I am a person that believes that every room has a story and everything in your home means something to you. As I take you through my home, I want to share with you my story and the story of some of the items in my home. As simple as they are, they seem to have a memory for me or perhaps it was the "thrill of the find" that made it special.
Let's start with the snowman since he is the first picture and I don't as of yet know how to alter things.
You may think that I have a snowman up because it's Christmas or it's winter, but you would be wrong. He is up year round along with other winter elements in my home. He reminds me of my favorite season: Winter. I love winter and all that it represents. Warmth, yes I said warmth, family, holidays, delicious foods and crackling fires. There is something about the slower pace of winter that brings me comfort. I love heavy quilts on my bed and hot chocolate for no other reason other than it's O.K. to drink some because it's cold outside. I love watching the T.V. and praying right along with my kids for a no school day!!! BTW, home school families DO NOT have snow days so it's been extra nice for my boys.
Now to the next picture:
This is our brand new flooring and balcony railing that we just put in and it came out wonderfully. I'm not a decorator or designer so I was very afraid that the combined elements may not work together but I am very pleased with how well it turned out.
This is our accent wall on the opposite side of the railing. It was painted a faux leather-look by Janie Keeling several years ago and I love that it blends so well with our wall color. The painting was purchased at an estate sale for $25.00. It was done by local artist Mel Cox in 1966 and has been in my possession for many years. I honestly don't think that it's very good but I have always loved that he was from Oklahoma and was depicting, obviously, the Chisholm Trail. It's a keeper for me.
My Queen Anne sofa table was purchased for $40.00 at The Emporium.
My horse! When I was 16 I rode and showed Hunter-Jumper horses. They were my passion and life. My mother purchased this figurine for me on my 16th birthday and it has been proudly displayed in every home that I have lived in since. Thank you Mom, I will always cherish it.
This sweet picture hangs above my snowman and yes, it's there year-round as well. This print is actually an old Sunday School lithograph from Emmanuel Baptist Church. Some women at the church were cleaning out a closet and started to throw these away. Another woman said they may be worth saving and her and I began to dig through them. I kept this one and have another one in my home, as well. I love the 1950's children playing in the snow-notice the one that looks like a young Marilyn Monroe.
My western elements throughout my home. I love Oklahoma and am proud of my heritage. Here is a horseshoe sconce which hangs beside my painting.
You have seen my balcony and I hope to add more pictures of my home as time allows. Please come again to read about more of my stories. Walls only speak if we are willing to listen and hear.
If Walls Could Speak- ENTRANCE
So begins another tour of my home. And since we are at the now beginning of the home, I guess this would be a good time to say that I did name our home. My husband would often tell me, (when we were first married), that I could make anything sound good. His words would often remind me of a song, I believe the name of it was "Jesse" but I'm really not sure. Nor do I know who sings the song, however, there was this one lyric that said, "Jesse, paint a picture about how it's going to be, you could always sell any dream to me." With that thought in mind, and our new home purchased, (back in 1996), I christened our home Paint a Picture Estates or PAPE, (pronounced Paw-pee), for short. With that said, on with the tour and welcome to Paint A Picture Estates.
This is the main entrance to the home and shows the new stairs that we have just installed. Still working on actually as the carpet is on backorder and won't arrive until Jan. 13th. Hope that's not a Friday-bad omen. This is the view from the parlor.
This is an upclose shot of the "curl at the end of the stairs." I'm sure that's what the stair guy calls it, too. Shows the stain of the wood and how beautiful the banister really is.
My Precious Moments curio cabinet. More on them in another blog. But because I love to tell people of all the great bargains I find at yard sales, then I need to mention that the curio cabinet was $15.00. I don't think it's the best but I do think that it's just about the right size for my stuff.
Here's another great find. I purchased this at The Mini-Mall for $200.00 and then I found it at a high-end specialty shop for $600.00. She tried to tell me that is was one-of-a-kind and no one else would ever have one just like that. I had to laugh out loud!!
My youngest child making the bench look pretty.
One of several crosses that I have in my entrance. Yep, this one was $1.00 at a recent sale.
Looking up you can see all of the railing from this side of the house.
That ends another tour of another room in my home. At least until we get the carpet put in and I will add additional pictures to this blog. With all of the home improvement projects that are going on around here it is really starting to feel like a "This Old House" episode.
Life is Good, busy but Good.
No, I do not collect Precious Moments
When I was young, I recieved a hippopatamus for Christmas. What, you don't believe me? I did- the ceramic variety as it were. My new baby was an adorable, brown, lumpy hippo complete with 1970's flowers adorning her side in orange and yellow. She was a bank featuring a slot down the middle of her back and a black rubber stopper in her underbelly. "Hippy", (yea, it was the '70's), came stocked with exactly 100 pennies inside of her enourmous, hollow belly. I loved her, maybe too much because once said hippo was a gleam in my eye, it seemed every birthday and Christmas thereafter, I recieved some sort of bank. In all, I had aquired over thirty. I was an absolute bank time capsule for the 70's. There was Snoopy, Tootsie Roll cans, Disney characters and bicentennial Uncle Sam banks. I kept them all until I was married and then easily departed with them when we had the "combining two households" yard sale. My banks departed almost first thing in the morning and I was thrilled until I realized that there were people out there who actually DO collect banks and they were probably worth more than the quarter or so that I had on them. Lessons were learned, however, with that hippo, yes, lessons indeed. My Precious Moments are like Hippy, I love them and are even excited about them but I do NOT collect them. I don't want them for birthdays or Christmas or even filled with 100 pennies. I refuse to be drawn in by their cuteness or lure or even their originality. No, I have learned my lesson once and it will never happen again.
Here is my Precious Moments that I do NOT collect.
Every good non-collection needs a display case. Mine happens to be a curio cabinet that I purchased at a yard sale. It seemed just the right size for a few items.
If there were one that I would say that I truly loved and cherished, it would most definitely be this one. We purchased this one at the Precious Moments Chapel while on vacation in Missouri. This was my hippopatmus. I picked it out especially because it portrays a family that has adopted a baby girl. She doesn't look anything like the young couple and yet they look at her seeing only their child-the one that God has given for them. As the parent of an adopted daughter from China, this Precious Moment is truly precious in my heart.
Some things tell too much of a story. This figurine was given to me from a friend who had just gone through a bitter divorce. It had been a gift from "him" and she no longer wished to have it. I proudly placed it in my cabinet both as a memory.... and a reminder.
She's just beautiful, what can I say? I found her at an estate sale and placed her in my cabinet because well, two figurines looked a little sparce. I found a teapot that matches her but have thus far resisted adding to my non-collection.
Awww, I just love these little guys. Cows, sheep, bunnies and children-add a dog and even you couldn't have resisted.
These aren't figurines but rather lawn ornaments for your yard. I had actually lamented to my husband that I wished they made large figurines so that I could display some on top. I was very surprised to have found them at ,(are you tired of hearing me say it yet?), a yard sale. Actually, it was two separate yard sales and about a year apart. Boy finally meets Girl.
Story in a nutshell?
Found one with purposeful meaning
Remaining are items to clutter my home
Maybe if I got another hippo??
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