I signed up at the first of the year to host a home tour in April. My brother had just accepted a new job in central Arkansas. He, his lovely wife, their four children and 100 pound golden had just moved in with my son, two 12 pound pups and me. I thought signing up to host a home tour would give us good motivation to get settled in. While it did provide good motivation, what it did not do is give us more hours in the day or remove the challenges that life decided to throw our way.

Since that moving van left Oklahoma and headed this way in late December, we have had four emergency room visits by individuals in this house (seven if you include visits by our mom and step-dad). We’ve celebrated seven or so holidays, two birthdays and one anniversary. My brother started his new job. The kids started new schools.

We have been busy.

This is not exactly the home tour I imagined sharing when I signed up. I had grandiose ideas of picture-perfect décor. That’s not our reality. Ours is an organized chaos filled with grace. I like this post much better. It was more fun and much less stressful to pull together than what I originally envisioned. So without further ado, here’s a little peek into the place we call home.

Welcome to our home. Be careful coming up the steps. You might want to take an allergy pill, too. Those pollen worms from the oak trees are everywhere this time of year. Oh and watch out for the birds that are nesting in the right corner of the grapevine garland. They swoop a little low when leaving the nest.

We still have boxes piled up in some rooms and too much furniture in others. But you know what? That doesn’t keep us from having a home filled with love and laughter. We are making memories that will be forever cherished. Isn’t that what matters most?

Just like most homes, the kitchen is the heartbeat of the house. It’s where we gather to grab breakfast on our way out the door to school and work. It’s where our dogs hang out while we are away. It’s where my sister-in-love whips up amazing dishes for our party of eight. It’s where we make tasty and fun treats with the kiddos.

The second busiest room in our home is the family room. I try to keep the mantel changed up with festive decorations (for the kids, right?). Having a chalkboard that takes up most of the space makes it easy and fun to change out. Cheap banners from Target, Walgreens, and Party City make for a quick and cute statement. I enjoy shopping our home to add a few final touches. Sometimes I’ll grab a discounted bouquet of fresh flowers to add an extra touch of happy. The reactions from the kids as I change it out make it more than worth the effort. I highly recommend having one place in your home that you change out a few times a year. As you can see, it doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive.

In the family room we have a ginormous sectional, a requirement for a family of eight. This is where we celebrate, watch TV, chat, chill and wield lightsabers.

It’s where we have dance parties, balloon fights and family game nights. It’s where we host family meetings and get to the bottom of mysteries. It’s where we connect and encourage one another.

The third most used room in our home is the backyard. Lately, we have been admiring the new blooms and nesting birds. We have a lot of fun with our four-legged family here, too. Soon we will be creating new memories poolside.      

And with that, I’ll conclude our tour. Thank you again, Arkansas Women Bloggers, for allowing me the opportunity to share our home. I hope sharing our reality encourages others and drives home the point that it’s not the picture-perfect décor that will be remembered, it’s the memories.