Thursday, July 11, 2013

Theme Thursday: Rooms

After being a bit of a blogging slacker, I'm trying to get back in the game this week.  And what better catalyst to get my tush off the bench is there than a fun link-up?  So today I'm joining Cari and her photography-loving friends for another round of Theme Thursday.
Today's topic: ROOMS.

Great topic!  There are plenty of rooms in our house that I love to spend time in and would be proud to show you, in all their homey/comfy/put-your-feet-up-on-the-coffee-table/not-quite-Pinterest-material splendor; but when I hear the word "rooms," the one that springs to mind is our man cave/sports room, a two-car garage that we converted into living space over a decade ago (but still tend to refer to as the "new room").

This room is a paean to the men in my family and their love of sports.  They love it.  Their friends love it.  Every pizza delivery boy who's ever seen it says, "Wow.  I want a room like this."

So here we go: the new room, in pictures.
Note my husband's Notre Dame rugby jacket hanging up above the door.  
(He wore that thing for about 20 years, until it got threadbare and  I made him retire it.)
There's also a football signed by Joe Namath in this shot, on top of the fridge.
This area is filled with Red Sox homages.  (And the little red skis there on the wall are the ones my youngest son learned on, and in a Pinterest-worthy move, I re-purposed them as hooks for hanging coats, hats, and bags.)
Of course, our man cave has the requisite 70" flat screen smart TV, with HD, 3-D, surround sound--
and you name a bell or a whistle, it has it.
My only complaint about this room is that I've run out of wall space completely.
(If we ever have to move, when we take all the pictures down the walls will resemble Swiss cheese.)
Our boys' high school football jerseys are among my favorite decorations in this room.The blanket on my husband's leather recliner, with a photo of  him and our twin granddaughters on it, is another favorite.  (And what room would be complete without a Gold's Gym power tower in it?  You just never know when you're going to have to knock out a few dips or pull-ups, right?  Or is that just my family?)
Our boys' high school varsity letters; my husband's cowboy hat collection.
Note the two photos in the middle row, on the left.  The black and white one is my husband during his high school glory days; the color one next to it is our oldest son, who looks like a mirror image of his dad here.
Here's a treasured photo that has pride of place in the room: at our #4 son's Junior Parents Weekend at Notre Dame, we got our picture taken with legendary ND football coach Lou Holtz, who was a speaker at one of the events.
Our oldest son and a buddy once ran into ESPN personality Scott Van Pelt at a bar, and of course
the photographic proof of that brush with fame earned a spot on the wall.
And finally, what man cave would be complete without a bar?
Okay, that's ten pictures.  So...have you seen enough of this epic room yet?  ("Yes, Laura," I can hear you saying.  "We're mature blog-reading women, not teenaged Domino's delivery boys!")

Sometimes I just like to show it off, that's all.  For better or worse, the "new room" is my greatest home decorating triumph.

Go Saints!  (That's my sons' high school team name, FYI)
Go Irish! 
Go Patriots!
Go Red Sox!
Go Bruins!

And go on over to Cari's for more rooms!

19 comments:

  1. Whoa -- the skis-turned coat rack thing is actually one of my Pinterest pins -- no joke!! Didn't even realize you had done the same. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for skis at garage sales. :-)

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    1. And yes, I posted this comment while you are at my house.

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    2. Ha ha! Now I'm replying to your comment from diwm in your basement! :)

      I'm proud of myself for that one. Pinterest didn't even exist when I did that. But I have to come clean: I copied the idea from the ski lodge at Whiteface.

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    3. Make that DOWN in your basement! I can't type on my iPhone!!

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  2. Wow that's cool. We aren't big sports people but I know where to go for inspiration if I ever decide to do a sports room. I love you have all your boys varsity letters. It's such a good themey room but still with a great sentimental quality. Well done!

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    1. Thanks! There is so much sentimentality in this room, which is why I love it. I have pictures of my dad playing battalion football at the Naval Academy and my husband (my high school boyfriend) playing high school football--and then of course all the memorabilia from my boys sports days (from T-ball and Pee Wee Football through high school). My husband and I practically live in this room these days.

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  3. I love that room!! I'd pick different teams, of course *wink*, and my girls aren't old enough to be in school yet (let alone lettering). But I would love a man/sports cave, to display my own accomplishments, and to cheer on my teams. Thank you for sharing!

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    1. Sorry, but we root for all the best teams. ;) (You can probably guess where we live!) I have only a few athletic accomplishments (high school and college track), and those are represented. But the room is mostly dedicated to my guys!

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  4. Wow, I can see why ever delivery guy falls in love with the room!
    Well done!

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    1. It's so funny. If it's cold out we invite them inside to wait while we're getting the payment squared away, and they always look around in awe.

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  5. I absolutely love it! You are just so amazing and the more I see of your life with your boys the more I think they must have been the luckiest boys growing up. I met Lou Holz several times growing up in South Bend, and I was a waitress in high school at Corby Hall, which is the proests' dining room. Once he came to eat there with Father Hesburg and gave all the waitresses autographed photos. He is not only a great coach, but always and hble gentleman in the old fashioned sense of the word. Anyway, amazing room, thanks so much for sharing!

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    1. Ok, of course I can't type on my phone either and meant "priests'" and "a humble gentleman."

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    2. Lou is absolutely a class act. That day we quickly lined up for our photo, and my husband was on the end near our son. Lou told my husband to come over and stand by me so the composition would be better and we'd end up with a nicer photo. He was so gracious and thoughtful--and what an amazing speaker he is!

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  6. Wow...so cool. I bet this took a lot of time! :)

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    1. Yes and no. During the time my husband and boys were doing the construction to turn the garage into a room (which they worked on in stages as time allowed), I was printing out pictures and framing them, collecting team pennants, making curtains, etc. (I stored all these goodies in the attic), and planning the whole thing out in my mind's eye. As soon as the room was ready to use, I immediately hung everything up. Since then, the decor has evolved as our kids have given us new items. They give my husband "Man Cave"-type signs for gifts--and I must be the only mom who gets framed pictures of Red Sox players and Notre Dame signs for birthday and Mother's Day gifts! But they all know that anything that can be hung up in the "new room" will be a hit with their dad and me. We're always adding something!

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  7. Replies
    1. Thanks, Natalie. It really is a cozy and fun place to hang out. :)

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