house tour- the great outdoors {and the dining room}

this is the last day of the house tour.

it's been so nice to have you over this past week plus.

i realized that on the tour i zoomed past the dining room. 

here it is. 

it's kind of uneventful...which is ironic because this is where 

80% of our time is spent. 

not only do we eat all my fine home cooking at this {little} table, 

we also 

school here,

do family devotions here,

craft here, 

and drop here.

it's cozy {cramped}.

the table is the one thing in our home we {want} need to replace.

i'll miss it. 

{especially the spot where 2 yr old emilie took her fork at each meal and jabbed it into the table}

we've made a lot of memories at this table. 

a lot.

praise God for all the laughter, learning, and tears shared here. 

the suitcases to the left of the dining room slider

house wii remotes & games, 

puppets {to the puppet theater},

dress up clothes, and

more dress up clothes.

you're curious about the bear on top of the suitcases? 

i made it. 

from my grandfather's shirt after God took him home. 

i love it.
{there is another bear in our room made from michael's g-pa's shirt...  i wouldn't doubt if in the webster dictionary under 

"sentimental" the definition is  "denise"}

**********************************************************************

from the dining room slider you walk out into the best room of all...
the great outdoors!

i believe  that we are made in the image of the Creator of the earth
{and the heavens, and EVERYTHING}. 
 the desire to create a lovely place to live is a piece of who we are in Him.
that place will be unique to who we are
{and our budget, time, and husband's talents}.  
however, no home we fashion can ever compare with
His masterpiece.

the view from our patio in the spring.
*love*

the patio was built by michael with the help of his parents. 

the side tables were also built by michael.

{with recycled wood from a store in town}

everything else was a given to us seconhand~ 

the bbq {thanks christopher!}

the hutch and bricks {thanks lindsey!}

the swing and adirondack chair {thanks melanie!}

the b/w polka dot pillows {thanks mom!}

the cherry m.e. throw {thanks kelly}.

second hand/free is good. 

we have a garden too...it's kind of a secret.

you'll have to go to this post to see it.

now, tell me...

when do i get to come to your house for a tour?