Where the Heart Is

I've heard all of the sayings--home is where your mom is, home is where your husband is, etc., etc., but I believe the oldest saying rings true- home is where your heart is.  In that sense, I have many different homes, but just one actual house.  My husband and I decided a few weeks ago to purchase a new house and sell our current one.  We sold our current house in one day, to the first person that looked at it, without it even being on the market or having a for sale sign in the yard.  What can I say, I learned from the best real estate agent (my dad).  We are excited about the new house but are starting to get sentimental about leaving and having a limited number of days left in the current house.  This house is special to us, as it is the first house we lived in together and the only home that Monaco has ever known.  I took pictures of every room so I could capture everything as it is now before we start packing, and now I'm deciding what to donate, sell, or keep to take to the new house.  Looking around, I realized that my favorite things in this house are not the newest or most expensive things, but the ones that have the most meaning.  I love pieces that are old and have a story behind it, or that once belonged to a loved one.

My husband's grandmother was an amazing artist, among many other talents.  She gave us this painting a few years ago.  Several other family members have similar versions of this painting or another painting by her of some sort.

This frame holds pictures of our nieces and nephew.  It was a gift from them, and I love that it captured each of their different personalities and cuteness.  Our new house is just down the street from them, and we hope they will be frequent visitors.

I got the bookshelf below second-hand at a neat store in BG called Steamboat Salvage.  I kinda just put some picture frames and wedding gifts in here but in the new house I will spruce it up a bit.

These curtains don't have a story at all, they are totally from Pier1, but I just love them and will definitely find a place for them in the new house.  There's greens, blues, yellows, and reds in here so it should be easy to match a room with.  

The three prints below are impressive for two reasons- one, they were sent to my husband's grandmother from India during World War II, and two, look how straight my husband hung them.  Pretty amazing.
Yeah, for some reason I have an elephant theme going in this house, as you can see with this little guy hanging out in the kitchen.  Oh, and there's a lovely dog crate that hasn't been used in at least 3 years.

This mirror hanging in the foyer also belonged to my husband's grandmother. 

This piece belonged to my beloved grandmother.  It was in her foyer with a mirror hung on the wall above it, but I use it as a nightstand in my guest room.  One of the legs is barely hanging on, but I'll keep it forever because it reminds me of her.

 What are some 'things' in your house that you could never part with?