… if you pretend it’s still December, I can sneak in this one last post about Christmas!
If you missed the post where Anne, from Ohio, shared the pictures of her home decorated for Christmas… you can see it HERE.
If you saw it, here is a follow up from her about some of your comments. She got to the comments, but it was in the evening and she thought it might be too late for everyone to see, so she sent me her comments and I decided to share them today…
AND remember, if you click on the pictures, they enlarge!
Take it away, Anne!
Hi Jeanne,
I don’t often have time to read your full blog these days, but I must admit, I did read it today, and all of the comments about our home and Christmas decorations have me blushing! I am so humbled by the sweet words!
I thought I would answer some of the questions here, as I know some of the sofa sisters, don’t see late posts…
Yes, it is very cheerful to look at the decorations. We have the timers set so the lights will come on early in the morning when we get up for breakfast. The timers go off after a couple of hours, and come back on as it gets dark late in the afternoon. We have about 25 different strands of lights throughout the house in addition to the Christmas tree, and all the lights remind me of the Light of the World, the real reason for the season.
Yes, we do have a full basement here in Ohio and yes, that is where we store all of our seasonal decorations. They are stored in large plastic bins and organized on shelves. It does take a lot of effort, but I am very fortunate to have my son’s help. It is actually his house and I live with him. He built it in 2017, and yes, some sharp eyes did spy a picture of the house, as it was being constructed in a frame in the mudroom!
Yes, the mudroom is the small room with the coat tree, and the lip garland above. And yes, I do decorate for all the holidays in the same way. Next stop is Valentine’s Day!
Many people commented on various pieces of furniture. And my son has been very blessed to have inherited many antique and vintage pieces from his grandparents, such as the grandfather clock, mantle clock on the floor in the foyer currently, Hitchcock chair, sewing rocker, and antique ballot box on the wall in the powder room.
The coffee table is indeed, an antique industrial railroad cart. My son traded it for some photography he did for a local antique business. It has a couple of holes in the top that add to the charm, and we have put it on piano casters to keep the rust on the wheels from staining the area rug. Five.
The Santas and snowman in the hutch are a collection I have had for a very long time, and are no longer being produced.
Our nativity is Lenox China jewels. I used to have my parents nativity until it was lost in a basement flood. We had many many years ago. My mother-in-law started us on the Lenox China jewels the following year by gifting us the holy family. I started adding pieces over the years, and for the last 10 years, my son has gifted me different pieces. This year he gifted me the dove seller. As you might imagine, the nativity is very dear to my heart, and features prominently in our open plan, kitchen, dining, and family room.
Jeanne, thank you so much for your kind remarks about my home nation, and please thank all the sofa sisters for their lovely comments as well.. I am very humbled by their sweetness. I think I have tried to answer all the questions, so for now, I will leave you with this…
This is a picture of the hutch as it was decorated this past fall, and…
This was last Easter…
… This was last Valentine’s Day. Each holiday holds its own beauty, and keeps us looking forward to the next. I wish you and all of your readers, a happy new year filled with health, happiness, and dreams come true. Blessings to you all as we begin 2024!
Oops, this was last summer, a strawberry theme. It does not show up as well because the light in the China cabinet is not turned on. This stayed up all summer because of my cancer surgery in June. I did not have the energy to take it down until the end of summer,, but it cheered me up, nevertheless.
I forgot to tell you about the table Susette from Southern California commented on:
It is another antique piece my son inherited. It is hinged in the middle and folds in half. It can be used folded, as a console, or propped against the wall, as I have done in my photo. Once fully opened, the top slides clockwise to reveal hidden compartments. My MIL called it a Baptist card table because the playing cards could be quickly stashed in the hidden compartments if the preacher made a surprise visit. Card playing was discouraged because of an association with gambling. We have also used it for extra seating/serving for tea parties or large holiday gatherings. It is a fun and versatile piece.
(I’m guessing this is the piece Anne was referring to.)
Thank you so much Anne! It was just as much fun to hear your comments and answers as it was the first time we saw your beautiful home.
Blessings, Jeanne
Anne, thank you so much for answering our questions, and sharing more of your lovely decorations with us. Such a treat!
Anne, I have been looking and looking over your beautiful pictures all weekend! They gave me such a warm feeling and I just love the way you and your son decorated your lovely home for the holidays!
Yes, timers on the lights really make “magic” when you get up in the morning to see all those twinkling lights, and give you a good start to the day! We do that too, and get up very early in the morning and have our Christmas lights on when everyone else is sleeping!
Yes, I figured you had a basement, and a good thing you do! What do people do without them? Another good thing I see that you do is take pictures of how you did things the year before, and that really streamlines the time when you are setting it up again. I do the same thing!
I loved hearing all about the various inherited peices, which are showcased in your home so well! What a lovely setting for them!
You have such an eye for decorating, and now I am wondering if you have a doll collection? If so, we certainly would love to see them!
Thank you so much for sending the pictures, and answering our questions!
Happy New Year, everyone and all!
Yes, I know, “i before e, except after c! And to think I was a teacher! Sorry about that!
Great hearing all of the details. Thanks Anne. Love the photos.
Happy New Year to dollies and their owners everywhere!
Joy
Yes, Anne, I figured you had a basement as most Ohio homes do. I can’t imagine not having one either as that’s where the laundry and Christmas decorations as well as other storage is.
How fun to see your hutch decorated for other seasons. I really like your bunny china and the Valentine’s Day decor is very sweet.
Being a Midwest girl I often wonder how I would keep my treasures without a basement. Christmas used to be in the area under the stairs but has now taken up half of what was one of my boys bedrooms as well.
You have way more ideas and energy than anyone here has to change all your accessories so often. It is just so lovely. The Nativity set is stunning. Glad your son loves his inherited antiques. What goes around comes around so maybe antiques will become popular again. If not I hate to think what will happen to the ones we have. Thank you for adding more information …loved it!
Happy New Year, everyone! This is Anne in Ohio, and I want to thank you all for your lovely comments! It is a little bit embarrassing, but I am grateful for your kindness.
I have been a regular reader and occasional commenter here on Jeanne’s blog in past years, so some of you may remember me. I remember so many of you! This blog filled a wonderful need for me when I moved in 2012 from my longtime home in Northeast Ohio, to the Columbus, OH, area to be near my daughter, Kate. Now, she has recently moved to Austin, TX, for an engineering job, and I live with my son, Nate, in Westerville, OH. Is that what people mean when they say, “If you want to make God laugh, tell HIM about your plans?!”
Yes, I LOVE dolls, always have, and I have enjoyed seeing and hearing about all of yours. My father started me on a collection of dolls from foreign countries when I was just a baby, and it grew from there. Likewise, I started my daughter on doll collecting as a toddler. We have Madame Alexander, Susan Wakeen, Robert Tonner, American Girl Dolls, and more, but now due to limited display space at my son’s home, most of them are in storage. (Again, I do not know what we would do without basement space! My daughter does not have a basement in TX, and must store a lot of her things in the garage, so I keep her doll collection here for her). I do have four Effner Little Darling dolls that I have continued to dress and display, but have not had much energy for it since cancer surgery last June. Perhaps I will drop into the blog more often this year and resume my doll passion!
Thank you, once more, for your sweet comments about our home and Christmas decorations. To all of you “sofa sisters,” I wish you a beautiful New Year in 2024! Sometimes the most challenging roads lead to the most beautiful destinations, and I hope that proves true for all of us. Here’s to a beautiful, bright, and shiny year of new hopes, new dreams, new possibilities–
and the time to enjoy them all! I’m praying the year ahead will absolutely overflow with an abundance of God’s gifts for each of you. May you be blessed with 366 days of health, happiness and success in all your endeavors, and may every day of the coming year bring you something good to put a smile on your face and joy in your heart (especially if it includes DOLLS)! Be safe, be well, and be blessed!
Anne with an “e” in Ohio
~Every moment is a fresh beginning.” ~T.S. Eliot
Dear Anne, thank you so much for sharing your home with us. It is lovely to see your photos.
Please do share information about your dolls. If you are interested in posting photos of your Little Darlings, let me know, as we have a site on IO Groups.
Wishing you a wonderful 2024!
Totally breathtaking!!! And what a wonderful son Anne has. Even though it’s his house so to speak, he’s allowed her to make it hers and I’m sure he has benefitted greatly from doing that. I know he enjoys and embraces his mother’s wonderfully creative decorating abilities. Such excellent planning and execution. I’m still amazed by it all. And to think she (they) does this for all seasons. Wow!!
Dear Jeanne, well, here we go with 2024. Here are my New Years Resolutions: learn to cook, learn to sew, learn to craft. Okay, not (laugh). I hope that made you and the Sofa Sisters smile.
Wishing you all a joyous New Year. In case anyone is wondering, there are only 121 days until May!