Sunday, January 2, 2011

Fresh Start & Family Chairs

Hello my friends! I'm glad you stopped by today!  Hubby and I put the finishing touches on erasing the holiday decorations from view today - and got the house looking spiffy. The good thing about purging all the red, green and sparkly stuff is that you have a clean slate to try something different.  Seems like the rest of the year you just leave the same old things where they've been.  I got these two galvanized metal lanterns at IKEA for the trailer - but brought them in for using in the house during the winter.  I got the big glass hurricane at Crate & Barrel, it has fern fronds etched around it, I just love it!  I took out the "snow" and red Christmas candle and placed a chunk of coral I had on the mantel inside.  I kind of like how it looks! :-)  
Can you see the snow is still on the hillside behind our farmhouse and some still on the deck?  It's COLD here at 27 degrees F.  But the sun is shining and it's so bright and pleasant in the house.  Our chairs in the family room have a southwest facing bay window behind us and the sun is streaming in and warming us right now.  See the chicken house on the hill on the left side of the middle window?  Hubby brought in a blue-green egg today!!  Our Ameracauna chicken stopped laying this fall when the light began to shorten and now today laid her first one in months, woo hoo for Betsy Ross!
 A closer photo of the coral.. the candles in the lanterns have a heavy vanilla scent, with spicy overtones.. I just love them!
Here is a shot standing back, you can see bits of our small kitchen and our antique pine "canned goods" cabinet.  I have several of my cookbooks up there and a set of nesting antique glass bowls in an amber color, they have ribbed sides and curved rims. 
Here is our collection of "Family Chairs".  On the far left is one we got when our children were tiny, it's a bentwood armed oak with a little red "leather-ette" seat that Dayle put on - when we got the chair the seat was cracked.  Next is my great grandmother's high chair from 1863!!  It has been handed down through the family and I finally received it about 4 years ago - my grandmother had taped my photo underneath so it was deemed I should be the next owner. :-)  It was owned by my GGM and my GM and my aunt and now me.   The one next is a little rocker that Dayle's parents got him NEW when he was little!   On the right is his mother's rocker that she got to rock her youngest baby, his older sister just recently passed it down to Dayle. All are made of oak!


I have planned to crochet a little pillow for each chair.  That will be cute, won't it?


Thanks for coming by to visit, I'm looking forward to sharing with you, my new friends, over the year and making more new friends too!


((hugs)) Teresa

10 comments:

  1. Looks so cozy and warm! It's nice to have a fresh start after christmas, with candles and decor!

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  2. Teresa your house is so beautifuly light and airy! I live in a little flat full (crammed full) or Ikea furniture which I love for now but I would love some proper wooden things, something with character and history! Your lanterns are making me itch to visit the dreaded 'I' very soon....!!

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  3. Yes, the pillows are a really great idea. I have some chairs around here too that are from various family members and I ought to do something similar. Very lovely indeed, Teresa!

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  4. Those chairs are wonderful, Teresa! Some very special pieces of family history. My husband's grandfather made him a chair when he was a child but it's still in England with my sister-in-law, waiting to be shipped over some day.
    Happy New Year to you!
    Christine

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  5. As usual, everything looks lovely! Happy New Year!

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  6. Love the coral and the chairs!!!

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  7. Such a great feeling when the house is back in order and even better to change it up a bit!. You are ahead of me, just can't get myself to change over. It will be soon though. Love the chairs, so cute. See you later in blogland. xo Robin

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  8. I love the tiny rocker. I had one just like it growing up. I loved that thing. I think my Mom still has it actually. I may have to go snag it from her house. :-)

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  9. I love your little antique and memorable chairs! I still have the wood high chair that was my grandmother's, that her two daughters used (my mom and her sister) and then each of us 4 girls used. I'm the only one who wanted to keep it and I'm so glad I did. My son also has a little table and chair set that his grandmother got him (my mom) when he was a tyke... hope he keeps it and hands it down too. Loving all of your blog posts... your "new" friend, Marilyn

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