Finally got a 3 year mortgage in August. Whew !!!
We moved in with so much to do and have been plugging away ever since. We had painting, plumbing, some electrical & lighting, landscaping, stair flooring, exterior trim refinishing & painting, tile work, grouting, sealing, cabinet pulls, doorknobs, the list goes on & on.
This list does not even begin to deal with the issues we had with poor workmanship & builder issues. We had much to re-do.

BUT WE ARE IN !!

We have had an amazing journey with a wonderful summer.
The children learned what having space to run & play was, we entertained, had bon fires, hosted wonderful parties, planted, harvested, watched the sunrise & the sunset, & most of all ( as most of you know my position of faith) thanked God for His wonderful provision.

My life is not better because I have a beautiful home, but it is definitely richer because I have a place where we can serve others and offer a meal, a bed or as the case right now a piece of land to put up a tent. My children, I hope are seeing that service to others is where the real rewards in this life are.

I have tons of photos, there is much left to do. We don't have all the pulls on, nor the doorknobsf, we have touch-up painting, decor, furniture, etc still let in to do in several areas. Everything takes longer than you think thats for sure.
For those of you who started this journey with me, enjoy the fruit of your support, advice, love & prayers. There are days I thought I would never make it.
For those of you who are new, just remember your dream and keep on going, even when things are not so good.

Warning.....pic heavy, the dining room pics were from 1st b-day from grandmothers 91st b-day. The las few pics are from my moms 70th b-day, we had a country hoedown, boy that was fun.

KIDDING!!!

Congratulations!
Wow. That place is beautiful!!!
It SHOULD be in a Magazine!!!

(Must be C2 paint in there...it looks so good...;-))

Faron

What a remarkable life you are giving your children. You are all so blessed.

Congrats on getting in your dream house!

....Jane

Congratulations on your fabulous home!

I'd love to see more!

Thank you for inviting us into your home and sharing life's celebrations. You have done such a loving job making your new house a home!
Just love all your details and attention to them - very creative & talented -
Makes me miss my parents farm in Pa - Daddy always wanted to have one, he purchased the land when we were little. When they retired he built on it, and they enjoyed it for a little over 10yrs - They both passed within 2yrs of each other. Many fond memories - the farm has since been sold.
Best to you & yours

I also would love to see the rest of the exterior of your house. hint hint. :)

I was following your build and shamelessly saved pictures of your pillars to show my contractor - I hope you don't mind that I'm now going to show him and my DH pictures of your window trim and baseboards. I keep asking for simple to work with our rustic house, but I keep getting shown ornate samples that just won't do! Now I have a visual :-)

Coincidentally, we used the same doors and just love them. I think they're country but elegant at the same time.

Enjoy!

I would love to see more of your outside too!

Jan at rosemary cottage

I think I have the same silver compotes that you have on your dining table. Did you use an insert and then arrange the greenery and flowers in them?

Seriously, I'm so thrilled for you and your family. Even from here we could tell you weren't a credit risk. How irritating and unnecessary all that was.

So onto happier things: what did you plant and harvest this year?

You all know this was truly a labor of love, prayer, faith & dreams.

Every single day I wake up and walk the halls down to coffee and thank God for allowing me to be in such a beautiful place.
I look out the windows and sometimes weep with gratitude. I wonder how I can have so much when there truly is so much suffering.
I know life is not fair, I have had my share up unbearable pain & burdens. God saw me through and I know it is my duty to teach my children to give often, smile freely and always remember there is someone who needs a hand out from where they came.

I appreciate each one of you and your nice words and as I have said before your are all welcome here for a GW's housewarming party!

Now for some details for those who asked.

Paint -- Whole house, except boys bedrooms & bathrooms is RH's "Butter"

Woodwork is all SW "Dover White" in semi gloss.

Wood Floors -- Reclaimed antique heartpine

Kitchen & mudroom floors-- Antique, tumbled travertine in versailles pattern.

Bedrooms-- Karastan 100% wool berber

All counter tops-- black honed granite,
island & baking counters-- carara marble

Cabinet pulls-- Rejuvenation ( window sash lifts in polished nickel)

lighting-- too much to mention, ask about particulars if your interetsed. All the finish was polished nickel, most from Hudson Valley, Croft & Little, Restoration Hardware

Plumbing fixtures -- Sigma Reserve, Sancerre Collection

Thanks again!!

Here are some outdoor pics, some from last winter, some during construction. Harvest pics, more hoedown,
My sweet boys lending a hand. Not in that particular order.

Dawn

The kitchen/dining rm...double wow!Gorgeous! It is sooo inviting.Love the beadboard...simply classic.

What a great place for friends and familty to gather.
Congratulations and enjoy your new home:)
L.

WOW!

I love your style! I'm sure your house will be a great blessing to you as you are a blessing to others.

And if you tell me that you put up all those tomatoes/peppers etc. and made use of every single one I think I shall faint. WHEN do you sleep?! Still having trouble comprehending it all.

My co-worker walked up while I was looking at the pics and she commented on how lovely your home is too!

After I post this, I'm going to put on my jacket and go outside to finish chores for an hour or so while the photos load; can hardly wait to see the rest.

flyleft- Me sleep ? Are you kidding?
To answer your question.. we do al the tree work, someone else harvests. That is prettymuch the way everyone here does it. Although most other orchard owners let the harvesters do the tree work as well. Their cut depends on what % of work they do.

Yes, I do use just about everything we harvest. Either canning, freezing, drying, or giving it away.

Thanks again!!

Wishing you many, many, many years of happiness in your new home!

me too! I can spend tons of time looking at even kitchen drawers, closets etc - lol! I loooove it!

such a beautiful HOME. I guess i missed the trials to get you there tho. I agree that the appreciation and love of it (and sharing) comes thru very clearly.

I counted 5 boys out there working... any girls?

it's good you have a crew to help with all of that food processing. Good learning for boys or girls - and great all around. it will give them great appreciation of what it takes to get the food to the table and tummy!

desertsteph --

I like picture heavy posts as well, I know some people don't feel the same however.

I do have 10 sons & 1 daughter (only 7 still in the house), yes definitely good learning. We are homeschoolers so plenty of opportunity to try things, explore, create & rest.

Just wandering about that orchard would be sooo heavenly...:)Can imagine how wonderful it must smell too!

Can you tell me what your stone floor is in the hallway? We're looking at replacing our foyer tile which is giving up the ghost and I've been planning on an irregular layout such as you have...that's very much the look I'm after.

Kudos again!

Philadelphia Series light. It is tumbled, antique travertine in Versailles pattern. I love it even more now that I have livd with it. The upkeep is easy and it always looks good even with 7 children running around.

To the rest of you......
....This has been so nice to read. I shared with my DH and he said what a wonderful, supportive place to be a part of.

Thats the truth, isn't it?
Even though we all communicate in cyberspace, my gratitude for all of you flows over in to my real life. I literally relied on your support through some of those very dark days of wondering what was to happen.
I know God works through many ways and many people. Proof is in situations like these.

I am sure I am not the only one who has gotten much support, prayer, & encouragement here. May it always be so. Thanks all of you for making this what it is.

I noticed one thing, in the boys room(with black head and foot boards), the right side bed is laid out in reverse (foot and then head board) was that on purpose or just an over sight? I'm no design expert but was wondering if it was some sort of latest design strategy. It looks cool though :)

Kat :)

The cute bathroom pics are from the guest suite bathroom. The guest room is my second favorite room in the house, I love it and the views out those windows are fabulous.

I,too, worried along with you as you struggled through your house venture. I am so pleased and yes, knowing our loving God to see you through is a blessing!! You have made your home a blessing to Him with your family! Congratulations and many happy years to come! This sign I bought for my house over my doorway makes me think of your house, "God rest Your love upon this door, Bless this home forever more"