{Daydreaming} Turning Our First Home into Our Forever Home

There is something charming about a couple's first home together. When David and I got married, we moved in and rented a nice home from family back in our hometown. At first I couldn't wait to get "our first place". A place that was all ours- sign our names, write a check and are handed the keys to our first home. Then my grandparents told us their home story-

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This past July my grandparents, Nonna and Pops, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. When they first married, they didn't have much. Nonna's dad had a small house "in town" that he basically gave them. She said it needed a lot of work but they moved in and cleaned it up. A few years later, they moved that small house out to "the country" close to her family. Over the years they have added on- a couple of bedrooms here, larger kitchen there, a carport which then turned into a sun room- which is now the house that they still live in today. It was where they raised their kids and all 13 grandkids loved to come for fort-building, swimming and sleepovers all piled up on pallets in the living room.

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That got me thinking- what if we turned our first home into our forever home! Now that David and I have moved away from the house for this year, we have really come to appreciate what all that house has to offer! We have fun sketching out our ideas on how we will renovate it- top to bottom, inside and out! We know it's not something we can do all at once, but that over time, we can make this the house of our dreams!

Stay tuned for our ideas! We hope to get started when we get back home next year!

2inn1 Kensington Boutique Hotel

2inn1 Kensington is the place to stay if you are traveling to Cape Town, South Africa. My dad, having stayed here just over a year ago, knew this was the best way to start our stay here in South Africa and graciously book a room for us for a few nights. 

"2inn1 Kensington is a stylishly renovated Boutique Hotel situated in the quiet and prestigious residential area of Cape Town next to the city center. Flanked by the imposing slopes of Table Mountain and Lion's Head, 2inn1 Kensington combines an authentically, stylishly remodeled Victorian house and a modern designed bungalow."

After a long two days of flying, the hotel had arranged transportation from the airport and we were greeted by the wonderful staff and a much needed cup of cappuccino when we arrived! They have a delicious breakfast every day complete with made to order eggs, waffles and french toast! 

Our room was beautifully decorated with luxurious African and modern touches along with even a chocolate on your pillow each night! 

2inn1 Kensington is close to all the great things that Cape Town has to offer like Table Mountain, Waterfront, Lion's Head, Signal Hill, coffee shops, bars, restaurants, beaches and the city center. But we also enjoyed relaxing by their lovely pool and enjoying happy hour wine and snacks at night!  

We enjoyed our stay so much that we have book a weekend getaway back at 2inn1 for our anniversary in August! 

** All photos are from the 2inn1 website! I took my own but they didn't turn out near as good! 

We're Leaving on a Jet Plane

David and I head out tomorrow for our big move! These past couple of weeks have been busy with packing, moving, and finishing up all the little details!

We have created a new blog especially for this next year to share our adventures with family and friends. I still hope to have great interior design and home projects to share here on this blog.

Follow along on our journey at www.orrsabroad.blogspot.com.

Merry Christmas

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The Orr Family- David, Laura and Berkley

Rustic Glam Christmas Tree

Yes- that is the same name I gave my tree last year... and the tree looks very similar to last year's tree. If I had it my way (and an endless holiday bank account), I would change up Christmas decor every year. My husband, on the other hand, thinks that idea is ridiculous! So I am using much of what I had last year but tweaking it just a bit! So without further ado- here is our 2012 Rustic Glam Christmas Tree!

I used my "fabric feathers" that I just loved on last year's tree and layered in silver, gold and burlap ribbons.  I stuck with my gold, silver, mercury glass and rustic ornaments although I did surprise myself with a few new ornaments that I forgot I bought after Christmas last year!

I also set up our advent calendar on time this year and we have enjoyed counting down to Christmas!

In the middle of the chaos of trying to pack and move, the glow of the Christmas tree makes the house still feel festive- just ignore the all the boxes!! It just wouldn't be Christmas without the tree and I couldn't stand the thought of not setting it up!

 If you're curious, here is a photo of our 2011 Rustic Glam tree:

I'm linking up with Honey We're Home and Thrifty Decor Chick for their Christmas Tree Parties!