The time has finally come to begin a little walk-through of our home!
I have been putting it off . . .
knowing that almost every room has something
that needs to be finished.
And well, I’d rather show you finished product.
But, the reality is, we have lived here for seven months now,
and I guess if we can live without the finishing touches,
you can look at it without the finishing touches. 
Just bear with me if I make mention of all the things
that I can see in my head and which will someday be a reality
as time (mostly the hard-working man’s time) and money allow!
And then when they really do get done,
I could do “before & after” pictures on a new house.
Imagine that.
I’ll bring you in through the side door for starters.
I always said that I wanted everyone to use my front door,
and I still like that people do,
but I love my mudroom so much . . .
the looks of it, the space for bags and boots and baby carriers,
and yes, that whatever the weather is brewing up outside: snow, wind, rain, mud,
this room can handle with no problems . . .
so for all of those good reasons,
I don’t mind a bit if friends, family, or even strangers use my side door.
Now the door itself is one of those things . . .
still waiting for a special kind of paint.
This project *was* supposed to happen last Saturday
until the man of the house got sick. Really sick. Bummer.
I felt bad for him. Truly! But a little sorry for myself too
and the whole (rare) free Saturday lost
that was supposed to be for home projects!! :/
Anyway on with the topic at hand . . .
as we pass the beautiful flowers and my struggling herbs,
we step into one of my favorite rooms in the house.
Where wood walls and ceilings make my heart sing.
Where the children each have a basket for their shoes {and mitts in the winter}.
Hooks a-plenty for coats and jackets and hats and bags.
Where we can all be getting ready to go out the door at the same time,
and we still have room to spare.
The opposite wall from the lockers is home to this canvas
featuring one of my favorite photos of the little farm where Phil grew up.
Our house is built on 2 acres of the original farmland.
And on the canvas, a blessing prayer for those who come and go through our doors,
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23
Next on this wall is the doorway into the rest of the house,
and then a closet where the Mr. can store all of his big coats and shoes and boots,
also my broom and folding chair closet.
The back wall is home to a sink and faucet that I very much like.
Perfect for washing up hands and spot treating laundry,
but mostly for rinsing off dirty little bodies when they come in from out of doors
and/or {somehow} didn’t make it to the bathroom on time . . .
The plan with the washer and dryer is to {eventually} get front loaders
and then build a counter across the whole area to make folding laundry
a breeze and such a pleasure that I will hardly be able to contain my excitement
as each freshly dried load comes out of the dryer or off the line.
I know you can hear the sarcasm in that last part!
But really, I already like to stand right there to fold it . . .
and I just know that a counter would really make great use of that area!
And then there’s this floor.
It’s my favorite floor in the house.
Even though it would have been impractical and a real pain to clean,
I crossed my fingers and asked the Mr. for a real brick floor
and showed him the magazine picture to illustrate . . .
knowing that such a thing would never pass {in his mind)
in a new construction house.
And I was right about him, of course.
And he’s probably right about his answer, of course.
But he got this brick-like ceramic tile for me instead.
And like I said, I really, really, really like it.
It’s easy to clean {or not to clean}
since it hides dirt very, very well.
Oh, and did I mention that it’s heated as well?
So in the winter it keeps our shoes and boots warm,
dries snow and water droplets up in no time,
and makes it nearly impossible to keep the dog outside
’cause he knows a warm floor awaits inside.
Well that about wraps up this little room.
And now you know where to park your shoes and hang your coat
when you decide to come for a visit!
Oh, and did you wonder about that blank canvas in that row of adorable silhouettes,
which just happen to be my very own sweet children?
Maybe you didn’t notice. Well, you can scroll back up there and take and look if you like.
{I’ll wait.}
Yes, well, in real life, the silhouette isn’t blank.
Two weeks ago I decided that the first two silhouettes
so beautifully made by my friend Clarita,
should be joined by a third, since we happen to have had our third child
over two years ago, and she really does deserve a spot up on that shelf.
So create a silhouette of her I did.
But why stop with just hers?
I got busy on prepping the fourth canvas too.
Of course, we won’t know who will fill that spot
until sometime in January 2014, Lord willing,
so that precious one gets the honor of a question mark just now.
This whole household is quite excited
and can’t hold secrets for long,
so though it’s early in the process,
we wanted to be the first to tell you.
{Or I should say, that *I* wanted to be the first to tell you,
since if you were to talk to my children,
they might excitedly spill the beans before I get around to it
as has already happened with both grandmothers.}
So there you have it, the mudroom tour and a bit of newsy news besides.
