A friend of mine from back home recently also moved out to the east coast. Over the past few months we have started taking turns visiting each other. It is a bit of a trek to each other - two hours with kiddos. But there is something so refreshing about being able to sit face to face with someone you have history with. While I am enjoying making new friends here, it seems like a break to be able to hang out with someone who already knows me and I feel like I can be myself with. The longest drive to a play date ever. But it is worth it!
A few weeks ago they were able to come out to our house for the first time and knowing that I would have house guests besides just our family was the motivation I needed to get the house a little more put together.
It felt like old times. The baby was napping and I got to run around the house fixing pillows, putting out coffee and tea, and taking in the joy of a morning prepping for guests. It is truly one of life's small but greatest joys for me and it reminded me that I still have it in me. I just haven't had the same opportunities that I used to.
I have always felt that one of my greatest sources of accountability to keeping my house clean was having people over. The house hasn't looked this clean and put together ever!
In the short few weeks since I took these pictures, things around the house have already changed. I am still trying to figure out how I want everything. But for now these are glimpses of temporary pretty. One of the things I have learned is that it takes awhile to get things just right. It is okay to live with something for awhile even if it isn't exactly what I want. Pictures on the wall and plants around the house are still more welcoming than nothing.
The morning ended up being a bit chaotic - a baby who is being extra clingy and two little ones who just rode in the car for two hours! So at the end of the day having the house all spick and span really didn't matter. But it did something for my heart and THAT matters. It gave me the confidence I needed to invite people into our home, it reminded me of something that brings me life, and it got me to get some little projects around the house finished.
I love that there are some things I just love that have stayed the same in our new house (like our couch, pillow, and mirror combination). But it has also been fun to use things in different ways that fit this house and a new style I am embracing.
It ended up being a good morning to catch up and I am grateful to being one step closer to having our house put together!
