What's actually going on here is that I was just admiring the view from our front hall this morning and I snapped a picture on my iPhone...and then I thought I'd share it on the old blog.
Don't judge me for saying this, all you hip, young HGTV enthusiasts...but I don't really love the whole open-concept thing. At best, I have a love/hate relationship with it. We did not have it going on at all in our old house in NH, where we lived for 26 years. That house had a traditional Colonial footprint that included lots of walls.
As you will see, there aren't that many of them in our new house. Standing near the front door, at the edge of the dining room, I can see into both the living room and the family room...and I can also see both Christmas trees. We have a 7-foot "Griswold overlit tree" in our living room, with over 3,000 LED lights (thus the atomic blue glow coming from that area), which we got last year for our first Christmas in VA; and now we also have a 7-foot "slim" tree in the corner of our family room, which I bought this fall. When we downsized from the rather epic 9-and-a-1/2-foot tree we had in NH, we had too many ornaments for one average-sized tree, and last year a whole storage bin filled with them never made it out of the basement. The Rx for that situation was having two trees for our second Christmas in the new house.
What about you: do you--like JoJo Gaines--have the desire to knock down most of the walls in your house; or do you prefer having separate rooms? Do you have only one Christmas tree, or do you have two (or more)? Do you decorate mini trees for your kids' bedrooms (like I did for my boys, once upon a time)?
That's a lot of questions, I know! But if the spirit moves you, leave me a message--I'd love to hear from you. :)
One more thing: don't forget that the giveaway contest ends at midnight tonight. You could win a copy of either Finding Grace or Erin's Ring! It's easy to enter--just leave me a comment and you could be a winner.
(P.S. Is there anything cuter than a pre-school Christmas show? Rhetorical question, obviously.)
Our house is so small that we only have one tree. But that's okay. I also prefer not-open concept rooms. Doors are your friends! I am an introvert though so that's probably part of that. I love your Christmas decor. Preschool Christmas programs are the best!
ReplyDeleteThat's it, Madeline! It's the introvert thing! "Doors are our friends." I love it!
DeleteI think walls are going to make a comeback. And all these people that are having them knocked down will want new ones built where the old ones used to be. ;) Well, maybe not...but I do think there are plenty of people like us, who need to know they can "get away from it all" now and then (with a good book in hand!).
I love all of this! I also have two trees, but the second one is only 3-4 feet tall in the front hall.
ReplyDeleteIs G adorable or what? He was so excited. I'm so happy we were able to go to his big show. :)
DeleteYou are part of a search and rescue for lost Catholics.
ReplyDeleteRegular updates to the countdown to the Day of the Lord by the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven at :
http://risen-from-the-dead.forumotion.com/
What to expect in the final days :
https://www.tldm.org/news/darkness-11-13-98.htm
http://miraculousrosary.blogspot.com/p/three-days-of-darkness.html
I was guided to think, for a while, using the "1335 = 2300" methodology, explained here :
http://risen-from-the-dead.forumotion.com/t369-1335-2300-methodology
We are less than 14 days away from prophetic history : the completion of the 2300 day cleansing period of Daniel 8:14. When Jesus said to me, "Give in now, John, until it comes time to fulfill all justice.", He was referencing that point in time between "this age" and "the age to come". That point in time is between December 29, 2018 A.D. and December 30, 2018 A.D. There is no changing this by human means.
I don't like open concept either. I've never lived in an open concept house until I lived in apartments. My husband and I don't like the noise from the kitchen when either one of us are in the living room. So thankfully, our house is not open concept.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you! I think the concept is a little overrated. But every time you watch one of those home improvement shows, the first thing they say when they walk into a house is, "This wall will have to come down."
DeleteAside from the noise, the problem with having a kitchen that is open to all of the living space in the house is that if you have a pile of dishes in the sink and cluttered counters, you can see it from wherever you are! Sometimes it's nice to leave a messy kitchen behind and not have to see it! Luckily, the house where we raised our boys was more traditional. It's easier for me to keep on top of messes now that it's just my husband and me. ;)
Though the "noise" of the kitchen does have to be planned for what is going on in our living room, and a "quiet" dishwasher is a must, I like that I can be in the kitchen and carry on a conversation with Doc in the living room, check out what is on TV, hear the news, etc.
ReplyDeleteWe have 1 tall tree, probably 9', but I do decorate mini-trees as the mood fits. Doc wanted blue lights on a tree and I didn't so I made him a mini blue tree.