Next Stop - the Kids' Rooms

If you ask the kids, the best rooms in the house (besides the playroom in the attic) are their bedrooms.  Thane's is located at the top of the stairs.  We decorated his room in a vintage cowboy theme which features stars to match the adorable quilt on the bed that Jordan's Mom made for him.

Jordan also created a built-in wall unit with a desk and shelves for Thane.

Annabel's room is a big old purple delight.  There are green accents, but otherwise you feel like you're standing in a bowl of black raspberry ice cream when you walk in this room.  I've ordered a Shabby Chic comforter set in white with a lilac design for Annabel, which should lighten things up a bit.

We were given  a couple of small items with a rabbit motif on them when Annabel was born.  Since then, we've added bunny accents here and there until it seems that they have multiplied like, well, rabbits!

The Tour - Part 3

The last room on the first floor of our home is the living room.  Originally meant to be the dining room, we converted this space to a living/tv/play room for the kids until we finished the library. 

This is what you see when you walk into the living room from the hallway:

Behind the couch in the photo above, Jordan built a faux fireplace and a wall of closets.  These closets are plumb full, and I can't imagine that I'll ever find another home with this much storage space.

Of course, this room wouldn't be in our home if it didn't contain books.  Here are a few of our literary treasures featured in bookcases Jordan made for our first home in Baltimore.  (Our other books are packed away in 58 boxes - and we still have another 4-5 boxes worth of reading material scattered throughout the house!).  

I also like the picture above because it highlights the lime-washed ceiling.  I think that the wash just ages the beams perfectly.

Rodeo!

Perhaps the old country song has it right:  "Momma's, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys."  A fine sentiment, I'm sure, but it sure is hard to take the cowboy out of those babies.  Thane, especially, has been enamored with horses, chaps, boots and bandanas since he was barely walking.  Thus, he was DELIGHTED to learn that we would be attending the local rodeo this year.

The bareback bronco riding event was scheduled first, and I think that he liked the thrill of this sport a little too much for my liking.

Later, Thane was excited to watch the calf roping, although he wanted to know why "the mans are roping those cow's butts?"

This being one of the major social events on the Colville summer calendar, Jordan's folks (and numerous other friends, neighbors and co-workers) attended as well.  Thane, of course, couldn't waste the opportunity to don his Pappa's cowboy hat.

Happy Trails!

Birthday Bliss

I figured that you might want a break from all of the house photos, so I thought that I would showcase some REAL works of art.  As I posted awhile back, I recently had my 40th birthday.  I don't feel 40, and I certainly don't look 40 (nod your head "YES" in agreement - thank you very much!)  But I AM 40, and I got some very special gifts for reaching this age with my sanity more or less intact.  (Again, nod "YES").

First, I got to go on a trip to California with some high school friends who also celebrated turning four decades old.  Next, Jordan's parents gave me some money to spend at Farm Chicks, the highlight of my shopping year!  Then, my parents gave me the following:

If you read my last post, you can probably guess what this is.  Yes, my Mom made me another wonderful needlepoint picture, this time of Thane.  I truly cherish this and the other embroideries I've been gifted over the years.  There is so much hard work and love involved in making them!

One of my co-workers at the gift shop in town is an artist, and she made me a set of notecards that she sketched, knowing my love of all things Scottish.  I wish I had a fraction of her talent:

Then my friend Jenny (who lives up the road) made me a place to put my jewelry.  I especially love the wine cork knobs for hanging necklaces and bracelets - a much neater solution than the intertwined ball of jewelry stuffed into my old box!  I'm supposed to put earrings in the burlap piece in the middle, but I haven't gotten quite that far yet...

The last picture below highlights something that wasn't given to me.  Rather, it shows an incredibly gracious gift to the kids.  Jordan's folks' neighbors (Jack and Dara) have always taken a shine to Annabel and Thane.  The feeling has become mutual.  A few months ago, Jack invited us up to his place.  Once there, he gave the kids a mandolin that he had spent over two years meticulously crafting in the tight little trailer he calls home.  The detailing is just gorgeous, and the kids enjoy making "music" when we allow them to play it.  We're hoping that we'll be able to find someone to teach the kids how to really enjoy this special instrument in our new home.

The Tour - Part 2

To get from the kitchen to the rest of the house, you have to enter the main hallway.  Yes, I am aware that large center hallways are very passe and a big old waste of space, but I just love this spot!  I grew up in New England, which is just brimming with beautiful colonial homes - many with center hallways.  In the following picture, you can see the back door (which faces west) beyond the stairs.  We also have a matching front door, and we love how the sun plays on the floor and walls in the morning and evening light.

The next shot highlights the green toile wallpaper that my Mom hung for us a few years ago.  It's hard to see, but the trumeau has sheep painted at the top - perfect for our farm.

We also have our piano in the hallway, as it won't quite fit anywhere else.  (Well, it does fit in our living room, but it would have to replace the wall of bookshelves, and that just wasn't going to happen!)  The painting here is a canvas reproduction of my favorite painting, "La Vachere", by  Theodore Robinson.  The original hangs in the Baltimore Museum of Art, where I admired it for years.  Jordan found this copy for my first birthday as a married girl.  He searched through 22 Google search pages before he found a gallery in New Zealand that made copies.  Love that man!

Around the corner from the piano is our half bathroom.  As many of you know, my bestie from college, Probhita, is from India.  I've visited her there a few times, and she has gifted me with many exquisite things from her home country.  So, where does a Francophile with a french country house put all of these Indian finds?  Well, no offense, but they have ended up in the half bath.  While this may seem a travesty, I think it's completely unique, and I am also assured that almost every guest in our home has at least a few minutes of uninterrupted time to admire these treasures!

Lastly, there's the office.  I spend a lot of time in this room, and it's decorated with Maine and oceanic objects.   You can't really see it well in the photo below, but I have an incredible view of Mt. Dominion from my desk.  Believe me, it sure is hard to stop looking out the window long enough to get work done sometimes.

 Here's another view:

Not to brag, but that needlepoint in the middle of the wall was done by my Mom.  It was the very first time she had done needle work, and it's amazing!