Casa Meg, Five Years

 If you had told me, five years ago today, as I unlocked the door to a small condo for the first time, that I'd come to love this little home, I might have laughed. 

By this point in the proceedings, I'd had my share of anxiety and minor panic attacks about becoming a homeowner, especially this particular home. I knew going in that it needed a lot of love, and after a month of escrow and the act of signing over the entirety of my savings account to make this place mine, I was having...not buyer's remorse, but definite feelings of, "What the hell am I doing?!"

You know the story by now. The place was a mess. In five years I have:

• Scrubbed years' of hard water stains and dirt away
• Cleaned guinea pig poops out of various corners
• Scooped heaps of crap and petrified food bits out from underneath the stove
• Re-painted every wall (with some professional help)
• Had the floors replaced
• Replaced the oven/stove (DOA and also filthy)

All of the above BEFORE I could even move in. Then...

• Replaced the dishwasher (died after a year)
• Replaced the refrigerator (died about two or so years in?)
• Replaced the washer and dryer (washer died this year, dryer was probably close)
• Had a ton of straw cleaned out of the dryer vent (Dude: "Bird nest?!" Me: "No, guinea pigs.")
• Replaced the faucet on the kitchen sink (really fun when it broke and sprayed water across the kitchen)
• Had a microwave installed over the stove (replacing a very ugly/stained stove hood that never worked) 
• Had the kitchen counters and sink resurfaced to fix massive chips.
• Had one new toilet installed (the other is coming soon)
• Had my bedroom closet professionally done by California Closets
• Same for the laundry closet
• Fixed or had fixed myriad plumbing and A/C issues (I will likely replace the A/C in another year)

Things on my current wish list:

• Resurface the counters/sinks in both bathrooms (same process as the kitchen)
• Have all cabinets, doors, and door frames sanded/painted
• Replace A/C unit for newer, more efficient model (current is 20 years old)
• Replace the second toilet
• Replace sink hardware in both bathrooms

But as it stands, Casa Meg, as it was christened five years ago today, is not too shabby. Most important, it's HOME. I walk in the door and know that it is my haven. I have comfy furniture, a pretty garden, and two sweet cats waiting for me. 

Morning in Casa Meg--my window faces south
so it's well-lit, but not sunshine-in-the-face.

I have a piano in my dining nook. And a cat. 

Getting the counters resurfaced this 
year was the BEST. They look so nice
now.

The guest room/craft room/gym/office is pretty
busy but it gets its many jobs done. A lot of
Zoom teaching went down in here last year.

I love the layout, where the bedrooms are on
opposite sides of the house. My bedroom and
bath are behind the kitchen. (Hi Popcorn!)

Tons of comfy pillows and pretty colors. I love
my bed and bedroom.

Of course, home is best experienced from the
comfort of the sofa, wrapped in your favorite
blanket with a cup of tea.

A favorite addition--a vintage chair that was
my maternal grandmother's, and a stool that 
Dad's uncle Matt made for Mom and Dad 
as a wedding gift. Mom would love that I have
made them my own.