SOOOO to continue, IF YOU WERE HERE...
We'd most likely walk directly into my...yet-to-be-named-room.
(How do YOU come up with which room is called the living room or the family room or den or...something else? I have no clue. So for now, by default of some sort, this room gets dubbed the "Front Room" or the School Room. *shrug*)
I don't think the lighting in this picture does justice to the cozy feel of this room. But oh well...I guess you'll have to come here to really get the full effect, huh? Hint, hint :)
Our Front Room, going clockwise from the left...
The School Desk:
Though we like to read together on the couch (we're all about comfy-cozy, remember?), I've found that having a designated place where they can spread out with their books and work is really good for them (and me).
A place that isn't used for anything outside of their creative learning time. This table has made its rounds throughout the house, but I LOOOVVEE it here because it's so much a part of our everyday living space, they use it non-stop. All. day. long.
Creating books. Writing letters to friends and family. drawing masterpieces.
Even when it's not School Time, they still gravitate to this spot...essentially doing school. only without me at the helm. ;)
There's just something about having an Official Learning Spot that I find motivating. Maybe it's just the way my brain works? But either way, my girls seemed to have inherited my DNA because it works really well for all of us.
And it doesn't hurt that it's in front of a trio of bay windows. I mean, we're talking natural light, plus the chance to daydream about nature every now and then. :)
Nothing like stimulating the imagination with a wall full of outdoor
(BTW, those "curtains" are just one long thing of fabric hung up on hooks of some kind, gotten from Wal-mart.)Beside the table is where we keep a big ol' basket of MegaBloks. ALL of the girls play with those things for HOURS! And FYI, we got them at a great price last year during the pre-Christmas sales at Walmart.
One thing that I've decided in past years is that even though we have lots of children, we are NOT going to be a house over-run by toys.
The more toys my girls have, the less they enjoy them. So I've gotten rid of A LOT and they haven't missed them. (not to mention we rotate what we do have with bins from our attic)
The kind of toys that we add to our collection, from here on out, will be toys that stimulate imagination play for HOURS (for us, at this particular stage, means Barbie dolls and dress up).
Or things that encourage outdoor play. like the pool. or add-ons to our playground.
Or things that will serve some sort of educational purpose. Like a sewing machine or tools. which means I'd actually have to:
- Pay big bucks for someone else to teach my children to USE fore-mentioned presents. Or
- Actually learn to sew and "fix" myself.
Uh, anyone know a kid's sewing tutor with good hourly rates? *wry grin*
HOMEMADE SHELF:
I've been blessed with a man who, literally, can make or fix anything (opposites attract, right?).
He's built a house from ground up. He's the reason why we've been able to buy fixer upper houses... without hiring contractors. or going crazy.
Because he can do it all. and do it all WELL. And nope, I'm so not biased...I'm just gifted with the ability to state the obvious.
He made this little ditty of a shelf for me one afternoon because I was needing someplace to store all the girls' overflowing stuff.
Like the table, it's made its way throughout the house. Upstairs. Downstairs. and back again. Housing toys. books. and ...other items I can no longer remember.
But I'm thinking it's found its permanent home.
It houses a bin of crayons, telephone books, school reference books, all the girls' Bibles...
But what I really love is that it's where I now keep a large part of the girls' daily homeschool work. If we're working with something, that's where they'll find the books. Each school girl (even Raegan) has a cubby/shelf with her personal school books.
Those little cloth bins at the bottom are from Lowe's (maybe $10 each?)...and they hold the random little things we use for homeschooling. like a tub of clay or some craft things (that aren't harmful if Lani happened to pull them out), etc.
I have to say I've loved this corner since changing it two months ago. It just feels so practical, kid friendly, and colorful! ;) I'm loving being in a house that possesses those qualities. It just FEELS beautiful to me, you know?
THE BIG BOOKCASE:
All these things used to be spread through the house...sort of hidden away. But now it's all there for convenient, daily use. It has meant that I've had to box up Jet's and my books to store in the attic for the time being. But oh well...with writing a book right now, it's rare that I get to read one.
So now, it's filled to the brim with Homeschooling stuff. Coloring supplies. Baskets of flashcards. Board games. Children's books. and a bottom shelf of easily accessible baby toys in attempts to distract Lani from tearing into the books.
It works, most days.
The little sitting chair is one that I almost gave away. because children live here and it's white. Enough said.
Then I started adding color to the room...and gave away ANOTHER white chair from the same room. And suddenly its lack of color no longer bothered me. (which is nice since it an antique from my Papa...so I'd rather keep it if I can make it a practical part of our existence)
And above it is one of my favorite picture of my girls...which the glare from the camera keeps you from seeing. But you can go here to see the framed picture and here to see the photographer's site. She's awesome, period.
On the picture, I have this verse. Rather fitting for a house filled with young daughters, huh?
When my parents bought us the new dining room table a couple of months ago (for our Christmas present), we began to revamp the entire downstairs. This buffet was one of the pieces of furniture that had to be removed from the dining room...and I absolutely love it here.
complete with those highly expensive 12 x 12 scrapbook papers taped to the wall above it. :) Yes, I'm some kind of classy. Because our home was built in the early 1900s, it lacks one key thing that forces me to be really creative in organizing our home...and brutal about purging the extras.
Closets.
We have a grand total of five small, weirdly shaped ones in our 2100 square foot house. So this piece of furniture, inherited from my generous Nana, is treasured for many reasons. One being that it offers space to beautifully store...
scrapbooking supplies, homeschooling supplies, construction paper, planners, pencils, pens, tape... all things that I need at my finger tip on a daily basis. but don't want at Alana or Raegan's finger tips.Have I mentioned the generosity of my family?!?
I love small decorative details, yet I'm soo not one for "collectibles". In my opinion, they're a waste of money and just collect dust. But these particular pieces, to my family, hold so much meaning.
When Baby Girl is born, we'll get another bigger girl figurine to represent Raegan (and her personality).Charis is the figurine holding the heart. The year we bought it for her, she had randomly told me that Jesus had given her to gift of love. If you know her, you'd know this sums her up to a T.
The girl loves people to no end. sometimes to the point where I'm half-tempted to tell her that she doesn't have to be that nice when people are that mean. Such the saint of a mom I am.
Selah is the girl holding the flowers. She is so thoughtful in always wanting to bless me...and always wants to be outside playing. Flowers convey both qualities.
And there you have it...in a quickie run-through... our front room, living room, school room ...area. :)
I've talked about this room before. How I sat around one morning and just stared at the walls...wanting so badly to do SOMETHING with it. And then the Lord said to fill it with color because that's when I feel the most alive.
Well, this is the most *Alive* this room has felt since we first moved in. I just wish you were here...to liven it up with your conversation.
I love meeting new people, or getting together with family that lives far away, or reuniting with friends I haven't seen in a while. Whichever category you are a part of...I know Jet and I would enjoy your company.
As we welcome you into our home.
