Welcome....Here's a glimpse of our happenings!

The verses that have REALLY spoken to me (Sarah) lately....



"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." Matthew 7:24-25



Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. I Peter 5:8-9



From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' Acts 17:26-28



May the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14



So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. Deuteronomy 5:32-33



God, our God, will take care of the hidden things but the revealed things are our business. It's up to us and our children to attend to all the terms in this Revelation. Deuteronomy 29:29 (The Message)

About the Friesen's....

We are Marc, Sarah, Luke, and Kate Friesen. We were married June 5, 2004. We have one son, born July 21, 2008, named Luke Andrew -- now 4 years old. We also have a daughter named Kate Christine -- born June 6, 2012. Marc is working at Cessna as a Senior Accountant, and Sarah stays home full-time with Luke. Sarah also gets to work very part-time at home for Graber Backhoe -- an excavation company AND VERY part-time at our church. We LOVE being a part of Grace Community Church here in Newton, KS. We lead a Community Life Group of other wonderful couples. Marc thoroughly enjoys long-distance running and Taekwondo. Sarah thoroughly enjoys walking -- especially when the weather is nice to take Luke and/or out in the stroller. Thanks for reading our blog!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

House Tour -- Part 3....

Remember THIS post and THIS post -- way back in January?

Yep, they were the first two installments of the tour of our house.

I obviously haven't done the greatest job in the world of keeping of with that tour. But, I have a good excuse. Other good things to post about have kept on coming up.

Well, to be honest, I haven't had anything earth-shattering to post about this week. So, here is Part 3 of our house tour....and I'm not doing this because I think our home is anything than less exciting to post about.

So, here's a photo of the front of our house from this past December -- on a snowy day. We have a two-car attached garage. It's on the left side of the house. The garage doors are just hard to see in this photo.



When you walk in our front door, this is what you see....



It's a narrow entrace. I like it except when we've tried to move large pieces of furniture into the house. We've had to get creative.

Anyways, after entering, if you look to the right, you see our long hallway.



We have four bedrooms -- all down this hallway. The first door on the left is my office (or potentially another child's bedroom someday). Luke's bedroom is the first door on your right. Looking straight ahead (at the yellow and white towels hanging up) is my bathroom. Yes, Marc and I have separate bathrooms (we're different like that).

Pretty typical 1970s ranch-style house so far, isn't it? (Our house was built in 1972).

Moving on....

If you look slightly to your left, you'll notice the view into our kitchen (again, this is right after entering our house).



We'll do the kitchen tour (and how much updating it could use) in another post.

If you look straight to your left (after entering the house), you'll notice our nice and cozy (but small) living room.



This room serves several purposes: the piano room, the "entrance" room to our house for guests (where we store people's coats when they come over), the room for Luke to look outside in, and most importantly, my Quiet Time with God Room.

This is my MOST favorite chair in the house. We bought it after we'd been married a couple of years. I hope we have it until we have to move to the nursing home. And, maybe it could possibly go to the nursing home with us. Maybe nursing home rooms will get bigger?????



It's where I read my Bible everyday. It's where I read other times throughout the day. I LOVE it when the house is quiet when Luke's napping in the afternoons. It's oh so cozy :)

We do have a piano. It used to belong to my parents. Then, my mom went and bought a grand piano for their living room. She sold this one to us -- at a great deal.

Yes, I do play the piano, but I don't really feel I play well anymore. I took lessons for many years. After graduating from college, I took a job that required travel. Also, I lived in apartments until I got married. So, between the lack of time and not having a piano in apartments, I didn't play much. My skills went downhill quickly. Someday, I'd like to play again everyday. I think it would come back to me.

In the meantime, I do play some, and I do enjoy it.

This is the part of this post of "keepin' it real." If you look closely (and you really don't have to look that close), you'll notice the thick layer of dust on this piano. That would be because truthfully, I CANNOT STAND to dust. So, it literally is one of the last chores I do. I'm embarrassed about it, but I don't do much about it. I mean, come on, I didn't even dust for this photo for the world to see.

Also, in general, I'm fairly organized. But, for some reason, things I don't know what to do with tend to get stacked on the piano. I think it's because this section of the room doesn't get used much. Therefore, the stacked "stuff" is "out of sight, out of mind," right?

So, to know that I am human and certainly not perfect, just take a look at this piano.



Did you notice that big book shelf in the first photo of this room?

We had that custom-made not too long after we were married. We have quite a few books (and we've downsized our enormous book collection A LOT since we've been married). We wanted somewhere to keep the books. We also wanted to display photos. We also wanted a place to keep board games, card games, etc.

That's how we ended up with this bookshelf. So, if we ever move, this bookshelf WILL go with us. It's not a "fixture" of this house.

In this corner of this room (between the bookshelf and the piano), we have these candles.



Let me try to explain these candles in the least confusing way possible....

We didn't do a traditional unity candle at our wedding.

Instead, we did something that Marc named "Giving of the Light."

We used these candles. Now, here's where you'll have to use your imagination a bit.

At our wedding, behind these candles, we had a single tall candle standing behind these candles.

The single tall candle represented God. Then, the center candle represented our marriage.

The two candles on opposite sides of the center candle (representing our marriage) represented our two families.

Then, the outer two candles represented our friends.

So, during our wedding, when what would have been the "unity candle" time, we had these candles instead.

The pastor lit the single tall candle -- representing God over us (that's why it was taller).

Marc and I lit the center candle -- representing our marriage.

Each of our parents lit the next two candles representing our families -- as supporting us in our marriage.

Both Marc and I chose a close friend (not already in the wedding) to come up and light the outer two candles -- representing our friends who were supporting us in our marriage.

Are you confused yet?

I hope not -- I did the very best to explain the importance of those candles in our home. The taller "God" candle is actually at my parents' house. Since my parents purchased those candles, my mom chose to keep that single candle as a decoration in their house.

Lastly, and this IS NOT the best photo -- here is the front of this living room. We have three fairly large windows looking out into our front yard.

Luke LOVES to look outside. We think it's cute when he does.

So, here's a photo from last week of Luke looking outside. Keep in mind I don't have a fantastic camera to work with every different changing light source.



Now, I must go...maybe I'll go and dust my piano. Then again, maybe not :)

7 comments:

Allen and Debby Graber said...

You ever try those Swiffer dusters? They are kind of fun and fast - in between using Pledge or something. I like your candle idea. Unique! I told my kids not to have a unity candle. It would be too nerve-wracking to have to go up on stage and light a candle. Infact, at our wedding, all our candles were prelit - so no candle lighters.

Toni :O) said...

I SWEAR by Swiffer...it makes my life SO much easier. I can't stand how the dust piles up so quickly...Swiffer to the rescue and saves my sanity...give it a try, there's usually a coupon somewhere! Hah! The candle description sounded beautiful and I think it was a very creative way to use the candles. Nice house, I want your chair...looks wonderful!

Anonymous said...

I totally LOVE your livingroom! So bright and sunshine-y with those windows. Our house faces north... the livingroom is on the north... two tall narrow windows on the north. Very cold and dreary no matter what I do. From what I can see of the kitchen... I'm going to have a hard time "not coveting" that wonderful room, too, when you get to it. Separate bathrooms... believe me, if I could do that, too, I would! LOL! I completely understand that concept. And I understood the candles... we attended a wedding where another couple did the same thing. Love the photo of Luke at the windows... he looks like he's thinking deep thoughts.

Candice said...

You have a lovely home! Nice candle ceremony.

Momma H said...

Another option from a fellow duster-phobe: www.flylady.net - They have 2 feather dusters that are phenomenal! They really DUST, and not spread it all over like some feather dusters do. It takes me less than 45 min. to dust the whole down stairs of our home - and it stays fairly dusted til I decide I HAVE to dust again. Like when company is coming. Anyway - just a suggestion.

More than just okay said...

I play piano the same way you do! Lessons in high school, but college & early married life meant skills deteriorated. But I play for me. (and Anna)

Brad's aunt had a saying I love "A clean house is a sign of a wasted life." I don't live in filth, but I don't sweat the small stuff - like dust. In fact, Brad has to dust our fireplace mantle because he can see it and I can't. Oh darn! ;-)

DeMo said...

Thanks for the tour! I'll have to go check out parts 1 and 2. :)

I like your idea for the candles at your wedding. I'm not crazy about unity candles, but I think that yours is a good way to incorporate everyone in your life, not just you, marc & God.

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