When you walk through our front door, you’re kind of hit with the whole house at once. The stairs are directly in front of you, to your right is the living room, and to your left is the dining room
And after you close the front door, you’re surprised with this little bench tucked away into our little entry “nook”. 
This is our entry foyer. As you can see there are still remnants from Easter remaining. Our foyer opens up to the dining room on the right and the living room on the left. Straight ahead is the family room and the eat-in kitchen to the right.
The first two rooms get passed over a lot. When we have a group of people over though, it seems a few of the women will always migrate to the living room. It is much cozier and more conducive to conversation, and I suppose it is much more feminine than the other rooms. The guys never end up there, but we do have a game room in the basement, where you will surely find them!
As you can see, the main floor has a very open floor plan. Confidentially, I am a bit claustrophobic and love the openness. I suppose it can be a curse and a blessing since if there is a mess it is there for all to see. The blessing outweighs the curse.
There are always things we have to do to fix or work on the house, but I love my home. #first impressions.
This is Maggie…She does NOT like to have her picture taken. She is sitting in front of one of #myfavoritecorner in the house. This is where I sit after walking in the door from work. The dogs say hello and I catch up with my daughter to hear about her day.
Miss Maggie here is now an old lady of 13 years. She came to us when she was only 3 and had already led a sad life. We rescued her and she has been a great gift to our family. Lucky I was able to snap a picture before she new what I was up to!
This is my #favoritecorner. It’s everything I need….a comfy chair, a cozy blanket, footstool for my little dog Oscar, a lovely scrubbed top table to hold a cup of coffee and favorite book. Sunshine streams through my windows and all is well with the world.
In my kitchen, there is a little corner where this sideboard sits. It is my #favorite corner. Inside are a multitude of tablecloths, napkins, miniature spoons and napkin rings. Above the sideboard is one of my favorite oil paintings, which I painted several years ago.
I love flowers! The daffodils are fresh from my garden. One of my passions is photographing the flowers in my garden. Spring is here and my flowers are beginning a beautiful profusion of blooms. For the next several months, each morning will be another exercise in trying to capture the beauty of these flowers.
The table runner is an example of candlewicking, which is a type of whitework embroidery, traditionally sewn with unbleached thread on unbleached muslin. I made this myself in the 1980’s. It is still one of my favorite runners.
Because I am in the kitchen so much, I try to have something pretty displayed on the sideboard. Even in the dead of winter, I have those beautiful tulips to remind me of spring.
When I first moved into my new home my plan was to turn this little corner into a reading nook. But once I settled in I realized it‘s not a big enough window seat to curl up on comfortably. I soon discovered though that it‘s the perfect place to sit and play my guitar. I have plans to make a cushion for the seat, and have already purchased the foam. Just need to decide on the fabric now. I‘ll probably stick with a neutral solid color instead of a pattern, since I like to switch out the pillows with the changing seasons. Eventually I‘d love to replace the vertical blinds that are on each and every window, but unfortunately that‘s down near the bottom of my home improvement wishlist.
After an especially challenging couple of weeks, including two accident on slippery roads, we needed a breath of fresh air for spring. I opted for lighter colors and fresh flowers on the table. I added a few birds nests to remind us of new life.
You may look at this image and wonder how it is connected to our block party theme of Around The Table. In this cottage this is our dining area. A French marble café table surrounded with a settee and 2 chairs is where I would offer up a wedge of pungent cheese and slice of baguette. Wine anyone?
With coffee in hand this would be my view while watching passers-by out the window ~
It would not be unheard of to dine in our living room on trays all around our coffee table. We’re none too fancy here ~
Truth be told we’re mostly found around the table while in our garden. The table(s) we have there hold party fare, morning breakfast & sunset appetizers. Many a celebration ’round these patios! Much living is done in the California outdoors ~ a good reality, indeed, since our cottage is so small.
It never rains in California – so the song says, but just in case I’ve made a hide-away in a garden shed. A great spot to gather around the table.
Happy to join in this first block party – thanks Melissa.
I found this granite dining table at a consignment store outside of Philadelphia. We’d just moved into a townhome that only had one designated eating space. Consequently, with two young kids at home, I knew that whatever table I bought would have to be able to take a beating. Not only would it be where we ate most of our family meals, but it would also be used for holiday dinners, homework, arts and crafts, board games, mail sorting, birthday parties, and wine nights. It had never occurred to me to look for a granite table, but as soon as I saw it, I knew it would be perfect. It was pretty enough for entertaining, yet durable enough to withstand scissor scratches and glitter glue.
Our current house does have an eat-in kitchen, so now this is back to being a regular old “dining table.” I kind of miss eating all of our meals here. Dining rooms so seldom get used, but they usually are such beautiful, serene spaces. #aroundthetable
