Getting Mom's House Ready For Sale

Mom and I are fluffing up her house for sale.  It's always

such a bittersweet time.   Mom and Daddy moved to Boise

from Arizona two years after we moved here.  It was a sacrifice

for them to do so because they had a really lovely condo on a

golf course and lots of friends to leave behind. 

But they did it to be close to us.  I am their only child and

we had they opportunity to spend much more time together.

I was always living in different cities all across the map and

the globe.  Finally we were all in one spot for a while.

When Mom and Daddy bought this house it was very sad looking.

Mom never liked this house very much, but they bought it principally

for it's lovely location which you will see later on in this post.   That is

me in the portrait over the sofa.  When I was younger my entire life was

spent on horseback.  Everyone joked that I always smelled like a stable.

It never bothered me because all I wanted to do was sail over the

fences on the back of my horse.  If Ralph Lauren ever develops a 

fragrance that smells like a tack room ~ I will be the first to 

buy it!  Hint to Ralph Lauren!!

With the help of my husband's construction business, Mom and Daddy

tweaked this house quite a bit.  Out came the tacky ranch molding and up

went crown molding in every room.  They added chair rail and shadow

boxes for depth and architectural interest.

Before Mom and Daddy moved in, David and I knocked down a

wall off the entry that used to enclose a bedroom.  It opened up this

sweet little study/TV room to the entry off the living room.  We put

in the bookcases too.  That's Daddy's flag that was presented to Mom

by the Air Force after his death.  I can still picture Daddy sitting

in his comfy leather chair watching television.  I still miss him so.

Here is the dining room.  Mom never liked this room much

because it is so much smaller that the big dramatic one in the

condo they left behind.  But it's saving grace is that it opens up

to the sunroom.  More about that later.

Mom has several lovely French chairs that have moved all over

this house.  Somehow to her, they never had a "happy home"

anywhere in this house.  I disagree, but that's just my opinion.

This is the hallway that leads down to the bedrooms.  When we

put up this chair rail we had no idea how helpful it was going to be

for Daddy.  His Alzheimer's made him a bit unsteady on his feet.

He was too proud to use a walker, so he held on to the rail to

keep him steady while he walked down the hall.  It worked out

quite well.

In one of the wonderful old houses that Mom lived in long

ago, there was a butler's pantry.   She missed it so a new one

was created in a corner of her kitchen.   Can you tell that she

loves blue and white?

When Mom and Daddy were debating on whether or not to buy this house,

Mom told Daddy that the only way she would move in was if he put on a

solarium.  So Daddy designed this room and my husband David built it.

It's a bright and light filled room that takes advantage of the lovely view.

It's the first thing people notice when they come into the house because there

is a straight view of it from the front door.

The room has a cathedral ceiling and showcases the pond and the beautiful huge

weeping willow tree outside.

Of course you know how much Bentley loves his grandma and she

spoils him.  Bet you couldn't guess.

Mom and Daddy always had their breakfast at this little bistro table.

Here is the back of their house and this view is the reason they were willing

to take a sad and forlorn little house and create a little jewel box of a home.

David built this mini pergola on the side of the house just for this swing.  Daddy's

Alzheimer's kept him feeling very restless and this swing was the perfect medicine.

It is in a shady spot nestled up to the chimney and overlooks this pretty plum tree ...

David and I bought this flowering plum for $20 at Kmart.  I can still remember

bringing it over in the back of our truck to surprise Mom and Daddy.  It was

so little when we planted it for them but it grew into a beauty.

Here is another pergola that David built.  It covers the brick patio off the

solarium.  A pretty pink crabapple tree's branches hang over it's beams.

Mom's meditation garden.  She has always been fascinated by

Japanese gardens.

Another pic of the crabapple in bloom.  

Mom and Daddy brought this tree bench with them.  It was in the front garden

of their condo.  We will bring it with us to Victoria as well.  Mom will have to

decide which great old live oak to set it around.

Word around the neighborhood has gotten out that Mom is planning

to sell her house.  Mom had been a bit overwhelmed by the people 

stopping and asking her about it despite the fact that it is not 

technically on the market yet.  

It will be hard to say goodbye.  Although Mom did not like this

house much at the beginning, she grew to love it and will miss it.

It will be hard for me too.  I can see my Daddy in every room and

miss his laughter,  the way his eyes crinkled up when he smiled, watching

him happily humming and swinging on his swing, and the way he

loved to feed the ducks and geese who swim on the pond.  The end

of an era, yet the beginning of a new one.  Thank you for joining me

on this tour and on my trip down memory lane.  When I write the

post on my own little cottage I will be sobbing like a baby all over again.

Happily Joining ~

Home and Garden Thursday

Open House Thursday

Tutorials Tips and Tidbits

Vintage Thingie Thursday

Time Travel Thursday

Show and Tell Friday

Home Sweet Home

Feathered Nest Friday

Be Inspired

Don't worry Bentley ~ grandma is sure to let you sit

on a chair at her dining room table in Victoria, Texas too!

Big Hugs,

Susan and Bentley