Interior Pictures

The Living/Family Room – We sold some of our furniture to make sure we had enough room on the trailer. I bought some sitting chairs and a little table for $5 each to get us by for now. I’d like to buy a rug for this room in the winter.

Another angle of the family room. We were still unpacking and still am as I will need to buy a dresser for our office supplies. I’m buying something for our home each month, we’ll need a bookcase for all of our books as they are still in boxes. I think in a year, the house will look more lived in and cozy.

One of the old, pretty chairs I bought for $5.00. I think I’ll replace our dining chairs with pretty chairs like these.

Another pretty $5.00 chair.

Big, walking, two year old boy. Yes, this is Benjamin. He’s two now and changing so quickly. There are two doors here that close off the living and dining room from the kitchen. I believe they used to shut these and have a fire in the fireplace to keep warm, years ago.

Our tiny kitchen. It is so  cozy to me though…. I think we’ll put beautiful, old dressers and such in here to replace the lower cupboards. There are wood floors underneath the vinyl. I’d rather redo the kitchen over time, rather than expand. We have the upstairs to do still and many other projects, but you will see the pretty, wood floors soon enough. I replaced the first countertop to the left of the picture, with an old dry sink of ours, just yesterday. It looks so much cuter and fitting in our home. The little table to the right has been replaced with an old piece I found from the 1920’s. So, already I need to update the pictures.  : )  Here is a good site to buy beautiful, used, older, solid furniture. You can find pieces from the early century here as well:  https://highendusedfurniture.com/

They are local, so I only have to drive a little over an hour to pick something up.

The laundry room is in behind that door to the left of the refrigerator. We have some different plans for that…

The stove will eventually go to where the sink is so we can have the exhaust hooked to the outside. The sink area will go beneath the windows so I can have a view.

Our back storage room that gives me much relief from our lack of kitchen space. I’ll share more pictures later. We have an extra freezer and refrigerator back here. Matthew built some shelves for me in the closet for extra pots and pans and dry food such as beans. See our stairs that go up to the bedroom/attic up there? I already tore the green carpet off to reveal the beautiful wood underneath. We have an extensive project ahead of us as this green carpet covers the entire floor up there. We couldn’t fit boxsprings up the stairs so another thing on the list is to buy platform type beds or just some old pretty beds with the wood slats to put their beds in. It’s like a fort up there for now. Six of our children are sleeping in the one room. My friend Laura shared with me the other day that she thought it looked cozy. You’ll see upstairs when we are ready to remodel when summer is over. We had to put two air conditioners in there when we moved in. Since there is no bathroom, they are using a commode in a private cubby area. They don’t seem to mind.  : )

The twins being all happy in their new home.

Happy girls….

We’ve had a lot on our minds lately and a lot of running errands…. so here are a few pictures of our home in Missouri – $150,000 = Low Mortgage Payment – 32 acres, 3 bedroom, 1 bath. With two to four years to put some time, labor, love and money into this home, we’ll be really set.

See the deck to the left, Matthew has nearly removed by now. We think the house is beautiful by itself and we enjoy the open outdoors.

Pretty, old front door…

Another door that enters into the living room. I like that the heat and the flies get stuck in here.This pretty stained glass window is just to the left.

Entering in…. remember, we were still unpacking when I took these pictures. This room and the dining room were so filled with boxes, we almost couldn’t walk through here. I still don’t know where it all went! That’s the kitchen up ahead and the dining room to the right.

Our pretty dining room! The prettiest one I’ve had! Look at the built in hutch and pretty panel door to Benjamin’s room. The chandelier was the original put in when they got electricity. The “Keltner’s” lived here for over 50 years. One day when our projects are done (The whole upstairs kids bedrooms), I’d like to have a pretty piece of stained glass put in where the yellow piece is in this picture. There’s another on the other side in the living room.

We just love this house.

A view of the garden from the dining room.

The girls looking out towards the front yard… See the phone on the wall?

I think it’s beautiful! It still works, we just don’t have a landline and may not get it hooked up as our cell phones seem to work alright here.

Here are a few outdoor pictures. Dad is putting up a swing here. He put up another on the other tree to the right. The three windows up above the porch… that’s going to be Elisabeth and Hannah’s room. It is it’s own room (unfinished) with a pretty door at the end of the large upstairs where they are all sleeping on mattresses on the floor right now. We could not get boxsprings up the stairs so I will probably buy old twin beds that will take just a top mattress, eventually, as we need to focus on getting a bathroom and a couple of rooms and insulation put upstairs. We have had two air conditioners put in up there already which seem to do a pretty good job.

The 30+ acres are to the right and behind the house. I’ll show you much more on that on another post.

The dining room windows sit below the pretty window upstairs.

The far right window is actually my overflow room. We have an extra freezer and refrigerator back there as well as other kitchen items. I have a small kitchen so it works very well for us. The back stairs are in this room and go up to the upstairs.

 Another pretty window. There is one on the opposite side of the house as well. More pictures to come….

Because we had all of our belongings on a 27′ ABF trailer in storage, we had to rent vacation homes as they are furnished. The home in Pittsburg, Missouri had some vacationers already scheduled to arrive in late June so we reserved a place in Huntsville, Arkansas. Unfortunately, we all were extremely sick (vomiting and fevers) just the day before having to pack and leave for Arkansas so it was very hard to get up and go to get here.

We just loved it here. These people own over 400 acres and have other homes on here that they rent out to vacationers. They do weddings here and other events. Yet, it’s out in the middle of nowhere. It was so beautiful here, we had a wonderful time healing up here.

Dad on the phone with his friend, Dan. We could only get cell service in this spot or up in the loft of the cabin.  Beautiful views… the kids petted donkeys and horses here.

Benjamin being all happy! He didn’t get sick – I prayed he wouldn’t get sick.

The kids playing outside…

They may have been catching fireflies here… there were hundreds.

The beautiful rolling hill with the lone tree.

Matthew is not a draw-er or color-er so I had to save this one of his.  : )

A week later we had to go to Pittsburg again for a week and then Columbia for a week…. then we get to move in our new/old home built in 1909. Here we are in Columbia, Missouri for a week. The older kids swam in a hot tub nearly every day. They all played outside so much here that Matthew and I got some good time alone. So, here’s Benjamin.

Look at his pretty curls….

Looking a little cranky!

Walking around….

Crawling on couches…

Say, “Bye”, Benjamin, “See you at our new house!”

On our drive to Bolivar to stay at the Super 8 motel that night, Matthew had a major problem with his truck. We spent over 4 hours working on his truck with a nice gentleman in 90+ degree heat in a Wendy’s parking lot. Soooo many people  bought the kids soda and ice cream or offered to help Matthew or to feed the kids. We finally had his truck towed to a shop, they fixed it in under 2 hours and we made it to the hotel that night by 8:00 or so. Thank God for all the people who helped us that day, it made me feel so good about the loving, giving people we always seem to meet in Missouri.

We had the most pleasant time signing papers for our home the next morning. We met the owners once again and they then headed for Texas. They will be here to pick up their belongings in storage at the end of July and will stop by one last time at this house. They are good Christian people. Okay, see you at the house next. I have over 300 pictures and certainly can’t post all of them so it may take a few days.  🙂

This is the tiny house we stayed at in December for a month as well as April and May. For the most part, it was comfortable in size for all ten of us, but it had many problems from lack of upkeep that made it difficult to live there. The large yard and the kind, neighborly neighbors that we made friends with made it bearable.

The kids “fishing” from Dad’s truck with his tie down straps.  : )

Pretty Leah…

Still having to do school work amidst all of our travels.

We had a delightful view from our kitchen table, watching these sparrow’s mother sit on her nest until they were hatched. Then we watched her throughout the day, gather food for them and clean up her nest. Pretty soon we saw their little heads peeping out and before we knew it, they were ready to leave. And leave they did. We missed seeing these happy, little birds while sipping on our coffee or eating a meal.

Here they had left their nest and were perching on the ledge adjacent to where their home was. Soon after, they flew away while the kids happily ran out to see where they went.

We left Maine on a Friday in April after packing extensively for two days. Remember, we thought we were buying a home there so we made ourselves at home! We made good timing all the way to New Hampshire and then we hit traffic- for 5 hours.  The kids were so good about it. The next day was tiring as well. We came into our vacation home outside of Lancaster, Pennsylvania hard, but felt sooooo relieved to arrive. We felt like we were in our own home, we had plenty of room to spread out in with five bedrooms, a darling home on acreage and Amish farms all around.

I was so happy, I woke just before 6:00 and had to get out of bed to start the day. I came outside in the quiet morning to see this beautiful sunrise. I felt so peaceful in this home.

Our kids had so much fun here and relaxation. I could tell that it felt homey to them as well. It made us happy to be here. Devon and her husband the owners were so delightful to meet. They now lived in the beautiful stone house next to the one we stayed in. I believe it was her husband’s grandmother who used to run a Bed and Breakfast type thing in the home for many, many years until she could no longer.

The only reason we took this route through Pennsylvania was to meet our dear brother in Christ, Dan. We’ve known him for many years now and my husband and him have talked through some hard times for hundreds of hours this past year and a half. They love each other so much – true, genuine brotherly love. They remind me of David and Jonathan in the Bible.  : )  The kids were so comfortable with Dan and I was so very happy to meet him too. We love you dear brother, you enrich our lives and others so very much. You have been nothing but a blessing and enhancement to our home.

I’m sorry I didn’t take pictures of the inside of the home other than this. Here our family ate and fellowshipped with Dan. We asked him what he wanted for dinner… We had meatloaf, lima beans and some other things that I can’t remember. Brownies, yes, they were good!

The view from the front porch…

The stone house where the owners live… we never saw them hardly, except for when they were driving out of the driveway. They own farm land all around.

Another view from the front porch. Oh, how I wished my mother was here with us. She would have loved it here.

The Amish house to the side of the house. I would see an Amish boy throwing a ball up to the roof of the house and catching it as it fell down. I’d see the women hanging laundry and their family going off to church in their buggy on Sunday morning.

The backyard

The morning view I had when we first arrived, but during the day now. We stayed 3 extra days than we had planned. It was all worth it.

We enjoyed it here so much. It was good for my soul after leaving Maine…

Three happy crittters!!!

I found my other pictures of Maine. Don’t mind my unorganized “photo dump.”

Shells…. the kids loved collecting shells while we were there.

We had a beautiful view with sights of boats, barges, tankers and other watercraft. More pictures below…

Benjamin wondering what I am doing with my camera. Miriam had this look about 3 years ago.  : )

Dad and the kids played chess a lot.

More pretty pictures from our backyard view…

Lobster boats…. hundreds of them that day all around.

Making Snickerdoodle cake…

Taking turns…

Paper Dolls

Homemade paper dolls

Our pretty view we had…

Every night these three girls would perch over the couch here and wash Dad and I or the big kids do the dishes. It was cute!

Many of these are Elisabeth’s writings…

Dad drew this hand… I shared with him that hands are the hardest part of the body to draw, he surely did exceptionally well!

Elisabeth looked at dresses at The King’s Daughters. She made some drawings of the dresses. We just ordered a dress from there for her birthday just yesterday.

More homemade paper dolls.

The hill where the kids sled down all winter long. I had to take a picture before leaving.

The beautiful shells found on the East coast.

Sweet memories…

The best memory of our stay in Eastport…. our neighbor, Susan. She and the kids hit it off right away. Every day when she took her dogs for a walk by our house, she’d slow down as the kids would come running out to greet her and chat for a half hour or so. She has such life and happiness in her soul! She was a joy to meet and be near for such a short time. We miss you Susan!!!!

Happy, lovely woman who brought out so much joy in our children.

The beaver we saw pondering down our yard, a couple of days before we left….

Elisabeth

Elisabeth’s drawings she taped all over our walls…

Matthew (little), started this apple tree from seeds of apples from the store in Maine. They are 4″ tall now.

Daddy drew this bird… so gifted. Hannah colored it in.

Another of Daddy’s drawings… I love this one.

I got in on the fun and drew this woman.

Pup’s drawing and some more down below…

One of our 500 piece puzzles

Playing chess again….

Tabitha’s messy face…

Learning about different kinds of birds…

Another big sight to see…

Little Matthew reading about our cells and good health.

Twin lovey doveys…..

I knew this day would come where I would take the time to catch up on our time from Maine so I can happily share with you about our new house and surroundings.  : )

Matthew standing with his snowman friend.

New England style hot dog buns (or rolls). It’s a long piece of fluffy bread with slits in it.

Benjamin a few months back. Just look at that curly hair. He looks much older now that he’s walking around everywhere. He started walking at 22 months old. He’ll be two years old next month. Where does the time go? I want another baby again….

Benjamin’s dear, innocent look that I love. Matthew and the kids made sentences with the alphabet letters that I bought them while we were cooped up in the house.

Little Anna. She and her twin sister Tabitha have such kind mannered dispositions. They are very loving.

Hannah doing her math. At least she looks happy today… she usually doesn’t like doing math.  : )

Elisabeth – She’s growing up! She’ll be 11 on July 6th.

Leah, she looks a little like my sister Natalie and acts like her some too…. she’s very sweet and fun to be around. Hardly ever mopey, always in good spirits.  : )  You’re fun to be around, Leah!

You’re looking older. It’s hard to see you looking a little older. You’ve always been the baby of the first set of kids we’ve had.

Here you look just like my daughter Christine who turns 29 this month. Same, exact smile.  : )  Very sweet.

Excuse our dark picture. We did lots of coloring, puzzles and drawing pictures while we were here. We found some crowns for a dollar, the girls were just elated about this find!

Your look is changing, Pup!

Tiny Tabitha. Whew, you’re still little.  : )  I must have taken this when you woke up.

Dear Hannah. You exhibit your feelings the most… good and ehem, bad.  ; )  We love your tender heart. You have good energy at this age.

I just love your smile here.

… and here.

Benjamin, you look so tiny here. You have grown into a toddler since this picture was taken a few months ago. He always put his back to the back of this futon couch and bounced forward and back.

This was a sad picture for me to see today. My friend Neysha had our kids over while we signed papers to buy a log house in Maine. They made baskets that day. My heart was so broke over leaving Maine that I cried for over a month, every. single. day. That’s why I haven’t blogged these past months. I love Maine, the quiet culture there, the place of safety and refuge that it offers. Most people who leave find themselves returning later… I can see why. We were there only 3 1/3 months and I did not want to leave! I felt like I came back home! We really wanted to live there but the Lord kept closing the doors. we couldn’t deny it, He made it so evident in so many ways. It was truly a culture shock for us to come back to the rest of the states. I read of others leaving Maine and experiencing culture shock as well so it made me feel at least justified.

Now that we have a farm home we love, I feel much better.