Stepping through the east gate takes one to the front yard where a bunch of plants and flowers grow on woodchipped islands flaunting maple, cherry, evergreen, and pear trees, as well as roses and blueberry bushes. From the front yard, one can see the mailbox at the end of the driveway, one of my favorite things about a house. I love to look there for letters from my penpals.
Inside the house...
One steps through the front door of my house into a foyer which we simply call the front hall. It's a normal foyer with a coat tree, place for shoes to dry off when coming in from the snow or rain, a closet where old coats and warm things live, and a shelf unit with a place for Mom's plants to flourish under a grow-light.
If one turns left in the foyer, going through a door leads to the landing of the basement stairs and then the living room. The living room is carpeted with a beige shade and includes a fireplace and hearth, sofa, a rocking chair, a Lay-Z-Boy, a piano, a buffet, and a television.
The basement that was passed on the way into the living room serves only as a storage place. We store a LOT of things in the basement...!!!
After walking through the living room, one steps from the carpet onto the linoluem floor of the dining room. This room is furnished with an expandable dining table that is designed to fit our whole extended family if need be. In general, however, it only includes six matching chairs around it. A lamp from Mexico hanging from the vaulted ceiling lights the room. Large windows on the west and south provide light to a glass case of keepsakes as well as several plants and also allow for a great view of the forest behind the back yard or the birdfeeders in the side yard. The dining room also contains a glass door leading to the side patio.
If one were to continue through the foyer instead of turning, a second door would lead to the back hall, home of our coat closet and a bench to store mittens and hats when they are not in season. This hallway also acts as a connection between the kitchen and the sleeping and bathing quarters of the main floor.
The kitchen is directly in front of the foyer door, just kitty-corner of the garage door that enters into the back hall. We have seen a picture of a kitchen very similar to ours (though much cleaner) in a cleaning service flier. It contains the normal electronics of a kitchen: stove/oven, refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave. Many cupboards hold food and dishes. A built-in desk next to the pantry backs up to a bar counter that separates the kitchen from the dining room and acts as a perfect place for serving dishes buffet-style to large groups of guests. Above the sink of the kitchen is a window that gives a great view of the woods.
Turning right at the back foyer door, one is led to the bathroom and master bedroom. At one time, the bedroom served as a playroom, but as the children of the Helmus household grew, it was transformed to a bedroom for the parents. The bathroom near it houses a washer and dryer as well as an extra-large bathtub/shower and other normal bathroom fixtures.
Most of the time, activity in the house occurs in the living room. From the living room, one can ascend stairs to the second level of the house. Here are three bedrooms and a smaller bathroom. Also, in the upstairs hallway is the family computer. The hallway contains one bedroom and then the bathroom on the right side. A right-hand bend in the hall leads to a second bedroom on the left and the final at the end of the hall. All bedrooms have at least one closet, the last room having a walk-in. The last two rooms have windows looking out onto the backyard and woods, and the first room looks out over the front of the house.
All in all, my house is homey and comfortable. I love being in my home. No matter how many changes it faces, it will always feel like home to me.
