A Quiet Night

Last night I had the house to myself for the evening.  My hubby had gone to a hockey game with his buddy and my son was gone as well.  No one to make dinner for, no one who wanted to watch the news, just me and whatever I felt like doing. Bliss.  So, I threw the casserole I had already made into the oven, did a little straightening while it baked and made a fire in the wood burning stove.  When dinner was ready I nestled myself into a comfy chair and spent the evening watching old Cary Grant movies.  I love Cary Grant.  I think one of my favorites is North by Northwest.  However, last night I tickled my funny bone with Operation Petticoat   co-starring Tony Curtis, followed by Father Goose with co-star Leslie Caron.   

In between movies, I just sat enjoying the quiet as I watched the fire burning.  I got to thinking about how much the things we enjoy or place around ourselves are an outward expression of who we are. 

My husband doesn't think of himself as a artist but he built this beautiful mantle for our fireplace years ago.  It took him months of careful consideration.  He started with a simple oak box frame and board and then he went to fireplace shops and looked at photos of mantles he liked picking up a piece of trim here and there,carefully matching and staining, adding piece by piece until one day he decided it was complete.  When he was finished it we had this beautiful piece that has added grace and warmth to our home.

 So, even though he doesn't see himself as an artist, God has definitely given him a gifted eye.  He has also given him a love for our northwest football team.  Yep, he is definitely a "12th Man".  That flag, along with the large outdoor one he got for Christmas last year will both hang until the season is over.

He also shares my love of the sea which is expressed in the things we keep on our beautiful mantle throughout the year.  

 We picked up this lovely conch shell in Morro Bay many years ago.  The painting behind it is one we picked up at an art show before any of our kids were born.

We found this beautiful lighthouse carved from myrtlewood on a trip down the Oregon coast the summer my husband retired.

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The bookends come from a little shop in Seaside, Oregon.  Here are a couple of my favorite books, including The Shell Seekers, by Rosamund Pilcher and a childhood favorite, The Swiss Family Robinson.  

Just a few things gathered over the years that express a little of who we are.  How about you?  If someone walked into your home what would they learn about you as they took a look around?