Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Two Years...

It's been two years since we first stood on the porch to our house, waiting for our Realtor (and friend) to open the door. You are probably wondering why I'm chattering on about 2 measly years....why is that so special? This is the fourth home we have owned. The longest we lived in a house was just over two years. By our second anniversary in those other three homes, we had it on the market, prepared to move on. Not here. We are building memories in this house, making roots and falling more in love with it every day.

Let me tell you the story! Before this home we lived in a 1970's colonial. It was a large home (with huge closets) but it wasn't "us." Our hearts belonged in an old home and this one was too "new." Don't get me wrong, she wasn't a bad house, just not the one for us.....so up for sale she went.



We received a contract on the home pretty quickly and we were thrilled to be able to start house hunting!

The rooms I would miss from that house:

My son's room. We did soft blue stripes and the whole room was calming and perfect for a baby.


And Hailey's room. Simple, uncluttered and pink!


A handful of homes into our search and we set eyes on this beauty. They accepted our offer and we were over the moon excited. I'm sorry the picture is so small, it's all I have! It was a 1930's home. Gorgeous woodwork, marble foyer floor, two story foyer with a staircase that winded around, built in corner hutch in the dining room, and two bay windows. The best part was probably the huge kitchen and the deck in the back. I pictured us having dinners on the deck and arranged furniture in my head....



Unfortunately, our buyers backed out and we couldn't qualify to buy it without selling our house. The sellers were unwilling to take a contingency and had a new contract on it right away. There were tears....no...make that lots of tears. We were very upset but not long after, we had new buyers and the search began again....


That's when we found this home. I took this picture today and you can see it is a bit overgrown. It was all trimmed and neat looking when we saw it. What a great house! This home is on the historical registry (I believe the date it was built is 1908). It has a beautiful front staircase with acorn finials and a second staircase that led to what used to be the Nanny quarters. Huge pocket doors separated the parlor and the living room.

We had the inspection. It didn't go well and so we needed to move on once again.....


And that brings us to our home, The Yellow House. Now I'm back to where I started this whole post....standing on the porch waiting for the door to open and looking around at the great porch and wide street....


The shrubs by the stairs were in full bloom. Aren't they pretty?

Does anyone happen to know what type of shrub this is? It blooms in the spring and spends the summer showing off beautiful foliage...
This house was meant to be. A long journey, lots of bumps in the road....but we were home. And as we come upon our two year anniversary here, with no intentions of leaving anytime soon, I'm amazed at what a great feeling it is to be here. Although we are the ones painting walls, tending gardens and fixing wires....this little house gives back so much more.


This is the pic we used for our change of address card, telling all our friends and family that this was the house, the forever house.

37 comments:

Melissa Miller said...

That's wonderful Michelle!

I can't wait to know that "forever' home feeling. Being military we always know the next house is just around the corner.

Your home is beautiful.
~Melissa :)

Maisy said...

I love your house. I would trade in a heartbeat. We have a newer home...don't think you would fall for the whole switch thing!

Katy said...

Love it! I think it's a GREAT forever home.

cherry said...

Love your porch...I will someday be in an old home...too...I have an old soul...this place does not feel right. cherry

Kari said...

I would give anything for a porch like yours. And Hailey's room looks like a magazine picture. Perfect. Love every single thing about it!

katrina said...

Hi

Been "lurking" around your blog, without commenting, for a while. Just love your ideas!

I think the plant beside your porch is called Bride's Wreath - anyway, that's what we call it i Scoland!

Katrina

Mid-Atlantic Martha said...

Beautiful - just beautiful! There's just something about an old house! (of course I live in a 1980's colonial!) LOL!

Kim @ Twice Remembered said...

I'm so glad you've found your forever house...and that I found your blog! I love your style. Going to add it to my blogroll!

We live in a tattered 1970's ranch and sadly (or should I say happily?), it's not our forever home. I'd love to live out in the country but until then this is "home". It's funny how one knows when a house is or isn't "the one" ,isn't it?

Stacey said...

Michelle, that was a great post. Enjoy your anniversary in your forever home.

aprilfoolwed said...

What a nice story Michelle! Buying and selling a home is such an emotional thing. There were so many things I didn't love about our first house, yet I still drive by it as often as I can and tell the kids "this is where you lived when you were a baby" (well, not Jacob!).

Our current house is NOT our forever home, but it's become home from now. We hit a similiar milestone with this house when we were here for 4 years - we never made it that far in the first house.

We've been here 5 years and it's really the only home my kids have ever known. I get the itch to look all the time, but the option of staying home with the kids wins out and we'll be staying in our somewhat-too-small and not-quite-my-style townhome for at least a few more years.

Our next one will be the forever home....

Darlene said...

Your home is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Happy two year anniversay in it!!♥

Julia @ Hooked on Houses said...

Really enjoyed the story of how you found your forever house. I remember when someone else bought the house we wanted out from under us and our real estate agent said, "This just means there's something better waiting for you." I didn't believe her at the time, but it turned out to be true.

Just loooove your porch!

Anonymous said...

Hi! I really enjoy your blog. We inheirited the same shrubs when we bought our home. I believe they are called bridal veil spirea. They have such an amazing honey sweet scent when they bloom, too.
Susan

Anonymous said...

I love your home.. its so classic. I LOVE your porch.. we have to get one like yours built.. ugh.. next tax time.. :)

Anonymous said...

Oh forgot to say.. I live in a 2002ranch.. lol :) Not a lot of charm.. yet. lol :)

Lou Cinda @ Tattered Hydrangeas said...

I think the shrubs are spirea. They are beautiful as is your home! I love it!!

What a great forever house!!

Lou Cinda :)

Unknown said...

That's such a great story. Your "forever home" is gorgeous! I can see why you'd never want to leave.

Sue said...

Oh, don't you just hate that feeling when your big plans just fall apart and all the decorating in your head was for nothing!! Been there, done that.....We always seemed to end up like your realtor said though.....Something better is waiting for you. I am so glad you found it, it's beautiful!
Blessings~LillySue

Peggy said...

You are so lucky to have a home that you love. I loved my last home like that but because of a job change we had to move. This house has just never felt like home and I would love to move but for now I'll make it as cozy as I can.
Don't know the official name of your shrub but my mom always called them angels breath.
**there is an award for you over at my blog!

the wild raspberry said...

ok before i forget....the shrubs looks like Daphne to me. Do they have a wonderfully sweet smell to the blossoms? I have one and the cultivar is 'Carol Macke"...looks a lot like that but I couldn't get it to click bigger to know for sure.
Moving on...
Your house is fantastic. It is so wonderful to be in the house of your dreams. It happened for me almost 4 years ago. But it took me two long years of begging my husband before he agreed to it.
It was a mess and still is a work in progress but I am thankful every day that I am here....fake wood paneling and all!
have a great day.
chasity

Tara said...

What a wonderful story and I am a wee bit jealous in the fact I would love to be in the house we will be in for a LONG time too! I guess it takes persistence and patients. Gorgeous home, and a wonderful story...thank you for sharing..I hope this house only brings more and more memories for you!

Ron said...

To my Wife, Although you keep me very busy I do appreciate all the hard work you do in making our house a home. Your ideas have given me more skills than I could have ever imagined using. Thank you. You continue to impress me with all your designs, although it means more work for me. LOL. Well I need to go plan your Mothers Day breakfast. You deserve it!!! Happy Mothers Day Beautiful. Love Ron

Misti of Studio M Designs said...

Your front is making me very jealous! We are in our forever home and love it more everyday. The ONLY thing it is missing is a great front porch. That is on the agenda for one day when all the kids are out of college, and we might possibly have a few extra pennies to rub together...

Happy weekend,
~Misti

Rue said...

Hi Michelle :)

Isn't it a wonderful feeling to find the one house that finally fits? Have you ever read my search for the perfect old house? I can't remember if you had or not, but it's a very sad tale with a happy but bittersweet ending. It's under the farmhouse and house sale posts on my sidebar. Anyway, I still covet the farmhouse, but I know that the one we're in was meant to be and I'm so glad you found "the one" too :)

Oh and yep, those were Breyers in Annie's room. Some are mine and the rest were Christmas presents for her.

Missed YOU too!

Happy Mother's Day :)
rue

Rue said...

Oh and your husband is sooooo sweet!!

Karla said...

I love this post! I cannot wait until we can be in settled in our "forever" home! So happy for you! Congrats on finding yours!

Happy Mother's Day to you!

~Karla @ It's The Little Things...

Lisa @ Fern Creek Cottage said...

Congratulations on 2 years in your home! You guys should be so proud of all your hard work turning your house into a beautiful home. I look forward to seeing even more in the future!

beth said...

So glad you found "the one". And what a beautiful home it is, too. Congrats on two years, and hope you have an absolutely lovely Mother's Day weekend. :)

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your forever house.

Becca said...

Thanks for the daily inspirations!
There are so many talented and creative blogs it was hard to pick just a few!
I have nominated your wonderful blog for an award.

janet said...

Michelle, i absolutely love everything about your home, i dont live there and feels like home. I completely understand how you felt about your other homes. We left behind a small 70's bungalow only to move into a new build small bungalow. I so miss our old home, even though it really isnt old in comparison but it just felt like home. We have now been in this house for almost two years i still strive to make it feel like home. We often talk about selling but im trying hard to make it work, at least for now. I would love to own a old farm home, but for mobility reasons its not possible as most have the bedrooms on the top level. Thank you very much for stopping by and giving you my opinion on the fridge, it wasnt a space issue, but after 2 days of living with it there, i didnt like it, so its back to our original plan.
hugs
janet

Brenda Pruitt said...

I love the idea of the forever house. I, like you, moved around a lot with my husband. Now we've been in the house we first rented, then purchased, for over four years. Seems like forever to me! We have remodeled the entire thing in just over a year and are starting on the outdoors. Well, we aren't. Someone else has done the actual manual labor. I know just exactly what you mean! Happy Mother's Day!
Brenda

littlebyrd said...

I love your forever house! One of the first pictures ~ the nursery ~ how beautiful and you are right so calming. That was a great room!

Chloe's Couture said...

I love that everyone has a story. I enjoyed reading this post, that the best house was saved for last-the others fell through for a reason; so that you could have the perfect house! Your bedroom remake is amazing! I have found so much inspiration on the pages of your blog! Thanks for sharing!

Cathy said...

Your house is beautiful. We purchased our forever house last year and we are slowly transforming it into our home. Your blog is inspiring. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

I love your story of finding the perfect home. The other ones probably didn't work out because you were meant to be in your yellow house. The sign is so cute!

Anonymous said...

Lovely blog! I believe that shrub is a Daphne, oh so resilient and smell so sweet :)