My House!

Some people take great pride in their homes. The neatness, the style, the decor, etc. Believe it or not (the "not" is for those of you who have seen my home)... I do too! Of course, when you start in a hole it takes a lot more digging, breaking, fixing, designing, out-of-the-box thinking and money to get to the "showcase" home some folks are after. I, however, am not after the showcase home. And, though I'm occasionally embarrassed by the work-in-progress condition of my home, I'm after the warm and welcoming, lived-in home. Grandma Cookie calls my home's style "shabby chic". I understand the shabby part but... chic? Let's just say that's a nice way to say it's lived in and comfortable. Come in, sit down and relax! That is my style and ultimately, I hope, will be my home's style too.


This is the house-warming card we got from my family on the purchase of our "new" home (LOL). I keep it to remind me how far we've come. I know our half-finished, dilapidated-in-places, nearly 200-year-old Bayman's Cottage lacks pristine neatness (I fear it always will given it's age). This drives some folks nuts. I think it made my MIL a tad uncomfortable. To her, and all those folks who find themselves "doing time" in this prison, I apologize. Bear in mind, in the midst of raising our very special kids, we're not nearly done -- if there's any such thing -- fixing up "this old house". While a couple of closets would go a long way in getting closer to neat and clean, sometimes we make only baby steps in progress on the house but leaps and bounds of progress with our kids' development. Remember, our goal for our kids and our house is not to be just "for show".

Our family EI Social Worker once said, "Your home feels so warm and cozy!" That made my day! And I was doubly thrilled when a very formal, neatnik friend (the kind with cream-colored couches and matching carpeting in her own home) walked into my home with her young toddler, put him on the floor, kicked her shoes into the corner and sat cross-legged on my couch!

Ah... Now that's success!