Upstairs Renovation: Kids rooms & Playroom

I always enjoy seeing other people’s remodeling projects, and I thought you might like to see our latest completion. Remember this trip when we left the project in full swing? Well, we actually finished the renovation just after Christmas. I just never got around to posting pictures. And since I’m still mending, I haven’t got anything else to do today. ; )

Before the renovation, the upstairs was actually a huge master suite. It was a wonderful space. You can see the before shots here if you scroll down through my old sewing posts. My sewing machine was parked in front of those gorgeous windows in Sara Lynn’s room.

You may be wondering what would make a person be willing to give up such a wonderful space. One word: STAIRS. My bones need all the TLC they can get these days. And the kids aren’t complaining about the swap one bit. Everyone’s happy with their rooms now.

Every piece of furniture in both of these rooms came from estate sales, yard sales, or flea markets. I much prefer the character and craftsmanship in older pieces. And the money I save buying things secondhand is a nice bonus. But mostly, thrifting is just plain fun. It just takes a little patience waiting to find the right piece at the right price.

Daniel’s bedding came from TJ Maxx on clearance and Sara Lynn’s came from an estate sale. It looks brand new and was obviously barely used on someone’s guest bed. I still need to deal with the walls and windows in both of these rooms, but they are for the most part done. Whew!

Are you familiar with Quercetti? Daniel received this gift for Christmas and he and all his friends love it.

It was just the right gift for a boy who feels he’s getting too old for toys but enjoys games and building things.

This is the view of the playroom from Daniel’s bedroom door. It’s never this clean, which has a great deal to do with why I never posted pictures before.

We have lots of books. (Mostly thrifted books). I can never seem to get enough of them, either for myself or the kidlets. We do use our local library frequently, but I don’t mind buying books either. Come to think of it, I can never have enough books, fabric, or seeds. Oh, and put a gardening book or crafting book in my hand and I’m in heaven! With this remodel done, we have only the bathrooms left to tackle. Here’s what we’ve done so far: Living room & Kitchen Dining room (I don’t have a decent shot of this room – how did that happen? This is the before shot. Basically all that changed in this room was the installation of wood floors. But I can’t wait to show you my farmhouse table that seats 12! Next post?) Sewing studio (Did I mention that this was the garage in it’s previous life?) And of coarse, the upstairs. I’d love to see what you’ve been up to around your house lately!

MIA…

Oh, yes. We went to Disney World. In the midst of a busy holiday season, we decided it was time we took the littles to see the Mouse. It was one of those spur of the moment decisions we’re really glad we made. Thirteen years ago, the man and I went on our honeymoon. Ever since that first magical trip, we knew we’d one day take our children. Well, finally, just as Sara Lynn hit 44 inches in height (the magic number for many rides), we decided that there is no time like the present. Carpe Diem, my friend!

Did I mention that we left an upstairs remodel unfinished so we could go off and play? Yes, we did. No regrets. At this point, I’m just wondering when I’ll find time to bake with 10+ loads of post-Disney laundry to do and no less than 1 inch of drywall dust coating every surface in this house. (Sigh.) But it was definitely worth it.

A little bit of sparkle

I love putting up the Christmas tree with my family. I know where each and every ornament came from and who gave it to me, all the way back to the very first Christmas my husband and I shared together. Now, we have two little ones who relish placing the ornaments in just the right spots, and they even make new ones each year. It was Sara Lynn’s turn to place the herald angel atop the tree this year. I like to look at it and imagine Christ’s birth. Oh, how the angels must have rejoiced when Mary delivered Him! What wonder and awe Mary and Joseph must have felt to hold the Son of God in their arms…

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” ~Luke 2:8-12

Gratitude

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
² Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his^[a];
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Twilight on the homestead

This is my favorite time of day…

Just as the sun is setting…

All is washed in hues of gold…

 

I even find golden hope for a few last tomatoes…

And the hammock begins to beckon me…

Who am I to resist?

Just a few stolen moments of quiet rest refresh me…

And I know I must still tackle those pesky dinner dishes.

A trip to the Smokies

This is a picture heavy post (and it will probably bore you), but I think that the Great Smoky Mountains are quite possibly the most beautiful place God created on this earth. We try to make an annual pilgrimage because it’s only a 6 hour drive for us, and it’s one of our favorite places.

This is at Clingman’s Dome, the highest peak in the Smokies. Absolutely breathtaking view!

And because it’s so high up, it’s cold up there year round. We’ve been before in July and had to wear our jackets. It’s quite a novelty to those of us who are steeped in humidity most days of the year.

Daniel was enamored with the ice!

Check out that beyond blue sky. Gorgeous!

This was the view from the front porch of the little cabin where we stayed. We loved it there.

There is so much history in these mountains. This is a little one-room school house tucked away high on the side of a mountain. I wouldn’t have wanted to walk to school in the winter if I had attended there. I read that some children traveled as far as 9 miles to get to this school.

And before you freak out, let me assure you that we do not allow our children to ride in the back of the truck on an open road. This was the driveway that took us to our little cabin.

Sara Lynn was so happy when her Daddy stopped to pick her flowers. I can’t help but smile, too!

It was such a nice trip in the midst of a busy season for us. It’s essential to take a retreat every once in a while, IMHO.

This is a shot of Daniel on our cabin’s little porch – complete with rockers, a swing, and a hot tub. Sigh…

Cade’s Cove is one place you must visit if you ever make it to the Smokies. So much history!

All of these last photos were taken in Cade’s Cove. It’s so much fun imagining what life would have been like for the people who lived there 100 years ago. I hope you get the chance to visit the Smokies at least once in your life!

A busy season (and I’m still here!)

I’ve had an incredibly busy season around here the past few weeks. Actually, I quite literally bitten off more than I could chew!

I’ve been teaching a bible study, attending another, substituting for Daniel’s class, planting my fall garden, learning to cook without gluten (more on that later), and trying to maintain my sanity while keeping up with all of my usual chores… WHEW! I’m still here. Tired, but here.

I must tell you that I feel incredibly blessed. I have wonderful friends and family (thank you to those who asked about me!), a little homestead in the making, and access to good nourishing food – truly a blessing.

Last week, one of our girls laid a gigantic egg (look at the top middle photo above) that had a double yolk. It was destined to become an egg and cheese sandwich. So, so delicious. And, I’ve been absolutely delighted to find out that giving up gluten didn’t mean I had to give up bread.

I was frightened at even the thought! We LOVE brownies, muffins, and bread. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

I’m now soaking ALL my grains (even though they’re gluten-free) and it’s made a tremendous difference. Before, I would soak if I remembered to, but not always. (Shame.) I just didn’t understand how truly important and necessary the process was. And I’ve been sick not realizing that it could be SO EASILY remedied. Now, I’m meticulous in the kitchen. It’s made a difference in my health. You can read about preparing nourishing foods here. (Do yourself a favor and check out the link.)

I’m making bread (I’ll be trying sourdough with gluten free grains this week) and crackers and yes, BROWNIES! All with gluten-free grains. It wasn’t as hard as I imagined it would be, and I’ll be sharing my new favorite recipes with you soon. I’ve long loved lacto-fermented veggies such as sauerkraut, but now I’m learning to enjoy kefir (thanks Diane!) and kombucha as healthy additions to my diet. I feel better than I have in a very long time.

Here on the homestead, life is good. God has blessed us with a few fall tomatoes (with more vegetables forthcoming), fun times spent together in the great outdoors (now that it’s finally cooled off a little!), and hope for the future. Did I mention we’ll be getting goats soon? Oh, my goodness!