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Thursday, April 29, 2010

A Very Long Glimpse of My Dining Room...



I've been calling this house my home for the last eighteen years...that's a long time for me!...







I love this house. 
I know where everything is. 
I know it's creaks and thumps. 
I know what to expect when the electric bill arrives {usually}.
And most importantly, my kiddos grew up here...I still hear the echoes...{and I'm still tripping over the stuff they didn't take with them!}


I thought I'd give you a little tour...today we'll start in the DINING  ROOM...But there's a story first...


This room was built to be the living room. I always wondered how many people actually did any of their living in the living room?!...not I.
I grew up with an Italian mother, so the living room was a shrine...plastic covers on the sofa, St. Jude making friends with St. Anthony in the curio cabinet, and watercolor landscapes of Venice {with palm fronds tucked behind them from Palm Sunday mass}. There wasn't much living going on there... just a lot of preserving.


A few years ago I decided my living room would become my dining room. The dining room I had was too small for everyone and the living room was much bigger...an easy switch I thought.


Big Daddy {who was raised more Irish than Italian} didn't feel it was right.
I wasn't really asking his permission, and I know it bothered him. As the renovation started I caught him averting his eyes while passing these rooms. The man could look at road kill longer than he would look at the dining table sitting in the NEW DINING ROOM...it just wasn't right.


So here's my new room...it's been filled with lots of happy people over the last few years, and even though someone still thinks it just isn't right...it's staying as is.


Come on in...





I'm still trying to decide on a light fixture, the sconces have given us adequate light so far...and my meals look even better in muted lighting...but I'd still like a chandelier... 




I'm a big fan of twigs...I liked them before they were used as decoration...I've spray painted them, tied them in bunches, and hung ornaments on them...I don't even have to cut them down, they just show up on the lawn!












It's cozy having a fireplace in the dining room...not in July, but we don't have  many indoor celebrations in the summer months.






This is my very favorite piece of furniture {also my largest piece of furniture}. It will never be moved again. It took the movers two hours to put this together  ...it took me twelve hours to fill it...and I won't mention the dust.






I love toile...I can't pronounce it though. Did you ever look closely at some toile fabric? The "toile people" are not that attractive.
I love my drapes...excuse me, I mean window treatments...they're by Thibaut 







Last year I reupholstered my chairs... It took more time than I planned, but I was rather proud when I finished...the staple gun is a dangerous yet magical tool. 





When I was getting married my mother insisted that I register for china. I was 21 years old and thought I'd never, ever use china...I was wrong. This is my pattern and I still love it...and I do use it.






     Mom's wedding portrait hangs in my dining room. She was married in August of 1942. Three days after the ceremony my father, an Army lieutenant, was sent to Italy. My mother passed the time working on an assembly line, making gas masks. Immediately after the wedding, her dress was shipped to relatives in Italy...my mother did not like the idea of someone else wearing her dress! {She's 87 and has not forgotten.}







I'm trying to decide on a Spring/Summer centerpiece for the table...so far the bird theme keeps coming up...I'm not positive yet. 








I love the Sid Dickens plaques. 
Somewhat pricey, but beautiful...






Are you still with me?...
The angel is from Home Goods, and that's a pic of my parents on their 50th wedding anniversary...that was the first party I had in this house...



Here's another Home Goods find...





Well, that's it!


I'm not very good at condensing, and "short but sweet" isn't a phrase I live by. Hopefully you enjoyed my tour...maybe next week we'll visit the porch?


Have a beautiful Thursday.


Mary Elizabeth

4 comments:

  1. beautiful, beautiful room! Its my taste! I love everything!!!

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  2. Wow. Never thought my home was this pretty! Can't wait to be back here in less than a week and make it dirty and look more lived in!!

    -M

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  3. Thanks MollDoll...when does summer session start??

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  4. Lavish!!!! I love your mom's wedding portrait!

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