When Home Became More Than an Address

If you’ve been following along with my story, you probably know by now that I spend a lot of time talking about kitchens. But here’s the funny thing—some of my favorite places in our home aren’t actually in the kitchen.

This porch is one of them.

We added it because we wanted another place to actually live in our home. A place to have coffee in the morning, sit with friends, enjoy a beautiful day or just hang out without really doing anything at all.

And I think that’s something I’ve come to appreciate more as I’ve gotten older.

A house and a home really aren’t the same thing.

In real estate, we talk about bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, school districts and resale value. Of course all of those things matter, but they’re not usually the things we remember about a home.

We remember where everyone sat at Thanksgiving. The kitchen island everybody gathered around even though there were perfectly good chairs five feet away. The backyard where the kids played. The porch where you sat with a cup of coffee and absolutely no intention of getting anything accomplished.

Those are the things that turn a house into your home.

I See It in Real Estate, Too

One of my favorite parts of being a Realtor is watching people figure out what they’re really looking for in a home. They might start with a list—three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a two-car garage, maybe a basement.

But then we start walking through houses, and that’s when I start paying attention.

Sometimes it’s what they say. Other times, it’s what they don’t say. And sometimes I can tell by someone’s face before they’ve said a word that this isn’t the house.

And every once in a while, we walk into one and something changes.

They start talking about where the Christmas tree would go, where the kids would do homework or whether the patio is big enough for everyone to come over.

That’s when they’re not really looking at the house anymore. They’re imagining their life there.

That’s the part I love.

Life Changed My Definition of Home, Too

Over the last several years, our family has had plenty of reminders that life doesn’t always go according to plan.

As Chris’s heart condition became much more serious, there were times when work, recipes, websites and all the things that normally seemed important simply weren’t. Taking care of my husband and our family was.

After going through some of those harder seasons, ordinary life started looking a little different to me.

Being home together mattered more. Dinner around the table mattered more. Having friends over mattered more. Going somewhere together on a beautiful Saturday mattered more.

And sometimes doing absolutely nothing together mattered more.

It made me realize that living well doesn’t have to mean living perfectly.

Sometimes it simply means making something of the life you have right now.

Somehow, We Still End Up in the Kitchen

For all this talk about the porch, though, there’s one thing I know for sure:

Everyone still ends up in my kitchen. 😂

We can have the porch set up. The family room is right there. There are plenty of perfectly good chairs.

Doesn’t matter.

Eventually somebody is leaning against the counter, someone else is standing by the island and I’m probably pulling something out of the refrigerator.

Maybe that’s why the kitchen keeps showing up in all these stories—my Granny’s kitchen, my own kitchen, learning to cook differently for Chris, Christy Cooks for Life, family dinners and friends gathered around.

It was never really just about food.

It’s about the people you’re feeding.

And I’ve come to think the same thing about home.

It’s not really about the house. It’s about the life you’re building inside it.

So, What Exactly Is La Vine Living?

I’ve asked myself that question more than once. 😉

For a while, I thought all the different parts of my life needed their own little boxes. Real estate over here. Recipes over there. Family life somewhere else. Local places we love. Home projects. Travel. Entertaining.

But real life doesn’t work that way.

At least mine doesn’t.

Eventually, I realized I didn’t really need to make all those things fit into one category. They already had something in common.

They’re all part of how we live.

That’s what La Vine Living has become for me.

It’s the food I make for the people I love. It’s making a house feel like home. Sometimes it’s finding a great little restaurant five minutes away that somehow we’ve never tried. Or having friends over and getting out and enjoying the community we’ve called home for so long.

And sometimes, it’s helping someone figure out where they want to live next.

And yes, sometimes it’s sitting on the porch doing absolutely nothing.

This Is La Vine Living

I don’t have everything figured out, and frankly, I don’t think I want a website that makes it look like I do.

Life changes. Families change. Our homes change. What we need from them changes. Even the way we define living well changes.

La Vine Living is a place for all of that.

Good food. A welcoming home. Local life. A few adventures. And the stories that happen along the way.

So whether you came here looking for a low-sodium recipe, a little home inspiration, something happening around the western suburbs or simply a good story, I’m glad you’re here.

Pull up a chair.

Although there’s a pretty good chance we’ll all end up standing in the kitchen anyway. 😉

Keep Exploring La Vine Living

Thanks for coming along! Whether I’m sharing a favorite local spot, something happening around the western suburbs, an idea for home or what’s cooking in my kitchen, I hope you’ll find a little inspiration for loving where you live.

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