These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

When we moved here, we came with very little furniture. We couldn't justify the shipping cost on furniture that we had found in the alley/trash or was just plain worn out. In the end, we shipped a few dressers (four), two tables, and our new sofa and love seat. We did not ship beds or bookshelves. It was extremely nerve wracking to imagine coming to a foreign country that I had never even visited, with very little furniture, to a home I had never seen. So many times I tried to imagine our home and where I could put this and that. I wondered fretfully what to buy before we left the states. What would I be able to find in Korea?
The transition process of setting up phones/Internet, bank accounts, visas, and figuring out where to buy new appliances (like a crock pot, vacuum, and blow dryer) left our time for furniture shopping on the back burner. Jim was busy teaching his first term while most of our "stuff" sat in boxes and we slept on a hide-a-bed. Slowly, but surely we mustered our way through the urgent matters so that we could move onto the "finer" details of living. After a few weeks Jim and I ventured out and did some window shopping. It was extremely overwhelming and by and large unsuccessful. Then we found a cool town outside of Seoul and it turned out to be our "spot". The town's name is Ilsan. In Ilsan, I found a few of my favorite things. Isn't it interesting how we can "gravitate" to certain places. It's like Ilsan and our furniture were calling to us all along.

This is a picture of our front room. The windows are so big and bright. We found the rug or carpet in Ilsan. We looked through a whole pile of rugs and we were going to settle on one, then the salesman dug really deep and showed us this one. Immediately we loved it. We also found this rocker. It reminds me of the one my Great Grandpa Barber bought for my Great Grandma.

This is a picture of our bedroom. More bright, south-facing windows and one of my favorite things of all: the quilt my grandma and aunts made for our wedding. I have stored it for years because we had a king size bed, but now it fits on our queen. I call it my "comforter" because it reminds me of home and my dear grandma.

One of my greatest dilemmas was whether or not I would be able to find a "soft" mattress here in Korea. It turns out that Costco sales Sealy Pillow Top Queens. A lot of worry for nothing!




This is a picture of Gracie and Miri's bedroom. Compact. My favorite thing? The book shelf and desk. Lots of room for all of that girl garb. My rule is, if I can't see it, you can keep it. They really like the drawers. I try not to open them.














This is our front hallway. I love the grandfather clock. It was hidden in the corner of a shop in Ilsan. Jim spotted it. I had to have it.















My kitchen. The "oven" (my new best friend), small window and limited cupboard space. Oh, well. We've made some pretty nummy Cinnamon rolls in here.

I have to admit that my house never looks like this. Usually there are dishes in the sink and on the counters, books and homework on the tables (well, everywhere for that matter) and tons of laundry waiting to be folded on the couch. But, I've left all of that to your imagination. Clutter is not one of my favorite things.