it's not nice to stare...

But, I can't help it! I am house obsessed. Always have been.

I have fond memories of being a child...and peeking in peoples windows.

No... its not what you are thinking.

Living out in the country it was a long drive to anywhere...so I had a lot of staring-out-the-window-time. I vividly remember driving home from church on Saturday nights...we had to pass through 3 small towns before we made it to our farm. I would be in awe staring through the windows of the houses where the drapes were open and the lights were on.

Is that weird?? Probably...but it was nuturing my early love of decor and architecture. I didn't want to spy on the people...just see their house. My favorites were always the big old houses with staircases. They always look pretty through a front window.

If you have been reading my blog the last few weeks, you know my mom had surgery...and it didn't go as well as planned. Anyhoo...she is getting better day by day...but is recovering at a "rehab center." I don't particularly love it there...and she spends a lot of time sleeping or at physical therapy...so I spend a lot of time staring out the window. But with eye candy like this...who can blame me??

This is the house across the street from her room...I have to see it every time I visit.
And it is painful.
Because I want to buy it and live there!

Can a person be in love with an portico? If so...I am.
I want to walk through this entry every.single.day.

Oh, and I have to interrupt house photos with my faaaaavorite part. This would be where I have my office-slash-furniture painting studio. It has an authentic carriage house. And this one is H-U-G-E! I swear, my whole house could fit in this building.

I confess...I used to live in an old house...and I loved calling my old wood garage a carriage house. It was not...but I like to call it that because it sounded cool. A true carriage house is big...and tall. See the hay door up top? Love it. The two huge glass windows on the bottom right would be where the horses and carriages were kept. Too bad they didn't keep the sliding doors that would have been there. I have a love affair with old sliding barn doors, too.

I about died when I saw it had not just one...but TWO sleeping porches. I love the idea of sleeping on a covered porch in the summer months. They have built these in to make it more practial for the Iowa weather...but now they are so much less romantic!

Ahhh...so pretty. I can't wait to go back Sunday. You should see the old beauty next door to this one!

Am I alone in this....or does anyone else covet old houses?
And dream about old architecture?
Do you take random pictures of stranger's houses?

Seriously, am I the only one that will admit I look in people's windows at night!?