Come on into my Indiana home!
(walking in from the front door...never mind the empty hobby lobby frame!!)
Welcome!
I am linking up this week with
Kelly's Korner@
along with MANY others, for show us your life (SUYL):
Christmas decorations week.
I thought that I would incorporate a few before and after pictures too,
since I really hadn't done that since our remodel over a year ago!
This was our dining room six years ago at Christmastime...
...and this is our dining room now.
Same furniture but no wallpaper, rug (mainly because of our two little doggies)
or heavy window treatments...
an overall lighter feel.
The only thing that I bought for this room was paint and some accessories
(Big Lots, Homegoods, Hobby Lobby, and Pottery Barn)
The window treatments in here now came from the family room.
before...
...after!
One thing that hasn't changed...
(which is ironic isn't it...He never changes!!)
...the nativity scene!
In the old dining room...
...and still in the same place in the remodeled room.
This was my grandmother's, whom I was named after, and who is no longer with us.
I am not sure how old it is...I am guessing almost 50 years!
It is the only one that I remember her having.
She used to put it high on the mantle above the fireplace with colored lights.
My mom never used
colored lights so that is what I loved about it at first,
but then when I got older
my grandma let me wind up the music box on the side on the manger that plays Silent Night.
Every year I play it and think of her and how much she enjoyed it
too.
It was the only Christmas decoration she requested we put out, on the
small ledge in her nursing home room, for her last Christmas in 2004...and we
used colored lights!
I. Will. Never. Part. With. It!
Continuing on around back to the entryway.
I think that I like garland much better than trees.
My boys do too.
They always say that it doesn't feel like Christmas until the garland is hung!
I like to use ornaments instead of bows around the posts.
Now, heading into the family room and kitchen.
family room before...
and after!
Again, just a more simple feeling.
I did get a new sofa sectional in this room and recovered the chair and ottoman.
I also repainted the room(s), got a new rug, window treatments (panels only)
and picture frames that have the three letters J O Y in them right now.
These two seem to like it!
And they really like the train under the tree.
Todd's parents got this train about 17 years ago when Evan was two.
Both of the boys loved the train when they were little.
I purchased the tree 7 years ago at Lowes.
The popcorn garland came from Strock Bros. Hardware Store 25 years ago!
This is my neighbor's little grandson, Nate, and he really liked it too!
(all Vladimir wants is for him to throw his chew toy!)
The view from the family room into the kitchen.
I wish that I could find my before pictures of the kitchen.
I used to have a cherry stain on the cabinets and the island bar was higher
than the stove top workspace.
I also had a farmhouse style table but am really enjoying the
counter height square table from Paula Deen.
I love this china hutch.
Todd got it for me for my 29th birthday
eighteen years ago!
I didn't have a wreath to put up there,
so I made one out of the garland.
It is "draped" over an old window that used to be in a very old barn
at my friend Kim's mother and father's home.
It holds a lot of my favorite things such as...
my willow tree angel collection~which btw, is the only thing that I "collect"~
my grandmother's Haviland china platters and a piece of
pottery that Graham made for me when he was in grade school.
And finally, our lot number (33), the number of the lot on which we built our home.
Now, heading around the rest of the kitchen.
Looking into the family room from the kitchen.
Some of my favorite things in my kitchen are:
The containers that hold nuts and cereal right now, but have been known to hold candy too :)
The Cutco knives that my grandmother bought me.
The pretty containers that hold doggie treats.
The canisters that are 25 years old and the marble that they sit on.
The sink faucet with a pull down sprayer, and
the bar that is now flush with the stove top surface.
My husband and Tom totally remade the island and I love it!
Thanks for stopping by IN for a Christmas home tour!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
