I’ll be the first to admit, I have a strange love/hate relationship with candles. I love the way some candles can leave a room smelling so sweet and fresh. You have to choose wisely though. Otherwise, your house ends up smelling like like a mix of smoke, citrus, and old lady floral perfume. I love the way candles seem to suggest a level of sophistication, but perhaps that notion comes from watching too many romantic comedies. Most of all, I love candlelight because, let’s face it, who doesn’t look good in candlelight?
In reality though, I haven’t actually burned a candle since…oh, around 2003 because, as much as I love the idea of candles, I really hate the thought of burning down my house, and me burning to death inside it. I mean, I don’t really consider myself an airhead, but I’ve been known to get distracted and forget about things…
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What’s that? Oh yeah, I was blogging.
In spite of my growing candle burning phobia (which, I will say, increased tenfold when my daughter was born), I still have a hard time getting rid of candles, especially candles that smell really good. Like the lemon lavender soy candle I’ve been holding onto (and not burning) for nearly 10 years. Or the Entenmann’s cake candle my mother-in-law gave me as a gift a couple years ago. Seriously, who can say no to a candle that smells like Entenmann’s cake?
So, I’ll keep holding onto those a little while longer, until I can either formulate a foolproof plan to burn them safely and without threat of igniting myself or my belongings, or until the yummy scent finally wears off. Either way, they will have served their purpose.
The candles I refuse to keep around, though, are these…
The former homeowners left behind a set of four of these iron candle sconces hanging in the dining room, and I can’t say that they have ever really been my thing. First of all, this is just a house fire waiting to happen. This isn’t some medieval stone castle people. In a house that has a perfectly good electrical system, there is no reason to go hanging torches on the wall and igniting them. No reason at all.
I understand some people like to use these types of things as decoration, but I would much rather adorn my walls with pictures and posters and shelves filled with items that mean something to me. So, after moving in and staring at these iron candle sconces for over two months now, it’s time for them to go.
And now that they are out of the way, we’ve already begun replacing them with things that, in my opinion, are a whole lot more interesting. Like this…
This old Roden family photo was taken in 1919, and I inherited it when my Grandma Luethje passed last year. I think it looks great hanging on the wall now that we have moved the old kitchen cupboard (also from Grandma Luethje’s estate) into the dining room as well.
We’re thinking we might put some of our fine china in the cupboard (if it fits, and if our 2-year-old can keep her hands off of it). In the meantime, I pulled out some of Grandma Luethje’s other old collectibles now that we finally have a good place to display them.
I gotta say, I like the look of this a whole lot better than the candle sconces. And seeing the old family photo and some of Grandma and Grandpa’s old stuff makes me feel like I’ve been able to hold onto some of their favorite things even though they’re gone.
Plus, in a house that’s over 120 years old, old stuff as decoration just looks really freakin’ cool.
All of a sudden, I am seriously motivated to do some more unpacking and decorating. Let’s see what we find next!
Lori Romano 