The month of November seems like the perfect time to focus on things to be thankful for. I started a series a while back focusing on things I’m thankful for to help myself draw attention to the positive things in my life. A month or so ago, I started a note on my phone with a list of reasons that I’m thankful for our new home. I thought this would help me to not get discouraged with the mountains of boxes and updates we hadn’t gotten to yet. I didn’t really intend on this becoming a blog post, but since this is the month to focus on thankfulness, I thought I’d share with you.

Remember, just because I’m sharing some things that I love about my new home, doesn’t mean that there aren’t negatives. Instead, I’m just choosing to focus on the positive. Hopefully this post will encourage you to search for the positive in your homes too. Even if your current residence isn’t the house of your dreams, I’m certain that there are things you like. Let’s focus on those.

We’ve lived in our new home for a little over three months now. We’ve made a ton of changes in a short amount of time and still have lots to do. In this short amount of time, I’ve found several things that I absolutely love about this house. Here are a few of them:

1. Natural Light & Blinds: This house has a TON of natural light. The entire living area is filled with light the majority of the day. Windows are abundant, and the blinds are easy to open. I’ve learned that being outside and having lots of light is sort of the key to my overall happiness. I mentioned that a little in this post. If I were forced to live in a dark house with few windows, I’m fairly certain that I’d have to be medicated. Having this abundance of light and connection with the outdoors has been such a blessing to me.
2. Windows That Open: If you can’t tell, I’m really thankful for my windows…even if they are still dirty. Our old house had a lot of great windows, but they were painted shut. I didn’t have the opportunity to open them on nice-weather days and actually couldn’t hardly open the blinds on some of them. Even though it had decent windows, that house still had an overall darkness to it. I honestly think the windows here have increased my overall mood dramatically. I love being able to come home and open those windows on days when the weather is nice (which is like twice a year in Louisiana).
3. Hot Water: This may seem like a joke but I’m seriously pumped about the abundance of hot water here. At our rent house, I’d be in big trouble if I had to take a shower right after Matthew. If I needed to wash my hair and shave my legs, I had to prep for a marathon first. I’ve seriously never shaved my legs as quickly as I did in that house. Before you knew it, you’d be struck with freezing cold water. This was especially true during the winter because the water heater was outside and apparently not insulated very well. Today, I’m so thankful to be able to take a full shower without having to race to the finish line. I can even take a shower directly after Matthew and still have plenty of hot water! It’s the little things, folks.
4. Bathroom Heater: Speaking of bathrooms, this house has heaters in the bathrooms and that’s amazing! Our last bathroom didn’t even have electrical outlets so we didn’t even have the option to plug in a space heater, much less have one built in. Instead, we took showers in a freezing cold bathroom with little to no hot water. Doesn’t that sound like paradise?? I’ve already used the bathroom heater twice and I’m pumped about it…even if the master bath heater does rattle a little much. Noisy heat is better than no heat! (We also have plugins in both bathrooms….modern conveniences are amazing!)
5. A Clean Kitchen: Our new kitchen may have old cabinets and basic appliances, but it is soooo much better than our last kitchen. I’ve never shared pictures of that old beast because it was so dreadful. I can’t even appropriately describe its awfulness. Having a kitchen that is a good size and CLEAN without floor tiles on the walls has been a joy. I don’t mind being in there, and I’ve even cooked since living here! One day I may have the courage to show that old kitchen, but it’s still too fresh. Just know that it was bad. With a capital B.
6. Painted Walls: The walls in our rent house were all the same dreadful color of tan. Every. Single. Wall. was the same color. This wasn’t even a good tan. This was that tan that sort of looks pink. They were full of nail holes and bad patch jobs. Even though I had scrubbed every surface, the walls still had this dingy, dirty look to them. Our new house has fresh paint and no nail holes. Plus, the rooms are different colors! It is so refreshing to walk into a room that doesn’t look exactly like the room you just left. I already want to repaint some of the rooms here, but nonetheless, I’m pumped to have good paint on the walls.

 As I’m writing this post, I realize that old rent house might have been sucking the life out of me. I knew that towards the end, I sort of hated being there and I was never, ever inspired by that space. Yes, I’ll always love that little house and the memories we made there because it was our first. However, I’m incredibly thankful to be in a new home that feels like it has endless possibilities. This house is so much more inviting and inspiring, and I feel so lucky that it’s mine. Again, it’s not perfect. However, my goal in life is to draw on the positive. I don’t want to focus on the negatives. I want to be thankful for this place and what it’s already done for me in this short time.

What do you have to be thankful for in your home? If your mind immediately starts thinking of the things you hate or wish were different, stop it!! Tell that negativity to leave and instead try to list some of the positive things. Focusing on the positive has a profound impact on your qualify of life. Make a list or leave a comment here with at least 5 things you’re thankful for in your home. After all, we all have so much to be thankful for.