It's been one year since we packed up our old apartment and picked up the keys to our new house. While we've lived in lots of other places, we still refer to this as "our first home".

A lot has happened in the past year:

[+] we painted four rooms and very quickly learned that it does not, in fact, take 45 minutes to paint a room (yes, that's what we were told, and we believed it. ignorance is bliss)

[+] we put in a fireplace. It's electric. It still counts! You can hang Christmas stockings on it!

[+] we survived two ant infestations...and won

[+] we mastered the schedule of compost pickup and garbage pickup and learned the importance of bungie cords

[+] we installed a remote garage door opener. LIFE CHANGING!!

[+] we made a new flower bed, planted a couple trees, some shrubs and lots of flowers

[+] we discovered that curtains are actually the hardest things to buy

[+] we invested in a barbecue and have grilled just about everything you can imagine

[+] we set up a firepit and seating, perfect for making s'mores and spider dogs

[+] we swore we'll never own a side-by-side fridge/freezer again

[+] we had our first batch of trick-or-treaters

[+] we set off our security alarm accidentally. This happened a lot. Next time the cops come to check it out, we'll get a bill...oops

[+] we put up outdoor Christmas lights for the first time

[+] we built a snowman in the yard and made snow angels

[+] we got a puppy

[+] and now we're having a baby

It's been a busy year, to say the least. We have lots more planned for our house this year: staining the front and back steps, setting up the nursery, replacing some lighting, renovating a bathroom, and making some other changes. We also have big changes planned too, things that are going to be more costly and take a lot of time, but we'll get there.

It's definitely a work in progress, but it feels like home, and it's my favourite place to be.

Next project is turning this bedroom (which currently houses yoga mats, a TV stand, a piano, free weights, a mishmash of potted plants and some random furniture we didn't know where else to put) into a baby's room. As you can see, we've got a bit of a start. We have a crib, a rubber giraffe, a Pooh Bear, some books, diapers, a sling and a car seat = PROGRESS!






We've even got some paint swatches (I'm leaning towards Baby Bee Yellow).



If anyone has any baby-room-makin' tips, links, resources, etc. please send them along. We currently have no theme in mind, other than "cute" and "gender neutral".