old & new

Time has flown this year. My last post was Decked & Floored, back in July. Poof. Here we are approaching mid-December. I guess it’s true that when you stay busy, days pass quickly. It’s also true that “time flies when you’re having fun”, and while a lot of what has transpired over these past five months wasn’t really “fun”, we’ve accomplished a lot and the fun is sitting back, with a beer or a glass of wine and taking it all in.

At the end of August, Thompson & Sons moving company made the 2 trailer trip from Rapid City to Friend. In a whirlwind, they arrived early and we were packed and loaded a day ahead of schedule! Of course, the rest of the trip wasn’t without excitement (broken axel in the Sandhills resulted in a complete unload/reload) but they still arrived at Charles, on time! It was that day, August 31st, that most of my Nebraska life arrived in Deadwood. I didn’t make the journey in a covered wagon, threatened by nature and natives… but it was emotional regardless. Watching my favorite furniture pieces, totes of family books and well-packed boxes of family dishes and Roseville pottery come in made the tears come out. Some of my architectural favorites had already arrived and been installed. Adding my “stuff” to Charles seemed surreal. I’ve wanted to live in the Hills for many years. Just days before my birthday, we came five steps closer to that reality!

Everything was in its place. It took some thinking to size walls and place lighting to accommodate it all, but we didn’t have too many misses in the strategy. I have some of my momma’s favorite things, and two of my BFF’s momma’s favs too! The dining room is full of my adopted-mom-Betty’s dining room furniture. I know that would thrill her. It lives with that amazing antique table very comfortably. I know all those moms of mine are smiling from heaven.

One of my favorite things about Charles is that we can have a beautiful, traditional dining room, but it is still very open to the very new and contemporary-ish kitchen. The kitchen was its own budget. This is my next home. Heck, if I live in Charles as long as I’ve lived on Chestnut Street, it is probably my last “house”, and likely home. So, the kitchen was all in. And it’s a traditional and modern nod to the gold rush with a dash of Hollywood. I think Helen & Paul @deVOL would approve and they have a standing invitation for a glass of wine should they ever find themselves this side of the pond… in the wild west. I absolutely love their eclectic style, and there is a lot of that in our kitchen at Charles. Large old furniture and fresh new cabinetry. This was my first time to opt for quartz… loving it so far. If you haven’t stumbled upon “For the Love of Kitchens” on the Magnolia Network, check it out.

So this is where the old and the new become the theme of the house. A very old house has become a new old home. Old antiques have been incorporated and furniture moved in for a new life. And while there are many days that we feel old, we’re so grateful for this new life that we have out here, in Charles, on Whitewood Creek at the edge of the urban prairie.

Happy Holidays!