Quite a few people have asked to see pictures of our house - before and after.

And while I LOOOOVE our little house, there are parts of me that are hesitant to bring it public.

Like, when you do that you really make yourself vulnerable.

What if people don't like my style and think it's cheezy? Wonder what I think I am, posting pictures of our house? Like, if I post pictures I must think it's cute but what will people think of that? And, what if people think I'm shallow and self-absorbed if I do a little house tour? What if they don't like my projects and don't like me?

But, for the sake of my friends who have asked, and because this house has been such a blessing from the Lord, and an incredible gift to us, I want to share it. Our four years in a rental house where we could not do anything to fix it up was all part of God's plan, teaching me to be content, and now, everything feels like such a HUGE gift! I am so much more grateful for this house because of having lived somewhere for several years where my hands felt tied. So how can I *not* share what God gave us and what my husband did an amazing job restoring?

Perhaps I should give a little background as to why I love to take time in my home...

Back before I ever got married, I made a list of things that I want my home to be like one day. This is one of them from my
 Mission Statement 2003:

"... I have a heart to create a "heaven on earth" for my family: be for my husband the "home of his heart"; wholeheartedly love my husband and support him; love my children; create an atmosphere that promotes intimacy with God and a hunger to grow and learn; prepare my children for their destinies..."

"... I have a desire to serve others in an atmosphere of beauty in my home..."

And I would tell my newly-married husband five years ago that I want him to come home to his throne. :)

So that is why I do what I do in my home... This is not for everyone, but this is for me personally.

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Little House Fun Facts:

- Was built in 1906, so it's a little over a hundred years old.  Just what Husband and I both LOVE!

-This house was a foreclosure when we bought it. TERRIBLE condition, and thus had been on the market for quite a while.

- Ben bought the house when I was out of state for two weeks, so I never saw it beforehand. He told me about it, of course, but I had to trust his judgment! This is the 3rd house in 2 different states we've lived in since we're married, and I didn't see any of them before we rented or bought them.

-1300 square foot is what the contract said the house size was. Very small. But I think they forgot to add the room in the back, which would add another 300 sq. ft., but still keeping the size around 1600 square foot.

-hardwood floors throughout the whole house, except tile in the laundry room which we added.

- 5 fireplaces. Yes, five. That is not a typo. One would be fun. Five? Well, it sure looks cute, but it's been challenging for me to decorate all five without them looking the same, and like I ran out of ideas (which I did).

- 2 bedroom house, and we added a stairway with the intent of adding 1-2 more bedrooms upstairs sometime in the distant future.

-Ben worked for 3 months straight on this house, restoring it, replacing floors, tearing out walls, fixing it up... Can you say 'genius'?? His work is incredible...

-I have a laundry room INSIDE my house!! Haven't had that for four years! Excitement reigns!

So that gives you a little bit of background into the house.

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The room I'll show you today is the living room. You walk in the front door and this is the room you come to.

Before:

Tiny room, tiny doorways, very closed-in feeling. I was seriously
depressed for 3 days
after I saw this place and realized what we were in for!!

the way it looked when I first saw it. the dead of winter and freeeeeezing cold.

After:

Tore out the bookcase,
tore out the fireplace insert then made the fireplace workable,
tore out two walls,
added the wood beams,
tore off the old brick on the fireplace and had new antique brick installed,
added crown molding,
refinished wood floors...
 Still waiting on the fireplace mantel! :)

new brick on the fireplace

Ben tore out the wall with the tiny doorway and opened it up, added the beams, I freehanded the verse. I used this font, because I love serving my Jesus and having Him as my Life, and don't want it to look like a formal, cold  thing!

looking into the dining room, no peeking!

by the front door - purse holder, key-catcher...

When I get started on something, I kind of become a broken record. Here are some

Silhouettes: Take Two

Making pillows this time. Used my same pattern from before on black fabric.

After it was cut out, I "painted" all the edges with clear nail polish so they wouldn't fray. There's probably some "real" stuff to use, but hey, this is what we used to use on pantyhose and it worked to stop runners! Ha!

Glued it with fabric glue to white pillows I had already made.

Once again, slay me, oh, slay me!

Olivia's silhouette

Zoe's silhouette.
The frames I had before and come from Walmart - $3 each. They're plastic, but when you group them it hides the cheap look. :)

And
Canvas Mats: Take Two

See, I kind of get stuck on something and can't leave.

16x20 stretched canvas - 2 pack at Walmart for $9. These aren't the greatest quality, because the staples show on the sides rather than being stapled on the underside. But they worked for what I needed them for.

I painted the sides and on the top a certain width to make my "framed" look. And covered up the staples to where you don't see them.

And glued 12 x 15 pictures on top... Cheap frames for such big pictures! Gives it a "drama!" look with the big black edges.

These three pictures are compliments of Claudia Barkman Photography. :)

I LOOOOVE this poster. I saw it in a magazine and ordered it on Etsy. Isn't it perfect for a mother with two young children?! There is a cool story behind the poster too, has to do with Britain during WWII and posting these signs all over to keep their citizens from worrying about invasion.

These numbered pillows inspiration comes from THIS talented woman... She's just got creativity flowing out of her veins,  I tell you.

I like the red pop of color against a mostly neutral room. "That really makes a statement!" Husband said. Yes it does! This mom-who-is-sometimes-frazzled needs a statement like that to grab me all day long. :)

Outdoor greenery brought it. A little hard to decorate this without the mantel in place.

One of the doorways that got opened up and wall removed.

So, that's the living room! Once again,

BEFORE

and

AFTER!

Bamboo curtain rods are cut from our old backyard.

Those silhouettes of my daughters flanking the fireplace just are too much for me... okay, okay, enough already! I'll try to not bring more silhouettes to you in the future! :)

Rug comes from Craigslist, which comes from Pottery Barn. WHY someone would sell these to buy Persian rugs is beyond my comprehension...

And that's the living room.

Cheers if you stuck with me. I didn't think there would be so many things to even show about the living room!

But didn't my husband do a PHENOMENAL job?!

I think he's incredible!

-clarita