Fun Monday

This week's host is Kitten. You can check her blog out at...kittens-homeschool.blogspot.com.

Today for Fun Monday I thought it would be neat to hear about the story behind your home and the road you live on. It doesn't have to be historical, maybe just something that stands out to you. It would be nice to have pictures to go with your little story. I also would like to know who has the oldest house. Whoever has the oldest house will get a little Christmas treat from little ole me.

The house that I live in has alot of history. Fortunately, for me, it's all my history. My Mom had this house built in 1971. She was the first single woman in this county to recieve a FMHA loan. To receive this loan, she had to have one acre of land. This is the exact amount that her dad, my Pa, deeded to her. She had it built, with trouble from the contractors, because she was a single woman.

The house is brick, it had 2 bedrooms and 2 baths originally. She had the drive paved and a small back deck. It also has a basement. There were bricks left over after the house was built. The contractor stole them. There is actually a front porch on a house on Pike Hill Road that is my mom's. :)

This is the house that I lived in from the time I was born in 1979, until I moved out in 1997. I grew up in this house. It was the only home that I ever knew. Most people can't say that, they move at least once during their childhood. I had a very strong emotional attachment to this house.

When my brother was born in 1984, my parents decided that we needed to add on to the house. They added another HUGE bedroom and another bath. I got their room and my brother kept the room that we had shared. Other than that, the house had never been remodeled or updated, except for carpet. It had black paneling throughout the kitchen, den, and hallway. The guest bathroom was black and red. It had a black and red toilet and a red bathtub. It just screamed 70's!! My mom wasn't "into" decorating or redecorating so it stayed the same. At least until she died in 2005.

I never wanted to live in this house. I actually didn't like the house when I was growing up. I don't like change, so I would have had a difficult time moving. This house is far from my dream house, yet I felt like I needed to move back home. I couldn't imagine selling it. I couldn't imagine someone else living in MY home. I discussed it with Trad and he felt the same way. We immediately started remodeling.

We primered and painted EVERY surface that could be painted. We painted the ceilings, sanded, primered and painted the paneling, painted every room, all the wood trim we painted white. We updated with new white interior doors. We got rid of the red bathtub and everything that went with it. We put hardwood floors down. We replaced all the light fixtures in the house except one. The light in the foyer I kept. It is an old harness for a wagon or plow. The only thing I did was update the globes.

We have twice as much room as we had in our little house in town. Each of the boys had their own room. At least until Abby was born. We moved the boys into my old room when I was a teenager. I got to bring my little girl home from the hospital, to the house and room that was mine when I was born. I find so much comfort in that. I think that is so unusual, especially in today's world.

I am happy that I am able to live in this house that my mother built. I am content here even though it isn't my "dream home." I am proud of my home and all the memories that I have here. Maybe one day one of my children will live here with their family also.