Everyone needs a sanctuary within their own home. I think the week that we finally felt at home in our new house was the week we finished the painting and cleaning, moved our mattress off the floor and onto a bedframe, and started sleeping in our master bedroom.

The same week we got the news that the sale would close on our house purchase and the same week we found out we were pregnant with our first baby. So, by the time we moved into our first house in August 2010, I was in the middle of first trimester exhaustion. That made the move a huge challenge. You see: we knew we would only be able to afford to buy a house if we found a fixer, and our house was a definitely cosmetic fixer (i.e. it was a safe, healthy house, but it was outdated, dirty and ugly). We had 1 week off work in which to fix ‘er up before we were out of our old apartment for good.