In the book, A House in Good Taste, Elsie de Wolfe writes: "You will express yourself in your house whether you want to or not, so you must make up your mind to a long preparatory discipline....We attribute vulgar qualities to those who are content to live in ugly surroundings....We may talk of the weather, but we are looking at the furniture....A house is a dead giveaway, anyhow, so you should arrange it so that the person who sees your personality in it will be reassured, not disconcerted."
I read that quote in another book entitled Daring to Be Yourself by Alexandra Stoddard. When I read it, I thought about the many houses in which our family has lived, from our cozy hundred-year-old cabin to our spacious two-story brick home. No matter where we have lived, the homes have always been decorated to our taste. On one occasion - in the big house - a well-meaning acquaintance inquired as to the "theme" of my home. I told her that my theme was 'personal taste', and evidently she was not impressed. From that point, I knew that even if we talked about the 'weather', she would be looking at the 'furniture'. After giving our visit a little more thought, I realized that it wasn't my house that was disconcerting to her; it was the difference in our personalities.
One of my favorite television shows was and is Gilmore Girls. I absolutely loved Lorelai's blue house! (Check out hookedonhouses.net to be reminded!) It just seemed like such a 'Gilmore' house. I loved Rory's room and Lorelai's kitchen, but then again, I loved their personalities! I was 'reassured' by my weekly episode visits inside their home.
To that end, I have always wanted a 'McLaurin' home, no matter where we lived or what type of house we lived in. Last Thursday night, Katie brought Matt home for me to take him to the airport the following morning. She walked in the door and shouted, "Oh my gosh! It looks so much like our home!"
I reminded her that it is our home, for a season. Then she replied, "No, that's not what I mean. It's beginning to look like us!"
I have a Mary Engelbreit painting that reads, "Home is where one starts from." I also have a stuffed pillow with a quote, "Home is where your story begins." I think I need to add a new quote to my collection: "Home is a house like us."
A HOUSE LIKE US
A house like us always has a wreath on the door that says "Welcome Home."
A house like us has a small kitchen table where Dad drinks his coffee, kids do homework and Mom talks about everything.
A house like us has a sister's room that is always off limits, even when she grows up and moves out.
A house like us has a big dining table where everyone shares a big meal, and our family feels larger than life.
A house like us has a full-size bed with lots of pillows where we read picture books, romance novels and secret letters.
A house like us has a dad's chair where no problem or child is too big to fit.
A house like us always has a night light.
A house like us has a bathroom with a lock and a time limit!
A house like us has hallway that looks like a school yearbook.
A house like us has a coffee table with coasters where everybody props their feet, until Mom gets home.
A house like us has a closet full of quilts for slumber parties and late night weekends of popcorn and movies, board games and cards.
A house like us has a warm oven in the winter and outdoor grill in the summer.
A house like us has one window that is always cracked open in case of forgotten keys or curfews.
A house like us has wicker baskets in every corner of every room where Mom keeps all of her very important stuff.
A house like us has a vacuum cleaner which no one likes to use.
A house like us has a mantle where the same three stockings hang every year at Christmas.
A house like us has a doggy door, chewed decorating books and a few accidents.
A house like us has one favorite place where we all talk for hours.
A house like us has a driveway that can sometimes make you shout with glee and can sometimes make you cry.
Home is a house like us.
Dianne ; )
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