This week at Lynette's Dancing Barefoot the topic is "Our First Home", which is a special topic for me. I could write a whole book...but here's a snippet for you.
I was young and madly in love with... an anchor. I've talked many times about my need as a youngster for a place to call home. My husband had lived in the same house since he was a few weeks old. When we were engaged to be married, his mother gave him a part of the family land only a few hundred yards away from his home. He began building our house.
At only 24'x30', it doesn't cover much ground. It has a kitchen/dining/living room and bathroom and bedroom downstairs. There are now four rooms upstairs, two with dormer windows. (Looking back, I wonder why we didn't make it bigger, since we knew we wanted a big family.)
I still have our original floor plans and photos of the foundation. (sorry, not on my computer) By our wedding, the roof was shingled and the kitchen sink had running water. (That was about all.)
There were no inner walls (We draped sheets around the bedroom.) and no ceiling. (You could see up to the rafters.) There wasn't even a toilet. (We used a bucket and his mother's outhouse.)
But...it was our house!
Little by little we worked on it. We could see it finished in our minds. We only borrowed money for specific projects, so most of the time we didn't have to make payments on it.
There were many times, when the one bathroom was the busiest place in the house and it was hard for everyone(all ten of us, plus any friends staying overnight) to squish around the table or find a spot on the floor to watch a movie together.
Surrounded by woods and fields and the ocean nearby, there was lots of room to live.
There were quite a few years, that I battled with discontent. I'd see other homes with lots of closets and huge bedrooms with private bathrooms. I'd wish for a laundry room or a bigger attic or a guest room. I never did get any of those, but the Lord did teach me contentment. I learned to love my house...not because of what it looked like, but because of what it held...my family. It was a safe place...a loving place...a home.
It's still not fancy, and it's still not finished, but it's cozy and it's ours.
9 comments:
What a lovely home & beautiful children. You should be proud because it's your home. Thank you for sharing with us :)
What a neat home & thanx for sharing it with us. :)
Caroline
Such a wonderful home.
Vonnie,
You have a beautiful and contented heart which shines through in your writings.
You have a beautiful family and good memories with the 10 of you.
How fun to live out there in the woods and still be close to the ocean! God's creations all around you!
I admire you so much. Especially your love for the Lord.
Thanks so much for the ministry of The Morning Song. I sometimes only have to see the title of the song and I start singing it. What a blessing you are.
Linda @ Truthful Tidbits
Beautiful pictures, Yvonne. It made me miss the snow. Last winter was my first winter here.:)
Thank you for sharing. You have every right to be proud of your accomplishments.
Who needs walls when we have family and God is in control?
I always tell my family, give me a wide open garage, and I will make it a home.
Perhaps someday, my dream will come true, but if not, I will wait for the mansion God is preparing up there for us.
Thanks for sharing these sweet memories...that lesson of contentment is a precious one. I have been learning it myself, with my modest little one bathroom home.
Vonnie, that was precious! I didn't realize you had so many children! Wow!
Your woods look like ours. We have lots of trees down and it's so full of trees, it's hard to work back there.
Thanks for sharing your story - so sorry you had to pee in a bucket in an outhouse! ha! I'm sure you're a better person for it. hee hee
Love,
Lynnette
Beautiful! You have such sweet memories and many humorous ones too I'm sure.
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