All the Little Stories

Yesterday marked one week since we made our official move. We'd brought a few loads at a time prior to that day, but on that day, we left behind an empty apartment and brought our mostly-bedraggled selves into our new home. I feel like we've done a good job of unpacking and setting up in just a week's time. I think all the furniture has been brought in and placed, except maybe an accent table or two. And yesterday I started adding touches of decorations. Now it's starting to feel more like home.

In the days to come, I'll probably blog about this more specifically on different occasions, but one of the things that is really important to me/us as we settle into this home is to have every single thing in this home matter. I love following people on social media who curate beautiful homes. I love seeing all their perfectly coordinating and arranged living spaces. I find it inspirational. But even more than that, I love following people who live in homes of story. I love it when they post a photo and then explain the entire story behind something in that photo. 

That's the kind of home we want to live in. We do love to be tidy and organized, but I highly doubt we will ever qualify for magazine level living - and that is okay with me! Story matters more to me than magazine level. 

As I've been unpacking the decorations, I have relived in my mind the stories behind the pieces that make up our home. It has been such a joy for my heart. 

This was the first area I officially decorated. I actually did this one a few days ago, because all these pieces were tucked into kitchen boxes. 

It's just a little spot in the corner of our kitchen, but it brings my heart joy. 

* The pitcher on the left is a perfect treasure I found in a garage sale pile at church a few years ago. I'd been looking for a picture just like this one and hadn't found the perfect one yet. I never dreamed it would be in the best of all places: a garage sale! I don't know who it belonged to before me, but I loved the price!

* It holds a mix of wooden utensils. A couple of them were handmade by someone I never met, but he was a friend of a dear friend of mine who was part of my women's ministry group at our Kokomo church. She gave them to me for Christmas and told me how he made them. I love them so much because they came with a story and always make me think of Nancy!

* The purple Ball jar with the "Welcome Home" sign on it was a gift to us from our friend Amber several years ago. We had gone on vacation, and she kept an eye on the house and on Braeya for us, and when we arrived home, she had left it next to our pile of mail. Purple is one of her favorite colors, and she made the sign (artist extraordinaire). She'd filled it with homemade scotcharoos. Though she doesn't particularly love to cook, she does make the best scotcharoos I've ever had, and Ryan LOVES THEM. He calls them smoochies. (Unfortunate name mix-up that stuck.) I am not sure what treat I'll put in the jar, but I love the story behind it.

* The little mug was a gift from our friend Shari (HI, SHARI!!) and I think of her and Wayne every single time I see it. 

* The white pitcher on the right holds our coffee filters. Ryan and I had been trying to find something to hold the filters and could not find the right thing. During a leisurely stroll through Hobby Lobby on a date night, we found that, and it was perfect. 

* The rose was my gift from Ryan the day he proposed to me. It's sitting in a bed of coffee beans - marking two of my favorite things: roses and coffee. I love it so very much and it reminds me of one of my most favorite days in life. 

* I'm not sure who owned the white cake plate originally, but it came to me from Mom, and I love it. It doesn't have a dome, so I don't use it for food, but I love it for decorating and it's perfect for this corner.

* The rolling pin was my grandma's. She made a lot of good food with that rolling pin - and I'm thankful I was privileged to make meals in her kitchen for sixteen years. I actually do use her rolling pin sometimes, even though I have a more modern, plastic version. There's just something about a good, old-fashioned rolling pin, with all its quirks.

* The salt and pepper shakers were another Hobby Lobby find of ours - and they perfectly fit what we were looking for to complete our kitchen. 

This whole corner is laden with stories of family and friends. Date nights and gifts. Storied history and fresh starts. 

May it represent our whole home and all the pieces that comprise it!