Happy 1st Anniversary Falling Leaf Cottage

One year ago this week we move to our new home. I knew as soon as I found this house that it would be our 'forever home'.
It needed a TON of work but I didn't mind because I knew it would be a lifetime project that I could enjoy as the years went by.
This is our house this week - one year later. We have done so much to this house that I often forget how it looked when we moved in. I sometimes go back and look at all the pictures I took last summer and I can hardly believe the changes. The list of things I have yet to do is long. It seems that as soon as I scratch one thing off the list I add another.
This is my favorite home that I have ever lived in. It is perfect for our family. Back in 2008 when we first found this house I knew I wanted a home that would rise up to meet you when you walked in the door: comfortable chairs to sit in and watch a good movie or read a good book, a nearby table to set a glass without worrying about a coaster, a place for kids to play and feel that they could be kids without worrying about making a mess or ruining a fabric, a table to share meals and talk to friends and family long after the meal is over, and room for our little four legged family members to run and play and sleep by the warm fire. This house has done that and more. I am happy when Mr. Falling Leaf says he breathes a sigh of happiness everytime he walks in the door.

While it's really enjoyable to remodel and update a home I fully recognize that it's temporal. The most important thing to me is that we have an eternal home in heaven. So, while this is all fun, I always am aware that it lacks eternal value.