Going Home

Y'all, we bought a house. The timing wasn't what we planned -- it's winter. In Nebraska. Michael has only been home a short time and we're still adjusting, both to being a family of four and getting into the groove with his therapies and financially still too. And we had a lease on our current home until August.

But the house we're in now (a rental) has gotten increasingly difficult for us. All the bedrooms are upstairs. The only bathroom is upstairs. The back door is down a flight of stairs on a tiny landing and it's difficult to get out; my dog has fallen down the second half of the flight twice this week and I frequently bang Michael's head when trying to get out. Our garage is on the opposite side of the said yard is covered with 12 inches of snow. Have I mentioned I have two toddlers I do bath and bedtime with alone? It's a lot of carrying babies up and down stairs, and I've had two back surgeries. We knew it was time to go, despite the drawbacks.

We scoured the MLS. Until recently, I had no idea how difficult it was to find a wheelchair-friendly house. We looked at 400+ listings online and finally called an agent when one matched our wish list. It was the first house we looked at and we immediately put in an offer. Unfortunately, the deal fell through.

After going back to looking, we found two more potential matches (three total out of HUNDREDS!); one was just too new for me and felt sad, the other is our adorable little cottage we'll be moving into in four days.

I am a home design junkie. In my late teens, I began hoarding issues of Cottage Living magazine and my love for home design only intensified when Pinterest came on the scene a few years ago.

Dan and I did have a condo of our own for eight years in South Carolina and I loved it; it was small and cozy, and after a few years of work, it looked and felt like home. For years though, I've dreamed of owning a house -- a place for my kiddos to grow up and someday return to as "home" and a yard for my doggy to run around wild; he's only ever known outside on a leash.

And after our unexpected turn of events, we have found ourselves the proud owners of this little cutie: 

It's a three bed, three bath home built in 1921. It's absolutely adorable, but woah buddy, someone went a little color crazy.

For a design junkie like me, honestly it's a little too finished, but the pros far outweighed the cons -- it's just a few blocks from where we live currently, it's within walking distance of one of our favorite parks, we love the neighborhood, and the modifications to make it wheelchair friendly are minimal (we're talking a ramp up two steps. That's it!).

Over the coming months, and probably years, Heart Knit Home will be the spot where I chronicle the changes our home, that I've dubbed Avonlea (because it doesn't have green gables...), undergoes.

2015 has a lot in store for this little house and our family. We're happy to have you along for the ride.