Here are the “Befores”…someday we’ll get to the afters. *Someday*. Right now I’m content enough to live within the 1970’s decor; Ms. M moved in in 1976, immediately decorated, and never changed a thing. Pictures from that move-in year are exactly the same as what the house is now; she was *huge* on seasonal decorating; we are even talking St. Patrick’s Day, but other than the trinkets she would set up for the seasons, not a darn thing ever changed. Oh, to be so completely content with your decor, for so long to boot! While I’m not so hip to the 1970’s style, the fact that I am living in a decorated house, instead of a construction zone, makes my heart glad enough to let things be for the time. But boy, do I have plans!
I love this “find”…it was drawn by the daughter of the owners who had the house before Ms. M and her hubby.
Isn’t that a great drawing? It’s framed, so I’ll find a place for it somewhere. The tree is no longer there, and the bushes and shrubbery are also gone. (However, we do have other bushes to whack down before the snow flies.) My “plan” is to eventually have a colorful cottage garden in front of the porch and on the side of the house.
Here is a larger picture of the inside of the porch. I’m envisioning a porch swing, a day bed of some sort, and a table for evening meals. The porch seems a bit “squeezed” in this picture-it’s quite a bit wider than it appears here.
I’m torn about the red curtains. I actually do love them; there is a red door, too…but when you are inside the porch, it’s actually difficult to see outside. And I want to watch the world go by! So I might exchange them for sheers at some point, if the community doesn’t suffer from shock. Red curtains up since ‘76…to take those down might be the talk of the town!
My parents live 2 houses down; our “signal” to each other that we are up and about in the morning is to close our porch curtains at night and open them up in the morning. They have a porch, too…so it works out great! It’s wonderful to be so nearby Papa and Nonnie. One thing I learned quick though…the boys are very brave. A few days back I was gathering their clothes so we could venture over to their house. I came out of their bedroom to discover that they had taken it upon themselves to trot over there on their own. And bear in mind…Jack had no clothes on, and Ry in just a t-shirt and his undies. They were PRACTICALLY NAKED! I was horrified! And Papa and Nonnie were a bit taken a back to have two little naked boys walk into their house with no mom behind them! We could hardly contain our laughter though. The boys were so proud of themselves. But they know not to do it again. 
This is a favorite feature of mine. It’s the door that leads from the porch to the entryway:
Here it is in detail:
Isn’t that letter slot fantastic?
From the entryway to the living room; again, the living room is actually wider than it appears here:
That’s a pretty cluttered picture, taken before we moved in. My dilemma now is trying to figure out a good way to set the living room up. I want the fireplace to be front and center…I’m not quite sure how to do it all. I figure living here for awhile I’ll find out what the right thing will be.
I’m going to redo that lamp. I think it’s great. I also love the pillows! Ms. M’s mom made them; they were big in the 1950’s. The colors make me happy…and the boys get a kick out of tossing them around and rolling them across the floor. They are pretty indestructible for being 60 years old!
I’ll get to some other house pictures in another post; right now I’ll leave you with one of my all-time favorite finds. I adore old fans. ADORE them! When I uncovered this in the basement, I almost fell down in shock. It doesn’t work, which is GOOD, because I could see a child losing a hand in it in no time at all! But it will absolutely become a part of my decor. I think it’s such beautiful art…I love all things retro.
To give you an idea of the size…I asked my sillies to model for you:
If you like fans, too…you’ll have to check out what my friend Laura came across at a yard sale. Be still my heart!
Well, time to get some work done. Mom invited us over this morning for some raspberry pecan muffins…as long as I could bring an egg to round out the ingredients. I tell you what-this is so convenient. But I’m absolutely positive that passers-by must think I’m a looney toon. At other times you’ll have seen me walking down the street with a pizza, fresh from the oven, in the pouring rain; once a package of bacon. Sometimes a bag of laundry (our dryer is busted), once a bottle of ketchup and mustard. LOL. Anyway, after those muffins mom volunteered to watch the boys so I could get a blog in and some housework done. I’m lovin’ it!
They are so sparkly! I think I’ll string them on a garland for our mantle, and maybe use them as ornaments for our tree. With some other ornaments I uncovered this year, I’m definitely feeling a vintage Christmas theme!
