Log Home Tour part 3: The Dining Room

Welcome to the Providence Lodge home tour! 

 I hope you are enjoying a peek into our log home.

So far we have been through the 

porch, 

entry, 

and kitchen. 

 Now we go to the Dining Room.

The Dining room is open to the kitchen on the southwest side of the house.  

The space is 12x18.

Here is a closer look:

This old farm table was our first dining table, waaay back when we first married. 

 Later, I paired it with a bookcase and painted the two of them to match.  

These are the surfaces that I randomly putter about and rearrange.

  Just now our dishes and multiple gifts from loved ones mix together on the open shelves.

Up on top, a stack of baby and lap quilts. 

 I have a growing collection of quilts, which are piled up here and there all through out the lodge.

 We use a lot of baskets to keep our clutter semi organized. 

This big basket underneath the farm table houses chunky puzzles

 and play dough equipment (such as mini cookie cutters and pie presses) for the littles.

I also keep the book we are currently reading at lunch time here, right at hand to where I sit at table.

I like having the dishes at a height

 where the smaller children can get a hold of them safely and help set the table.   

The other piece of furniture in the dining room is an old buffet from North Carolina 

that was my great grandmother's.  

Years ago we bought a dish hutch and stained it to match granny's buffet.  

Today it holds the white serving pieces we use everyday.

  I get asked all the time, so I will just say it here,

 the dishes with the verses often pictured on our blog 

have been found different times at Ross dress for Less.

The buffet is near Brian's end of the table, 

 so the books he uses at meals for family discipleship are perched here, right at hand for him.

...And, yes, I do use antlers in all of my decorating.

(chuckle)

When Brian and I designed the lodge, we kept in mind our desire to be hospitable,

  and one thing that never changed in the 47 floor plan alterations (smile) was the open ended dining room, which extends into the end of the living room,

 giving us the full length of the lodge to fit together table after table

 so that we can enjoy big long sit down meal with a house full of company.

On this occasion, we had 19.

When we do this, we bring the table in from the porch and butt it right up to our dining table.

The porch table was purposefully bought because it is the same width and height as our dining table. 

 I believe we have managed 24 for a Thanksgiving, but it was pretty tight and cozy,

 here we had 16 and it is a bit roomier.

You can see we actually have room for yet another table to extend into the living room. 

 Hmm, perhaps I should add that to my "honey do" list.  :-)

The Dining room is really the soul of our home. 

 It is here that we gather each day to pray, sing, read the scriptures.

  It is here we do a large portion of educating and  discpling the children. 

 It is here we lift our voices in praise of the goodness of our Lord, vocalizing our thanksgiving.  

It is here we nourish the belly and the soul of not just our own family,

 but our guests as well.

At table,

 there is teaching, admonishment, laughter, sharing of our day, the memorizing of scripture,

 learning of far away places and people, practice of manners and respect, 

and of course, FOOD!

The kitchen, I said, is the Hub of our home.

The Dining Room is the Soul of our home.

Next time.....

the Sanctuary of our home.