Hello, friends!
This is my daughter Jacqueline.
As part of BIO... BY INVITATION ONLY...
a group of international bloggers are given a prompt each month to blog about.
This month we were to ask someone else to write our monthly post!
I chose my sweet daughter! I started blogging because of her (you can read about it HERE) so I thought it only natural to let HER say a few words to my readers...
My husband and I moved to Washington, DC six years ago. In 2009, we bought our very first home in a quaint, community-esque neighborhood of the city. When friends would visit our house for the first time, I used to describe it by saying, “It’s the first house with the front porch.”
More recently, I have directed newcomers by stating, “It’s the technicolor row home.”
Our home is multicolored as a result of my indecisiveness.
We are giving the exterior of our almost 100 year old home a face lift, and I am on the hunt for the perfect exterior gray… not a blue gray, not a green gray, definitely not any gray with purple undertones, not too beige of a gray… a perfect, inviting, and purely gray... gray.
Admittedly, I have a problem choosing colors.
My husband wishes there was a support group for color indecisiveness as selecting an exterior color is not my first offense. My dear hubby has painted the downstairs of our home 1, 2, 3… no, 4 times.
Upon moving into our 1920s house, the walls were white, adorned with hand smudges, dirt smears, and nearly 100 years of grim. I wanted a warm color for the entertaining space so I picked Benjamin Moore's Philadelphia Cream, mimicking the color in my mom’s study.
Jonathan painted the living room, dining room, and kitchen this color. Then, with love and a meticulous hand, he painted stripes of Philadelphia Cream and a complimentary color in our foyer and up the stairs.
I lived blissfully in my cream home until, inspired by my mom’s move towards a fresh, white look, I wanted to repaint the space.
I sampled colors on the wall, looking for a warm white for the first floor. I chose Ballet White.
My husband painted the whole downstairs Ballet White while I was out of the house.
During our years of home ownership, he has learned that it is easier to paint in my absence as I am not a detail oriented painter, dripping and splashing as I go... and I can be a bit of a micro manager as he strokes the color on the wall.
When I returned home and saw Ballet White on every wall, water works ensued. Ballet White, as the name probably indicated, looked pink!
Although pink is my favorite color, it was not the warm white I wanted for our downstairs. My compassionate and patient husband, repainted the walls two more times- China White, which turned out to be too stark of a white, and finally Fossil, still not the perfect white but asking him to repaint a fifth time is currently not an option.
With awareness of my color picking disorder (I have heard acknowledging the problem is the first step), I began reflecting on the root cause of my color condition. And I have made a self-diagnosis… MY MOTHER!
I loved growing up at StoneGable and reaped all the benefits of my mom’s cooking, hospitality, encouragement, wisdom, and love.
I hoped by imitating my mom’s decorating choices, I could infuse my home with the warmth that StoneGable possesses.
Growing up our home was the place where family congregated on holidays, the house where friends would have sleepovers, and a place where those in need of a temporary home could stay.
The house had a comfortable business... and a delicious meal and deep conversations were always served at the table.
With Philadelphia Cream on my walls, I hoped to recreate my mom’s warm and generous spirit.
Also, strongly imprinted on my memory is the freshness of StoneGable. Curling up in line-dried sheets, spring buds blooming in the garden, and changing seasonal decorations are still a few of my favorite things.
I especially love my mom’s self-taught, adventurous attitude when it comes to home life. Nothing seems impossible for the Wonder Woman of the house.
She is constantly acquiring new skills to refresh her home and cooking. Whether it’s making croquembouche for the first time and building a 10 foot tower of sugar glued cream puffs, trying her hand at reupholstering chairs (so hysterical… read this BLOG POST), or learning to paint furniture, my mom is invincible!
She learns, tries, and masters new homemaking talents that keep StoneGable fresh. With newly painted white walls, I hoped to invigorate my home with the same freshness of StoneGable.
I know that no paint color alone can communicate the essences of StoneGable. It’s not about my mom's cooking, decorating, or homemaking, rather our home is inviting because of my mom’s s selfless love for others and her faith.
I am constantly learning from her example (and her blog) the attributes that makes StoneGable a home to all.
Thank you, Jacqueline.
I have been crying buckets since reading your post! I'm so blessed that your memories of home are so special and happy!
Just remember, this is still your home and Jonathan's too... It always will be!
About the author and her husband...
Jacquie and Jonathan met at Penn State
Married the year after graduation
Despite their very busy lives they come home to StoneGable often!
A big thanks to Marsha at SPLENDEROSA for hosting
BY INVITATION ONLY.
Head over to SPLENDEROSA to visit all the other participating blogs.
Today kicks off a very special Thanksgiving event that will run until Friday...
The
THANKFUL FOR HOME TOUR
Join these great blogs and see the inspiring ways they are thankful!
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
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