our kitchen

I remember the very first time I saw this house. Seth and I were dating at the time, and he, fresh out of college, wanted to "prepare" for his future by "investing" in a home. He's such a wise old sage. He discovered this house from a co-worker who mentioned that it wasn't on the market yet but would be a nice starter home if and when Seth ever decided to get married. When we first saw the house we knew it was a fixer-upper for sure. Fast forward a few years and we're still thinking the same thing! But little by little we are making progress, stretching our budget, planning, dreaming, doing. And little by little each room is slowly coming together.

The kitchen is by far my favorite room and the one we've "invested" in the most. Seth, with the help of several of his handy friends, tore out a wall, laid tile, installed the cabinets and counters and sink, stained and varnished and put up all the trim (to name just a few things). He did it all himself and probably saved us thousands of dollars. I mean, look how primitive it was when we first got married...

Crazy, right? I didn't cook a real meal for the first 6 months of our marriage. It was all pop tarts and hot pockets. :) Looking at all we have now I feel so blessed. His mom and grandma cleaned out their kitchens when Seth first moved in, giving him dishes, silverware, pots and pans, and food. Even some of the plants were gifts! Not to mention the furniture we've inherited. The fridge and dishwasher were Craig's list finds. The stove was purchased entirely with gift cards from our wedding.

It's not too fancy but clean and simple, just the way I like it. Have you recently purchased a house? What do you find to be the most challenging thing about home repair?