I bought my house on impulse. One day I was tired of renting and decided I wanted to buy a home — less than a month later I had a contract on the house I live in now. I only toured three other places before choosing this one. It was a risky move, but I’m grateful I didn’t end up with a property that fell apart soon after moving in.
The first year here felt like a honeymoon. It was liberating to make the place my own. I painted nearly every wall (some choices I now regret) and put up shelves, curtains, and DIY artwork, leaving a handful of holes from all the projects.
Over time I found myself daydreaming about a bigger house with more land, extra bedrooms, and a nicer kitchen with a gas stovetop. My yard suddenly felt too small for the garden I imagined, the chickens I wanted, and even goats — though I’m not sure I actually want goats; that seems like a lot of work. Even though children aren’t on the immediate horizon for Stephen and me (sorry, Mom), I started making lists of what a future baby-friendly house would need. It’s funny how we create unnecessary pressures for ourselves.
Lately I’ve learned to let those fantasies go and to be genuinely happy with what I already have. It’s not a huge house and I still don’t have that dream gas stove, but I adore my little home and feel lucky to live here. I’ve also stopped telling myself I have to buy a bigger house before starting a family — after all, the dogs already have their own room, so a future baby could probably share with them.
My goal this year is to continue making small, meaningful updates to make the house feel more like home. One of those updates was getting a new kitchen table.
This table is one of the nicest pieces of furniture I own, and I love it. A friend who runs a small furniture business custom-made the table and matching bench for me. Both pieces are solid wood with no metal hardware. The tabletop came from reclaimed barn wood in east Tennessee, which I think adds character and history to the piece.
I’ve spent a lot of quiet time at this table recently, and it’s become a reminder of how much I cherish my home. I picture hypothetical children sitting here eating breakfast, doing homework, and sneaking vegetables to the dogs. I plan to keep this table for years — it’s built to last.
Now, on to the juice. This green juice is my version of a favorite from my local juice shop in Nashville. Their “Zing” juice uses cucumber, green apple, spinach, and parsley — a bright, refreshing combination. I don’t know the exact recipe or ratios they use, so I experimented until I landed on a version I like.
While I couldn’t exactly duplicate the shop’s flavor, I created a lovely green juice that highlights cucumber and apple — so I call it Cucumber Apple Juice. It’s light, crisp, and perfect for a quick pick-me-up.
Cucumber Apple Juice + Scenes from my Kitchen
Ingredients
- 2 small green apples
- 2 packed cups of spinach
- 2 cucumbers
- 1 bunch of parsley
Instructions
-
Juice the parsley and spinach first. After they go through once, run the remaining pulp through the juicer a second time to extract more liquid.
-
Juice the apples and cucumbers.
-
Stir the juices together and enjoy.