This post is sponsored by Nebraska Furniture Mart. We received products and a gift card as compensation.

We’re continuing home tour week today with a look at our basement! I did a Facebook Live video tour of the basement yesterday, but here’s a recap for you!

A finished basement was on our list of musts in the new house because we wanted a dedicated space for two things:

1. Having guests stay with us
2. Letting the kids play and be loud

It has been SUCH a blessing to have a space where the boys can wrestle, play games, and be loud and crazy without driving us all crazy! When we’ve had friends over, the kids and parents are all having fun in their own spaces and I LOVE IT.

The high ceilings in the basement are just perfect because it doesn’t feel closed in and dark. We have games, puzzles, Legos, and more for the kid to use and so far they’re keeping it pretty organized!

The furniture from our living room in the old house was just right for this basement family room space. Even with the coach, loveseat, chair, and ottoman, the space still feels wide open!

One new piece we needed in this family room was an entertainment center. The TV needed a higher spot than the low shelves we had previously and we needed storage for movies and game systems. My husband spotted this entertainment credenza and it was exactly what we wanted and needed at a very affordable price. He and my dad put it together that afternoon and I just love the look of it! There were SO many choices at Nebraska Furniture Mart, so whatever your style, you’ll find an entertainment center you love!

This kitchenette in the main basement area feels like a bonus to me – something I never thought of having, but it was in our builder’s plans, so we went with it. I’ve started to find great uses for it, such as a popcorn bar for the kids during our Super Bowl party! Of course, having this space required another refrigerator, so we picked out another LG fridge – much more basic than the one on the main level, but just right for the kitchenette. I love that it has an ice maker in the freezer, mainly for entertaining. We’ve also stocked it with water bottles and some healthy snacks for guests or for the kids if they get hungry or thirsty while playing.

It’s really hard to get a good picture of these smaller rooms, like the bathrooms, pantry, etc., but I wanted to give you a little peek at our guest bathroom. The Hubby had the grand idea of making the guest bathroom a nicer space for our guests with a nice glass shower door and tiled walls.The bathroom is a lot more open than many basement bathrooms and I LOVE how it turned out!

Last, but not least, is the guest bedroom. Yes, it is super basic right now, but it has a bed and space for guests to stay, so I’m rejoicing in that right now! The furniture in the guest room is part of our bedroom set from when we got married. I believe this was our first Nebraska Furniture Mart purchase and it has held up so well over the past 14 years! I’m glad it still has a place in our home even though we’ve moved up to a king-size bed – watch for that in our next home tour post on the bedrooms!

I did leave one room out in the basement – the exercise room. As runners, this was an important room for us to add into the floor plan to house our treadmill, weights, yoga mats, and more. We’ve already made good use of the space, but I want to get it all finished up before I share it here with you. It might be a while since we’re waiting on getting a new treadmill, but you can get a sneak peek at what it looks like now in my Facebook Live video from yesterday!

We still two posts to go in our home tour – the bedrooms (upstairs) and my office! Tomorrow (Thursday, February 23), I will do a Facebook Live about the upstairs, so join me over on my Facebook page for that fun! See you there!

This post is sponsored by Nebraska Furniture Mart. We received products and a gift card as compensation.

It’s about time I shared a house tour, right?! Before I dive in, here’s a little background on this “we built a house” story:

When The Hubby took a job here after residency, we knew we wanted to move into something with a little more room as our “forever” house. We wanted a large, open concept main floor and a guest bedroom, plus a basement for the kids to enjoy. We looked around at houses for sale here and there, but we didn’t find what we wanted, so we started to explore the option of building.

Last spring, we toured a few models and fell in love with a two-story home. It didn’t have a guest bedroom in the basement, but we were able to add it into the plans, and by April 2016, we were picking out lots. That process took FOREVER so I’ll spare you those details (mostly because I don’t want to relive it). Finally, in July 2016, we broke ground and the building began.

Someday I’ll go into a VERY LENGTHY post about building a house, but today is not that day. For now, I’ll just say that I felt like we were making decisions nonstop from July through December. ALL THE DECISIONS. But it was totally worth it, because when we moved in on December 30, 2016, we moved into our dream home.

Today, I’m sharing with you the main floor. Two disclaimers:

1. I am NOT a designer or master decorator in any way. You will never see me featured on a home decor blog and I am JUST FINE with that. Our home fits us and that’s exactly how I want it. There are still some blank walls that need art or photos – I’ll get there eventually!
2. I’m not showing you the office…yet. I’m finishing up a few last details and hope to have it ready by later this week. It was the last room to get any attention!

Welcome to our home!

This is what you first walk into when you enter our home. Everything is open on the main level (except for the bathroom and office) and it has been absolute heaven for this girl who loves to entertain and have everyone in the space without feeling cramped.

We had this table as our main dining table in our previous home and it fits this space right by the entry perfectly. I can’t really call this a “formal dining” room because we use it for so much more than that – space for coloring and puzzles and games and yes, sometimes eating! We chose to switch out the carpet for more hardwood in this area and I’m super glad we did. Also, I’m in love with that light fixture.

With two living rooms in this house, we needed another set of furniture, so we went to our second home, Nebraska Furniture Mart. We ended up with this fabulous couch (similar) and a matching loveseat (similar), which both recline. We basically all want to be in this living room all the time. It just feels so warm and cozy.

While at Nebraska Furniture Mart, we were also searching for a table for the breakfast nook and a little extra storage for the main level. We found a table we loved and this matching sideboard called our name. It has been the perfect room divider and storage place for cookbooks, vases, and even some decks of cards.

How beautiful is the matching table?! It is a counter height table with six chairs, so the five of us eat dinner here nightly and love it. I often sit here for bible study or planning in the morning while eating breakfast because I love all the natural light!

And that brings me to the room that has my heart and soul…

The kitchen. Excuse me while I happy sigh as I have a million times since we moved in.

The gorgeous quartz countertops. The huge island where I can prepare food while the kids eat or do homework on the other side. The beautiful vent hood. The slow-close drawers, including a drawer for the trash cans. THE POT FILLER. I could go on and on because I adore this space.

The double wall ovens. The walk-in pantry. That fabulous fridge. I’m telling you – picking a fridge is not easy, but Nebraska Furniture Mart employees were so very helpful in narrowing down our choices and getting us the best deal. Hint: buying appliances in November is a VERY good idea. Thank you, Black Friday deals. There’s a sneak peek at my office through that pocket door. I can’t wait to have it all done to share with you!

Did you see these bar stools peeking out, too? We tried to keep our old bar stools, but they were just a little too high (and pretty beat up), so we found these beauties at Nebraska Furniture Mart – where else? Since the kids will be sitting on these the most, we had them try sitting on several options, including some fabric, some with backs, and some that spin (NO, THANK YOU). In the end, these wide saddle-like wooden stools were a favorite for all of us. Sturdy, comfortable, and good-looking is a win in my book!

Around that corner is our mudroom/drop zone and a powder room. It is a life-saver to have that space for backpacks, shoes, coats, and more, as well as a bathroom on the main level.

I love every part of this home we built, but this main floor is a dream. I have loved being here with our family and welcoming people in. Baking, watching football, playing games, pizza + movie nights, fellowship with friends – everything we love fits perfectly in this space.

Throughout this week, I’ll be sharing more house tours here on the blog, but also on Facebook Live! Join me today at 11:30 AM CST for the first live tour over on my Home with the Boys Facebook page and stay tuned for the times for the rest of the week!