THE SITTING ROOM REVEAL...PART ONE

"I'm a little bit country...

...and I'm a little bit rock n roll

I'm a little bit of Memphis and Nashville

With a little bit of Motown 

in my soul."

Written by Marty Cooper\Performed by Donny and Marie Osmond, 1976

I have always been attracted 

to country decorating 

since we bought our first house and,

 although I'm not from Memphis or Nashville,

 as a teenager in the 1950's 

how could a bit of rock n roll 

not be a part

 of my soul?

When we started this renewal

 of our sitting room,

 I felt I wanted to tie it in

 with the parlor

 as far as the blue walls

 and the burgundy carpeting

 were concerned,

 but not necessarily

 in the Victorian style of decorating.

 You will recall 

that when I took a sample

 of the parlor wallpaper

 into the paint store,

 the decorator suggested a gold color

 for the walls,

 but I thought it looked too washed out

 and went with my original gut feeling

 of blue.

Once upon a time,

 which I had forgotten for the moment,

 that was a great idea,

 and I will explain that later on 

in this post.

We have had this burgundy carpeting

 for about 15 or 20 years. 

 It was still in very good shape,

 I like it,

 and we decided that we didn't want

 to spend any extra money 

at this time

 to replace it.

Sofa shown as it sat on the showroom floor

We did splurge on a new sofa. 

 Our former sofa was not

 of the greatest quality 

and it didn't hold up very well. 

 We loved the fact

 that this new sofa

 has actual springs in it 

and didn't have the loose back cushions

 that tend to sag and smoosh down 

over time

 and lose their shape.

Something about this combination

 of colors

 would not gel in my mind 

and when the pieces of painted furniture

 were added to the mix,

 it just wasn't doing it.

We had the room pretty much

 put back together 

and it looked, and felt,

 so cold and impersonal 

no matter what I did.

What was I thinking? 

 Deep down in my mind,

 I think I knew what the problem was

 but, we had agreed on certain ideas,

 and I didn't want to do

 what I thought would start World War 3 

by bringing anything up.

 I thought there had to be a solution

 that would work itself out.

I don't know why 

this surprises me every time,

 but I have no words to express

 how much I appreciate

 my darling husband.

 I really tried to be grown-up

 and sensible about my feelings

 but I just couldn't help showing 

how much I was devastated 

by this problem. 

 Finally, 

he just spoke out loud 

what I had been thinking..

 "We should get new carpeting."...

...and he proceeded 

to rip up the old carpet

 along with the padding.

When the sub floor was exposed,

 we saw evidence of paint

 we had used in the past. 

 Can you believe

 how close the blues are?

We also found a small piece

 of the former carpeting 

that had been lodged

 in back of the tack board.

 It was basically

 the same type of carpeting

 as the burgundy

 only in a blue-gray color.

  The sofa we had at that time

 was upholstered in a small

 blue and white check.

  It all was a throw back 

to the country style 

that I mentioned before

 and, along with the dark blue paint,

 it was quite

 a charming, warm and comfortable room.

After choosing the new carpeting,

 a new paint color was suggested 

and that sealed the deal.

OK,

 now we have an 

'I told you so' moment! 

 Had I listened more closely

 and not been so stubborn, 

could we have saved 

some time and anguish,

 not to mention some money?

 Maybe so,

 but there is that new carpet to consider!

The carpet is on order 

and will be installed on May 21,

 so until that is done,

 and everything put back together,

 I will take a short break from blogging

 and will be back 

with all the pretty details

 of the reveal...Part Two (and FINAL).

 I am sorry

 if I have become a sort of a tease,

 but I just couldn't justify anything

 until I felt 

that the room was at it's best

 and now,

 I think we have achieved that goal

 and I can't wait

 to share it with you.

 I hope you all had 

a wonderful Mother's Day 

and I will see you back here soon.

...Judy...

Before I leave you

 I must share what the Captain was up to

 while I was typing this post.

 He was making me

 a mouth watering Mother's Day feast.

 He called me to dinner 

in a room that looks like the city dump,

 on a table

 that is better intended for a lamp

 than for food,

 with paper towels for napkins,

 and unmatched silverware 

and the biggest smile on his face

 and love in his heart.

 I can't think of a better way 

to spend

 Mother's Day.

I am one lucky Mother!

Sharing today at:

Amaze Me Mondays at Dwellings the Heart of Your Home

Make It Pretty Mondays at the Dedicated House

Roses Of Inspiration at the Enchanting Rose

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

What's It Wednesdays at Ivy and Elephants

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Simple and Sweet Fridays at Rooted In Thyme

Feathered Nest Fridays at French Country Cottage