Aging Gracefully...Old Treasures, Distressed Finds, And An Old Homeplace That *Love* Furnished !An Old House Furnished by *Love* !

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The Old Homestead ~ "It is possible, as I have learned again and again, to be in one's place, in such company, wild or domestic, and with such pleasure, that one cannot think of another place that one would prefer to be - or of another place at all."  --Wendell Berry

 From the moment we turned the corner, drove under the canopy of trees, first spotted the old home place and saw the house tucked amongst the tall trees, we were smitten and felt at * home*.  We had prepared ourselves during the long drive to be disappointed, but we were not.  Perhaps we secretly hoped to be disappointed because moving to a new state would put us further away from many a dear friend and family member and out of our comfort zone. Our plans for rebuilding in the valley after the tornado weren't working out, so we had expanded our search and were continuing to pray about our next step.  We were in a wonderful temporary home owned by dear friends, but it was...temporary.  We knew we had to go somewhere eventually and begin again as a family, and we were *homesick* and wanted to go to our next earthly home, but where was home?

Our time of waiting was spent doing many needful things, and wonderful people called and brought incredible offerings of furniture and various other household items to be used when we *found* home.  Many items (beds) were found at the Thrift Store, painted and *distressed*, and then placed in the mini storage along with the many other treasures awaiting a place to go.  The children completed all their physical therapy, doctor's appointments and orthodontics, and many months after our first visit we learned that the old place was indeed to be our *new*  home!

 Many came that first weekend to help us with the move and with painting the entire interior of the house and putting up bead board and trim, and the trucks were unloaded to reveal what had been locked up in the storage buildings just waiting to make a house look like a home:)  Each piece having a story to tell of God's grace and the kindness and generosity of friends and strangers.

The glass was accidentally broken out of the bathroom cupboard above, but a curtain was added where glass had once been.

The school room we painted red, and the table, bookshelf, and bench are pieces Tom made.  They survived the storm as they were not in the house at the time.  We are very happy to have them and are reminded of the many pieces of furniture he lovingly made for our family over the years.

There is a screened porch off the kitchen which will probably be used as a summer kitchen.

The original part of the house was built in 1900.  I wonder how many little feet have pattered up and down those stairs over the past one hundred and twelve years?!

A little sitting area upstairs and a place for practicing piano.

We were so surprised when we first saw this room of the house.  It is so similar to the bedroom the girls shared before, and we were able to use the twin beds we had acquired from the Thrift Store over the past six months of waiting for home.  As each bed is different, Abi painted them all black and gave them a bit of a distressed look.  We are very pleased with the results and the price of approximately seven to fourteen dollars each!

A beautiful old piece with a story to tell of God's provision and grace.  Thank you!

Various linens and fabrics were provided and saved and this one was strung across an upstairs window with a beautiful view:)

 Each girl has a trunk in which to store things, and they are grateful!

The fellas are also all in one room, and the little bed on the right was given to Little Man.  The walls were painted a cinnamon color, and the tin is from the roof of the house which was next door in the valley.  Very durable, and I think they did a very nice job of getting it on the walls:)

Some of their decorations they found on the property.

The white dresser is used to hold the little girls clothes as they have a very small closet in the bedroom.  It used to be yellow and blue.  Leftover bathroom trim paint was used to make it match.

We are still a two bathroom family, but it works out just fine - especially when we realize how many people on earth are without even one bathroom.

My bed and the armoire are pieces salvaged from a home hit by Hurricane Katrina.  Some dear friends of ours helped a family there who were getting rid of it because of all the water damage and loss of their home.  They've had it stored all this time in their attic and brought it to us after we moved in.

 The night stand, along with many other pieces, we found on the property in various buildings.

Considering using chalkboard paint on a couple of the kitchen cabinet doors but haven't decided yet.  We cut a couple pieces of poster board and put them up to see if we like the *look*.  Love the sign above the cabinets:)

We really enjoy the view from the front porch and the gentle breeze felt while visiting or having a quiet time.

The large *welcome* sign used to be our bathroom mirror.  Someone found it amongst the rubble minus the mirror.  We painted it with chalkboard paint and use it as a welcome sign.

Grace sign - lovely gift, wonderful reminder:)

Living Room - home life continues here.  Whether the day be one full of joy and mirth or one which brings sadness and sorrow, may all our members remain faithful and loyal, by God's grace.  We are bound together in a special way, and we find shelter under the same roof. 

Love the sign on the mantel which was made by a talented young man whom we are blessed to call friend.

Rose Marie, did you notice the curtains?!!!  The three oak pieces are from three different states, and the shelf holding the cups was found here under an old shed.  The little spindles match the ones on the large hutch:)

The above French table was sent to us by someone whom we've still never met and was counter top height. While in our first temporary home it replaced the church tables we'd been using.  We still had the fold up chairs, and the table came almost up to our necks!  Eventually the legs were cut down so as to make the table standard size.  We figured it would be a lot harder to find tall chairs at a good price, so the legs had to be shortened.  It is nine feet long - almost as long as the one Tom had made for our family - and we are very happy to have it in our home.

We LOVE this piece which was originally green.  Abi re-painted it white so as to match the room, and it is used to store some small appliances and such.

Bethany is working on a baking center and has been painting various jars with chalkboard paint.  We are very happy to be baking again and getting things organized.

Thank you so much for taking this *tour* of our home.  We are very happy to be here and thankful for every opportunity to make new memories in this place where we find shelter, where character is being formed and impressions made in the hearts and lives of each family member.  May it be a place of refreshment and encouragement to each of our guests, and may the love of Christ be evident here.  Thank you and God bless you all...