Thursday, March 3, 2011

A House of Treasures



I missed being here yesterday.  I felt great, and Keegan was being soooo well behaved :)   However, Dijon was not feeling well, and came home early from work.  So it was my turn to play nursemaid to him.  I am happy to report he recovered quickly....evidently Keegan's little houseguest was not the culprit for Dijon's illness!

I've been looking and looking around my house, and deciding its time to do some de-cluttering.   I'm finding that I'm much happier with fewer things, and more open, clean space in my home.  Sounds good, right?  Well, here's the catch.  Dijon and I love to antique,  and we've collected lots of stuff over the years.  He also is a fantastic woodworker, and has built many things for our home.  So it can be hard for me to decide what will continue to live with us....

I've come up with a check-list of sorts to help me with those decisions.   Now when I am considering keeping something or not, I ask is it....

               1. Functional...does it serve a purpose, or do a job for me?
               2. Beautiful...does looking at it bring Dijon and me joy?
               3. Meaningful...does it bring back special memories for Dijon and me?

So, to stay in my house, I have decided an item must meet at least one of the three criteria.  I always hear interior designers talk about having things be both functional and beautiful, so I am working toward more of that in our home as well too.  There's nothing that says the trash can in the bathroom can't look really good, right?   I mean, your end tables don't need to be ugly!!  LOL

Now, ideally, I would love everything I own to be all three, functional, beautiful, and meaningful....And Dijon and I are blessed to have some things like that....Let me show you just a few :)


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 This cut glass serving dish belonged to my great-grandmother.  I'm guessing she used it in the 1940s or so.  (I need to do some research on it.)  It is one of my most precious belongings, and I think it fits #1, 2, and 3.



Ok, everyone may not adore this, but I do!  LOL  This is the handle on the screen door on our front porch.  It was originally on the door of an old store near Ville Platte, La., that has since been torn down.  We picked it up at an antique trade days held at an old SchoolHouse.  We love its patina and it reminds us of La. history.  Definitely #1, 2, and 3!




I love love love this chair and table.  It belonged to my grandpa...my Irish grandpa who loved animals so much!  I love its easy rocking motion, and that I have the table to set my iced tea on while I relax.  I love the simple, classic design.  I love that it reminds me of my grandpa, sitting in his chair, playing with his cat.  Definitely #1, 2, and 3!


These are the kinds of things I treasure around my house.  They are nothing "fancy" or expensive.  Nothing that would be in a museum.  But things that fit my #1, 2, and 3.  The older I get, the more I look for the things that fit all three.  I know some items will only fit #1, or if I'm lucky, maybe two of the three.  But I'm happiest when I can check them all off....

So what's around your house?   I'd love for you to tell me how you decide what lives with you!

See ya soon,
~~~~~Sally~~~~~

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