Our Family Living Room

Wall number one including the entrance.

Welcome to the main room of the house in our Homestead Home Tour ~ Part Two. Everything happens here! (We actually have no choice *wink* as there is no other area.) It is our living room, family room, recreational game room, school room, study room, library, parlor, den, play room, you name it… So, I try and keep it as clutter free and peaceful as possible… (Before picture are here.)

“A true home is one of the most sacred of places. It is a sanctuary into which men flee from the world’s perils and alarms. It is a resting-place to which at close of day the weary retire to gather new strength for the battle and toils of tomorrow. It is the place where love learns its lessons, where life is schooled into discipline and strength, where character is molded." 

~ J.R. Miller, Excerpt from The Family

Wall Number Two.

"The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,

And all the sweet serenity of books."

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"The young must have amusements. The only question is what shall be the character of the amusements? Shall they be pure, healthful, refining, elevating? Or shall they be degrading in their influence? The parents must answer these questions, and the best way to answer them is to provide in their own home such amusements as they deem proper. If the home is dull and cheerless, it must not be considered an indication of extraordinary depravity that the children and young people seek pleasure elsewhere. It is as natural as that bees hived in a stubble field should want to fly over the fence to gather honey from the clover field adjoining. If there is clover at home they will not care to fly abroad. Wise parents will provide amusements for their children, and they will provide them at home, and thus counteract the solicitations of worldly pleasure outside."

~ J.R. Miller, Excerpt from The Family

Wall Number Three.

“My books are my tools. They also serve as my counsel, my consolation, and my comfort. They are my source of wisdom and the font of my education. They are my friends and my delights. They are my surety, when all else is awry, that I have set my confidence in the substantial things of truth and right.” 

~ Charles Spurgeon

"No man can be called friendless who has God and the companionship of good books."

~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

"Visit many good books, but live in the Bible."
~ Charles Spurgeon

Wall Number Four ~ Partial View.

A Prayer for a Little Home

God send us a little home,

To come back to when we roam.

Low walls and fluted tiles,

Wide windows, a view for miles.

Red firelight and deep chairs,

Small white beds upstairs -

Great talk in little nooks,

Dim colors, rows of books.

One picture on each wall,

Not many things at all.

God, send us a little ground,

Tall trees standing round.

Homely flowers in brown sod,

Overhead, thy stars, O God.

God bless thee, when winds blow,

Our home, and all we know.

By ~ Florence Bone

"Through wisdom is an house builded;

and by understanding it is established:

And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled

with all precious and pleasant riches."

~ Proverbs 24:3-4

• We love books in our home! The large bookshelf is our version of an entertainment center and is a decoration in itself for a book lover like me with all the beautiful bindings lined up in rows…
• Bookshelves can be found inexpensive on Craig's List and Salvation Army Stores. A coat of paint does wonders (my hubby made ours). They are an excellent place for baskets of toys, blocks, puzzles, and any other item of daily use. (If you have a shelf with unruly contents, then a spring rod with a curtain placed across is an excellent way to hide the clutter and bring order into the room. I have done that in one of our bedrooms.) Also, an old entertainment center (found at many second-hand stores) is also an excellent storage for books, toys and homeschool supplies. Just repaint it to match your home and you have a wonderful new organizational piece. I had painted one white and used it for years but I had to leave it behind on this last move (at some point you have to accept what will or will not fit in a smaller space).
• Baskets are excellent helpers to small spaces. You can find them at garage sales or second hand stores if you can not splurge on new ones. If you would like them to look somewhat uniform, then spray paint them all the same color. Or, sew up some fabric liners of the same print to give it all a matching appearance. I place baskets on top of our bookshelves for extra storage of audio books, future crafts/projects, games, etc… This really helps to give us more storage space without looking overly cluttered.
• We try and keep our toys down to a minimum. We like to have the basic and classic ones such as building blocks, legos, tinker toys, puzzles, board games, dishes and dolls. These timeless toys are gathered together and grouped into "like item" baskets. The simple selection helps to keep order. (These new toys they sell really freak me out to be honest!). And when they get the wiggles, it's time to play the old fashioned way, in the open air, building forts, climbing trees, swinging, etc...
• Less is more in smaller spaces. I kept down the dust collectors to a minimum and displayed just what we use in our daily life. That is beauty to me! A globe is a glorious centerpiece because it is functional as well. Pillows and blankets are available and enticing you to cuddle up to a classic on the cozy couches. A few family heirlooms and pictures are tribute to our heritage.  Candles are ready to be useful on those stormy nights. In the spring and summer, a sweet bouquet makes a wonderful display as well. These arrangements are free when picked from your property.
• What you don't see is a television... We only watch a movie as a treat on the weekends, so why give up the needed space to showcase something that doesn't dominate our lives? The computer works just as well to play a family oriented DVD.
• The "coffee table" is really my old hope chest. It is a great storage piece that doubles as a "place to place our books"… I gave up trying to keep that clean but I do keep a tea cloth over it to prevent it from scratching since I will be passing this on to the next generation.
• My little "china" closet keeps just what is needed for special occasions and holds some of my collection of depression glass. A garage sale here, a goodwill store there, and pretty soon the pile of goodies grew at a few coins each. If you would like some fancier dishes but can't afford china then I recommend these vintage ones as they are a delight to set out and use. So pretty but practical.
• The printed curtain near the fireplace (see wall number four, partial view) is covering an undesirable door that we placed an air-conditioner unit through (that's right, no central air…). I used an old towel bar, painted it white, affixed it to the wall and tied a  curtain to it. The verdict is still out on that one…
• One pretty painting can make all the difference. I purchased the poster for a bargain and found a frame to fit it. In the past, I have found great frames at the thrift stores. Painting the frame to match your house makes it yours. I have even spray painted the matting that the picture came with to match my room and it worked out great! (You can tell I love paint, it's the frugal decorators' best friend!) If you found a painting you like and a frame large enough but the picture won't fit perfectly due to a weird size, Michael's can cut some matting to fit the picture for a decent price. (I wouldn't recommend them doing everything since it really costs!)
• Lastly, if your floors aren't palace grounds, you can find inexpensive carpets on Craig's List and place them on top of the existing flooring. I even placed one over carpet itself when I was desperate at a formal rental and it really made a huge difference. Sprinkle baking soda over the whole carpet first, sweep the soda all around, inside all the grooves, let sit a few hours and then vacuum up to freshen up your "used" purchase while removing any unwanted guests.

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