Where Bloggers Live 04.2021: Like Home

Hello dollies…thanks for joining me for this month’s Where Bloggers Live 04.2021: Like Home. Today, the ladies and I are talking about other places we’ve stayed in our life that feel like home.

In case we’ve just met, an explanation about this series. Where Bloggers Live is kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…with bloggers! Each month I am always happy to see that my Where Bloggers Live posts are among my most popular. Probably because we are all a little curious about other people’s homes and lives. You can read my last Where Bloggers Live post, here, where we talked about our DIY endeavors. For February’s post, we provided a look at our entry way, the area where visitors get a first impression of our home. Then the theme of January’s installment was sharing where we get our inspiration for different aspects of our life. Glad you have stopped by today.

Just a reminder: Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After occasionally uses affiliate links. This means that if you click or make a purchase from a link provided I may receive a very small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.

Where Bloggers Live 04.2021

 

My first inclination was to share photos of the guest rooms in my daughters’ homes in Ft. Worth and here in El Paso where I stay when visiting them. Of course, I no longer stay overnight with Lauren as we live in the same city now.

• Brennyn has 2 guest rooms, one I have taken for my own!!
• My sister has a guest bedroom that I call ‘my room’ at her house in Spring, Texas. Before Covid, I would visit Valerie most springs on the way to or home from the Texas Library Association annual conference we would attend together.
• And then there are the bedrooms of my niece and nephew at my brother’s house in Lexington. Kevin is always very kind to open his home and to loan us his car when we are in town visiting him and our mother.

All very comfortable accommodations. When I visit my daughters, they have always been so cute to have a basket of toiletries available for my use. Deodorant, a razor, tooth paste and a toothbrush to replace the one that inevitably gets forgotten in the packing for my trip. I use it then rather than putting it in my toiletry bag, I return it to my toothbrush holder like I do every other morning when I’m not packing for a trip. My sister always has a new tee shirt with matching earrings and a bottle of Moscato for me when I visit. Kevin makes sure to stock up on groceries and snacks and adjusts the thermostat so the house will be more comfortable then it would be if it were just he.

Sounds good, huh? I don’t have any pictures to share but each of those spaces is attractive and comfortable and feels somewhat like home. So I could wrap up this post right here. Short and sweet. But that wouldn’t be me!!

Like Home

 

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When I was an Army wife in another lifetime years ago, I used to make and giveaway little cross stitch pictures to other wives that read, “Home is Where the Army Sends Us.” And for about 9 years of my life, I stood by that expression.

But after 8 moves in that number of years, I was done. Done with moving. And done being an Army wife ( but not because of the moves!!).

We lived in what was considered substandard apartments in 3 of our 4 military housing assignments. The rest of the time on-post housing wasn’t available to us and we were living on the economy. Which was pretty tough on a wage (military paycheck) that was so low we - a family of 4 - qualified for food stamps and welfare.

At this time of my life - the late 1980s - my motto switched to…

Home is Where the Heart Is

 

Not to be confused with one of Oprah’s first book club books Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts. Great book (and movie), BTW. IMO. LMNOP.

When the girls’ father and I separated, I moved my daughters from on-post housing into a very substandard apartment. Complete with aqua blue metal cabinets and green shag carpet. But we were happier. And home was where our hearts were. Specifically the Cielo Vista apartments.

Two More Homes

 

Since my divorce in 1989, I have bought and lived in 2 homes. My little house was our home for over 15 years. Most of my daughters’ childhoods. When they were both young adults, I married PC. We sold our separate little houses and bought a home together. And that’s where I plan to stay for as long as I can get up and down the stairs to our bedroom!!

Once Upon A Time & Happily Ever After

 

My blog has been a home of sorts. Until recently, anyway. Was sort of evicted from my own space during a six-week long theme update that has gone all wrong. Just now able to access my dashboard to write a post.

Have been praying about whether or not to continue blogging. Asked God to guide me in this decision. So when my Internet kept going out, my laptop monitor began blinking with each keystroke, my battery refused to hold a charge and my theme update was such a mess, it seemed like God was sending me a definite message. Hoping to return to my blogging roots and will share more about what that looks like soon. I hope.

Home

 

In writing this post, I have come to the realization that home isn’t always a building or structure. It is also a feeling. Which explains how I can call the house where I live home but also say I am going home when I travel to Lexington to see my mom. I have never lived in Lexington - unless you count my many trips over the past 10 years as living there. But being with my mom (and dad when he was still living) constituted being home. I have that same feeling being with my daughters and their families. And most of all, being with my Prince C. He is my home.

Home is where you make it.

And we should try to grow where we are planted.

Coincidentally, after I published this post, we were watching the movie “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” and this song came on. Had to come back and add embed it in this post.

Ooops

 

Have lost all of the posts written and published since the theme update began. UGH. Including my 10 on the 10th post where I shared the questions for this month’s theme…money. So, here they are again. Along with the optional graphic. Just in case someone out there might still be interested in joining me for that link up on Saturday.

10 on the 10th 04.2021

 

• What was your first job? How old were you when you started working?
• Tell us about the best job you’ve ever had. And the worst.
• Are you a saver or a spender? What about your significant other?
• Have you ever played the stock market? Do you play the lottery? Ever gambled? Ever won big?
• What is your favorite way to splurge? What do you dislike spending money on most?
• How do you save money? Do you save change? Christmas Club or vacation accounts? Time-share?
• Who pays the bills? Who does the taxes? Do you file early or last minute?
• Name brands or generic groceries? Favorite stores to shop? Have you used grocery pick up? Delivery? Coupons?
• Do you shop thrift stores and yard sales? Ever used Poshmark or eBay?
• Is there anything you collect or save thinking it might be valuable some day?

Your Turn

 

Going to wind this up. Don’t want to press my luck with this first post on the new theme. Just hoping it publishes and makes some sort of sense. Hope you will run by to visit the blogs of my comadres for their Where Bloggers Live 04.2021 post. And to check out the places that are just like home for them.

 

 

Bettye at Fashion Schlub
Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Em at Dust and Doghair
Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Leslie at Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After

 

Thank you so much for putting up with my blogging shenanigans. It has been exhausting and stressful. And as Jodie reminded me last night…blogging is supposed to be FUN.

Hugs and kisses,