Gingerbread Pumpkin

Well, today is gonna be my last post for a bit.... I'm. going. to. have. to. do. without. (cough, cough) internet............. until the satellite people can come and hook it up. Noooooooo!
I'm sure that it will be good for me, though. Maybe I'll actually get some things accomplished?!?

But I'm going to miss you all so much. So very much.

Today, I'll spend packing and help my husband pack 2 vehicles, tonight. I either won't be able to sleep at all because of anxiety or I'll completely crash out because of it. I just never know! I need to organize all of my "to-do" lists. (You should see them -- they're a mess -- there's a list for almost everything -- y'all would laugh at how pitiful I am!) But my memory is just shot.

Tomorrow's going to be a blur. I have lots planned out, but who knows what I'm forgetting???

Here come alot of pictures..... a tour of our home. I struggle showing it, because I've seen so many beautiful pictures of your homes and I just know that I don't measure up. But this is me.... this is our family home and by "hiding" it, I may seem ungrateful to the One who gave it to me. I love our home and I don't ever want to be that way. It's just that I'm very easily made to feel small and inadequate by other people. I don't worry about that with y'all, though. I wish that I could know you in person because I've never met anyone like you, before! You are such an incredible blessing!

These are some pictures of little man's room: It's going to be a bit before he has a finished room, again. I know that I'll rush it, though, because he's so sweet and being so understanding about it. But this is his room, today.
I cross-stitched this prayer for his nursery and he still wants it hanging above his bed. Isn't he precious?Hubby and I cut, painted, & hung these peg boards to hold little man's things!I made these curtains when we moved here 7 years ago.......We recycle ALOT of furniture around here. This chest used to be white. It's 50 years old and was in my sister's nursery. My parents also used it for my brother & I. I've re-painted it a few times before finally stripping it all the way down, re-painting, & staining it.The bulletin boards have been used and re-used too many times to count! The desk used to be oldest daughter's. I re-painted it to match little man's room and interests.These lamps used to be in our living room. I saw some like them on the internet about 10 years ago and fell in love -- but they sold for over $300 each!!!!! So I pleaded with my brilliant husband to replicate them. So he built them & I painted them. I think we spent less around $30 for the pair (including the lamp kits and shades.) We already had the paint and scrap lumber.The children's bath. We put up rope for the chair-rail.I painted these wooden knobs to match the nautical/beach decor.The caricatures were each done at different theme parks when each of our children were much younger! Husband made the frames and framed them for me! View from our kitchen into our dining/living room.My husband built the pie safe, cookbook holder, dining table, armoire, bookshelves, and the green computer cabinet. Yes, I realize how blessed I am. He's so brilliant. God has truly gifted him. He also built the end table that you don't see in this picture and the huge picture frames!
This is looking from the living room towards the kitchen. Our "coffee" table used to be our dining table. Hubby sawed the legs down and I re-painted the legs black and the top leather brown. The red box (underneath) was built to hold our son's school supplies, but now that he stores them with his sister, it holds lap blankets and pillows! The furniture is denim. I highly recommend it. It's been very durable for us these past few years.

The rolltop desk was brought to me by Santa when I was about 10. It used to be white with porcelain knobs. I re-painted it a dark green about 3 years ago and finally decided to strip & stain it. Sweet hubby put the new hardware on it! I think it will be re-locating to the Nancy Drew room than younger daughter wants.This is a shot from the living room into the foyer. That's a "chalkboard" painted on the lower wall. I love chalkboard paint! I painted a door in our kitchen with it, too! Great for grocery lists and to-do's! The bookshelves didn't used to be there. There were spindles, but I asked husband to build these in. You need alot of books when you homeschool! This is our front room. It's had a few incarnations. When the children were younger, it was their playroom. Then used as the schoolroom -- but since they "do" school everywhere...... it's a multi-purpose room! Computer room, guestroom, den......... Yeah, that's a bed (we sold our futon.) Our children love to sit on it to watch a little tv and lay on it (during the day) to read and "camp out" in there on Friday nights (to watch Saturday morning cartoons!) See that table & benches? Guess who made it???Well.......... he also built the window seat and bookshelves/cabinets (they're on both sides of the window seat!) AND he put in the floors!Our room. The red is MUCH darker than it appears in these pictures. We had this sweet, little elderly man build this bed for us years ago (before my husband had the tools to build it himself.) It's a replica of our honeymoon bed. We stayed in a B&B. Am I telling too much? Sorry, I do that sometimes...... Husband built the console at the end of the bed and the nightstands. He also built the frames on either side of the window. They used to hang in son's nursery. I re-purposed them by sewing some "art" and re-painting the matting. Husband framed everything!!! I sewed the pillows and valance. I can only sew straight seams (and NOT well, either!)Husband chose antique mirror frame. We never did get a mirror put in there! The bathroom vanity, my husband built! What was there was pretty awful so I drew out what I wanted and he built it! He also framed out the mirror. It's so pretty up close, but I couldn't get a good picture.....

And this is where we sit and talk (on our patio that, yes, my husband built!!!!) We have our coffee here on his days off and Coke, tea, lemonade, etc. in the afternoons. When we can, of course. Not today, though -- busy and 105 degrees! Yikes! We'll find a new spot, soon.

Well, thank you for going along on the tour and down a kind of "memory lane" for/with me. New memories will be in the making starting tomorrow.

I hope to see you all, again, very soon! If I don't see you until after the Olympics, let's "watch" them together (virtually, of course ;O ) Lots of hugs and much love!

Many Blessings,

Julie