You'll see a smilin' face, a fireplace, a cozy room

About nine years ago, Mr. Neoclassic and I started trolling our present neighborhood just hoping to see a For Sale sign pop up on any lawn.  We weren't super particular about which house because we really liked the neighborhood and it's surrounding historic area.  Admittedly, we did have a few house requirements that were non-negotiable: central AC and no less than two full bathrooms. While that sounds fairly standard in today's houses, construction in this neighborhood began in the late 1800's. The neighborhood continued to grow throughout the early 1900's and included myriad architectural styles. The day we toured this house, a late comer to the neighborhood with a 1955 construction date, we excitedly extolled the original wrought iron railings on the front porch, the huge picture window facing water, and the seemingly larger sized bedrooms. We laughed at the 1950's card table cabinet tucked into the side of the stairs and the 1950's wet bar area in the den. We mentally redesigned the horrible kitchen/ breakfast nook/ pantry debacle that some well-intentioned but short-sighted architect had created. We noted the fireplace in the den AND the fireplace in the living room. The den was cozier (read: smaller) so it would make a great family space for television and games. The living room seemed grander so it would become the music room and adult conversation space.

It wasn't until our offer had been accepted and we were watching the home inspection guys crawl all over the house that we discovered the living room fireplace is just a pretty looking box! See that black area below? It's a painted board - there is no interior.

The original owners had built this home to impress their peers and that ornate mantle was just the venue for the very large oil portrait of the family that hung above. We walked outside and realized at that point there is only one chimney and it's on the den. Ooops! Buyer beware:)  It worked out well and we love our home.

You'll notice that Jazz was reading the comfy chair and never even noticed I was snapping pictures around her. So much for an adult area...you can't get upset when a child has her nose in a book. The coffee table was made for us by my father. He'd crafted and refinished many pieces of furniture and we asked him to make a special table for our home. The wood is sassafrass and was given to us by Mr. Neoclassic's parents. They'd had to cut the tree and decided to make boards from the wood. We were thrilled. After the table was completed and in place, there was just enough left over for a side table.

We started calling it the Martini Table as a joke, but the term stuck. Now it's official:

I have a wonderful friend with an embroidery attachment for her Bernina. We spend many an evening sharing a glass of wine, telling hilarious anecdotes of everyday life, and creating motifs with her machine. I even made an color organized list of her embroidery spools (I know you're surprised). I found the martini glass motif and wanted to make a fun set of coasters for Mr. Neoclassic. He's very happy.

Today's title song=Harry Conick, Jr's version of My Blue Heaven