I've seen the light, thanks to The Loomii !!

[MamaJunebug]

Major Architectural Digest post over on srloomis.com, a look at Chez Loomis with its most recent updatings ...

... and dominion-takings.

All but one of the home's rooms are beautifully tidy and well arranged, and that one is the last over which the couple have been successful at "taking dominion."

In the spirit of full disclosure, it's revealed that they have a little trouble maintaining the dominion taken over the family study (well, sure!).

They also happily report that since their server closet (srsly) now also is the storage spot for some of Mrs. L's things, she's happier with the shared dominion over that part of the house.

Dang it! Their taste in decoration is a lot like my own ... but they still outdo me, and probably always will, on the tidy office and the existence of a bodacious front porch

But I am confident, because I know what I've been doing wrong. It's not that my TSU* is a minor-hoarder and slob: It's that he hasn't taken dominion over his study.

It's not that I haven't budgeted for an architect and a contractor to build myself a front porch, I just haven't taken dominion over the piece of front yard that's where my veranda rightly oughta be.

I'll pray on this at church in the morning (no, I won't).** Then I'm sure I'll find the verses in the Bible that instruct all good Junebugs to take dominion over the plans for the lanai, and within 6 months, it'll be done (no, it won't).

*The Spousal Unit

**Because I honstly believe God would gently slap me upside the head if I asked Her for Her strength in taking dominion over the front elevation of my home.

Goodness. :hand:

[Beeks]

Their house is truly lovely. I was dying over the kitchen pics. LOVE!

They've placed a stumbling block before me - I'm coveting my neighbor's things. ;)

[darkplumaged]

They certainly have plenty of space: four bedrooms, a study, a library... I'm wildly jealous and not ashamed to admit it.

The kitchen is great--I love the cabinets. And I adore the toile bedding on their bed--I'd like something exactly like that.

We have the placemat under the lamp in the library photo. Good to know that I have similar taste to such godly people. :roll:

[SunnyAndrsn]

Poor Rebecca, all those children's rooms decorated and an empty womb.

That's a huge house, Steven was a good financial catch. Huh, fundies with money and no children.

I find myself feeling rather sorry for them.

[synchroswimr]

Loomii. Hee! Makes me giggle every time.

And that's it ... Nothing to contribute. They live kinda near me, though. I keep hoping I'll see them sometime.

[uber frau]

MJB- As it says in the book of Proverbs, "Where there is no vision, the ppl perish." You need a framed family mission statement hanging in your entrance way.

[Bellatrix]

That stroller is positively 1982.

Right?

[MamaJunebug]

MJB- As it says in the book of Proverbs, "Where there is no vision, the ppl perish." You need a framed family mission statement hanging in your entrance way.

!!! :lol: I nearly spit yogurt on to my keyboard!

That'll work: I'll hang a framed photo of the porch o'my dreams by the front door with the mission statement: BUILD THIS OR THE PEOPLE PERISH! and see how ole Mr. Charm responds.

It would be: Quite unheadshiplylike, I rather imagine. :naughty:

I continue to be amazed at how my tastes match the Loomii (that was for you, synchroswmmr!). Their guest bath is basically an amalgam of the plans I have for my bath and a half: hotel-style towel shelf, light-brown/beige tile (or marble), white wainscoting, blue walls.

I know, I know, we all more or less go with what's popular, but sheesh, between that and the kitchen cabinets, ... the decor is so "my place."

As to their childlessness. A couple who are now in their late 80s were told, in the late 1940s, that they were too geneticaly similar to be able to reproduce. The doc actually told them, "with other partners, both of you would be parents." They loved each other so much that they decided to be together without children, rather than have kids with other partners.

I keep thinking: As much as S&R look like they could be siblings, is that part of their problem? If so, and even if medical science still has no remedy for it, they doubtless keep faith that A Miracle will happen, anyway.

Well. It seems as though any young person who comes through the doors of Chez Loom is given homework or hears important historical records read aloud, so whenever it happens, Steven will have kept himself wel prepared to be a homeschooling daddy-o!

PS: The house was in Steven's family - had been - at the time of the engagement. So, yeah, he's a catch but he didn't buy the house outright, IIRC, although he did pay to remodel it.

:shifty: PPS: Anybody else think that Dad Serven left his teeth on the nightstand?

[Marian the Librarian]

Yep, it's a lovely home, everything in its place, and I really do want to like the Loomii, and wish them joy... :eusa-shifty:

It's the ethos of chronic preachiness that turns me off. Steven providing a little "project" for out of town guests, reading the Declaration of Independence on the 4th of July, the family mission statement and "purposeful home decorations," the dour rewrites of hymns, the dire warnings about the evil, corrupted lives of famous composers. Mercy, when is one allowed to simply BE?? Everything, right down to the lesson-providing maps on the walls and the name of the cat, Must Have Serious Purpose.

One wonders if all this heaviness might be having a deleterious effect in the fertility department. Perhaps they should "take dominion" over the idea of relaxing and lightening up just a notch or two.

[OnceModestTwiceShy]

"And yes, you all may notice a few cute baby things that church families have been giving us in the pictures. They are so kind, hopeful, and prayerful for us. We appreciate your prayers too, that God would expand our family in His way, in His time."

Um...am I the only one wondering about this? Did the church families give them baby stuff when Rebecca was pregnant before, or are they still giving them stuff, knowing full well that they are having trouble conceiving? I don't find this "kind" - I think it's like rubbing salt in the wound, since these two are obviously so desperate for children. It can't be easy having two "hopeful" children's rooms in your house, not to mention having your sewing room in the empty nursery, but then you've also got people bringing you baby clothes "just in case"? Yikes. As much as I dislike their preachiness, I really do feel for Rebecca. It scares me to think of what issues this may cause in their marriage, since Steven waited and worked hard for all that time to "win" his perfect bride, and now is finding that his perfect fundie family may not materialize. :(

ETA: "In fact, one of the hopeful projects my dear Steven has for me to work on, is to paint the nursery. We are thinking about the light yellow color, aptly called “You are my sunshineâ€. : ) Yes, I’m choosing it on purely sentimental reasons. I’m planning to start next week!"

Ok, that's just mean...Reading between the lines, it sounds like she's being blamed for insufficiently trusting Teh Lord, and is thus being given the "hopeful" project of painting a nursery for a not-yet-existant fetus to demonstrate that she Totally Trusts God's Timing. Yup, I think Steven is just as much of a patriarchal asshole as I suspected, underneath all that nice-guy geekery.

[haveapicniclife]

It's a beautiful house. But I'm wondering why the kitchen floor is plywood? (Yes, it is. Look closely at the picture of the table). The kitchen is to die for, seriously my dream kitchen with a few tweaks here and there. I hope they find the money to do the floor properly at some point down the road. I do like the painted wood floors though, is that something that is hard to maintain?

I do feel for her, especially collecting the baby items like that. If you're trying to have children, and people are giving you free things, then why not? I'd say it's a good possibility that they would adopt eventually, if they're unable to have their own.

[WonderingInWA]

I like what they've done to their house and some of their furniture is beautiful (the piano, the dresser, etc). I don't think they ever buy anything new so they get everything from other people. Which is kind of a fun way to decorate.

My heart really grieves for them that they can't seem to have a baby. She's no spring chicken (although I had my youngest at 36 so I think she still has some time left).

One thing that really bugs me about their house, though, is those God-awful floors! They are all some weird shade of blue hard-surface, and then the master bedroom looks like concrete. What's that all about?

[super skeptic]

"The Lomii" makes me laugh every time. Great nickname!

I find the baby gifts rather sad, too. I don't know why people would keep giving them stuff. It feels wrong, even if they mean well.

I think these two were more tolerable before they got married. Now their Holier-Than-Thouness has combined and multiplied exponentially and it's unbearable. The homework assignment for the guests? UGH.

[haveapicniclife]

I like what they've done to their house and some of their furniture is beautiful (the piano, the dresser, etc). I don't think they ever buy anything new so they get everything from other people. Which is kind of a fun way to decorate.

My heart really grieves for them that they can't seem to have a baby. She's no spring chicken (although I had my youngest at 36 so I think she still has some time left).

One thing that really bugs me about their house, though, is those God-awful floors! They are all some weird shade of blue hard-surface, and then the master bedroom looks like concrete. What's that all about?

The bedroom is linoleum tile, like they use in public buildings or schools. Unfortunately I recognize it because I live in base housing and we have it, too. :cry: Between that and the plywood, I'm guessing they had some flooring issues or maybe those were additions added on later. The house looks fairly old, I'd say at least 1920's?

[sableduck]

They seem so much in love.

Did anyone else catch in one of the older posts that Rebecca has been taking photography classes? Fertility issues--which I also have--aside, I am glad that she has time now to pursue her interests.

[hoipolloi]

Mercy, when is one allowed to simply BE??

Yes, as in "live and move and have our being" - does God require this constant business & pre-occupation with making sure oneself & others are busy? Also reminds me of the great bumper sticker: Better look busy, Jesus is coming.

[GenerationCedarchip]

"And yes, you all may notice a few cute baby things that church families have been giving us in the pictures. They are so kind, hopeful, and prayerful for us. We appreciate your prayers too, that God would expand our family in His way, in His time."

Um...am I the only one wondering about this? Did the church families give them baby stuff when Rebecca was pregnant before, or are they still giving them stuff, knowing full well that they are having trouble conceiving? I don't find this "kind" - I think it's like rubbing salt in the wound, since these two are obviously so desperate for children. It can't be easy having two "hopeful" children's rooms in your house, not to mention having your sewing room in the empty nursery, but then you've also got people bringing you baby clothes "just in case"? Yikes. As much as I dislike their preachiness, I really do feel for Rebecca. It scares me to think of what issues this may cause in their marriage, since Steven waited and worked hard for all that time to "win" his perfect bride, and now is finding that his perfect fundie family may not materialize. :(

ETA: "In fact, one of the hopeful projects my dear Steven has for me to work on, is to paint the nursery. We are thinking about the light yellow color, aptly called “You are my sunshineâ€. : ) Yes, I’m choosing it on purely sentimental reasons. I’m planning to start next week!"

Ok, that's just mean...Reading between the lines, it sounds like she's being blamed for insufficiently trusting Teh Lord, and is thus being given the "hopeful" project of painting a nursery for a not-yet-existant fetus to demonstrate that she Totally Trusts God's Timing. Yup, I think Steven is just as much of a patriarchal asshole as I suspected, underneath all that nice-guy geekery.

When I read stuff like this, I find myself wondering if something is going on - like maybe they're planning to adopt and just aren't announcing publicly until they have their match.

[MamaJunebug]

Re: the flooring - CRS about the bedroom flooring, but I do recall an earlier Better Dominionist Homes & Gardens post in which s/he talked about how they decided to put high-traffic-quality paint on the DR/K floor (possibly more). Not sure if they had run out of $ but would guess that was part of it. Except for the idea of not being able to go barefoot, painted floors don't bother me a bit -- as long as they've been sanded and sealed against splinters. To be repetitiously redundant.

Just because I'm contrary, I like to think that Rebecca puts words/commands into Steven's mouth. How I bet it really happened:

Rebecca: "Dearest? What say we paint the nursery/sewing room next."

Steven: "Breaker, breaker, rubberduck, is this ham radio on?"

Rebecca: "I was thinking this pale yellow, and look, it's called 'You are my sunshine.'"

Steven: "

 to the order of magnitude and sine waves per dichotomous binaries."

Rebecca: "Great! I'll start next week."

Next day In writing the blog of the month, she realizes it's a little too much "the two have become one," speaking of "Dad Serven" instead of "my dad" or "Rebecca's dad," etc. So she thinks, "Well, also, it's been a while since I've given an example of husbandly bossism and wifely submission. So I'll write it, "My dear STeven has told me to..." ......no, too bossy. Let's try, "One of the projects dear Steven has for me to work on ...." yeah! That's what I'm talking about!

Marian the Librarian wrote:

Mercy, when is one allowed to simply BE??

hoipolloi wrote,

Yes, as in "live and move and have our being" - does God require this constant business & pre-occupation with making sure oneself & others are busy?

Brainstorm: Maybe it's the Presbyterian version of the Maxwell "always busy" motto. After all, if we are as inherently evil as Calvin says, and if we're never quite sure of our status as the elect, better not be letting down our guard!

Hoi, the "look busy" bumper sticker is probably the latterday version of "idle hands are the devil's workshop," don't you think?

PS: Lutheran doctrine of election is that [i]everybody [/i]is of the elect. Thus the Bible says, "God would that [i]all [/i]would be saved." Unlike what I understand the Calvinist doctrine to be - some are elect, some aren't. The Calvinist idea is dangerous to the max: if I suspect I'm not elect, I might as well really live like he|| because I'm going there.

Ok, don't mean to get OT on my own T. :shifty:

[Wolfie]

As to their childlessness. A couple who are now in their late 80s were told, in the late 1940s, that they were too geneticaly similar to be able to reproduce. The doc actually told them, "with other partners, both of you would be parents." They loved each other so much that they decided to be together without children, rather than have kids with other partners.

Huh? We do know a lot more about the human body than we did in the 1940's, and if being too similar genetically made it hard to reproduce, we wouldn't have those labratory lines of rodents that have helped medicine become so much better.

There are some genetic illnesses that are recessive, but even then- it would be one gene from two parents and just a 1 in 4 chance of the baby having a double recessive. There also is the issue my grandma had with the blood type, but now that is often solved by a shot.

[Wolfie]

"And yes, you all may notice a few cute baby things that church families have been giving us in the pictures. They are so kind, hopeful, and prayerful for us. We appreciate your prayers too, that God would expand our family in His way, in His time."

Um...am I the only one wondering about this? Did the church families give them baby stuff when Rebecca was pregnant before, or are they still giving them stuff, knowing full well that they are having trouble conceiving? I don't find this "kind" - I think it's like rubbing salt in the wound, since these two are obviously so desperate for children. It can't be easy having two "hopeful" children's rooms in your house, not to mention having your sewing room in the empty nursery, but then you've also got people bringing you baby clothes "just in case"? Yikes. As much as I dislike their preachiness, I really do feel for Rebecca. It scares me to think of what issues this may cause in their marriage, since Steven waited and worked hard for all that time to "win" his perfect bride, and now is finding that his perfect fundie family may not materialize. :(

ETA: "In fact, one of the hopeful projects my dear Steven has for me to work on, is to paint the nursery. We are thinking about the light yellow color, aptly called “You are my sunshineâ€. : ) Yes, I’m choosing it on purely sentimental reasons. I’m planning to start next week!"

Ok, that's just mean...Reading between the lines, it sounds like she's being blamed for insufficiently trusting Teh Lord, and is thus being given the "hopeful" project of painting a nursery for a not-yet-existant fetus to demonstrate that she Totally Trusts God's Timing. Yup, I think Steven is just as much of a patriarchal asshole as I suspected, underneath all that nice-guy geekery.

I agree that it's just mean to have a room all ready for a child that they may or may not have- EXCEPT- they may be trying to adopt and often there will be a nursery set up for that.

I read the painting bit as a "let's encourage her to do something to keep busy."

[CanadianHippie]

I'm disappointed I couldn't see the server room.

And who has a guest book for their house?

[DamnPrecious]

I can't find the photos you all are talking about. Help!

[Soldevi]

srloomis.com/blog/2011/08/home-update

[tinuviel]

Their house is beautiful. I like the blue in the bedroom in particular. But wow... I've been living in pretty dense, small places for a number of years now, and everything looked so huge and empty! lol. I'm about to install some wall shelves and purse hooks near my bed. It's so weird to imagine being able to put new things on the floor instead of the walls.

Also, how do you go about cleaning a couch from the Salvation Army? It looks like they have awesome thrift skills, which is great. I'm trying to get a bit better at it myself, but I'm a little squicky about used couches I guess.

I hope they're planning to adopt and just keeping it on the down low in case things don't work out. Otherwise it must be more than awful to have empty hopeful children's rooms.

[DamnPrecious]

Eh, not my style.