The girls and I were visiting my family last week.  We had lots of fun with the family and I tried to take lots of pictures.

My mom with Miss Petrie at the Albuquerque Museum. My mom drove back to New Mexico with us, which gave us some fun girl time!

My mom and maternal grandma with Miss Petrie Deux.

My brother, paternal grandmother and the Petrie girls.

My aunt with Miss Petrie.

My dad enjoyed having his grandaughers at his house.

My brother, the Petrie girls and our cousins.

Me, the grandmas and Miss Petrie Deux.

My dad and brother

My cutie younger cousin with the girls.

Me and Miss Petrie at the museum.

We had a wonderful time, but we’re happy to be back at Casa Petrie.

Have a relaxing weekend.

Start with the first installment of My Parent’s House: The Front Yard.  

The second installment is My Parent’s House: The Living Room.

The third installment is My Parent’s House: The Dining Room.

The fourth installment is My Parent’s House: The Sun Room and Breakfast Room.

The fifth installment is My Parent’s House: The Kitchen.

The sixth installment is My Parent’s House: The Laundry Room.

The seventh installment is My Parent’s House: The Den.

My parent’s had the guest bath redone due to some serious plumbing problems.  I love the new sea glass tiles!  Those gorgeous tiles add a little bling to this tiny restroom.  

The sea glass tiles border the center of the restroom walls.

A tilting mirror is helpful for short and tall folks alike.

Glass shelves hold towels and toiletries.

Tile goes from floor to ceiling in the shower stall.

The backyard was renovated several years ago, but after plumbing issues forced my parents to have  part of the brick removed and two greyhounds tried to dig to China, the backyard needed some help.  My parents had the brick replaced, added a rock privacy fence, added window boxes and put in desert friendly plants.

The circular retaining wall, tree and bird bath are new to the backyard.

St. Francis is nestled in the greenery.

Shutters were added to all the windows and window boxes were added to these windows.

A sweet bird house sits next to the gate to the side yard.

The side yard has a new brick path, rocks and new plants. In a few years the trumpet vines will be lush and fragrant.

This ends the tour of the renovated areas of my parent’s house.  Their renovations are gorgeous and well-deserved.  

Have a great week!

Start with the first installment of My Parent’s House: The Front Yard.  

The second installment is My Parent’s House: The Living Room.

The third installment is My Parent’s House: The Dining Room.

The fourth installment is My Parent’s House: The Sun Room and Breakfast Room.

The fifth installment is My Parent’s House: The Kitchen.

The sixth installment is My Parent’s House: The Laundry Room.

I hope you have been enjoying the tour of my parent’s historic home.  I have enjoyed looking at all of the details of their remodel and reminiscing about the changes the house has undergone since I lived there.

You get to the den from the kitchen (the kitchen is in the middle of the house).  It is the room that houses the television and comfortable sectional sofa.  It is much more informal than the living room, but has just as much style and personality.  

A comfy leather sofa and more plantation shutters.

A table to do some work or play a game of cards.

My great-aunt painted this picture.

Pictures of me and my brother by artist Mago Orona.

A shelf of books and family photos.

I would have taken pictures of the coffee table and entertainment unit, but Miss Petrie had toys all over the center of the room!  I took these photos near the end of our trip when we had made ourselves at home.

Have a great Friday!

Start with the first installment of My Parent’s House: The Front Yard.  

The second installment is My Parent’s House: The Living Room.

The third installment is My Parent’s House: The Dining Room.

The fourth installment is My Parent’s House: The Sun Room and Breakfast Room.

The fifth installment is My Parent’s House: The Kitchen.

The laundry room adjoins the kitchen in my parent’s home.  It, too, has had a major update.  

The lower cabinet covers unsightly utility boxes. These cabinets coordinate with the kitchen cabinets.

The cabinets abover the washer and dryer have soap, bleach, etc. These cabinets are new and also display a few of my mom's irons.

A wall of shallow shelves took up an inordinate amount of space on the wall facing the washer and dryer.  (I would have taken a picture, but it was just a blank wall!)  There used to be a banister at the end of the washroom to block off the floor door to the basement.  Small rooms really don’t need any additional barriers and removing that banister opened up the space.  

On a small personal note, my little Miss Petrie starts preschool today!  She’ll be going a couple of times a week for half a day.  We spent the evening getting ready for school so we have a good start tomorrow morning.  I hope I don’t cry when I drop her off.

See you tomorrow.

Start with the first installment of My Parent’s House: The Front Yard.  

The second installment is My Parent’s House: The Living Room.

The third installment is My Parent’s House: The Dining Room.

The fourth installment is My Parent’s House: The Sun Room and Breakfast Room.

The kitchen was the room that required the most renovation in my parent’s house. Cabinets were replaced, some were refaced, new appliances were bought, the counters and sink were replaced.  The kitchen had five doors and by removing some of those doors, the flow in and out of that room was greatly improved.  

A glass front cabinet displays my mom's extensive iron collection and poppy dishes.

The upper cabinets were refaced and the cabinets were painted with an antique glaze.

Granite counters replaced worn beige counters.

A ledge for displaying irons under the cabinets.

The tile backspash is a beautiful tumbled stone. The appliances are sleek and stainless.

The fridge is tucked away into a corner. My mom plans on hanging a pretty and useful bulletin board on the magnetic side of the fridge.

This curvy, tall faucet has a detachable hose with shower nozzle.

A fluorescent light box was replaced with in-set lighting and skylights.

This narrow door hides an ironing board, another feature not likely found in modern homes.

As I write about my parent’s home, I realize that I took all the architectural details for granted when I lived in their home.  The homes in our neighborhood had incredible details, so I didn’t realize how special these qualities were in a home.  I’m glad I have to opportunity as an adult to enjoy the house in its renovated glory.  

Have a great day!

Start with the first installment of My Parent’s House: The Front Yard.  

The second installment is My Parent’s House: The Living Room.

The third installment is My Parent’s House: The Dining Room.

During the early 1900s people ill with tuburculosis flooded the Southwest for the dry, hot air.  They thought it would help their lungs.  Houses built during this time included sun rooms for the purpose of enjoying the sun from inside the house.  When I was a child, we had a piano in the sun room.  When my brother and I stopped taking lessons, my parents made it into a reading room.  There are two built-in shelves that house family memoribilia and books.  

The right side of the sun room.

The left side of the sun room.

This light fixture coordinates with the chandelier in the dining room.

A charming painting of a girl collecting oranges on the left wall.

An antique dresser sits front and center. When I was a teen, my mom let me put this dresser in my room and I loved it.

Built-in drawers and shelves store so much but take up so little space. I think the efficiency is brilliant.

Nothing says home to me like full bookshelves.

The breakfast room is between the dining room and the kitchen.  It’s only big enough for a small table and a couple of chairs.  This room has incredible built-in details that are so unique to old homes.

This light fixture in the breakfast room coordinates with the sun room and dining room.

A built-in hutch houses cookbooks and urns.

A niche for an old rotary phone.

A medieval-looking group of birds.

A charcoal of my grandmother.

I hope you enjoyed the tour and here’s to a great week!

Thanks to Hooked on Houses for hosting Hooked on Fridays.

My parent’s home is made for entertaining.  The dining room is a large room and a beautiful focal point from the living room.  It is flanked by the living room, sun room, breakfast room, kitchen and a hallway.  You can imagine the door situation was a little out of control.  My parents had one door removed during the renovation and the room is now more spacious looking.  

A view of the dining room from the living room.

A view of the dining room from the breakfast room.

A sweet, mossy nest sits atop the buffet under the mirror.

The door that was removed was to the left of the china hutch.

When I was a young child the chandelier that was original to the home was crystal. It was really beautiful, but was badly damaged by a house fire. The next chandelier was brass. I like the new Tuscan-inspired chandelier.

The entire house has the same thick base molding.

Another detail on the door casing.

Next time I visit, I plan on helping my mom recover the dining room chairs.  We wanted to do it this time, but got a little distracted with visiting.  

Have a wonderful weekend!

(Start with the first installment of My Parent’s House: The Front Yard.  

The second installment is My Parent’s House: The Living Room.)

Start with the first installment of My Parent’s House: The Front Yard.

When I was a kid, my brother and I would play handball against the wall in this room.  Man, we had no respect!  The room looks quite different now: beautiful rich furniture and interesting art.  My parent’s home is approaching 100 years old and the architectural details are really strong.

Welcome!

This painting of Michael hangs left of the front door.

The ceilings in this room are at least 15 feet high.

The barrel vaulted ceiling is an architectural detail I have never seen in another home.

My mom says this painting reminds her of my brother and me. It hangs above the fireplace.

I've always loved the symmetry of this octogonal table.

A close-up of the greyhounds that flank the fireplace. My parents had two beloved greyhound brothers.

The plantation shutters are so classic and crisp looking. They have them all over the house.

An ox blood chaise is great for reading.

A lady's desk, grandfather clock and large mirror make for a striking entry into the home.

An ottoman sits under the lady's desk.

I loved to sit and read in here when I was a teenager.  It was so peaceful and quiet.  I hope you are enjoying the tour.  I’ll see you with the next installment tomorrow!

I’ll start the tour with the newly landscaped front yard.  Let me give you a mental picture of what the house looked like when we moved in when I was 5: the house was white with blue trim.  There were no brick walkways, only concrete.  The entire yard was grass.  There were two trees on the lower level of the yard.  It was nice and respectable.  But now, the yard screams and I love it!  It’s got lots of texture, color, and it’s water-friendly for their hot and dry Texas climate.  

The lower level of the yard, near the street.

The stones are river rock, which is smooth and rounded.

I like how the boulders look like little places to rest.

The door surround gives the front door more presence. I also think the mosaic pots flanking the door are awesome.

A close up of the birds above the door. My mom loves birds and nests!

There are terracotta pots all over the yard. The punch of purple is so appealing.

A charming birdhouse among the bushes.

Next we’ll check out their living room!  Enjoy your day.