The Circle of Life

Recently an old friend David and I were chatting about how weird it is for me to see photos of his son on Facebook. Jack is 10 and about the same age as David was when I first met him. It brought me so vividly back to fourth and fifth grade at Greer Elementary. And then I realized Anson is also in fourth grade. I feel very old and very young at the same time.

{Anson's and Morgan's Fourth Grade School Pictures}

Even stranger, David tells me he and his family just bought a house on my street in Montvue (the neighborhood where I grew up), immediately next to the bus stop. Dad, Molly, and I often talk about how that old house of ours shows up in our dreams quite often. We lived there for so long, and it was such an integral part of growing up for me, that I will never forget it. I could draw the floor plan by heart, even today.

Our homes and where we live are members of our family. The house, the deck, the woods and creek in the backyard, the cul-de-sac, the bus stop...they are as important a part of my memories as the events and people. I wanted to go back immediately after talking to David and look at old photos of the Montvue house. In the 1970s and 1980s, we didn't take many photographs, and most of what I found had fuzzy images of furniture or walls in the background, but not much to see of the actual house.

As a result, I decided that I'm going to use Morganic Musings to record parts of our house, even if they are not "done" or finished. I want my children to be able to go back and show their children where they started and lived life.

I'm going to begin with Charlotte's room, since I actually took a few photos of it for a friend who wanted to see a pink chair she gave us that she wasn't using anymore. Most of these photos are a year old, but not much as changed since then.

Charlotte's Reading Corner 

Wave Art by Cleta Norcross (a family friend)

Chair Art by Morgan Ford

Another view of the corner, as well as Charlotte's vanity (long outgrown), her dollhouse (still in heavy use), and her huge double window

Charlotte's Bed

Art by James Brewer (the one with the gray frame was a gift to Charlotte on her birth from my Dad, "Papa")

Sleigh Bed was a gift from my Mom, "Grandma Lee" (it was hers until she moved cross country and didn't need it anymore)

Pillow in bottom photo made by Charlotte in Mrs. Pierotti's kindergarten class, December 2011

I bought the "Jeffy Rug" (my sister and I named them that when we were kids because the texture reminded us of our dog Jeff's fur) for each of the kids, and it has been their single most favorite item in their rooms. They love stretching out on it and reading, putting it on the couch when watching TV, and even sleeping on it.

The Dresser

Yep, that's what it looks like most of the time. A total mess, so I kept it that way for the photo. All art by Charlotte.

Clothes Hanger

This was mine when I was a child. One side is a happy face, and one side is sad.

Door Sign

Doesn't every little sister have one of these?

{For the record, Wahoos, Charlotte's walls are NOT Carolina Blue. It is more of a light gray-blue. Just sayin'.}

Don't forget to record the everyday things in your life. Those are what you will remember and cherish, more than the graduations, vacation landscapes, birthday party decorations, or holiday trees. Get a shot of your car, your outfit, your hairdo (that will inevitably embarrass you looking back at some point), or your living room. Record your favorite shopping mall or high street; who knows what will come of it in five, ten, or twenty years?