Monday, February 4, 2013

Our Home in Winter

Hi folks!  Did you all watch the Super Bowl, or did you opt for Downton Abbey?  We always watch the Super Bowl at our house, but we recorded Downton Abbey.  I'm planning on watching it tonight, so I hope I don't accidentally see any spoilers today.

Last week I showed you our foyer, and this week I want to show your our living room.  Like our foyer, I've only shown a few pictures of our living room on my blog, and those were mostly little close-ups of Christmas decor.  This is the living room in winter.


For the most part, I like this time of year.  All the Christmas trappings are finally put away, and we get some time to catch our breath after the non-stop bustle which starts in the fall and lasts all the way through New Year's.  I like some quiet, cozy time to dream about spring.

After I put the Christmas things away, I bring out my snowmen to keep things from looking too drab after the holidays.  They sort of cheer up the end tables and bookcases until I can decorate for spring.  I thought I'd show you a few of those snowmen and women today.


I love this little snowman.  He reminds me of a French clown somehow; it must be his conical hat and the ruffle around his neck.  This table sits beneath our front window, but we have to move it out of the room at Christmas because of our Christmas tree.  I'm always glad to have it back in place.



I have two of these snowmen; I purchased them at a music store (Separk Music) in downtown Winston-Salem when our son was in high school.  It was the neatest music store in the prettiest old building.  They're still in business, but after years of being located downtown, they moved to a new shopping center outside of town.


This is a candle snuffer that my husband gave me for Christmas one year.  Please ignore the dust on the piano in this picture.  I only dusted it about ten times, but it never fails that some shows up in my pictures.  I had some ceramic carolers on the piano at Christmas with angel hair surrounding them.  The angel hair is beautiful, but it's so hard to get it up afterwards.  I keep finding little bits here and there.



This is a picture of our son (and more dust) when he was about eight or nine, taken on a snow day when school was cancelled.  He and his grandmother built this snowman, and she kindly gave me this picture.  I'm so glad to have it.


This is the mate to the other snowman from the music store.  Isn't he the cutest thing?  From the sparkly tassel on his hat, to his pink cheeks, down to the little bits of  "coal" for buttons, he just really makes me smile.  A treble clef hangs from the little circlet he's holding.

One of the reasons I bought these snowmen is that they have a sort of music theme.  The first one you saw is holding a little drum with drumsticks.  Those of you who read my blog may remember that our son played piano, as well as playing in the concert and marching band for many years.

 Here's how this end table looked at Christmas...


...and in January.


The coffee table has switched from Christmas...


....to winter.



I also love my Dedham Pottery snowman and snow lady.



These are treasured gifts from my parents and my sister.


I got two new decorating books for Christmas this year.  My husband gifted me with  "Feather Your Nest," by Mary Carol Garrity, which most of you probably own or have looked at by now.  I love this book.


The second book I purchased with some of my Christmas money.  It's a very recent publication titled "THE GREAT AMERICAN HOUSE, Tradition For The Way We Live Now," by Gil Schafer, III.  I'll share some more about this book in a later post.




A few remaining pictures of the living room...






I love the different seasons of the year.  I don't think I would want to live somewhere that doesn't have four separate seasons.  That's just what I've always been accustomed to, and I look forward to the changes each season brings.

I don't have a lot of Valentine's things, but I'll be putting those out this week, and the snowmen will stay out until sometime in March.  How about you?  Are you ready for Valentine's Day?  Don't you love all the cheerful red and pink hearts?

As always, thank you for taking time to read my blog.  If you're a regular follower, thanks for returning; if you're a first-time visitor to House at Forest Manor, I hope you'll come back.  Have a great week!

Denise

This week I'm joining:
 Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Kathy at A Delightsome Life for Home and Garden Thursday
Sherry for the Home Sweet Home party on Friday
The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday

A big thanks to all these ladies for hosting each week; I hope you'll stop by their parties for some creative inspiration.

13 comments:

  1. Denise, I love all these adorable snow men. The peachy one reminds me of a perfectly round little pumpkin. (I love pumpkins.) Your living room is lovely. Thanks for sharing it with us. xo

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  2. Love your traditional decor and the snowmen are the perfect accents for winter...sweet! :)

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  3. Love the snowmen for January. I always tend to put them out at Christmas, and I should learn to wait. It makes them even more special and bridges the gap between Christmas and Valentine's Day.

    I haven't put up the first thing for Valentines this year. The kitchen project has me at wit's end. I need to. It's the perfect year for Valentine's colors.

    I love your style, btw. You have such beautiful pieces of furniture and an eye for accessorizing. Want to come help me?

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  4. Hi Denise, I love all your snow men and women and taking a peek around your house. I didn't see any dust!! xo

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  5. Your home is lovely and your collection of snowmen is wonderful. Thanks for joining TTT. Hugs, marty

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  6. Those Dedham Pottery snowmen are my favorite. I do love this time of year. I love Christmas, but it's nice to put everything away and just enjoy the house as it normally is. And I can't agree more, have 4 separate seasons is just the best. I can't imagine not having them to look forward to.
    The picture of your son with the snowman is great. I love that.

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  7. Your living room is so pretty with family photographs and your adorable snow man collection.

    I would enjoy your new books because I love decorating books. My eye goes straight to them in every room. I have far too many but If I knew everything in the ones I had I would be rich with information for sure.

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  8. Very nice room...I like that you have wallpaper in the adjoining room, hall? I love wallpaper. All I'll say about Downton Abbey is that it always takes priority here and that you'll enjoy this week's episode. You football fans are a tenacious bunch!

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  9. Your living room is so pretty, warm and inviting..I love that kind of rooms. The snowmen are such a cute idea to keep around the house in Winter..I mean, it is winter where you are!! I also love family photographs in a home, it makes it real, not like the magazine type...I have them too. I'm glad you saw both, I just saw Downton Abbey as my hubby doesn't watch football, but succer only! Thank you for your kind visit my friend, you made my day! Have a great week.
    FABBY

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  10. Cute snowmen you are sharing with us, your home is lovely.

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  11. Hi Denise~ I love your sweet snowmen! I'm ready for spring but it's a nice time of year to catch my breath and stay inside and read. I love all of Mary Carol's books, Feather Your Nest is my favorite!

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  12. Hello Denise, Love how you use your cute little snowmen after Christmas - the first does look like a French clown - I think it is the ruffled collar. These books are favorites - I just put on hold a ton of books at our library - winter is the best time to catch up on reading, dreaming. I do appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
    Kathy

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  13. Another beautiful room!!! I am so enjoying my visit today!! Of course your music snowpeople caught my eye right away...delightful little folks!! Your Christmas books look lovely....Nell Hill's is another of my favorite blogs.
    Blessings to you,
    J

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND COMMENTS. I ENJOY READING EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM.

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