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You Anchor Me Back Down

by | Feb 21, 2011 | Decorating Inspiration

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You Anchor Me Back Down

You Anchor Me Back Down

You Anchor Me Back Down

You Anchor Me Back Down

You Anchor Me Back Down

You Anchor Me Back Down

My house isn’t really my house at all. It is our home. Woven together with a little bit of him, a little bit of me. A little masculine, a little feminine. It is US.

Like my dreamy ride on the Orient Express, we have always loved ambience, travel, and imagined a life of adventure. While most of our days are lived within our own four walls, we keep our life feeling adventurous and romantic by holding our dreams and good memories captive all around us.

Our “dream life” is anchored securely right here in our home with a little bit of him, a little bit of me and 25 years of adventure together.

Does your home reflect the life of your dreams?

49 Comments

  1. Estela

    I love Mindy Gledhill!

    Our home definitely reflects both of our personalities. I like it that way. Like you said, it make it “ours” :)

    Reply
  2. FairfieldHouse

    The very reason why one should not follow trends. Surround yourself by what matters most to you (and your husband) — memories made, dreams not yet realized, each others interests — rather than what Pottery Barn has staged in this season’s catalog!

    Your Friend,
    Deborah

    Reply
    • Melissa

      So true Deborah! ;-)

      Reply
  3. Emily

    I love this, Melissa!!

    This how “home” should be.

    xo

    Reply
  4. kasey

    you know how i love that song…it’s the one i used on my library photo shoot;-)
    love the post also.

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Yes ma’am it is an amazing song!!

      Reply
  5. Deb Martell

    Your style inspires me to keep working on my home…to make it completely ours :)

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Thanks Deb, I’m glad it helps!!

      Reply
  6. Marixa

    Well put! Life should be an adventure together!
    Thanks for sharing your home with us!

    Reply
  7. Imperfect

    Beautiful, Melissa. Simply beautiful. Hubby and I are in the proccess of working toward a home that is a little of him and a little of me. Creating a space that reflects our life and dreams is a perfect goal.

    Reply
  8. Lisa

    Melissa, I love this post! Its easy to forget that the space you decorate should reflect everyone who lives there – I’ve been trying to incorporate elements my husband wants into our house because after all it’s his home too!

    So wonderful that you and your hubby have spent 25 years together. How blessed you are!

    Reply
  9. Coastal Femme

    Melissa,

    Loved this post.I sometimes get truly carried away with decorating a home my way, but its not just my home,it’s my husbands too…..beautiful song and video!

    Reply
  10. Vee

    “Ours” is much better than “mine.” It does not happen on its own. How happy my darling was when I made a convenient place for his boots and his books and his clothes and his treasures. I use a lot of his old tools in my decorating, which we both enjoy.

    Reply
  11. martha

    Yes! You truly inspire me. Please write a book, make a movie, start your own magazine! I will be president of your fan club.

    Meanwhile, I am SMITTEN with the fabric from the pillow on the left. Please, please, do you know its name or source?

    Thank you for understanding.

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Ha, well thank you. The fabric, hmmm….you know, it is one I fell in love with YEARS ago. Let me think on that and see if I can remember!!

      Reply
  12. Barbara (WA)

    And I a smitten with the silvery table lamp shown today with the birds. Every time it shows up in the photos I search online for something like it…

    Reply
  13. Barbara (WA)

    And I am smitten with the silvery table lamp shown today with the birds. Every time it shows up in the photos I search online for something like it…

    Reply
    • Melissa

      I’m sure that was a HomeGoods lamps, from many years ago! I love it too, it is a nice classic lamp.

      Reply
      • Barbara (WA)

        I figured as much… :o)

        Reply
  14. Karen

    Melissa,
    You so inspire me! I loved the Mindy Gledhill video…what a lovely song and lyrics.
    Happy President’s Day,
    Karen

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Thanks Karen!

      Reply
  15. Laurie

    Our home is what I would describe as cottage/mission, as I like the cottage look and my husband likes the mission look. We have a few mission oak pieces of furniture blended with a camelback sofa and floral pillows. We have a simple blend of feminine and masculine in most of our rooms, with the exception of the upstairs bath, which is mostly mine and decorated with my tastes. We’ve been married for 35 years, so yes, it is about US!

    Reply
    • Melissa

      :-) I think those of us who have been together with our spouse for awhile completely understand this might be one of the secrets to a long marriage ;-)…

      Reply
  16. Puna

    This makes me want to rearrange today . . .

    Reply
  17. Lisa

    I’d heard of Mindy Gledhill, but never heard her- and I live in Utah! That was a sweet song- loved it. I often feel like I’m a kite and my husband is holding the string! He’s GRounded- I’m free-floating. If he let go I’d go off in a crazy spin, caught by ferocious winds and then crash!
    As reassured as I feel with his strength, sometimes I’d like him to have the fun of flying!!

    Reply
    • Melissa

      It is nice to have someone to pull you a bit, stretch you a bit and vice versa! I know I’ve grown because of my husband and he has because of me!

      Reply
  18. SimplyLKJ

    Great post! I have always been one to go with what we like and love to live in. While I do admire some trends and use a few pieces. We stick with what we truly love regardless of if it is “in” or not.

    Reply
  19. Jasmine

    I love the globe and books! I agree with FairfieldHouse, one should always be comfortable in their surroundings. And I have never been one to get the latest and greatest as suggested by News Week, US Weekly or whomever. I love giant frames for holding many photos. I love how he has his corner for his “stuff” and I have mine, but we share the rest of the house for adventures we’ve shared together! Only because the stuffed/mounted bluegill is not my idea of a centerpiece.

    Reply
  20. shari

    Our home is definitely a combo of feminine and masculine. In fact I purposely try to decorate in stipes, solids, non-florals so the Hubby doesn’t feel over-femmed!! Still he does appreciate our garden and thus there are live flowers all over the house!

    Having a hard time finding this Mindy Gledhill CD near me. Will just have to bite the bullet and order on-line! Thanks for the reminder… love this video!

    Reply
  21. Marilyn Holeman

    Hi Melissa,

    I wasn’t a follower back when you rode the Orient Express, so I enjoyed that post as well today. We had the blessing of being sent to Europe for my husband’s job way back in 1990. We were there for 4 months, and rode LOTS of trains, but not the Orient Express. I did buy him the book for his birthday while we were there. :-)

    Congratulations on your 25 years together. We are coming up on 30 this year, and our home is definitely a blend of us and our children. Thanks for yet another thoughtful post.

    Blessings,
    Marilyn

    Reply
  22. Cori

    That is beautifully written! And your images are gorgeous too. You have perfectly defined the word “home.”

    Reply
  23. Annie

    The whimsy comes from me, the structure comes from him and the unity comes from our desire to be in a home not a house. By the way the toys come from the short people in the house.

    Reply
  24. Dana

    As 40-something newlyweds we’re blending our homes and choosing the items that most move our hearts.

    Whether it’s a day trip or vacation, we get out with our son to camp and do the things that memories are made of. So, our home is quickly turning into a place decorated for all of us. We can rest. And linger. Until, we’re off again.

    Thank you for your inspiration.
    And, for that video.

    Reply
  25. gitz

    my condo is a hodge podge of hand-me-downs that all thankfully find a way of matching. :) but i love looking around and seeing remnants of people i love and feeling like they are with me even when i’m here alone. there is something grounding in that, i think.

    Reply
  26. Glenda Childers

    Yes, our home refects our travels,our passions, our desire to live a cozy simple life. It took me awhile (I have been married 33 years.) to learn how to also include my husband in the feel of our home.

    Fondly,
    Glenda

    Reply
  27. Heidi Milton

    Ours continues to evolve and I love it– we’re a blended family, married almost 5 years with 5 kids (ages 24-12) between us. A crazy life, a mish mash of things in our home, but somehow over the past few years, it’s evolving into US. Fabulous. :)

    Reply
  28. Connie

    Your have a beautiful home and it seems to represent such beautiful heart within… Congrats on 25 years! May the blessings continue to flow.

    Reply
  29. Barbara

    Beautiful post Melissa – I loved the little glimpses of your life together. I almost didn’t listen to the Mindy Gledhill song, so glad I decided to click on the play button. I loved the song after the first few notes and immediately went to iTunes and purchased it. Smiling now as I listen to it…

    Reply
    • Melissa

      So glad you did, it is a lovely song isn’t it?

      Reply
  30. Mary Beth

    I had some downtime tonight so spent it here…looking at posts I had missed, clicking on ads, breathing in the inspiration and enjoying it thoroughly! Thanks, Melissa.

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Thank you, that was so sweet. So happy to see you here!

      Reply
    • Polly

      p.s.- love the globe, I found one just like it last week at TJ MAxx, the kids have had such fun hunting down their favorite got-to-go places
      Blessings

      Reply
  31. Françoise

    Hello Melissa, remember me? I am completely with you on filling your spaces with art that has personal meaning for you. I am lucky that my family claims artists of the past and of the future. This year I even hung some of my own efforts where visitors can actually see it.
    I love that you continue to post decor ideas that are both lovely and affordable. I am off to Goodwill to choose more frames to spray paint!

    Reply
  32. teresa

    I love that song-
    Our home I think is a lot like us….a little old, lots of memories from the past, sometimes it doesn’t make much since how it’s put together but thats ok. and I paint it just about as much as I have to color my hair =) {I love gray but not on my head}
    Thanks for another beautiful post.
    Happy Day

    Reply
  33. Dawn Camp

    I have never heard of this song or artist, but I’m completely enchanted with both. :-)

    Reply
  34. Crystal

    I love Mindy Gledhill! She is beautiful inside and out. Her friend Stephanie was in a tragic plane crash with near-fatal burns and Mindy performed/organized a LOT of benefits for her. Go read Stephanie’s blog, if you haven’t already! Very inspiring :)

    nieniedialogues.com

    xo!

    Reply
  35. Debi

    So sweet – so true. Reading TIR always makes me wana go ‘home’. Thank you.

    Reply
  36. Susan

    Thanks for sharing – even though my husband and I have only been in this house for 18 months, we’ve been married for almost 23 years, and almost every room in our house reflects “us”; we each have our own rooms – 2 home offices that are decorated entirely as we have chosen – mine is all pink with white furniture, and his is leather and black furniture. :)

    Reply

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