For a long time now, I've dreamed of living in an old farmhouse full of family heirlooms, antiques and pictures of long lost relatives on the wall. I imagine myself sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch snapping beans, watching the chickens scratch in the front yard and wondering how to keep the deer out of my garden. I see a handmade quilt on every bed. It's grandma's house - or at least what I've always imagined grandma's house should be.
The reality though is that I live in a cookie cutter modern house in a cookie cutter modern neighborhood. There's not much in my house that's older than I am, except maybe my sweet husband. My quilts come from the store and the only beans I have are in a can. I don't know a lot about gardening, or chickens for that matter.
In this day of modern conveniences and mass production, there is very little of long term worth. You can't go to Target and pick out something that will be passed on to your children and their children and so on. So there's something special in the heirlooms that are still with us from the past. I love things that have a soul, things that could tell stories of where they've been and what they've seen over their long life.
And so I am resolving to recreate my own "little old farmhouse" right here in the middle of my subdivision. As I thought about how to go about this, I knew I needed a vision, a focus to point me in the right direction. I also needed a name for my little old farmhouse. Every good old Southern home has a name - just ask Scarlett O'Hara about her Tara. And of course, our family has a thing about G names so it wouldn't hurt if our house had one too.
I turned to the dictionary for inspiration and there is was - the very definition of what I wanted to achieve in my little old farmhouse: "Refined in manner; polite; free from vulgarity and rudeness; elegantly fashionable or stylish in manner or appearance; striving to convey a manner or appearance of refinement and respectability". It was everything I wanted to bring to my home - it was gentility.
So come on in and sit with me. I'll make us both a cup of tea. I can show you my quilting projects and the wonderful treasures I've found at the antique store. My little old farmhouse will be a work in progress for quite a while. But company is always welcome.
Welcome to Gentility.
Can we trade, grass is greener on the other side! My home is filled with old because i couldn't afford new. I grew up in a rural area that was stuck back in time. I feel I cant relate to younger people. I am only 30 and feel like i have the experiences of a 60 year old. I shelled so many peas it was against child labor laws, i think. I fished, gardened, conversed with old folks as a kid, and spent alot of time with the old folks in the nursing home. I now want to take all the family treasures, and estate sale junk and hide it, maybe put it in the attic. I want an ultra modern black and stainless home, just for a little while. Is that too much to ask? Great post, you made me smile, love your blog
ReplyDeleteI would love to go through your treasures in the attic!! Neither of my grandmothers kept things worth passing down. I do have a few things from my great grandparents and I will one day inherit a couple things of my great great grandmother's. I just love stuff with a soul.
ReplyDeleteThis is just beautiful: Your home, your heart, and the name and spirit behind it.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing your heart and letting us in.
The world is a better place thanks to folks like you. Now I'm going to go back to my little farmhouse in the middle of the city, too!
~smiles~ Gotta love blooming where you're planted!
Gratefully,
Christy
Love this post:) So cute!
ReplyDelete