White Christmas
White Christmas is my favorite movie. I love the song “Snow”…do you know it? That’s them singing it above. Anywhooo….
I love snow. Until February. Then not so much.
Happy Spoooooky Halloween Everyone! Isn’t this exciting?!
My parents were visiting us a few weeks ago and we took them to the City of Boiling Springs. It’s a cute little town on a seven-acre lake that is fed from 30 natural springs. The water bubbles like it is “boiling” thus the name. It has an amazing history but that is not what this post is about. It is about this house.
Iron Masters Mansion, Boiling Springs, PA
On the east shore, remaining from the pre-revolutionary iron forge complex, are the original forge and the iron master’s mansion with the remnants of its terraced gardens. This 1795 Georgian structure is the most outstanding example of architecture in the Boiling Springs Historic District and of major historical significance as the home of the Ege family. The mansion is presently in a deteriorating condition and is uninhabited. (from Wikipedia)
Or is it?
I did a little exploring. It was becoming stormy and dark. I creeped up to the front door and then… Here with my own eyes is what I saw. Sort of. Ok, maybe.
Peering inside
A “Hidden” Door
Beware…
Maniacal laugh. Maniacal laugh.
Jen
The Munsters
You know I am hard pressed to figure out which house I could live in comfortably.
On one hand…
…the Addams family is quite wealthy. They have amenities, like Lurch, the butler. They have a large house–space to spread out. Morticia had a nice green house.
On the other hand, the Munsters seem to be a bit more “normal” than the Addams family, so less to worry about in the middle of the night? And Marilyn, she seemed nice…we could be friends. Although, there was Grandpa. He was a vampire–that kind of freaks me out. But back to their house…it seemed a bit cozier. No bed of nails. Just a dragon, that lived under the stairs…
Then again, on the OTHER hand…the Addams family seemed quite cultured. Lurch was always playing the organ. Morticia spoke french. I believe they liked Broadway and Hollywood…they had a show created after them and a movie.
I don’t know. What do you think?
Here are the outside of their houses:
The Addams Family House
The Munsters House
Master bedrooms:
The Addams Family Bedroom
The Addams Family Bedroom
The Munsters Bedroom
Living Rooms:
The Addams Family Living Room courtesy of Hooked on Houses
The Addams Family Living Room courtesy of Hooked on Houses
The Munsters Living Room
Pets:
The Addams Family Stairs courtesy of Hooked on Houses
The Munster’s Stairs
The Munster’s Living Room
Then I found this candid shot of them behind the scenes…totally going with the Munster family. Looks like so much fun!
Where would you choose?
There was the day I discovered my son could climb out of his crib and quietly shred a roll of toilet paper. Then there was the day I found the same son, different day, sitting outside the open refrigerator. He was playing “play doh” with raw hamburger meat. Or, the time I found him building sand castles…in our bedroom…using the cat litter from the dirty litter box while the other one looked on and clapped with glee. Let’s fast forward to today. It hasn’t changed. My boys are older and the messes are less e. coli laden but alas the messes are still there.
I’ll tell you when I can keep the house clean and orderly–when they are plugged in.
It’s a fight between good and evil—between my OCD for a tidy house and my common sense that my kids need to be able to channel their creativity even if it means complete disarray. I overheard on the Today show that 3 of the best things you can do for your kids is have them play outside, don’t structure all their time, and let them make messes–it fosters creativity.
Greater Good a website focusing on Happiness by the University of California, Berkley, has a series entitled Raising Happiness, Science for Joyful Kids and Happier Parents. They say, “…creativity is more skill than inborn talent, and it is a skill parents can help their kids develop. Because it is a key to success in nearly everything we do, creativity is a key component of health and happiness and a core skill to practice with kids. Creativity is not limited to artistic and musical expression—it is also essential for science, math, and even social and emotional intelligence. Creative people are more flexible and better problem solvers, which makes them more able to adapt to technological advances and deal with change—as well as take advantage of new opportunities.”
The post goes on to list 7 things parents can do to help nurture creativity. The one that caught my eye was about providing “the resources of time for unstructured, child-directed, imaginative play in a specific place where they can make a mess, like room in your attic for dress-up, a place in the garage for painting, or a corner in your family room for Legos.” I think someone is trying to tell me something.
The expression -The days are long but the years are short-comes to mind. In other words, I better get over my need for a mess free house because tomorrow will be here faster than I realize.
Living with Kids: Laura Hall
Living with Kids: Laura Hall
Living with Kids: Rebecca Brown
Living with Kids: Rebecca Brown
Living with Kids: Katy Regnier
Living with Kids: Sara Kahlenberg
If you liked these pictures please check out www.designmom.com, the intersection of design and motherhood. She has a whole section of Home Tours she does entitled “Living with Kids”. LOVE it.
www.woodnotephotography.net
I’m currently 2 weeks into a 3 week elimination diet. I’m eliminating dairy, gluten, caffeine, refined sugar, red meat, pork, a handful of vegetables and fruits, shellfish, alcohol, soy and fun…to name a few. I really really hate doing this. Really. I’m doing it for medical reasons–not for a “fun”. I don’t like spending more than 5 minutes cooking. So all the websites, blogs, and cookbooks full of “amazing” foods you can still eat do not apply to me for I am too impatient. I am eating, but only things that take 5 minutes–maybe 10 to make. I’m lucky my husband cooks. However, HE is not on this diet. It’s really not that bad except for the coffee part. And the chocolate part. What is bad is going out to social functions or going, umm, out of the house, or anywhere I have to eat etc… You don’t realize how much socializing revolves around food until you find yourself sitting at a table sipping water while everyone around you is eating and drinking merrily. Whatever. My intestines will be gorgeous.
Speaking of gorgeous. Let’s look at other people’s kitchens and dream about kale and sprouted almonds.
Diane Keaton’s Kitchen
Christina Aguilera’s Kitchen www.beeboats.com
Ellen Pompeo’s Kitchen www.interiorsbystudiom.com
Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne’s kitchen. www.hookedonhouses.com
THIS is their refrigerator! Love! Good Luck Charlie on the Disney Channel. www. redefiningc.blogspot.com
It’s Complicated kitchen set
It’s Complicated and Meryl Streep
Friends series kitchen
Julia Child’s Kitchen
Julia Child’s Kitchen–funny!
Did you watch the Emmy’s Sunday night? Modern Family on ABC pretty much swept their categories.
Love their houses. Here are a few highlights.
Production designer Richard Berg gives a tour of the sets for the Emmy-winning comedy about the extended Los Angeles family. Photography by Danny Feld/ABC. Courtesy of Architectural Digest
![MF16_thumb[3]](https://i0.wp.com/bellahomestaging.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/MF16_thumb3.jpg?resize=480%2C317)
![MF10_thumb[2]](https://i0.wp.com/bellahomestaging.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/MF10_thumb2.png?resize=350%2C442)
![image_thumb[25]](https://i0.wp.com/bellahomestaging.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/image_thumb25.png?resize=500%2C374)
Modern Family. Courtesy of Hookedonhouses.net
