Spring in the South is just beautiful and I arrived home just in time for the flower show of azaleas and dogwoods in April.
This beautiful pink dogwood always puts on a show outside my parent’s house, along with the hot pink azaleas, a staple in most Southern yards. My parent’s house was built in 1973 and just like they are, it’s simple and unpretentious.  We lived next door to this house for about 10 years previously in a brick rancher. My dad built both homes and we’ve lived on this street since the mid-60’s. Home sweet home.
A cute young newlywed couple bought the brick rancher next door over a year ago and are fixing it up SO adorable. I’m planning to do a blog post on that house that I grew up in and show you the Before and Afters. But, that will have to wait until Fall, since they are still doing some work on it. 
I love this pink dogwood and the beautiful show it puts on every year about this time. 
Welcoming Spring and just in time for Easter. 
These hot pink azaleas are always abundantly pretty too and this year they were loaded with fluffy magenta blooms. 
So pretty!
Come on in and I’ll show you the room I call home now. I moved in this room for the first time when I was 16 and it’s been through a few changes over the years. The last time I lived at home was when I was saving to build my own house back in the early 80’s. I lived at home for a few years until I could afford to build and then I moved in that house at 28. I try not to dwell on the loss of having a home of my own now. I have to look forward and not back.
My niece Lauren used to have this room, since she had a room at her house and her Nana’s house when she was growing up. She made herself at home and had it decorated with lots of animal prints and stuffed wild animals. My mom got a little misty-eyed, I think, when the room had to be cleaned out so I could move in here, but she made it through the changes. Now that Lauren is a married woman, it wasn’t as hard to let this room go. Lauren gets her pack rat tendencies from my dad and we all three have a little hoarder in us. 🙂  
You can see I did manage to squeeze my big king sized sleigh bed in here. I wasn’t sure how much I could fit in this small space, but I did get everything in here that I had hoped. You can see the bed looks sparse. All my fancy pillows were packed in a box somewhere in that storage house and I did dig out a few of them after I took this pic. This room will not be a showplace, but it’s comfy. 
My jewelry armoire fits fine on that little wall and I even got my chair and ottoman in. 
Back to a standard small closet, I did get all my clothes in except for some sweaters that got packed away in plastic bins. Between me and my mom, we have a lot to fill up all these rooms. They have 3 small bedrooms upstairs and the master bedroom is down. One of her rooms is a sewing room and one a guestroom. They are all filled to the max.  But, we are all adjusting to the move. I just have to be deliberate about picking things up to keep this room straight. The closet still needs some work. 
I was very happy to be able to fit my vanity in here, since I use it every day. Shield your eyes from the mauve carpet. I’m afraid it’s not going anywhere. 
You can see the cornices from my old blue bathroom fit the windows in here too. With my TV and fan, I’m set now. 
This border HAS got to go! Left over from the animal print days, it will be ripped down sooner rather than later. 
Now the bathroom is in dire need of an update. Stuck in the 70’s, this wallpaper was put up sometime in the 80’s I think and it’s time for a redo. My mom is cool with that and ready to rip down the wallpaper in both bathrooms, so that is on the to-do list soon, as well as ripping up the mauve carpet in here. The entire upper level has this carpet and even though I’d love to see it all go, at least I can take it out of the bathroom. There are some great alternatives out there now for flooring, so I’ll be looking at some of them and deciding what to put down over the plywood that is underneath. Tile or laminate, or something, I’ll be DIYing this. Of course, I’ll share it all with you!
I really don’t mind the aqua laminate counter top. I can work with it. I think I’m going to do some beadboard wallpaper in here and in the tub room too. 
Here’s the original tub with avocado green tiles, which I don’t mind either. I can definitely work with this color. If you wait long enough, a color will come back around again. This is my clothes drying space too.
The tiles are a nice shade of green and will work fine for what I want to do. I’ll update in here and make it look so much more up to date and of course, I’ll share it all along the way. Time to get this space out of the 70’s and into the 21st century. 🙂
So, that’s a tour of my new digs. I’m really enjoying being back with my family after a chaotic few months. I’m so grateful for my parents and the opportunity to be here with them. The house is 2 levels and they are downstairs and I’m upstairs, so that works out great for all of us.
It will be fun to do some updates for them too. This might not be what I had planned, but I’m learning to be content with where I am.
Your new digs look very comfortable, even if you’ve had to do a bit of creative placement! : )
I can’t wait to see how you redo everything!
I can only imagine how tough it must be to move back in to your parents’ home. You are putting on a very brave face. I think these projects will be so helpful in moving forward; something to focus all your fabulous creative energy on! Great luck sweet Rhoda.
I love your attitude about things, and love the landscape/flower photos. This is one area I would love to see you blog about too, as my husband and I have moved into a home but don’t have the funds to hire a landscaper so we are going to try and DIY. I can’t wait to see your renovations, as I am always looking for DIY ways to update homes too.
I’m so excited for your new digs! I love the green tile in the tub area! I have no doubt you will do something fabulous!!!! I can’t wait to see it!
Echoing Helen, who I think used the adjectives: grace and dignity. I think there’s a dash of humor in there too, that is helping you get along. The flowering plants were spactacular, quite the spring we are having, for us way up north it must have been due to all that snow we had, lol. Looking forward to the decorating update posts.
Hi Rhoda…i have read your blog for over 2 years. i get so much inspiration from you. i love your positive vibe. i also have magenta azalea here in NC. they are gorgeous. i’m sure your bathroom will be very nice.
You ‘think’ you’ll use beadboard wallpaper? I’d be willing to put money on that, lol. No one doehs it better than you!
Can’t wait to see what you do with your new home!
You can’t beat a home with a mature landscaping. Your parents’ dogwoods and azaleas are stunning! I love your vanity and don’t remember it from your old home. I like that you are still using your old make-up mirror! I still have mine, but I haven’t used it in a while. Wonder if they still sell them? I look forward to seeing how you update your bathroom!
I’m sitting in our home built in 1964 (we think) and checking for similarities in our two homes and how you re-create these ’60 rooms since I don’t have a drop of creativity in my bones and I love how you have some kind of magical touch.
In my family you are what we cal a “trooper.” There must be wonderful blessings ahead for you having gone through these recent heartaches and how you are embracing the changes. We’re rooting for you!
I love your positive attitude. God has blessed you having both parents in your life. Everything will work itself out and we just have to believe, which you have.
Gorgeous flowering shrubs and both are my favorites.
Rhoda, I gasped out loud when I got to the bathroom pics on your “tour”! My bathroom has the very same tile, color and all, only my entire 7 x 9 bathroom is wrapped in them! Floor, shower, and up to 5′ of each wall! The remaining walls were a ghastly floral wallpaper which I ripped off immediately. Over the past dozen years, I’ve changed the wall/ceiling color 3 times. I finally made the room monochromatic, which looks the best. I painted the walls a lighter shade of the tile, and found a gorgeous avocado linen toile on eBay that I used to make a shade & shower curtain. An antique mirror, bird print, and vintage drawings in sepia tones framed in bamboo, and I am finally pleased with it. What I finally learned that fighting the color just makes it more obvious.
Your attitude is a great one, and a fine example of making lemonade when life gives you lemons! Keep up the fine work. You’re doing good, kid!
The dogwoods and azaleas are gorgeous!
Did you know there is a product you can put over old laminate countertops that looks like granite? I ran across it on Lowe’s facebook page. It doesn’t look too difficult. rustoleumtransformations.com
Hi Rhoda-
So glad to see you are all settled in.It must be a great feeling after being in limbo the last few months. It is a positive sign that you are now looking to place your own stamp on your new digs. I know it is going to look fabulous.
My best- Diane
Ever think the changes were meant to be?
When my marriage dissolved, if my mom had still had the big ‘ol farmhouse, I would have moved in with her in a red hot flash. I didn’t even WANT to be alone. But I had to. It all worked out for the best but I have to wonder if this move has so many more benefits for you than you even may realize right now.
I love the idea of you making your rooms your own. I look forward to it!
Donna
It’s funny how we can be in a moment and not realise how good it is for one reason or another until it has passed. We’re never sure how our paths will twist and turn but isn’t that the best bit otherwise I think life would be very boring indeed!
I fully expect to hear in future posts the amazing ways God has used your move back home.
Dear Rhoda,
1: I LOVE LOVE LOVE all those amazing blooms and that pretty home. You are blessed to have a family that loves you and to be surrounded by beauty (okay, maybe not the animal print border–and I LOVE animal print, just not *that* (HA!) kind of border anymore and I know you’re going to change it-!!) and I know you will use your fantastic gifts to make it even more beautiful.
2. Happy Mother’s Day. Like I said last year, you are too young to be my mom (I’m now in my 40s and my Mom is in her 70s/old enough to be your Mom) but you are one of my favorite Blog Mothers and you are that to so many of us and we are sooooooo grateful for you and your beauty and your talents.
3. I’ve been thinking more about your special Southern Hospitality Goes Pioneer Woman trip/blog series, BOOK DEAL. I know you thought I was kidding with that
🙂
I was……but I think it could be funny AND real if…..
4. You learned how to wrestle you a steer or at least wore a pair of chaps, but you could make them some LIME GREEN or BLACK AND WHITE TOILE TRIM!!! HA!!!!!
5. You could photograph one of the little calves in a before and after. In the after you could put a little aqua or red and white check scarf around his neck.
6. You could fix up a hen house with some bead board wallpaper
7……Oh, I’m just gettin’ goin’ w/ my crazy ideas……
I hope I made you smile!
Love,
Lana
Hi Rhoda,
My sister introduced me to your blog months ago, and I have gone back, read many entries, and fallen in love with your creativity, ideas, and your enthusiastic spirit. I have also been praying for you over the past few months.
When I read this entry, it was delightful, as are all of them, however, the last couple pictures REALLY caught my interest. We just finished a redo in our very tiny master bath, working around the identical avocado tile work in the shower!!! I was so thrilled to see your bathroom with those tiles, and your talk of a future redo there, because our hall bath also has the same tile!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am thrilled to know I can glean expertise from you, and look forward to your work, whenever it is! Maybe I will take an entirely different approach from our small bath redo, tho I love it.
Thank you for your transparency, and your willingness to share your eye for beauty with all of us. You are a blessing to me.
Sincerely, Lynne
I love that you’ve already put your stamp on the space and can’t wait to see what other changes you’ll make. And, by the way, you are SO right about the tile. That’s not a bad shade at all, in fact, I kinda like it! You’ll make it work!
Rhoda…those azaleas are magnificent! Along with the tree! Looks like you are all settled in….and now can begin some of your projects! I am sure that whatever you will do, we can share it with you. Hope you have a wonderful Mothers day with your family and we should plan a lunch soon to catch up.
Hi Rhoda
Happy to see you are getting settled in your for now home. I guess many of us have gone through some major upheavals in our lives, when things happen that were not in our plans. It takes time to mourn them, time to heal, but things do get better. Life is different than we expected it to be, but it can still be good. Enjoy the time with your parent’s and the safety of being in your old room. Looking forward to seeing how you redecorate your space.