the roof over our heads- thankful

This house needs 18, count them, 18, new windows. The heating and air conditioning systems are original to the house and will have to be replaced sometime in the next three years. The chimney flashing has a new leak which adds two more rooms to the tally of rooms that need the ceiling repainted. It's completely inefficient to heat or cool and both the kitchen and the bathrooms need some updating.

But I love it here. I love the views out of the southern windows. Fields of perfect snow in January, flawless golf course grass and hills in the summer. I love the sun streaming in my uncovered windows in the morning and watching it set over the window herb garden at night. I love the high ceilings and two-sided fireplaces. I love the flowers in the gardens and the creek for catching frogs and bugs. I love the way the kids' laughter reverberates through out the whole house.

I am so very grateful to be able to come home to somewhere that makes me smile, to have a strong roof over our heads and room to stretch out inside. This is our second house, in our first house we never got around to hanging many pictures and there were rooms that we never got around to using. This house really feels like home.