Flora's Crowning Beauty

Our home is a little old cottage. There's a lot about our house that we have changed, and a lot that we have kept. But the thing that sold me on our sweet bungalow, was this mantle. I knew from the moment I walked in the very first time, that even if I changed everything else in the house, this would always be my favorite spot in the house. It is the very first thing you see when you walk through the door, like a familiar smile welcoming you in.

From season to season, this mantle changes very little. Maybe some different foliage, or an additional candle every now and then, but for the most part, she stays set. In fall, she warms us with her candlelit glow, and in the spring she welcomes us with new buds starting to bloom.

I've always wondered about what our house's name was. In the past I've toyed around with Ethel, or Ella, or Myrtle...I knew it needed to be a name that sounded like a little old lady who had beauty beyond her years, and wisdom from her age. However, I never settled on anything. That is, until just the other day.

I happened to meet a man who grew up right across the street from my house. He told me all about the sweet lady who lived here, raised her children here, and even held a neighborhood Bible study for all the neighborhood children (fitting, don't you think?). Where do you suppose she had her Bible study? Yes, just to the right of that very mantle. In that moment, I realized that "Flora's" crowning beauty would always be that very spot.

Now go and get all warm and cozy visiting Emily's glimpses of home tour. It's a sure fire way to make you fall in love with home all over again.