Puzzle Pieces

Good morning, friends! 

It has been a productive week here in Shafferland 4.0. Yesterday I surveyed the garage, where Ryan had poured hours of hard work into organizing and told him it was hard to believe that just a week ago, it was still piled high with yet-to-be-unpacked boxes. There is still work to do in the garage, to be fair, but at least it's set up in a way that will make it easy to do. 

The inside of the house is coming along quite nicely. I think maybe today we will start hanging things on the walls, and to me, that is always one of the markers of it truly being home. 

The setting up of home has felt a bit like a puzzle this time. Of course, there are some things that were easy to place. You know...like the bed. But all the little pieces and parts of accents and decorations have been like assembling a puzzle. I've thoroughly enjoyed it.

Nita's wooden rocking chair has lived in three rooms in the last week, and I think it has found home at last. (I'm so glad we have that chair. Ryan loves it for sentimental reasons, and I love how perfectly it fits in this home - this home we didn't even know we would have when he brought it from the cabin.)

I've been making a list of little things I hope to find - either at garage sales, thrift stores, or the stores where we have gift cards. Little completer pieces to half-finished vignettes around the house. I think the thrill of the chase will be as much fun as placing the pieces where they will go.

Last night, while Ryan was putting the finishing touches on a garage project, I sat in the dining nook, gazing around at the kitchen and living area. I don't know that I've ever had a home feel like home so quickly. Even with some puzzle pieces still missing, it's fully warm and cozy. There are pieces of our story all around, and they make my heart glad. 

Putting together this puzzle of a home has been the perfect project for my heart, and if I had to guess, I'd say it's been a pretty perfect project for Ryan's heart too. We've both pitched in, piecing it together, trying things one place and then moving them to another if they just don't quite seem to be in the best place. Working with Ryan to make home...home...has been one of my favorite things.

The first week has been full of productivity. I'm excited to see what week #2 brings! Here are some of my hopes:

* I'd love to see at least most of our wall hangings go up. I know there might be some spots that we aren't certain of and don't do just yet, but I think most of them can be done!

* I want to sort through the last few piles/boxes of home stuff that's in the garage. Some of it may need to be pitched. Some of it just needs to be put away somewhere. But I would love to see that section of the garage sorted through and cleaned.

* I hope we can visit one or two of the local places we were given a gift card to - so we can begin to learn our community even more! 

* Internet!! We're still without it. The gentleman came to do the outside work yesterday, but it will be next week before we have it fully connected on the inside. I am so grateful for Ryan's hot spot. It's limited, and I'm about two weeks behind on reading ANY blogs, most emails, and much of what has happened on Facebook, but I've been able to keep up with writing here, and for that I'm thankful. I have many projects for the house that I will be able to complete once we have internet.

* I hope we can put up our curtains, too! We were able to bring all our curtains from WillowBridge, and I'm so ready to have them up at the windows. Much like wall art, curtains are one of those "it's home" moments for both of us. 

Slow and steady wins the race, right? We'll piece together this house one little bit at a time!