Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Our Home Part 1

We love our home more than you can imagine but
we have decided to downsize so we are putting our home up for sale.

This is the end of a deck that goes from one end of the house to the other.
Those stairs lead down to the basement sidewalk.

This is a 2 car separate garage with a loft.
We also have a carport that is attached to the house
and 2 double awnings that equipment or cars can go under.
So all in all we have cover for 8 vehicles.

Right in the center of the deck is this screened in porch.
We put a screened door on each side so you can go to either side of the deck
without any trouble.
There is a creek down below the deck in the woods that you can hear while
you are sitting  on the deck.
When it rains it sounds so beautiful.

This view is showing one side of the deck and you can see
the screened in porch from this side.

This is the other side of the porch and the deck.

I LOVE this barn!
I LOVE every barn!!!
The barn is down in the pasture.
We have 5.62 acres.  It is fenced with gates.

This is one view from the other side of our pond looking up toward the house.
See those bradford pear trees going up the drive.
We planted those 15 years ago.

This view of the pond is looking from the pasture up towards the road.
See those leyland cypress trees on the other side of the fence?
We planted 52 of those 15 years ago.
They have really grown.

This view of the pond is from the upper part looking down in to the pasture.

We have blueberry bushes, apple trees, muscadine vines & grape vines.
We also have a strawberry bed.
See why it will be hard to leave this place?

A closer look at the barn.

This view is from the pond looking up toward house even though you
can't see it good.  We have gourds up for our Martins. That is what the tall pole is.

This is another view from the road side of the pond looking down
into the woods.

We also have a double wide on our property.
It is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home.
It has laminate & tile flooring upgrades.
My MIL lives here.
We installed a ramp when she hurt her back one time.

Another view of our home.
We have been here 15 years and it will be bittersweet to sell.
We realize that with this economy it is probably not the time to do this
but the good thing is we don't have to.  Whatever will be will be.
We just realize that we need to downsize. Our home is 3000 square feet
and we don't need that much room at this point in our life.
We have prayed about this for a while so whatever HIS will is
will be fine with us.
Part 2 will show the inside of my home.

Today we are thankful for...........Home Sweet Home.

25 comments:

Osage Bluff Quilter said...

Good luck with your sale. Moving after 15 years is an experience.
You will find all kind of things you didn't know you had!
Patti

Needled Mom said...

Oh Val...it is such a gorgeous home and I know you will miss it, but I know you have thought hard about the decision. Is the Hotel Sparta ready for year round occupancy?

Allie said...

Bittersweet is right - you have a beautiful property, sweetie, it looks like a little slice of heaven to me, I would buy it if I could! I'll be praying!

caknitter said...

Oh my gosh, I can't believe it! Where will everyone stay when they come over for holidays? I'm feeling sad just thinking about it.
This economy isn't doing well...it's good for buyers because they're buying low, but not for sellers.
A property like that in California would sell in the millions. Is it the same in Georgia?
Oh well, like you said, it's in God's hands. :-)

Mama said...

It is gorgeous! I know it will be difficult to leave your beautiful home and land, but we've been there and are facing the possibility of doing it again soon. A house is just a house; where the family is together, that's the home.

Rhonda said...

beautiful home, but I certainly understand about downsizing.

Anonymous said...

As beautiful as your place is there, I'd have a difficult time moving from it. My favorite place is the screened part of the deck, I know I would want to be there any time I could spare.
I hope all things work out for the best.
Changes are challenging and can also be exciting. Best wishes with everything that concerns this big step.

Darla said...

Oh Val, such sweet sorrows...Beautiful grounds and beautiful home...sigh

Patty Sumner said...

I know this will be a very difficult move for you to make, but as you said, God is in control. I pray things go well with the sell and you are able to downsize and enjoy life! Blessings!

My Colonial Home said...

Well God bless you Val....you have more will power than I could have selling my home. but I can see the reasons for downsizing...there's a lot to take care of there.
Someone is going to get a WONDERFUL HOME!
Karen

Lori said...

I'm sure this is tough on you but I'm with you. We have 2500 square feet and it's too much for us. We are preparing to downsize as well in the next couple of years. Your property is beautiful!

Rocky Mountain Homemaker said...

What a beautiful place. I know leaving will be painful, but downsizing has a lot of appeal. My husband is a banker. He would mention that today's lower interest rates on mortgages may work in your favor. Blessings from.....Denise

Jocelyn said...

Wow Val, your homestead is like a little bit of paradise. With your big family, I am surprised that you would be downsizing. But I'm sure there is a lot of upkeep. How is your Mom doing??

Lola said...

All the best for your decision. Your home & grounds are very lovely. It would be very hard to leave it but sometimes we have to prioritize.
It is a big difference. I've been there. Now this home is about more than I can handle. I don't like being in town but couldn't handle being far from all needs.
God will show you the way. Trust in him.

StitchinByTheLake said...

We downsized 8 years ago and haven't regretted it at all. But I will say this - be very sure you get (in the next house) a good place to sew. :) As we get older we have found that while we love being together we also each need a space of our own. Retirement brings lots and lots of togetherness so a man-cave and a woman-cave are life savers. :) blessings, marlene

Glenda said...

What a beautiful home! What will happen to your mother-in-law? I'm praying that things work out for the best for all of you. I'm thinking there will be a big family with lots of kids who will just love that place!

Michelle said...

Where will your MIL go? Your property is beautiful, and yes, it will be hard to go. Enjoy every minute there.

webbsway said...

O Gosh Val,
Your home is paradise on Earth. You have all the features that I have ever dreamed of. I can see how much work and love you have put into it.

I am like the others - what about your M-in-l ?

One nice thing about blogging about it is that you can look at the picture from other views that you might not have thought of yet. : )

lindsey said...

What a beautiful home...I can imagine you will be sad to leave but understand the need to down size. Will your MIL come with you? How do you manage to kep it all looking so lovely? I pray that God will show you the place that He wants you to be.

Anonymous said...

Mom...The pics look beautiful, but it is way more beautiful in person. I have so many memories in this house it is sad to think about not being able to visit there anymore, but I understand. It is so peaceful there, and it feels like you are a million miles away from everybody and everything but you are really not.

Val said...

Oh thank all of you! My MIL has wanted to move back to town for a while. You have to go over a mountain to get to our home and she doesn't like going over it. We don't live that far out, but she thinks we do. We will see what happens. Whatever is fine with us. Thanks again.

Anonymous said...

I certainly know what you are going through. May God bless you during this time and send someone very special to make your house their home!

Love Bears All Things said...

Its a beautiful place but I understand your decision....Its a lot to take care of when we get on in years....we had a farm for about that long....we never sat down outside that Honey Bear didn't see something that needed to be done....I love it that now we can sit out by the little pond and just enjoy being together.
Mama Bear

Pat said...

WOW...what a house, Val! I know you will miss it, but it is a huge piece of property to maintain. It is a beautiful place, though.

LindyLouMac said...

We spent twenty years in our family home but deciding to move to Italy and have an adventure is the best thing we ever did. Good luck with your plans.