Our house

 OK, we have been in our house for almost a year now, and I have NOT posted pictures of it. 

For one reason, it is still not complete, you see I have empty pictures frames on the walls.  When I took the pictures off the wall in South Carolina,  I said that could be our "before" picture.
I said I would call the picture of the new home  the "after" pictures.

But, oh well,  Life isn't perfect. so .   . I will go ahead and show my "after" pictures.

Except I don't have one of the outside of the house.  But that is ok. . .

This is our living room (notice the picture frames)

and the Big comfy dad chair

This is our Thankful Thursday jar.  We each have a color of paper that is our assigned color.  Every Thursday we write down what we are thankful for.  It doesn't have to be award winning, a phone call from a friend, a card, a package, a special dinner out.  We plan on reading them on Thanksgiving, or somewhere around there then.  We started with an empty jar, and I wanted it to be filled with new memories, and with grateful hearts.

Life is in the details they say, and these little decorations match the colors of my living area really well.  We bought many things from a missionary that was living the country of Costa Rica.  I was so happy because I bought them from her, having no idea, that they would eventually match our living room perfectly.











This is our patio outside.  We had this wrought iron furniture made when we were very new in country.  The man spoke no English, and we barely spoke Spanish.  But the end product was beautiful.

This is a beautiful tea set that is made here in Costa Rica.  It depicts the amazing hummingbirds that flutter around 

Our Dinning Room

We bought this dinning room suite from another family that was leaving Costa Rica, which had bought it from another family leaving years before.  So the rumor is, a lot of discussions from Assemblies of God missionaries in the field have taken place around that table.   It was made here in Costa Rica, from the beautiful native wood.

This is the  buffet table that matches the table.  

Again, more details.  I love the beautiful colors of living somewhere tropical.  While we live in the city, far away from the colorful display of ox carts, or beautiful blue ocean waters, I still wanted to infuse them in my home.  Slowly we are getting there.

ok, not pretty, but blessed indeed to have music fill our home.  Our wonderful friend from Northern California still skypes lessons for the girls.  We are beyond blessed to have found a friend who makes sacrifices for us, but also the equipment and the space for our girls to continue learning to use their talents for HIM.


Ok Now for the Kitchen. . . . .

We found this beautiful table off of Craig's List Costa Rica. That's right Craig's list.
 We bought it on Thanksgiving Day.

Our little kitchen.  I used a table cloth to make the curtains, and the placemats.  (Use what you can find, right?)  we had to buy all of our appliances and light fixtures, which we mostly bought from other missionaries. . . but because Maggi and Emma know how to pray, our house came with a dishwasher.  Practically unheard of in Latin America.  But we serve a BIG God.

More Colors and Details.  We store our eggs in a basket outside the fridg.  Strange concept, but we really do put all of our eggs in one basket.

Our aprons. . . My great friend made one for me with her mom, and Judy, the girl's grandma or "nanny" helped them make theirs.

More colorful details.

The Laundry Room

(a huge blessing room)

We have a very long laundry room.  Extra pantry storage is on the left.  In the very back or lines to hang clothes on.  They are directly under some plastic that heats this room very nicely.  We feel very blessed to have this space!

The washer and dryer were the only appliance we had to purchase from a store.  I had never owned a new washer and dryer before, so I am especially fond of them. 

This is the airplane bathroom.  So hard to capture how very small it is.

You have to come and try it out for yourself.

 Our bedroom. The same guy who did our table, helped us with the bed. Furniture is very expensive here.  However labor is not.  So when he told us to pick out a picture and he would try to make something for us, I of course turned to the pottery barn catalog.  And he made me a bed from the catalog.  It turned out amazing.  I couldn't be happier.  (lets not tell pottery barn ok)

rookie mistake.  Don't hang a swinging candle above your bed in a country with earthquakes. . . Just saying.  "rookies"

 I wish I had a better way to take a picture of my bathroom.  The bed turned out so well, he made me a vanity for the bathroom.  I found baskets the colors of the accessories, and they are the kind I can bleach if necessary.  He did a great job of recreating the iron effects on this stand.  Drawers are a commodity, and I am blessed that these pieces turned out so well.

 Maggi's Room. . . The colors were chosen by her, the bed linens she brought with her from the states, after picking them up in the WM's closet in Northern California Nevada Women's boutique.  We found many co-ordinating pieces around town, and  had fun bringing them all together.  The decal she got for Christmas.  Every southern girl needs a monogram in their room.

 These are things that Maggi loves. . . .

And Emma too! 

For Emma, we were able to paint, and accessorize for her taste.  Somethings were given when friends left.   Some things were brought from the states, and some things we picked up here.  It all came together to make princess Emma feel quite at home.

So you can see we are blessed beyond measure with what all of our friends helped us pull together.  We have things from all over the country, and in each room we have a reminder of someone or someplace that helped us not only get here, but helped to make our house a home.  

Hogar Dulce Hogar

Home sweet home.

Unless the Lord builds the house. . . the builders labor in vain

Psalm 127:1