and divorce;
hard work and silly play;
In the last few years there have been a lot of changes around here with regards to the house.
Physically,
the house has gone through a complete overhaul. The unnecessary was
discarded, donated or sold. The necessary was acquired and put to good
use, including a new stove, hot water tank, flooring, roof, paint, etc.
etc. I've worked hard to maintain a house that I never thought I'd have
to care for on my own.
Emotionally,
the house has seen it's share of ups and downs too. My prayer several
years ago was that this house would be a place of peace and safety. For
me. For my kids. For anyone who would step over the threshold. And I
have to say, God answers prayer! No amount of renovating by me could
have done this miracle and made this house the home it's been in the
past few years.
So....am
I sad to leave it? A little, yes. But I know that the God who carried
us this far is leading us into a new adventure and the home he built
with us here....can be built again, even better, at the new house. And
any ties I have to this house, are dwarfed by the much stronger ties to my God who has never, ever left us on our own. I'm sorry....I just can't say it any better than this:
A few photos and memories of the house we're leaving behind. (Note: these photos were taken professionally to sell the house - something that happened, literally, overnight - so if you're thinking my house ever really looked this good, the joke's on you)
My "spa" bathroom: I loved this room. We initially renovated this room because one of our children dropped something in the toilet that was irretrievable. Even the plumber told us to take it out to the backyard and smash it and let him know what was in there (the cap to a spray can, incidentally). My favourite part, aside from the colours.....a deep soaker tub which, yes, I will miss dearly!
My craft room: I love how neat and organized it looks here. If you know anything about me at all, you know it only ever looks like this just before I start creating. I was very excited a few years ago when my two oldest wanted basement bedrooms and all that was left for me to scrapbook in was this Upstairs room, with a window :)
Laundry room: yes, I'll miss this space. It's not finished but it reminds me of how God provides....2 freezers with food to spare and a washer and dryer that have lasted and lasted and lasted.
Teen room #1: Style maybe defined as Vintage meets IKEA meets Grandma's afghan.
Basement bathroom: Again, my favourite "waterfall" colour.
Shed: (obviously these pictures are in no particular order) This shed has been snowed in all winter so honestly, it'll be a surprise to me what's all in there when we get around to digging it out to move :)
Pre-teen room: Go Bombers!
Pantry: So much lovely storage space. THIS, I will miss!!
Dining room: This room has seen many meals, many games, many family discussions, and much love!
The front yard; This yard reminds me of football games and toboggan slides; sprinkler wars and basketball games; furniture painting and yard sales; somersaults and bocce ball; late night coffee and early morning....well, coffee too :)
Rec room: otherwise known as the Xbox room. Many a sleepover has happened in this room - exactly my intention in finishing out this room and stocking it with piles and piles of blankets and pillows.
Master bedroom: I will miss this room. This room has definitely been touched by God and it has become a place of peace and laughter and lots of silliness. You can't see it in this picture but above the white dresser in the far right corner, there's a TV mounted on the wall. We've had so many family movie nights with the 4 of us snuggled into this bed. Funnier still is that recently most of us are close to 6' tall and we also have 3 cats joining us. It's a big pile of fun :) The kids are trying to convince me that I need a King size in the new house so we can still all fit in there :)
Kitchen: I painted these cabinets just this last Christmas and the flooring was done last August. I adore these colours and I'm really sad to leave them. I'm copying a bit of this in my new house but it won't be quite the same. Lots of cooking and lots of eating happened here!
Playhouse: Rockwall, slide, rope ladder, secret trap door, and monkey bars.....this was a unique design that we made ourselves. I have no idea how many kids have played on this but I pray that the kids who will be playing on here this coming summer will be as safe, happy and silly as mine were.
Teen bedroom #2: Snowcone green. It's even brighter in real life.
Living room: Another room that's probably never been so clean and neat before....and maybe never will be again as long as we're around.....but a room that's been full of family movies, wrestling matches, deep heart-to-heart talks, coffee with friends, a party or two, Christmas gatherings, meals, devotions, music and drama.
There you have it. What I'm leaving behind. A house that was my home....but in the end, to me, just a house. Our home will be where we end up (wait for the next blog post)and this house will go on to be home to another family who will love it and find love in it.
