The Girl

Megan Duesterhaus from The Homes I Have Made

Hi, I’m Megan! Among lots of other things, I am most importantly a Mom to three little boys and a proud wife to a US Marine.

As a military family, we find ourselves in all sorts of living situations. Some are once-in-a-lifetime-opportunities (hello, Japan!), some are not. Some places top our wish lists, while others are places we don’t ever want to go or go back to. Sometimes the world outside the door is wonderful and exciting; yet other times it is scary and overwhelming.

More often than not, we end up living far away from our families, the places we we know, our friends, and our roots. And as soon as we’re fully settled into a new life, it’s usually time to pick up and move again. There are certainly seasons of life when I’m up for the adventure and others when I’m not!

Having a home…not just a shell of a house…but a real home…allows me and my family a safe, real, personal, comfortable, happy space to weather this crazy ride. While some see our nomadic lifestyle as a deterrent to creating a home, I see it the other way around.

When we are far away from family, completely out of our comfort zones, don’t know our way around or a soul to share a coffee with, coming home to a space that is just the way we want it makes dealing with all the hard and uncomfortable parts of military life so much easier.

I pour my heart into transforming each rental space into a place we love not just because I can never get enough pretty walls and organized drawers, but more so because ‘the home’ is our family’s foundation atop ever shifting sands.

The Blog

The Homes I Have Made is where I chronicle my journey of creating home after home, move after move. Alongside anecdotes of our military lifestyle, I primarily share all the clever, affordable, outside-the-box decor and organization solutions we use in our rentals homes, most of which can be adapted to any space, any style, and any budget.

I prioritize feasibility and function over excess and clutter, and infuse (temporary!) style, colors, and patterns into every space so that they look as good as they work. Whether you’ve lived in your home for 20 months or 20 years, are moving tomorrow or haven’t moved in decades, I just know my practical, functional, and approachable ideas can help you transform any space into a place YOU love!

I hope you’ll check out all my projects and ideas in the Project Gallery and connect with me on social media: