The Living Room

June 25, 2012 | My Jottings

I thought I would post a few more pictures of our new house. As I’ve mentioned before, the previous owner must have loved blue, because the living room, main floor bathroom, one bedroom, master bathroom, and the family room in the basement are all blue, or a form of blue, like light aqua, turquoise, or periwinkle.

I love blue as well, but probably would not have chosen as much blue if I were painting the inside of the house myself. But I made a decision before we moved in – to be fine with it. It’s okay. No worries. No prob. And it feels wonderful not to be thinking about how to make things exactly fit my own preferences.

Lest anyone think I’ve suddenly transformed into this easy going, c’est la vie type person, I will say that if the living room walls had been bright orange or electric purple, I would have had to paint them.

When we purchased this home and I saw that our living room furniture, which is very traditional, with dark woods, deep colors and bold patterns, was going to have to settle in a room with walls the color of robins’ eggs, it made me pause. Hmmmm, I said. Deep jewel tones, a neutral, taupe colored couch, and a black console table, all arranged in a smallish, light and airy room with turquoise walls? Okay! I answered myself. And so even if everything doesn’t “go,” it goes enough for me.

Every single day I thank the Lord for bringing us here.

Each morning I walk down three (not eighteen) stairs and look out at the largest freshwater lake in the world, and feel a deep contentment.

See the water color print in the photo below? I’ve loved it for years and it has usually hung above our fireplace mantel. It’s by an artist named Cheng-Khee Chee, and it’s a winter scene of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, MN, our capital. Click here to see a lovely photo of the cathedral.

The domed roof of this beautiful cathedral is copper, and over the decades has turned a beautiful turquoise. So our Chee print speaks to our turquoisey/pale aqua walls. (That’s decorating lingo for “our Chee print matches the walls.”) Ha.

Don’t the kennels in the corner add a nice, homey touch?  🙂 Our schnauzers Edith and Mildred have always loved their kennels. Sometimes during the day they just curl up in their little “dens” of their own accord and take puppy naps. I’m not sure we’ll keep the kennels here, but for now, sleeping under the Chee works for them.

Someday soon I’ll post photos of our master bathroom, which still feels like it belongs to someone else.

Tomorrow, the living room you see above will be filled with women. Ranging in ages from early forties to mid-sixties, almost a dozen of us will be gathering each Tuesday morning for the rest of the summer to study the book of James, and its author.

I feel such an expectancy about this study. I desperately need a fresh word and a fresh work in my life.

I look at our peaceful, robins’ egg blue living room and picture the dear women who will gather here this summer. Today I am praying for Deb, Carey, Lana, Kristi, Kay, Dawn, Su, Laurel, Fiona, Sharla, Sue and myself. I’m asking the Lord to change our lives for His good pleasure as we open His Word together these coming weeks.

Lord, this is the main gathering place in our new home, this delightful house you have provided for us. I ask your blessing on every person who ever sets foot in this room of robins’ egg blue. I ask that your peace and hope always abide in this room. I ask that your truth and love will be lived out in this room. I ask that mercy will triumph in this room.

With a very grateful, but very needy heart,

Comments

  1. Helen in Switzerland says:

    I love the blue….and I’ll be thinking of you in your lovely room studying James!

  2. Just Julie says:

    Thank you for always stopping by, Helen!

  3. Kay says:

    Julie,
    I am nearly giddy with anticipation for this year’s summer study…Thank you for again opening up your home and heart to us.
    see you tomorrow morning, my friend.
    XO

  4. Just Julie says:

    I’m so glad someone else is looking forward to this as much as I am, Kay! See you tomorrow… xxoo

  5. Sharon says:

    Well. firstly, your living room is not turquoise. It is a light blue with some robin’s egg tendencies. But it does not have enough green to be turquoise, which actually works in your favor. If it had more green, it wouldn’t look as nice with your traditional blue and red chairs.

    Secondly, I really like the walls and the bright, airy room with your more substantial furniture. I think it breathes a new perspective into the furniture, and makes it feel slightly more modern traditional instead of just traditional traditional.

    I know most of the colors in the house are not your first choice, but they are very nice, not garish, tastefully chosen, and I think it’s good that you’re living with them before making any changes. 🙂

  6. Just Julie says:

    I can always get a good perspective on color from you, Sharon! Thank you. I love everything you said and agree. 🙂 xxoo

  7. Ember says:

    So glad you’re having your Bible study after all the upheaval of moving and then the alarming destruction of the floods. May it bring a sense of reassurance and continuity; good fellowship and peace in the heart xxx

  8. Just Julie says:

    Yes, thank you Ember. But now you’ve got me thinking about a whole different setting after reading your blog today…. 😉

  9. Roberta says:

    Julie, My thought, even before reading about the group Bible study, was how your living room is amazingly filled with light and peace. What a perfect setting to enter into the Word. My sincere wishes and expectation is that you and all who join with you will be filled with God’s truth to be manifested in your lives.

  10. Just Julie says:

    You have spoken a beautiful prayer in your comment, Roberta! I want the same thing…thank you so much. I’ll be in touch soon….xxoo

  11. Larry says:

    Colors have always been your thing and I truly agree with your daughter, and who knows colors better or even the same as you do other than your own daugthers, and you can notice I said plural. They all have that gift of color.

    I see only the blue that she speaks of and I think that the CAGES)in the corner are perfect (better than before)as it gives the critters more light and a much better view outside. The view you can expand on some time in the future with photos over a different time frame showing the different lights that He has now blessed you and Michael with. I would love to see also those 🙂

    SIS it is time you slow down and not only look at the flowers but also smell them. That also means that some things do not always have to be exactly they way you have had in the past, you are in a new space, in a new time frame of your life, and a new outlook is beginning to come over you. Take a slow look around you including the new view of peace out over the “water” it is from where you came and it was the first step to the second portion of your life in Him. As time passes you will see a different peace come over you, than what you have ever had in the past few years.

    When you look forward, there is a peace knowing Him that comes over you no matter what is before you. He is blessing you now with a new peace of what is around you and what he puts before you. As you look out at that lake think about what He has done from a boat, and how the shores of different lands were used for His purpose. There will always be peace with the waters, even though you have been flooded lately, it is a washing of His power, and a reminder that He is still in control no matter where we live. Blessings sis, till we meet again 🙂

    Blessings

  12. Just Julie says:

    Thank you for your words of blessing, dear Lar…. xxoo

  13. Shari C. says:

    Pretty colors you have there, Julie! I never thought of myself as a “blue-color lover” either…but funny how over the past six years I have added a lot of light blue and light aqua (one of my favorite colors now) to our new home. Then I was reading somewhere about the sensory reactions that colors have on the brain and blue is supposed to be relaxing 🙂
    So hope you find your new rooms relaxing and filled with love, Julie!

  14. Just Julie says:

    Thank you so much Shari….I have read that about colors too. I wonder why I love red so much? 🙂

  15. Ganeida says:

    Colour scheme works just fine for me. I love the light airy feel of these rooms ~ & water views are always a plus, especially if they belong there & haven’t just suddenly *arrived* uninvited! ?

  16. Just Julie says:

    Isn’t that the truth, Ganeida! Yes, water in its own place, that’s the best way. Your views on your island must be amazing. xxoo

  17. Kay in UK says:

    I LOVE blue – it’s my favourite colour!! I like the Swedish style of having a mainly white room with red and blue accents. But Alan would HATE it! 😉 So, we compromise with a cream room with red accents. (However, I might sneak in a little, itsy-bitsy, smattering of blue somewhere!).
    And I love the fact that Edith and Mildreds’s kennels are included in the family’s room. Mario, our cat, has his cat-box in a corner of our garden room. The vet recommended it so that whenever he needs to be taken to the vet’s surgery, Mario will have a familiar, comforting environment in which to travel.
    I still think you should go for the toile in your study though. xxoo

  18. Just Julie says:

    I also love blue and white with red accents, Kay. And a cream room with red accents sounds lovely. I am more and more drawn to red as I get older – a deep cardinal red – not a bright lipstick red. Yes, Edith and Mildred need to be close to us at all times – they’re Schnauzers With Insecurity Issues – so even the kennels are where they can feel close to us. 😉 I am going to do the red toile in my office, Kay. I found out that the walls have to be painted first though (bleh) because if I don’t, the dark paint and the polka dots will show through the white part of the toile. Do you or Alan do any painting? 🙂 God bless your day….

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