Bringing the Blog Indoors

Rather than make you look at more rainy, foggy, mucky pictures of soggy animals,
I am taking today's blog post into the house...
which is pretty much where I am staying while we are in the midst of this
atrocious weather!


Every once in a while I receive a request for photos from inside our farm house.
Even though I feel that our animals are ten times more interesting than 
anything else on the farm...
I know how curious we all are about how other people live.
And being a faithful blog reader of several of my own favorite blogs,
I, too, love to see snippets of others' lives.


Here are a few snippets of my life...
I thought I would give you a little tour of my laundry room and some of my favorite 
things that I've found in antique malls over the years.


I love, love this old washing machine!
When I saw it, I knew it had to come to live in my laundry room.
And when we built our farmhouse, I made the small laundry room just big enough to fit
this beauty in a corner.

The most wonderful thing about it is it still works... by muscle power.
I love having old tools that could take the place of modern day appliances if we were ever faced with
a long-term loss of electricity.


And of course, if worse came to worse, I could always take one of these down to the creek and do the laundry there!

This old grain bin has become our hamper/sorter...
with two sections inside, there is plenty of room for whites and colors.


Hanging on another wall in the laundry room is my motto...


and beneath it an idea that I came up with to use shoe lasts as coat hooks.

My absolute favorite things (after my family and critters and friends)
live in our guest room.
This room only gets the morning light, so it is a little dark...
I know it's a "no-no" to photograph a room with lights on.


This old doll house was carved from wooden cigar boxes over 80 years ago
for my Mother by her uncle.
I keep a tiny electric candle light burning in it at all times.


For many years it was part of Christmas villages beneath my grandparents' Christmas trees.
It has been my most prized possession all of my adult years.

Just as dear to me is this old cabinet Victrola.


It, too, belonged to my grandparents.
As I child, I would gently wind the handle and listen to the old records...
hoping that some day it would become mine.

It still plays...just as well as it always has....
fond memories.
On top of the Victrola cabinet is a second victrola that plays wax tubes instead of records.
This also works as well as it did when it was manufactured....
somewhere in the very early 1900's.
Both of these play without the use of electricity...
simply wound by a metal spring!

I have such a fondness for old things...especially ones that have been in my family.
They remind me of a simpler time; and having them gives me the opportunity
to enjoy that simpler time myself... at least for just a little while.

I finished another Owl hat yesterday...
this time in an adult size...


This is one really quick pattern that knits up in a day!


Comments

colleen said…
Thanks, that was such a fun tour and kind of you to show us around.
Love the hats.
Please don't send any soggy weather to Maine.....it's raining cats and dog here already.
This N That said…
Thanks for reminding me about the history of those things. You do have some special possessions with special memories. The owl hat is adorable. Let's hope that that weather is gone for now!
Anonymous said…
lovely things! Thank you for sharing.
Loved seeing a bit of the house. We are all nosey don't ya' know. I remember when I was very young (I am 65 now) we had a big white wringer washer and your wooden one reminded me of that. I also sold shoes while I was in college and the shoe lasts zoomed me right back there. Thanks for sharing.
Pier21cdn said…
Your place is absolutely gorgeous, inside and out, critters and house! Thanks for sharing. Patty/NS
GeorgiaHoneyBee said…
Thanks for the tour! I love to be inspired by the homes of other people. I have a great laundry room (in terms of space!) but I cannot see it - for all of the washing, mending, items that do not have homes, and ironing... I am super thankful for all of the people that create the washing, mending, and ironing, and I know that in time, I'll get things in order - or at least I hope to! And I love the owl hat. It is owlfully cute! HA!
janie said…
Thanks for the tour. Love all your laundry room decor and the special house made by your relative.

I love to decorate with old things. It is so cozy and fun!!!


Your hat is adorable!!

Enjoy, Janie
Oh, you have some lovely, lovely antiques! But my favourite thing is that definition of "Opportunity" -- so very true, LOL!
Kathy said…
What an absolute treasure of a dollhouse! I have never seen anything like that!
Lynne said…
I like seeing the inside of your home . . .
Fun laundry room . . .
The doll house . . . oh my, what a treasure . . .
Nice pieces Bev . . .
Anke said…
I love how you decorate your home!! Such treasures to be found there, I know I could take hours taking a tour. LOVE the owl hat, it turned out really great!
daisy g said…
Your vintage things are charming. I, too, love the old stuff. Things were so much more practical in the old days.
Cute hat, but I doubt I could knit it in a day!
Enjoy your weekend in your cozy nest.
Portia said…
In the first inside picture, just beneath the Prairie Daze sign, what is that device? I just can't figure it out.

Love the inside pictures--your things all look like they could be in a museum!

Thanks!
jaz@octoberfarm said…
i love everything! and the hat...wow! i have such a fondness for antique/vintage laundry things.
jerilanders said…
That is a great laundry room. I'd would enjoy exploring your house..we have the same taste in antiques. Washing machine is fantastic! Clever, clever idea with the shoe lasts.