Our House - Part VIII

The final episode of our house!!! Thanks for your indulgence as I've exposed EVERY part of our house (clutter, bathrooms, etc.). Today's post features my office (a bit more "girly" than Hubby's).For my desk, I use an antique table with an enamel top (just like the cookware in my kitchen). My computer sits atop a vanity which is the perfect height when working. I love this lay-out.

Standing against the closet, this gives you a view of the other side of the room. Notice the dried flower arrangement? The rocking chair belonged to my Grandma Katie and has that wonderful rocking squeek that I hope never to repair (unless I absolutely have to).
This little table is the nightstand from Hubby's childhood bedroom furniture. Having it next to Grandma Katie's rocking chair gives my office the rather quaint atmosphere that I find very relaxing. And, yes, that's a coffee pot! There's even cream & sugar. It only holds four cups, but makes for a nice treat while I'm working.


Thank you for joining me on this tour. I've enjoyed your company!

Our House - Part VII

Today's tour takes us to the living room. Just for the record, the Christmas decorations have since been taken down!These cabinets are wonderful for storage. The t.v. takes center stage with electronics, movies, and CD's below. Blankets are stored in one section with games of all sorts in the other. Hubby's mother found these cabinets when she was an antique dealer. At that time, they were being used in a department store to display sweaters. Each open compartment had a pull-out tray which has long since disappeared. Five of the compartments still have the glass doors that pull out and drop down (similar to a Bannister bookcase). Due to a lower ceiling in this house, we had to get creative with how we stacked them. The cabinet in the corner is almost complete (the top section is actually resting under the t.v.). The section of open compartments under the t.v. should be stacked with the sections to the left of the t.v. But having a lower ceiling allows for excellent t.v. placement!
Here's the other side of the living room. The furniture arrangement works out very nicely because the t.v. is not the center of attention. We can sit in the round and have a very nice conversation next to the fire. Quite cozy!

Our House - Part VI

We're back!! Thanks for the kind comments left over the weekend. Time with the parents was very enjoyable. This posting is quite a bit longer than usual, so I appreciate your time in reading it. There's a lot to see in this part of the house!Today's room is the kitchen, as you have probably guessed. The wall behind the refrigerator is adjacent to the dining room (floor plan). The island separates the cooking area from the table/pantry/laundry area, as seen below.This pie safe belonged to Hubby's grandmother. It sits on the wall adjacent to the living room, across from the kitchen window. The china sets on display are antique, but not family pieces. I found one set at a garage sale, and the other was a gift from an elderly friend. The glass in the doors makes it an excellent display case.
Most people call this cast iron, but we call this our 'wedding china'. As newly-weds, we went crazy in the Lodge cast iron factory's outlet store located in Tennessee. It's durable, easy to clean (non-stick), and easy to keep heated (stove/oven or grill/smoker). We even have plates & bowls!! Also pictured is our second favorite cooking material: stoneware.My collection of enamelware. The pattern I prefer is rather simple: one solid color with a colored band. White seems to be the easiest to find, but the bands vary: black, blue, red. One piece (from my grandmother) is cream colored with a green band. Also shown is my collection of antique baking utensils.There are many reasons people collect chickens/roosters, but I chose this collection because it represents my family heritage and honors my family name. The cookie jar in the top picture, left corner, was made by my grandmother. The plate in the bottom picture, right corner, gives you a hint as to my family name!

Our House - Part V

This is our dining room; however, right now it's not functioning as that. You see, we have no dining room chairs!! There are two in the picture, but one is actually a rocking chair which has no home right now and the other was stolen from another room. I'd like to make this the music room by removing the table and bringing in the piano from the garage. But, shhhh, don't tell Hubby. He may not be too happy with that idea.Below is a close up of the buffet. It's origin is a mystery. When we married, I found it in the basement of Hubby's house; however, he has no idea where he got it or how long he'd had it. It cleaned up nicely and I love having the beauty of an antique.
This music box was a gift from his grandmother. She found it in her days as an antique dealer. It still plays beautifully (eight songs total). The two photos below show a close up of the song selection dial and the manufacturing information.

Our House - Part III

Great-Aunt Mary's bedroom set. The bed frame was built for a double bed; however, our mattress is queen size. We could have simply set the mattress & box springs on top of the frame, but it would have dwarfed the foot board. Hubby's solution? Attached the head board directly to the wall and stablize the foot board so it stands on its own. Perfect!
When Hubby and I moved from Kansas to Washington last spring, we stopped at Harold Warp Pioneer Village located in Minden, Nebraska. There we learned this bedroom set was circa 1880. Hubby thinks it was manufactured by a company called Eastlake because of the craftsmanship in the carvings and designs. His childhood bedroom furniture is from the same company. (P.S.: This museum is great for those who like to see how technology has changed our every day lives. Plan to spend the day!)
This photo gives a close-up view of the details on the head board which has been duplicated on the top of the dresser mirror, as well.
Here's a detailed photo of the nightstand. Both the nightstand and the dresser have marble tops. And they survived the move thanks to a great moving company and their supurb job of packing!!

Our House - Part II

Here's the view from the living room. The bookcases are located just outside Hubby's office. It's not much of a view, but at least the carpet clean!! The next picture shows a few of my collections on display, everything vintage: Children's books of all kinds, Little Golden Books, just a few children's toys, textbooks (one-room school house era), Bibles, curious books.
A few examples of my curious books. Handy Helps or How to do Things, published compliments of the Calumet Baking Power Co, no date available. The title page describes this book as "a collection of useful hints and suggestions for the housewife...valuable alike to the young bride and the gray haired matron." Hmmm...I should fall in there somewhere. Housekeeping Hints by Duraclean: 137 ways to make housecleaning a b-r-e-e-z-e, published in 1964 by Duraclean Company known for "flower fresh" cleaning for rugs, wall-to-wall carpeting and upholstering. I have not read either book. Maybe one day I'll post some helpful household hints. We'll both learn something!!

Our House - Part I

OK family: pictures of the interior of our house, as requested. This seems reasonable since you are 1700 miles away! Below is a floor plan, but please keep in mind that it is not to scale. I did not actually measure each room. Some things may look out of proportion because they probably are.
Here are several pictures showing Hubby's office. He finally has enough wall space to hang all of his military history photos. However, as you can see, he's already out of space to add more! Most of these were collected by his mother during her days as an antique dealer.
The map is of Spanish territory and dates back to late 1700's or early 1800's. Below that is a picture of Castillo de San Marcos, a fort in St. Augustine FL (left), and a picture of the missions in San Antonio, TX (right), including the Alamo.

Here's an exhibition of the Civil War era. The two framed prints are Currier & Ives. The other drawings were taken from a book his mother found. On the far wall hangs 'Old Glory' painted by Fred Tripp, an artist in Kansas City, MO. Hubby also subscribes to Military History Quarterly, which is actually quite interesting, and collects Janes books.

Then we're onto WWI with the planes hanging in the corner. The poster is from the Jewish Welfare Board asking Jews to enlist in the military. It was produced for the United War Work Campaign, week of November 11, 1918. You'll be able to get a better look in the next picture.

This wall takes us into the future. From the WWI poster to a futuristic picture of space warfare (blue print directly above filing cabinet). In between, he has more planes, every type of rocket produced, and the Navy flag interpretations. Hubby's done an excellent job displaying his collection and it's quite a site to see.