'twas the month after christmas

It's January. I know it's January. But I still find myself humming Christmas carols.

I love how cozy the house felt with stockings hung by the chimney, family hand-me-down decorations hanging about, and the smell of evergreen.

So, please pardon the unseasonable post. I just needed an excuse to reflect.

Gabby, decked out in her Santa scarf.

An Annalee Advent calendar from my Mom. Annalee Dolls were
originally made in New Hampshire, my home state (pre-Georgia).

Our living room on "Family Movie Night,"
all pillows and blankets piled on the floor.

Nutcracker from my Mom's mom. Santa from my Dad's grandmother.

talking and rocking

"My uncle says there used to be front porches. And people sat there sometimes at night, talking when they wanted to talk, rocking, and not talking when they didn't want to talk. Sometimes they just sat there and thought about things, turned things over..." -Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451


Oh friends, I wish our front porch was big enough to fit you all on it! This has become my new favorite place (when it's not 100+ degrees, I should add) for talking on the phone, reading a book, or just sitting and rocking. 


It's not completely done—still looking for a few plants to spruce it up, and as you can see in the photos, the baseboards are a work in progress. But the hard part—flooring and furnishing—is finished.


The "before" photos are posted here.

stumbled across these beanbag ottomans and couldn't say no

cracker barrel rockers... worth it!

love the old-timely beadboard ceiling

my grandmother's old shelf with mini-vases from my mom

what porch is complete without a handy bottle opener?

awesome old milk jug, another gift from mom

holds all the magazines i never get around to reading

"before" shot of the magazine table; $12 antique store find

NOT our house, but my inspiration; our honeymoon resort!

first comes destruction

Here's recent evidence that things often get worse before they get better—a few "before" photos of our sun porch. It's a work in progress, but we at least got rid of the nasty carpet. New photos of the nearly-finish product coming soon!

room with a view

Our guest room is lovingly called "the dungeon." No light, no sound, no windows. Sleeping in there, you don't know if it's midnight or noon.

In an attempt to make it more cheerful, I picked a very bright, bold color (Orange Sherbet). I also hung a false window, complete with curtains. 


Ryan thinks it's a bit ridiculous. I think it's imaginative. And aren't those really just two sides of the same coin?

very bright. but better than boring.

found the chalkboard decal here at world market.

peekaboo. reused some curtains from
my old apartment.

representing my new hampshire roots
with a vintage pennant. 

photo on canvas. one of my all-time favorite
shots taken by my brother trey.

when i found this guy, he was
wooden with a cracked brown seat.
i recovered him in beige vinyl,
added a coat of white paint,
and he's a whole new chair.

scored this end table on the cheap at
a local antique store.

my dad salvaged this from a
neighbor's trash pile, scrubbed it down
and fixed it up with a new glass shade.

the cove

The previously unused space beneath our staircase has been reinvented. It's now the Writing Cove, future site of my memoir authorship. You read that correctly, memoir authorship. Feels scary and exhilarating at the same time to actually write that "out loud" and commit to it. 


But it's happening, so I might as well blog about it. I've begun what promises to be a long and strenuous and exciting process—turning a month-long road trip into a 70,000-word story. The post-it note front and center reads, "Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts." Just a little reminder that I'm sure I'll need.


Here goes.

keeping it in the family

The space above our fireplace was a blank slate for about a year and a half. Just a lonely hook over the mantle, waiting for a painting.

And then we found a painting that was worth waiting for — one that Ryan's grandfather painted years ago. He used to paint quite a lot, but doesn't do it much anymore (too bad for me, because I wanted to commission a few more). We think this one is of the South Carolina/Georgia coastline. It's nice to have a little reminder of warmer weather. And — we can dream — maybe one day we'll have a view like that.

bedroom: before + after

Wowza, this was the most drawn-out room makeover in history. It started back in November 2009 when we bought a new bed. Then it was winter, and I discovered the necessity of a down comforter.

When it got warm again, we replaced the heinous fan. (I hate to take apart something that functions just fine... but brass and wood-paneled paddles... gag).

Somewhere midway through Summer 2010, on a sweltering day, I stripped, sanded, and stained the nightstand... a lot of work for such a little chunk of furniture. Months after that we did the same to the dresser.

Why is it that every little house project takes nine times as long as you expect it to take? Oh well. It's finally done, and we love it.

BEFORE
























AFTER

study

[before]























[after]

five dollar find

I found this little lady at the Downtown Antique Mall for—you guessed—five bucks. First saw her in a cobwebbed corner back in October, but since we were in the middle of moving from apartment to house, I decided I didn't need one more thing to pack. Months later, as I was pondering what to hang in our bathroom, this came to mind. Lucky for me (and unlucky for Ryan, whose only comment was, "it's so girlie") she was still waiting at the Antique Mall when I returned in March.

Pushing my luck, I Googled "Sexton 1968" (stamped on the back) hoping it might be worthy of the Antiques Roadshow. It's not. But it still makes me smile.