A Season of Change

One of our rare "snowfall" days :)

Tom has been offered a job out of town so. . . our house is on the market and we are set for a new adventure!!!

I'm happy we're staying in Tennessee -- it's a great place to live.  I will miss where we are. . .truly a place where "everybody knows your name".

The biggest question we get is "what is your timeline?".  We honestly don't know.  His new job was great in allowing him to choose his start date.  We have put our house on the market before (we've been here 8.5 years!) and know that it's a tough one to sell.  The house, neighborhood, and community are *great*, it's just that we're sorta far out of town (for people who grew up around here) so it's not a desirable area for natives.  The Lord has provided this path for our family and He will pave the way. . .no doubts.  We like being out of town, but that's not for everyone, for sure.

We had some work to do to get the house on the market :)

I'm liking our paired-down, neater pantry and laundry room!  It's hard to keep up on a daily basis -- obviously the "before" picture above was an accumulation of about a week of 6 people living together but mostly working and out of the house!

Also busy touching up. . .y'know, all the "little" things you never get around to until you look at the house through another set of eyes. . .

Frederick's bed/desk area

Thomas's bed/dresser (his desk is also along that wall to the left too)

The boys room. . .

Margaret's room. . .

Bonus room above garage. . .2 closets as you walk in to the right and left

Marie worked so hard "staging" her room. . .she did a great job!!!  (My full-on picture, not so great)

This gives me such great insight into who she is. . .she's a neat girl :)

Common area

 We are really fortunate to have this common area at the top of the stairs.  All three upstairs rooms and bathroom come off the common room.  The desk area used to be a crafting area, but we took the "office" out of the downstairs living room and packed up my craft stuff (for now).

The rocking chair and table you see from the bottom of the stairs. . .the boys' room to the right, Marie's room straight ahead.  Margaret's room is to the left of the office/schoolwork area.  You can see the bathroom (and the wonderful light it has in the morning!) from the first picture.  The bathroom window is the dormer on the front of the house.

Walking in off the kitchen (door on left)

 We have a first-floor master, which we weren't sure about when we first moved in but now love and would want it this way again.
Frederick was 2 1/2 at the time. . .but it's never been a problem and is a great guest suite when people come to visit :)

We have 2 walk-in closets and a HUGE bathroom!

Funny enough, this is the only shot I have of the bathroom. . .we have a double-sink vanity (I think I might have taken this picture in the mirror above it) and a window. . .anyone who knows me, knows that the more windows, the better!!

 This is our living area. . .I'm surprised I don't have more pics.  The entrance is straight ahead, as you're coming in through the garage door (in the kitchen).


In the other two shots, the front door is on the left, right to the left of the 1/2 table in the bottom-left part of the bottom picture.  I have always imagined a window between the buffet and chair on that side wall.  We already have 3 windows in the room -- one on each side of the television and one at the bottom of the stairs to the left of the front door when you are looking at it from the inside.  At one time our "office" area was where the chair is at the far end of the room. . .it was a convenient place but I like it so much this way too. . .I find myself sitting in that corner all.the.time (and wishing for a window -- ha!)  I love the space and function of this room the most. . .it is cozy at Christmas and large enough to hold 20 or more people for our Sunday School gatherings.

My cozy Christmas living room. . .

And the place I willingly like to spend my days off. . .the kitchen!!!  We have tons of storage, the bigger island was a birthday gift to me from my in-laws one year (and another year they painted my stools and made me stool covers - I know, I have the BEST in-laws).  The island has 6 drawers in it and behind this picture (I don't have a shot) we have a small kitchen table on that wall.  The garage door is to the right, the entrance to the living room to the left.  On either side of the table behind this picture is the laundry/pantry/mudroom, a 1/2 bath (no pictures), and our bedroom on the other side.

My favorite room. . .by FAR. . .is my dining room (straight ahead in the shot to the right)!

Dining room, looking in through the living room

 First off, it has amazing LIGHT.  My wonderful husband and FIL put that window in a couple of years ago.    And here's some pictures of the actual installation. . .
There is a deck off the back of the house. . .again, any outdoor space is going to rate high in my book.
A few years ago I re-did the dining room table and. . .well. . .I just love how it turned out.  Tom doesn't like the chairs so much but. . .oh well.

Dining room, looking in through the kitchen

That's the house tour!  This is where we have lived. . .made "everyday" memories. . .homeschooled. . .celebrated birthdays and holidays. . .laughed, loved, and gathered.  We hope (and are praying for) the next family that will call this their home.  If you are interested or know anyone who might be interested, our Realtor's information is in the first picture :)  Or you can e-mail me of course (contact info in the right sidebar).  We are moving forward regardless, as the Lord provides.  We are going into this new season together, holding one another up and not alone.  Because we are together.  A family that loves adventure as much as we crave stability.  We know the next season is just around the corner so we are savoring every moment of every day that we are privileged enough to live.  This is now "a place to live". . .a place we will miss, that we have taken loving care of for the new owners, whomever they may be.

Jenni