Castles in the Air

My Little House Of Dreams


My little house of dreams! It lies
Green roofed, white walled, 'neath Kansas skies.
Its rough stone chimneys in a row,
Its glistening windows all aglow
With light and warmth and kindly cheer
That bide within thru all the year.

My little house of dreams! It stands
Upon a hill o'er meadowlands,
From whence, at dawning, faint and sweet
Comes a lambkin's plaintive bleat,
And meadow larks' shrill pipe, in tune
With all the scents and sounds of June.

My little house of dreams! In spring
About its eaves the redbirds sing,
And gray doves, in the evening cool,
Lave their pink feet, within my pool,
Whose placid, shallow waters lie,
Roseate beneath the westward sky.

My little house of dreams! Who knows
How warm, when fall the winter snows,
How bright its fires, how fair its rooms,
How safe and still 'neath starlit glooms,
My cozy little house of dreams,
All seasons are its best--it seems.

My house of dreams! Where order reigns
Behind its glistening window panes.
Shady its trees, its garden fair
And best of all, my love is there,
With shining eyes and calm, sweet face,
The benediction of the place,
And peace and joy and heaven's light beams
Within my little house of dreams.

__Louisa Cooke Don-Carlos

This week's BlogThis challenge is a fun one. I hope. Since I picked it. Today, we're all talking about our dream homes. Where money is no object, none of the practical minutiae that hold us back. I have only had a chance to read a couple of entries, but I can't wait to sit down tomorrow and see what people have come up with.

So. Our dream home?

We'd probably live somewhere like the Maleny, in the Sunshine Coast's beautiful hinterland. It's only about 35 minutes from where we live, and somewhere Joel would just be in heaven.

We'd be surrounded by lush green hills (remember, in my dream, there is no drought), and forests of healthy tall trees.



The property would be about 2 acres. Enough for a vege patch, big enough to share with family and friends. A small orchard for apples, lemons and limes.

I'd love it to be an old farmhouse - charming, but with the modern perks that allow us to do the things we love.

Something like this.



Or this.




There would, of course, be the white picket fence I've wanted as long as I can remember.







I'd love to have our gardens divided up into several distinct areas. I'd love a large section dedicated to the aforementioned vegetable garden etc.










I'd love to have some animals. A few chickens. Not too many, maybe 6 or 7.






And maybe finally a grey and white kitten, all of my own.



And a puppy for the boys. Or one each?




Of course, my boys are young, so we'd need plenty to keep them busy. A fort? A Pool? A Trampoline? Since it's my dream home, how about all of the above.

I think this might just be the most awesome trampoline I've ever seen in my life.

Lazy summer days in our pool.

And while we're outside, there ought to be not only an outdoor eating area, but one of my dreams - an outdoor pizza oven.




Want to come inside? It's light and airy, lots of white, with splashes of soft blues and yellows.





There is a beautiful wrap around verandah, with many different spots to sit and breathe in the last of the day.






I love looking at kitchens, so this was a hard choice. In the end, I narrowed it down to this one...



Or this.



Either way, I know I'd be able to rediscover my love of cooking and entertaining. Especially with a butlers pantry like this:





And cooking with these:



I just love le-crueuset, and I'd love to own some.

And while I've usually hated the style, I would like a little bit of open shelving. Just to show off all of this.

Go on. I dare you to tell me you wouldn't want to pour yourself a glass of wine and make magic happen in this kitchen, with all of these:

In fact, when I imagine a dream home, it's the little details which make it such for me. I'm mother to two boys, so a lot of 'breakable' things have had to be put away. In my dream home, (lets pretend my boys are a year or two older), I can fill a home with the touches that make me soul happy.

There is a sunny breakfast nook, and a casual dining area.

I want, in fact, little nooks all over the home. I hate wasted space, and while I dislike clutter, I'd like to be able to have several spots in the home one can sit and read a book, or take a break.

What else do we have downstairs? A living area?
Overstuffed sofas, piles of books, french doors and big windows. Built in shelving in just about every room of the house.

What about a Rumpus room for Joel and his brothers to let loose and relax in?
In my dream home this room is 'boy heaven'. Huge. Sofas and a big screen TV for State of Origin nights. A fridge for drinks (so they stop taking up room in mine). A pool table, as well as an air hockey table (Ok. I confess. That one's for me).
A Wii or XBox or whatever is 'in' these days. A fabulous stereo for their music (I can hear Pink Floyd already). A poker table (ok, also something just as much for me) and a bar.

Of course, this has french doors too. That CLOSE. So we don't have to listen to them!

The little boys will need a playroom too. Space to play with their cars, but somewhere they can be creative as well.

The downstairs bathroom?

Laundry?

Want to come upstairs with me?

The sleeping quarters are up here.

My boys, right now, just want to be together. So I love the look of these bunks.



Though I have to say, I'm loving this too. It would be fabulous for sleepovers with their cousins.



Want to come and stay with us? Come over, of course we have a guest room.



With a Guest Bath.



More than one of you want to visit? No problem. It's snug, but utterly charming..


Master Bedroom, I hear you ask. (Or are those voices in my head? My psych did ask...);-)

Crisp white bedding.

A Window Seat,




Where I will of course, curl up with one of these: (I want this set so badly. I don't care that I already own a few of these).



And an ensuite.


And what dream house is complete without a walk in robe, stacked with clothes that make me feel beautiful. Or, you know, something like that.


I'm not sure where Joel will keep his clothes. But that's not really my problem, is it?

We would each have our own study, as our styles are different, and we do different things on our computers. Joel's would combine as a music room, so he could play his bass.




I would have one too. It would double as a sewing room (my goal for next year is to learn to sew. And be not crazy. Whichever). Somewhere outrageously girlie, with beautiful things to nurture my creative side, to summon back my muse. Any of these would do.

And of course, our home will be filled with books. Built in floor to ceiling shelves all over the place, filled to bursting with books.

Come for dinner. First, I'll let you hang in my hammock (Not you, Jenn. You've already got one, and you've been braggin'..)

Then we'll eat under the stars and laugh and debate and just relax. And I want to live this way, raise our sons and grow old with my husband.