What was your childhood home like?
My childhood home was a typical 70's house. It was painted a faded yellow. All the wood was dark, the carpet was dark, and the walls had lovely waffle-weave wallpaper. The kitchen was super tiny with gold linoleum and I still marvel at how we functioned in it. Yet despite all its flaws, it was home and I loved it there.
I slept down in the basement with Jessica. She and I had our own rooms but shared a bathroom. Actually, I was only allowed to use the toilet in the bathroom. Everything else I did in the upstairs bathroom because Jessica was mad that I had the bigger bedroom. ;)
My room had ugly rust colored carpet that stayed in there the entire time I lived at home. It wasn't pretty but functional. My mom stenciled pink roses along the walls and my bedding coordinated with it. Funny, I don't decorate with pink anymore but I loved it and was grateful to my mom for taking the time to decorate it for me. I loved my room. I could play in there for hours with my dolls and stuffed animals.
Jessica's room had hearts of course. She was born on Valentine's Day so it only made sense. It started out with rainbow hearts and later turned to blue hearts that my mom stenciled on the walls. Our bathroom was old and nasty but we did our best to make it pretty. It was decorated with fish. :)
Sterling, my younger brother, occupied the upstairs bedroom next to my parents' room. His room had yellow carpet and smelled like a little boy. My parents' room had blue carpet and two mirrored his and her closets. Funny, my bedroom was directly under my mom and dad's and I could hear the doors rolling open and closed really well. Whenever I had a friend over they would think the doors were thunder. :)
The front door (which had gold glass windows in the shape of diamonds) opened right into our living room. The living room was cozy and every square inch was decorated with a framed picture or something else. My mom was a bit of a decoration hoarder. Anything anyone ever gave her, she displayed. :)
Looking back, our house was so cluttered. Both of my parents had problems with letting things go. They've gotten better since they've retired but man, every counter, every empty spot had something in it. I can still see the giant pile of my dad's catalogs that were stacked as high as the microwave cart in the dining room. I think that's the reason I hate clutter so much now. As a kid, I didn't know any different, but when I grew up and went home to visit, I realized how crammed with stuff their house was.
My favorite part about my childhood home were the yards. We lived on a corner and so we had a front yard, side yard, and backyard to play in. All had big shady trees that we loved to climb. I loved how we'd go outside and sit on the front porch with my mom, eating popsicles, and watching the cars go by. In the evenings, when it was cooler, we'd all go out in the backyard as a family and enjoy the shade. I wish my kids had a yard like that now. :)
All in all, although my home was cluttered and dated, it was full of love. All good things from my childhood happened in that home. I introduced Nathan to my family in that home, and went from a kid to an adult there. It was a wonderful place to grow up and I miss it.
It will always have a special place in my heart. :)
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