House and Home

Having a house provides me with much joy. I love everything about it: home improvement projects, ownership, control, independence, privacy, freedom to decorate, etc. I only rented for one year after I moved out of my childhood home, and soon after that I became a home-owner. First we owned a co-op, and now my husband and I own a 4 bedroom, 2 bath Cape in Farmingdale which I absolutely love. In December we will have been here four years.

I'll never forget that we moved in days before Christmas. The first room I painted was the porch, and I did it on December 23rd -believe it or not- at 10 p.m! I couldn't look at the granny pink a second longer. And ever since then we haven't stopped pouring ourselves into this house to make it our home. We painted almost every room, pulled up all the pink carpets, sanded and refinished the hardwood floors and stairs, installed air conditioners, installed granite countertops, added a new backsplash and sink, and carpeted and painted the basement. Oh, yeah- and a new oil burner. Whew.

I've always wanted a pool, so during our second summer here we put in a 15x30 semi-inground pool and had landscapers come to lay sod and plant trees and shrubs. Every spring I plant flowers in the front and back yards. We have a small deck that we use very often and we had that sanded and painted, too. We had a shed installed, a fence put up, and bought gutter helmets!

I love my yard. I have so many memories already with this yard as the backdrop. It sounds so cheesy, but I think that's a priceless part of owning a home: it's a place your family and friends create fond memories. And it's these experiences that fill the home with a spirit of warmth, welcoming, comfort, and love.

There's nothing better than spending a Saturday morning cleaning. (Lame-O-Alert). I love to clean and I take true satisfaction in making a room look "re-set" back to normal. (Loser).Don't get me wrong, I'm not clean "freak" per se, and there's guaranteed dust and cat hair in places I can't reach or see. (in your food). I just don't like clutter or mess. Why do we clean our homes when they are for SALE to impress others when we can enjoy our homes in that state as much as possible? I enjoy a clean house, so sue me. It may sound like I'm setting women back 50-60 years, but to me, cleaning, decorating and respecting my home is my way of showing that I appreciate it and am grateful for it. And it's not like my husband is forcing me to do it, or expecting it of me- I elect to do it because I enjoy not only the results, but the instant satisfaction. Thank God my husband is a "cleaner," too. I mean, a man with a high threshold for mess is just annoying. Sometimes on Saturdays I wake up to the sound of the vacuum. My man is cleaning! Sweet!