Little things have their place

The parlor in the benjamin is large at 450 square feet, but has never been anything but a seldom used parlor.  It is admired and spacious, but only for special occasions.  I was working in a smaller room this week and realized that it had performed many functions through its role in the house.  In the beginning, it was the maid's quarters, then was reportedly an auxiliary kitchen.  It now has two closets, bathroom, and a ladies lounge.  Although smaller, this room has had more roles, people and variety of decorations than the large parlor.  Many things and people could appreciate small roles in life.

Children and the Big House!

Warren brought his son Cole to see the house one morning before school.  Can you imagine how big 12' ceilings look at 6 years old?  I was working upstairs and came stomping down to see who had arrived.  Thump, thump, thump - ever closer until I see them and shout hello.  Cole moved in behind his dad's leg and peeked out at me.  They went on tour and I could hear them upstairs talking about the house.  As they started back down, I stayed in a back room and started to make a low moaning sound.  Ooohh, ooooohhh punctuated by a measured stomp on the floor.  Ooooh, ooooooohhhh to thump, thump and Warren said to Cole that there was no need to worry as the sound was only Mansion Mike.  Still, Cole became disoriented and started for the butler pantry instead of the rear exit.  Warren called to him and said that the way out was on the other side of the room!   Ooooohhhh, ooooohhhhh, stomp, stomp and Cole was gaining speed as he headed across the room  for the back door.  He is a handsome young boy and his eyes were large as saucers by the time he hit the back porch.  Can you imagind the stories that he told that day when he reached his 1st grade class.  It reminds me of the trick or treat kids who would not enter the house. 

April has its moments!

When you work on a project for two years, a lot of good and unfortunate things happen.  At the beginning of April, I was working on the plaster in the recieving room when I heard an object hit the floor in the dining room and bounce a couple of time.  Warren was painting in there and my first thought was that the paint bucket had fallen from the ladder or scaffolding.  It had happened before and the results were terrible.  From that height, paint not only gets on the floor, but also on the walls, windows, and doors.  I grabbed a roll of paper towels and rushed into the dining room to help with the cleaning.  It was confusing for me to see Warren with a big smile on his face.  How could he be happy I thought, until I remember that it was APRIL FOOLS DAY!  He got me big time and I am sure that I deserved it.  We laughed about that the rest of the day.