When my sister Lori and I decided to sell our homes and purchase a new house together we had to say goodbye to some of our excess belongings. However, sending certain pieces of furniture and knick knacks to new homes was not an option. Lori had furnished her spare bedroom in Utah with our mother’s bed and two dressers along with other keepsakes which she isn’t yet ready to part with. Our new guest bedroom is now called Grandma Corinne’s Room. 

When the movers brought our mom’s chair inside we were debating where to put it.  In the shuffle the chair landed in our upstairs hallway which happened to be the perfect spot for it. On our party days I’ve often found our teenagers (who are too old for the toy room and bored by adult prattle) lounging in the chair reading their books or their tablets. This makes my heart happy!

As we began hanging our photos this last winter we contemplated what to put above mom’s chair. Lori had a large photo that she was ready to discard but we decided to keep the frame and make a family tree collage.  We had so much fun placing the puzzle pieces of our favorite memories into the tree template. It was impossible to decide which photos to use as we created our design using Photoshop Elements. The last photo we slipped into the tree was a snapshot of some of mom’s great grandchildren sitting in her chair. We printed the matt at Costco and are so happy with the results. Lori ordered an engraved plate for the frame which says Winike & Del Principe Family Tree and glued it on. Every time I come up the stairs this new space says Welcome Home in so many ways.