A few of our favorite items.

Please someone explain to me the original purpose behind the victorian double parlor?






For me, it means one room smack dab in the middle of my house that I can't really use for anything other than walking through on my way to the living room. The girls have been crammed into the smallest room in the house and it's time to give them a bit more space. So, I'm breaking down and doing what all my neighbors have been doing with this no man's land room - closing off the thoroughfare between the living room and dining room and making it into a bedroom.













Problem is, the girls' twin beds fit only on the wall of windows, and this is earthquake country, people. I love my enormous victorian windows, but not when my precious babes are sleeping under them.

My landlord suggested I put blue masking tape x's all over the windows. For reals.

Design advice, please. I can't afford to change out to tempered glass just yet (and given my landlord's response, he won't be footin' any bills on this) and I don't like plexiglass coverings.

I was thinking of putting one bed under each window and maybe putting up heavy canvas curtains that I would close at night and velcro to the window frame. However, if anyone else reading this blog has a creative earthquake proofing idea, I'd love to hear from you.

My Vintage Tablecloth Collection

I've been collecting these since I was 16. Up until recently, they had their own closet. To make room for Mr. V, I packed them all up neatly and put them in storage. 7 large bins.

Vintage Airplane Liquor Bottles

In love and on the lookout for pretty little vintage liquor bottles....

More images of the house that should be mine

Below is the old stable. Check out the stone walkway - same stone is on the fireplace. In "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House" there's a scene where Myrna Loy explains to Cary Grant an exorbitant charge for a stone floor in her flower potting room - I'm recalling this from memory, so I'm not sure I got it right, but.... she explains in her cutest most perplexed voice that she simply asked the workers to lay a little of the "extra stone" in her flower potting room.





View from the top of the driveway, where it turns to the garage. In the garage is a stack of all the original glass doors belonging to the house.
























This is the downstairs bathroom - and I admit, it needs a little help:





But this is the upstairs bathroom and I think it is just perfect:





Kitchen. The window above the sink looks into the downstairs bathroom, which is a bit odd. But I can work with that.













Fireplace:



Living Room:



Barkcloth curtains still hanging on some of the windows.




Top floor:











Bottom floor:











Driveway and some outside views: