show and tell

i just have to share with you some of the treasures i came home with - treasures that belonged to my grama and grampa peragallo

a few weeks back we rearranged our house

i have had these photos sitting here to share with you since then - blog motivation where did you go?

anyways we finally have our old dining table back in action

i cant tell how good it feels to have a proper table - not just an island to eat at

friends you can come over now and i wont make you eat on the sofa!

in a nutshell we moved our tv room downstairs to the playroom

my dad built a wall separating our space from my parents

it is great to have the extra space and the added privacy

again to my dad - you are amazing!

i will show you the downstairs another day when it is painted

master bedroom details

1. my nightstand - above it hangs my 32nd birthday present from my dad - a poem called 'my daughter' it is so lovely - on the back it was originally dated and given to florence on her 21st birthday, august 16th, 1931 - love it

2. my grama carmens typewriter- my heart leaped with happiness when i found it in her home - my grama loved to write stories and this is what she used to do so

3. i had printed out some of my favorite photos of sophia to use in a project - that project never happened but i wanted to still look at them everyday - so i hung them on twine and used clothespins. fast easy and cheap *i wont make the joke that i really want to make here*

4. this you guys is just amazing - my grama carmen left me two special things in her will - the first being this hand crocheted queen size blanket - my love of it is hard to even describe - it is so fine and delicate looking but it is so heavy and sturdy you wouldnt believe - it is now lovingly on our bed



in these pictures you can see

the beautiful crocheted blanket

my nightstand (which one day i will paint - i found the two night stands at value village for 5.99 - then a couple weeks later i found the matching dresser at sally anne - i was one happy camper)

the old window (turned pseudo head board) that was hanging on my dads shed - he let me steal it from him and when i turned it over it had all this lovely chippy paint - i fell in love instantly - inside the window i have hanging a linen that came from my gramas linen closet - i need a close up picture it is really lovely

a vintage looking hanger that i purchased a few months ago in fort langley - my sister gina, my cousin kristin and her roommate brittany were all visiting and we spent a lovely day antiquing - it was a very fun day indeed

attached to the hanger are some peragallo family photos - my dashing grampa in his military uniform - the photograph is lovingly signed "to my dearest darling wife love and kisses, joe" - swoon - the other photo is my dad and his older brother joe




here is our new and improved dining room which was once our tv room

we brought in our rather large dresser which was overtaking our bedroom - we are now using it as a sideboard - i quite like it here as it gives me more kitchen storage and a pretty display area



do you see that amazingly wonderful bird cage?

did you know i have wanted a vintage bird cage for a long long long time?

do you know that i could never find one that was right?

that little bird cage of awesomeness belonged to my grandparents and it had been hanging in their kitchen nook for as long as i have had memories - the happiness to know it is now mine to treasure and admire on a daily basis is just remarkable

i also brought home the white platter from my grandparents

on top of the platter rests a vintage milk glass pyrex dish that i found at a thrift shop in california - i need to do an update on all the glorious pyrex i have accumulated - its a bit of a problem but i love it so!





inside my white frame i have housed two little prints i picked up at the beginning of the summer at an estate sale - i love them very much - the estate sale is a post in itself - i now have a cupboard full of vintage linens, tablecloths and aprons that i adore - i could have purchased everything that day




close up of the birdcage - we have a little white wooden bird nested inside now that was not present at the time of the photo - it looks very darling and sophia loves it



these beautiful doilies belonged to my grama - i would assume that she made them or perhaps my great grama lola did - my aunt deann mentioned that a lot of the linens i brought home were hand made by them both

how lucky am i?

i had the best compliment on my home the other day that i think i could receive - my parents had a church picnic in the garden last weekend and i showed a few ladies that i had never met before our home - they just moved here from brazil - the older lady of the two who could only speak a little english grabbed my hand and looked in my eyes and said "your home is filled with so much love i can feel it" i had to choke back tears - that made me so happy because that is all i want - a home filled with love - having my grandparents precious belongings just adds to the layers of love i want my home to have - generation upon generations of love

xo

welcome to the peragallo's

my grandparents home

a home full of memories

so many that it is still hard for me to put things into words

driving up to my grandparents house every summer was always a highlight for me and my sisters

the neighborhood is so incredibly beautiful

streets lined with gorgeous old homes, huge trees and sunny blue skies

the kind of homes i would love to live in

an extra special part of the homes exterior is the peragallo's sign

the sign has been hanging there for as long as i have known

i have always loved that sign 

i just learned only a couple days ago that my dad made that sign in grade 9 for his parents

my love for that sign went up about 100 times

it is now hanging outside my parents home and it makes me very happy

this is my grampa joe's garage - a happy place for me

i can still hear my grampa ask me if i want a "sodie"

of course i always wanted one and into the garage we would go to get a sodie pop from the garage fridge

i usually had a root beer

i loved being in that garage with him

on this trip i spent some time in there just looking around and remembering all the good times  it was a way for me to say goodbye again to him and goodbye to the house and that special garage

the backyard - with the lemon tree

the lemon tree

this photo of sophia was taken on the day of my grama's funeral

she had a lot of fun with her cousins picking lemons from the tree

we gathered a whole bag to take home with us

we made lemonade that night

my grandmothers living room is so beautiful to me

she always kept her home so pristine

i remember visiting with her in this room

we would sit on the couch and she would sit in her elegant chair by the window

my grama's voice was just about the best - she called it her minnie mouse voice

i loved it and can hear it clear as day

by the front door was the grandfather clock - a very special piece to my grama

my grampa's ashes were kept in there after he passed away

she toasted to him every afternoon

it makes me happy knowing they are together again - there was so much love between them

the stove

i dont know the exact history of this stove

all i know is that this is the stove they used daily and it still looks brand new

i love this stove

the blue room

every grama needs a blue room

both of my grandparents have a blue room

i love them both

who doesn't feel cheery walking into a room like this

******

sophia and i spent two weeks in california

soaking up the sun and family

i didn't realize how much i needed to be there and do just that

it was a very special trip that will never be forgotten

i learned on this trip that my grama carmen's full name is carmelita 

carmelita corona - how beautiful is her name?

her funeral was lovely and intimate

we gathered in her backyard and it was attended by family and close friends and neighbors

it was wonderful to hear stories and connect again with my two peragallo cousins and their children

i was able to take home many treasures from my grandparents home

i cant even begin to put into words how special it was being in their home and finding family history to bring home to my sisters and sophia

i got to spend time with my aunt deann as we discovered new things that had been forgotten

it will go down in history as one of my most favorite days

thank you aunt deann for such a special day - it was wonderful seeing you

i will post some of the special items i was able to bring home on another day when they have found just the right place in my home

i love that all the things we brought home smell just like their home - i have such  smell associations with things and i never want the smell to disappear - ever

i love you grama carmen and grampa joe

xo

******

grama carmen

i wanted to let you all know sophia and i will be out of town for a couple weeks

we are headed to california to celebrate the life of my wonderful grama carmen who passed away yesterday

the trip will be filled with mixed emotions

sad to say our goodbyes to grama but happy to see all our extended family

i haven't been back to california in probably 10 years

i spent every summer growing up there - i am excited to bring sophia

i have so many memories and cant seem to get my head in a place to write it all down

i am busy packing today and making sure everything is in order for our trip

you will be greatly missed grama carmen

xo

an interview with sophia

last night sophia was having a tough time falling asleep.
i went in and laid in bed with her.
i started asking her some questions.
after a few questions i said we should really be writing this down - so off i went and got a pad of paper.

this is my interview with sophia straight from her mouth to the paper:

sophia what is your favorite toy?

my new baby alive doll

what is your favorite thing to do outside?

jump rope

what is your favorite thing to play?

dress up

what is your favorite food?

strawberries with sugar sprinkled on top and candy

what is your favorite thing about mommy?

that you bake with me

what do you love most about daddy?

hmm, im thinking, what is it? i know! he plays with me a lot!

sophia what do you like?

i like birdies, butterflies, flowers & caterpillars

what do you dislike?

bees & flies - oh and black and grey 

(mommy: the colors black and grey?

sophia: yeah i dont like them)

sophia what do you wish for in the whole world?

that butterflies and owls and birds would fly around in our house and i could play with them!
(that would freak mommy out - just sayin)

sophia what are you looking forward to?

halloween

why are you looking forward to halloween?
because i get to wear a costume and get presents and candy. i get to buy a bag and go trick or treating -thats my favorite! 
(not sure why she thinks she gets presents at halloween but ok)

what is your favorite tv show?
strawberry shortcake 

what was your favorite thing about preschool?
doing crafts with my friends

what is your favorite flower?|  

daisies 

what do you love about auntie sara?

that she comes to our house and plays with me 

what do you love to wear?

dresses

what is your favorite color?

pink and white

sophia who is your favorite person in the whole world?
paige! 

(i should have known - i wanted her to say mommy though haha) 

this is her beloved friend paige - as you can see they have a lot of fun together!!

**************************

then sophia wanted to interview me - so here is that interview

mom what did you do today?

you and i went to auntie sandy's house. mommy used their gym and we had lunch with jada, mason and auntie sandy. we came home and cleaned our house and then we danced ballet (in a nutshell)

mom what do you look forward to?

i look forward to the fall season and having more children in my life 

what is your favorite color?

light aqua (im sure there is a better name for it - but its my fave and i don't what else to call it, ha) oh and i like yellow too

what is your favorite flower?

peonies

what do you like?

i like thrift shopping, things i can fix up and vintage pyrex bowls (which sophia calls pirate bowls)

what do you really love?

i really love sophia and daddy .... and having a pretty house that is clean and tidy!

what do you like playing with me?

i like playing with you in your kitchen and playhouse, i like to bake with you and color and do crafts with you and dancing with you of course!

what do you like about me?
i love everything about you sophia! i love your kindness and sweetness, i love your imagination and creativity and your sense of humour to name just a few things!


what do you like in the whole wide world?
i like being your mommy!

******************************** 

pretty sure i need to do this every few months. it was such a sweet memory that i know i will always cherish. we both had fun interviewing each other and she fell asleep right away afterwards. 

 

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a few more things

*i have about a zillion photos to post that i am so behind on 

*grama lola and grampa joe were here visiting for a week and i have photos to post from then too

*my back was out - i mean out - like i couldn't walk and i may or may not have had to go to the hospital via ambulance so that i could get relief because there was no way i could sit in a car to get there

*my parents are away for three weeks and i am in charge of the garden again - today it rained and i thanked God about 100 times!

that is all

 

luckiest girls in the world

grampa bob is amazing

we really cant get enough of him

it was his idea to build a playhouse - within days it was up

i painted it and then sophia and i decorated it

i was going to re paint the outside but have decided to just leave it alone

i never realized that picking playhouse colors would be so stressful

rough life.

the style is so my dad

it is unique just like he is

sophia is beyond lucky - and so am i

our life is grand

and this is just what is outside our suite - the whole garden awaits us daily and is amazingly beautiful and full of charm - breathtaking at times - a discovery place for sophia - sometimes i think we are living in a fairytale garden amongst the woodland creatures.

dad i just have to say it again...

thank you for such a charming life and our whimsical playhouse

how did we get so lucky??

welcome to sophia's playhouse!

spray painted milk jugs and holder

tea party time!

housekeeping

drive thru window

view from her doorway - that is our entry to the backyard and kitchen window - i can watch her play while doing housework

reading from her 1979 children's cookbook

sophia's veggie patch - she is growing butter lettuce, romaine,  peas and celery!