Comfy Spot

If I had to pick my comfy spot, this is the corner of the house that I would go to. This is a little space that we gained by ripping out the ceiling and extended it to the roofline. It is tucked up on top of the stairs overlooking the living room, with my husbands office the only real room up here. 

This is where I like to read my Bible in the mornings, and get refreshed for the day. I try to keep this spot “special” for that, but oftentimes about 15 stuffed animals and two kids are crammed in my lap and on the adjacent chair, and I like it that way! 😉 

This pillow cam from my sister in law from her mission time in India, and the tea set was carved in the Dominican Republic and reminds me of the three summers I spent there with SCORE International. I always rest my coffee cup on that corner, and like to look at the family wedding pictures, as we all live far apart now. 

This is the #comfyspot, and that box tucked on the window is ant killer to try and rescue us from the ant infestation the upstairs has been experiencing! Apparently it is their comfy spot too! hahaha 😉 

The Porch…Finally!

When the weather warms up, it’s time to get outside and our back porch becomes our #comfyspot. We enjoy coffee in the morning and dinner at night. We do have a TV out there to enjoy hanging out on summer evenings or fall football games! I found the cabinet that holds the TV at a thrift store, painted and frosted the glass.

Zoey thinks it’s comfy too! I hope you all are enjoying the start of summer!

Sunroom: Our Comfy Spot

Greetings from Minnesota!

My husband and I start each day in our sunroom, It’s our favorite room in our home because of the natural lighting that seems cheerful even on a gray day.

This is our #comfyspot with our favorite wingback chairs, that we purchased for our former home fifteen years ago. 

My grandpa built the rustic green potting bench many years ago. This shelf contains memories of our grandparents: framed photos and kitchen paraphernalia. 

The top shelf displays a few of my favorite children’s books about flowers,, a few plants, and souvenir sea shells from past vacations. These remind me that winter won’t last forever!

Finally, I keep a Burlington picnic basket stocked with dishes and a blanket, hoping that I can convince my husband to take a break from work and relax. The small basket holds our bird identification book and a pair of binoculars. Do you watch birds? We started marking the pages so we remember which birds we’ve seen before and which ones are new to us. The glass jar hold more cookie cutters – mine and my husband’s grandmothers. I love cookies, especially Molasses Crinkles from Betty Crocker. My grandparents used to dunk them in coffee and even had extra cookies to dunk and feed to their dog!

Happy Sunday!

Sunday is the only breakfast in our house that is not rushed, I work full time as a teaching assistant and my hubby works full time as a machine setter and my children are in full time school so weekend breakfast in our house is so important to our family. We try to eat together at all meals if possible to regroup and communicate and enjoy each other’s company. Have a great Sunday everyone! 

Amanda xoxo

Gallery Wall

Hello all! This is my first post here on HomeLoveStories, and I’m super excited to be here! 

So I’ve been in the process of adding items to this gallery wall for almost a year now. Everything (minus the plate which was purchased and added to the wall today) is a DIY project. I feel like I’m moving at a snail’s pace with this wall, and I probably am. Obviously with the blank spaces it’s not done yet. However, every time I see this wall now that it’s coming together it makes me smile, and proud to have created this spot in my home.  #makeitpretty

“Make It Pretty” and Functional:  The Modest Sunroom

Finally my small sunroom is beautifized and functionalized. It is in use so I do not over-decorate.

*pillows: thrift store; the tag says Bombay Company

*painting; the original tag still says 1990 JC Penney $190 but thrif-store price was $15 and further reduced to $3; the frame was oak wood and I painted white with some wall paint on hand

*on the left of the photo you can see my freezer

*plate on the wall shelf: Goodwill store $1.99

#makeitpretty

What’s For Breakfast

A few days ago I shared my favorite breakfast treat. Although I love my weekly visit to a local bakery, a healthy breakfast at home is lovely too.  This bowl of oatmeal with blackberries and a sprinkle of granola was my breakfast this morning.

I’m not a big coffee drinker, although seeing some of the stories about coffee stations have made me wondering what I’ve been missing.  My ritual is tea.
Last week I found this teapot in an antique shop.  I fell in love with it and brought it home.  It’s a porcelain pot with a silver plated sleeve and hinged top. It was so unusual that I knew it had to have a story, so I did some research when I got home.  It is German from the 1930s-40s.  I love everyday items that have history so now when I use it each morning, I imagine that an American soldier must have brought it home from WWII.  A little dreaming at breakfast isn’t a bad way to start the day!


First Impressions: Before & After, The Kitchen Becomes the Entry!

This is what my current entry way used to look like – because we never had an entry, you used to walk straight into my dining room/kitchen.

 I know it’s a mess! I’’m being brave and showing it to you anyway. Maddie started pulling cabinets out while I was still trying to box things up! Storm damage construction isn‘t like planned construction, with storm damage everything has to happen at once.

 BTW see the lower left hand corner, where the floor is missing? That‘s because there used to be a stairway there, then after we moved the steps it was a temporary pantry. The whole wall around on the kitchen side was a chalkboard wall. Can’t you totally imagine it through the mess.

Can’t you??

   Maddie is practicing for her dream job, for realz, she wants to be a general contractor. She‘s planning on attending UNI and taking their Construction Management program. She says she loves the work but doesn’t want to take guff from the guys, so she’ll be their boss. :)   She‘s only 16 and a sophomore for now, so there is still time to change her mind.

     This is what it looks like now… it’s a work in progress. We still need trim, but that will have to wait until taxes get back because I am out of money. :)  Redoing a home is so expensive! So I‘m trying to decorate with what I have.

Here‘s a couple of things I had on hand. Keep scrolling down, it’s there I promise!

That collage is on a white background and squared up for instagram – but on a website it looks like I hit the enter button a few to many times. Any who, this is my grandmothers old sewing cabinet, and a door my mother found for me, and this is what it looks like now.

 I have yet to find the perfect mirror, but this one was free so it will do for now. :)

 I have already redecorated the top of the piano, again. :) 

I like the way the piano looks open, but little visitors keep having to pound the keys and I’m getting to old for that kind of noise, so I may have to close it. The photo above the piano is one I took when my youngest was 4 and the dog was 3, they are 13 and 12 now. I’m not sure if the photo is as good as I think it is or if I just love it so much because of what happened right after I snapped the shot. My daughter broke down and crying because she had “dog germs“ and I started laughing hysterically, because I’m evil like that.  

My youngest is also the piano player in the family so technically the piano is hers.  We are currently in a disagreement about it being painted, and beings I didn’t buy it I can’t even use the old parent fall back of “I paid for it. ” A close family friend, had friends that had a piano at a job site, and they were told to throw it away. He found out about it, drove two hours to pick it up and two hours home again and surprised us with it, so it has some sentimental value to her – I just wish it didn’t extend to what it looked like.

 So that’s what I have so far, I’ll update as things progress.

 #firstimpressions

What’s For Breakfast

Hello! I’m here for the block party! Woo! But first can I just say, I am loving Home Love Stories. It has been so fun to see you all posting stories and getting to know each other. And getting a glimpse into each of your homes is so cool 🙂 I think my favorite part so far has been the ‘Help a Sister Out’ category. Sometimes you just need a second opinion! And I think this is the sweetest little community to ask.

Anyway 🙂 This is what was for breakfast yesterday. I made a smoothie bowl with fruit, my sister’s homemade granola, almonds and coconut. I’m thinking I might need to make that my summer go-to breakfast!

    

And there was also coffee of course! This is an older picture of the coffee station in the townhouse I rent from my sister and brother-in-law. We’ve changed up this coffee station a bit since this picture was taken. We have just a few more steps to go and then we’ll be sharing it on The Inspired Room!

    

But let’s be honest, if I could have one thing for breakfast every morning it would actually be this picture above.

    

The Fat Hen is the cutest little restaurant in Seattle, and it happens to have THEE BEST eggs benedict I’ve ever eaten. If you ever get the chance to go here, I beg of you to get the pancetta eggs benedict and add avocado. Truly, I beg.

   

Sadly that’s not what’s for breakfast today. But maybe next weekend 🙂 And in my dreams. Ha.

#whatsforbreakfast

First Impression

This is the #firstimpression you get of my house. What do they say? “You only get one chance to make a first impression.” I have always loved making it look inviting and welcoming. It’s only 22 years old, but it has an old soul. It’s not just a house to me. It’s my friend, of sorts. When I’m feeling blue, it wraps its arms around me and keeps me safe. When I’m happy, it gives me everything I need to share that joy with others. My house, my home, my love story.

First Impressions

My entry is on a level all of it’s own. Once you walk in, you can either go upstairs to the dining room/kitchen/living room and 1/2 bath, or go downstairs to the master bedroom, guestroom, and full-sized bathroom. I love this little black entry table that I found at Marshall’s. I’m not crazy about how the top is decorated at the moment, but I love my green wooden basket filled with seashells that I’ve collected over the years.                           #firstimpressions