My Childhood Home

This is my house. Well, not technically "my house". This is the house I grew up in. The house my Dad built.

It looked a little different when I lived there. I don't remember any shutters. And the siding was white (not blue). The front (top) of the house was a Tudor style (white stucco with brown wood accents.

The pic to the right shows what the front door looked like when I lived there. Can you see the white and the wood? 

Many times I would drive by "my" house when I was visiting from out of town {Seattle}. There's something about being able to drive to my childhood home that seems to call me back. 

Once, several years ago, my car was parked in front of the house for too long for the owner's comfort. I get that. I didn't mean to stare that long. The owner walked out down the driveway and asked: "Can I help you?" I didn't want to just drive off...that would be rude and maybe a little scary. So I simply said, "I grew up in this house."

I'll never forget how gracious this woman was. She said immediately, "Are you Kimberly?" This family is the one that bought the house from my Dad. They were the second all-time owners of this wonderful home. And because my Dad built the house, and a few neighbors still live on that road, this woman knew my name. 

She even invited me to see the inside of the house. It had been probably close to twenty years since I had been inside so I could not pass up this chance. 

Going into the house that had been mine was surreal. Some things were the same, for example, the storm door. But, most things looked completely different. Updated appliances, fixtures, paint and floor coverings made the house look fresh and current. It was inspirational to see that my "old" house was "new" again. 

That's my Dad {below}. This is what the kitchen looked like when I lived there. It had the modern Harvest Gold appliances with a yellow laminate counter. We would not have dreamed of white appliances when the house was built. That was "old school". We wanted modern. 

But now I see that white can be timeless. 

Above you can see my husband and mI in the eat-in portion of the kitchen. Notice the curtains? They had yellow/gold tones to go with the rest of the kitchen. The window was a window seat (boxed bay window). It was a very nice place to sit with morning coffee. 

The new owners converted the bay window to french doors leading out to a deck. When we lived there the only way out back was through the laundry/mud room. There was no deck. We spent our time on the driveway, which we sort of used as a patio.

It makes me happy to see that my home was taken care of. I have to believe it is loved.

You may want to check out the "Houzz Call" site to see others remember their childhood homes.

Houzz Call: Show Us the House You Grew Up In