Our friends bought a new house... Now what?

There are so many emotions that we go through when we buy a new home. Fear, excitement, anticipation, and maybe even confusion, as was the case with me! You can find yourself so excited, but there are so many unknowns before moving into your first home. Will we be able to afford this, did we pick the right neighbourhood for us, is the commute to work going to go as expected, what property taxes? You can go through the day feeling like you are going crazy with all these thoughts rushing through your head at the most inopportune times.

I always get excited for friends and family when they tell me that they have bought a new house, but I would never in a million years what to be in their shoes. The hassles of it, all the hidden costs, delayed deliveries, cleaning and the most dreaded PACKING and UNPACKING! YUCK. I walked around my new home for a week crying every time I saw an unopened box. The worked seemed endless, but here we are, a year and a bit later, with the majority of our stuff unpacked and organized. I will never forget all the feelings that I had during our move and so I am always a little sympathetic of people making the decision to move.

So, when our good friends told us they bought their first home, I was excited and nervous for them. I wanted to be helpful and share my experiences but thought it better to keep my mouth shout for fear of causing unnecessary panic! Instead I offered my assistance in any way they may need it and anxiously awaited our invitation to their humble abode. Before we knew it, we were invited over and with excitement I sat down to try to think of a unique and special housewarming gift! A bottle of wine would not due the trick for these friends! We needed something a little more personal and practical!

A little basket of useful yet meaningful gifts would be perfect! I wanted nothing more then to not have to go to the store for something stupid like batteries or a pad of paper and a pen (as I am a total "list" freak) when we moved in. I had the perfect idea! I would go shopping and dedicate my trip to looking for things that everyone needs, and yet manages to forget upon moving into their home! Things like a flashlight, sticky tack, extension cords, extra large garbage bags (you can never have enough), a trial size of dish soap and laundry detergent, post it notes, a night light and the list goes on and on. You would be surprised walking around your local hardware store how many things you can find that would help someone out who is moving. A few hours wondering around the mall later and I had everything I needed to put together a great little housewarming gift. Not only was it a nice gesture (I thought), it cost just as much as a nice bottle of wine, but was far more personal! I wish someone would have given us everything we missed when we moved! It would have saved us a ton of money on gas traveling to the store twice a day!

Congrats to Andrew & Lisa for their beautiful new home! I hope it is everything you have dreamed of and more! XOXO

Happy Crafting!

Ter-