Monday, April 26, 2010

One Room at a Time

After 14 years of not moving, I'd forgotten how discombobulated everything is for awhile. We've still got a pile in the garage, the 'let's just not look at or talk about that stuff' pile. Since the first rule of organizing any room is to get out anything that doesn't go there, I'm okay with that. We're ending up with stray lamps, pillows, decor, books, etc. that just don't have a home in this house but as soon as I toss them out we'll need them. So the pile remains.

We do, however, have one room pretty well set.

Every past move, Don has helped us get into the house, then gone off to work, busy with whatever new job he had. This one - it's just the two of us, so we're doing it differently.

I let him choose the decor for this room, and am surprised how much I love it!

Every man needs a set of longhorns, don'tcha think? They're surprisingly easy to find here in East Texas. Bought at a little place called Harvey's in downtown Corsicana. That room above is our den, and hopefully a year from now there will be a half wall where the rails are, so little kids don't fall through and the back of all the furniture doesn't show. For now we'll just squint when we look up.

Have to have some Texas decor. Absolutely have to. The clock is his retirement gift from his company. Makes a lovely chime that would wake the dead.

Cowhide. This wall used to have a honkin' big straw wreath with pale blue and peach flowers. We like this much better. Took almost two hours and a thousand staples to hang. Twenty two feet up in the air, so I held the ladder while Don climbed up. They really use the entire cow down here in Texas, apparently.

But we like it. I'm on the lookout for an old branding iron and a bit of fencepost with barbed wire. Really. If I could find a board that said 'Longbranch Saloon' I'd be over the top happy.

Using the furniture from our very formal living room in PA. Same but different.
Those double doors off to the side go into my craft room that looks like a bomb went off. So we'll just keep them shut til further notice. Much further.

Plans next year are for carpet and dark tile but for now this works very well. And you can't beat the view. Nothing but green grass and lake.

When I feel the 'I'm going crazing from moving' syndrome welling up inside me, I just go sit here for a little while, look out the window and take deep breaths.

12 comments:

Kelli said...

God was certainly good to you in this move. It is beautiful.

I will hold back on all my moving horror stories (like being 7 months preggers with an 11 month trying to move out of the house as the "Blizzard of the Century" decided to hit 1/2 day early. And then following the moving van, being driven by the hubs, up through a barely 2 lane canyon road where the one side was sheer mountain walls and the other was sheer death dropoff of over 100 feet).and just say, "Have the time of your life. You are retired. You have for-ev-er to get it done."

My advice is setup the patio furniture and give yourself no less than 40 hours a week with that and a good book, or knitting needles. No unpacking or working inside.

MotherT said...

We have boxes in our basement that have still not been unpacked and we have been in our house for nearly 9 years. My gut instinct is that we don't need anything in them, the Hubs says that we can't get rid of the boxes until we look through them.

Enjoy the view and don't stress the unpacking.

Unknown said...

I never tire of a green view. Never. I am so very nature oriented. It relaxes me too.

And you know, you should find an old board and make your own saloon sign. It would be the perfect addition to this room, which screams "I'm so happy to be in Texas y'all!"

Glenda said...

Your new home is beautiful, and the two of you have done a great job of decorating. I love, love the windows and the light, airy room. Sounds like the feathering of your nest is going well now.

My Purpose: said...

Looks great, Mama! :)

My Purpose: said...

Looks great, Mama! :)

Kelly said...

Beautiful! What a wonderful new home, and how fun to be setting things up together:-) Can't wait to see even more ... maybe you will inspire me to empty those last few boxes lingering in the storage room from our move a year ago!!

Susanne said...

Bev, what a beautiful new home. Those windows in the living room overlooking the lake are to die for!

Karen said...

Oh, it's beautiful! I love it!! I know you are enjoying getting to do this together! Good luck on the rest of it! Love and blessings, Karen

Bev said...

Becky, that is downright brilliant. Surely I can find some boards, black paint, and then maybe a ball of rusty barbed wire? Thanks for the tip - my brain is way too tired to come up with that!

Val said...

I visited Texas for the first time a couple of years ago, and was terribly amused by the rather appalled look on my co-worker's face when she realized that the sofa she was sitting on was covered in real cowhide.

Have fun in the craft room...mine always looks like a disaster, and I've lived here for 5 years!

Barb said...

I love the decor Don chose. Perfect! And I completely love all your windows. What a beautiful new home...and I agree with Kelli...you're retired. No rush. I'd spend a LOT of time sitting there, staring out at that wonderful view.