We moved into a newly built house in July of 2008. That house was not a home yet. The rooms were empty and had never seen life and all of its vicissitudes. The house was a Blank canvas on which we could paint our masterpiece.

We have a wonderful living room with 16 foot high ceilings and a wall of windows facing south east. This picture shows the after noon sun streaming through the unadorned windows on a beautiful May afternoon.

Here is the same shot this morning after eight years of changing this and changing that until we had it just right. Notice that the right hand window has now become a door leading out to our deck (another addition in making this a home).

The same goes for the exterior of the house. The builder started the landscaping, but the plants were young and immature.

Many changes have resulted in quite a change. We go from the blank view to the painted masterpiece:

Everyone places their stamp on their house to make it their home. You always start with a blank and hopefully create a warm and comfortable environment.