The Heart of my Home

Mrs. G at Derfwad Manor recently shared with readers the favorite spots in her home. She also asked readers to ponder their favorite spots, their home's hearts. It was hard for me to come up with, because I love my old house. It was difficult to love at first, because of the lack of closet space, and the ginormous closets that we had moved from, but slowly, slowly our house is becoming a home. Because of the people in it, and the people who pass through.

I have never, ever been a tidy person. My role in life is to make other people feel better about their cleaning habits. The cat food on the floor? The grungy hair at the base of the bathroom sink? The dishes that are more of a sink sculpture? Yeah, so what. I cook balanced meals, I pay attention to my family, I read books and listen to music. I do laundry, I mow the lawn and water the roses, and I decorate with things that I love.

Here is a tour of my favorite places in my house:

This is what you see when you walk in to casa McQ. There is no formal entryway, just slambamthankyoumaam, where would you like to go? The living room to the left? The dining room to the right? The kitchen through that little cubby there? How bout the basement? (Trust me - unless you like cat poo, you probably don't want to go there right now)



The mirror at the end of the hallway was once hanging over an old radio console from the forties in my parent's house. If I stand in front of it long enough, I can see my mom getting ready to go out somehwere.



If you happen to love knickknacks, and a good mystery, then you'll love our bookcases. They are stuffed with all kinds of books, and little bits of evidence that we live here and love each other.




Joe-Henry made this little pinch pot in art class. It has all the picks in it from the five million guitars that share our space. The yellow one with the handprint? Got those made for his Daddio. That's JH's actual handprint of his hand with two big fingers. Love it. So much.


In our living room is this gigantic chair. It's got stains all over it. And cat hair. But I got it for a song on Craigslist, it matches our sofa, and it's the comfiest, coziest chair on the planet. Ask anyone who has had the pleasure of draping over it.



Our bedroom. It has little feng and absolutely no shui, but it's comfy as all get out. This bed is where bad dreams go to die, and visions of sugarplums take flight. And stuff.



But the real heart of our home? It's summed up by this saying that hangs over the cutaway to our kitchen in our dining room.



Without my guys and the people who pass through our humble abode, this would just be a house. They make it home.

That's the tour. Thanks for stopping by. You've made the place a little sweeter for your presence.