Tour of Homes-Hysteric Style

I am participating in "Show Us Your Life...Living Rooms!" from Kelly's Korner blog. I have never participated in her weekly game, but since my blog is SUPPOSED to be about renovating a historic Southern home, I thought this week's topic was right up my alley!

If you're like me at all, you are quite nosy. :) I really have no shame--I will use any excuse to get into your house and look at your furniture, paint colors, bathrooms, accessories, etc. HGTV is almost always on in the Hysterical District, especially if House Hunters is playing! I just love looking at other people's decorating ideas and family heirlooms. I am definitely one of those people who peaks in your medicine cabinet when I use the restroom at your house. And if given the opportunity, I am more than happy to look in your junk drawer and judge you accordingly. Just kidding! (Kinda)

We bought our house in August 2007, about 5 months after we got married. We (and I use that term loosely) have done a lot since then. When you walk in our front door, you are entering directly into our living room/dining room--previously known as the "receiving" room. Since our house was built in 1912 we have old, heart-pine wood floors and plaster walls. Our ceilings are either 10 or 12 ft throughout. (Sorry, I'm only 5'1 so anything over the usual 8 ft is just flippin' tall to me!) It is my dream house--even though we still have a ways to go before it's actually dreamy--and I absolutely LOVE it!

These are a few "before" pics of our house. We were in the process of moving all of my mother-in-law's stuff out at this point. Back Story: We bought the house from H's mom because it just got to be too much for her to handle. It is hard for a single woman to take care of a big old house like this--trust me, something is constantly breaking, cracking, needing a paint job....the list is endless.

This, duh, is the dining room. You can't really tell from this picture, but this is seriously the most beautiful dining room set ever created in a factory. I heart it. It completes me. I whisper sweet nothings to those chairs on a regular basis. I scrimped and saved and sold a TON of advertising to pay for it! (I also had to do some major convincing to talk H into making a purchase like this, but I won't go into the details because this is a PG site. wink wink, nudge, nudge)

This is the living room! Please pay no attention to the flat-screen just chilling on the mantel with numerous cords and wires streaming below. Would you believe me if I said the TV is now professionally installed on the wall and all of the cords are hidden safely behind the plaster? Yeah....I didn't think so. In our defense--dealing with plaster is WAY more difficult than your typical drywall. And, story of my life, it's also WAY more expensive to find someone to work on it!

That is the tour of my living/dining room! If the Magical Cleaning Fairy comes or I get a chance to actually clean the rest of the place, maybe I can participate in more of Kelly's "Show Us Your Life-Home Tours"!