SOCIAL MEDIA

November 20, 2016

Library Corner in Our Family Room

Are you busy getting ready for Thanksgiving this week? Me too. I can't wait to spend time with family. The other day I woke up early and set out to put away all of the fall stuff to get ready for all of the Christmas stuff. Sometimes it feels like I am constantly shuffling boxes of STUFF.  That part of blogging isn't fun.


And to be perfectly candid, sometimes it all feels a bit frivolous, this whole blogging thing. I mean, as I have said time and again, my house doesn't exactly look like most of the pictures on this blog. And there are people out there dealing with BIG stuff. Things like terrible illness, overwhelming grief, unfair circumstances and a country full of political unrest.
And so, I stopped packing away the fall boxes. I re-arranged some of my favorite things and created this cozy library corner in our family room. I pushed Billy's grandmother's cedar chest by the table  and added a bunch of old books to the shelves above it. Raising teenagers, I am always preaching to my boys about finding the thing that makes their heart sing. "Find your passion!" I say. Well, this is mine. When I am creating a warm and inviting home for my family, I am happiest. And it matters. I know it matters.
I snapped these pictures because photography is another thing that makes my heart sing. I am not going to edit them as I usually would. You can see that the floor needs vacuuming and the paint on the wall needs touching up. There is even a regular old light bulb in the lantern chandelier. I usually change the bulb to the prettier bulb you can see on the shelf- those fancy Edison bulbs just don't give off enough light for all of the homework, crafts and games that happens at this table. We ate dinner here that evening with a roaring fire right next to us. It was takeout pizza, not some fancy homemade meal. But it was enough. And the kids asked if we can eat here more often. Yes, we definitely can.
Eventually, the fall stuff got packed away and I am currently up to my ears in Christmas decor. I have been working on some projects to create some personal and meaningful decor this season. Because it makes my heart sing.
I can't wait to share it all with you very soon. Thanks so very much for stopping by today.

21 comments :

  1. Oh I love your library corner, it is just pefect.

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  2. One of the reasons that I appreciate your blog is for the very fact that it does *not* look like every other blogger's house.

    Your house looks like a home: a lived-in home, one where family lives and sleeps and eats and connects, where muddy shoes will be found kicked off at the door, and backpacks are piled on the dining room table.

    Enjoy it while it lasts, because your small humans will soon enough leave the nest.

    Blessings to your family at this thankful time of year.

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  3. Such a pretty corner! I always enjoy seeing how your create a cozy and inviting home for your family. You have such a talent for making a space beautiful and I am sure those boys love coming home each day! Enjoy your week and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
    Shelley

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  4. I like your little corner AND the real life photo. Enjoy those kiddos...before you know they will be gone and you will miss it all.

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    1. Thanks Sandy! I agree, they are turning into independent men right before my very eyes.

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  5. always glance at my email and open yours first because you are "fer reel."Did you buy the library sign? The corner is very cozy.

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    1. Hi Karen. The library sign was from Target a few years back. And thank you for your kind words too :)

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  6. I love everything about this. I just redid a round table my husband's aunt was selling at a garage sale and we got rid of our farm table (well, my parents are using it) so that we could all sit around a table and talk during meals. I admit we haven't had too many meals here yet, but we will! Would you mind sharing where you got your curtains?

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    1. Hi Renae. There is just something about sitting around a cozy round table as a family. It is such important time together. The curtains are from HomeGoods. I see similar ones there all the time so you shouldn't have much trouble finding them.

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  7. The library corner is so cozy and pretty. Have a great week with your family. I am just like you Courtney and find such happiness playing with my decor and rooms in my home. Have a super fun week and wonderful Thanksgiving.
    Hugs,
    Kris

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  8. I really like your library corner, inviting and simple with pretty accents. I think too often I think I have to "go all out" when I decorate, which can be stressful. Instead of overdoing, I need to scale back and enjoy the fun of it more. The only fall/Thanksgiving decorations I have out now are a pretty plaid tablecloth on the dining table, topped with a big hurricane with dried objects and an orange candle. I enjoy it so much, I think, because I know when Thanksgiving is over I don't have a whole day of taking down decorations before bringing out the Christmas stuff (which is going to be much more simple this year, too). I so enjoy reading your blog and seeing your comfortable home (do floors ever NOT need swept? blah. #reallife) Enjoy your little corner and Happy Thanksgiving!

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  9. Reading your blog and getting a peek into your lovely home, makes my heart sing��. I am one of those that are overwhelmed with grief and you remind me that I,too, take comfort in fixing up my home for my beloved family. I hope some day I will find joy again, until then, your blog helps����

    Gena

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  10. Lovely post, Courtney! What you do really does matter...creating a home is an act of love...making a safe and cozy place to gather as a family. You seem like a very kind person, probably why I enjoy your blog so much...xo Hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving!

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  11. I love how you managed to keep your home beautiful with the boys running around. Love your furniture taste and decorating ideas, even the interior designer students from write essay for me urgently are very fascinated with the outcome.

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  12. Hi Courtney,
    What a great post! I find that there are so many blogs that I no longer visit because they just do not seem real to me...I love that you kept this post real and I love seeing your home 'lived in'! :)
    I love the cedar chest there and it's the perfect family spot, just perfect!
    Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!
    Kimberley @ SeasideAve

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  13. I know what you mean about blogging and "showing off" all of my beloved belongings and how it begins to feel very frivolous. I haven't blogged for almost three years and I don't miss it. I have gone to Instagram and reconnected with many of my blog friends and that I really like. I show off only a tiny bit at a time and it feels far less frivolous, to me. One thing I have noticed since I quit blogging is that advertising has become the BIG thing now and all of the annoying ads keep me from visiting many blogs, quite frankly. Why did it have to go from being something fun to something that people had to make money from? Sad. -Cindy

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