The Fourth Living Room

I promised previously this week that I would share about the numerous living rooms in my grandmother's home. Well, with no further ado, here is the story!

My grandparent's home has been their home for nearly 40 years (with a few years in the middle when they moved to a different home, but moved back to this home when all the kids were out of the house). It is the home my mom and her brothers and sisters grew up in. It's the house I spent numerous hours playing in as a toddler.

And it's the house that continues to evolve.

The house was originally a double wide trailer that was put on a permanent foundation (I think that is the history I have heard). There is a small cellar under the original part of the home.

Throughout the years my grandparents have added additions to the home, including additional basement areas and most recent, what I like to call, "Living Room #4" because that is exactly what it is...the fourth living room in the house!

The first living room is the original living room. It was the area of the home which was, at one time, the only living room. This room has lovely wood paneling, which has knot holes in the wood. Family legend has it that as a toddler, I literally talked to the walls. I would talk to the knot holes. I guess I thought they were faces.

Living area #2 is off of the kitchen. This room originally was a porch, but was turned into a bedroom for my aunt in her teen years and then later the floor was raised and the room became a den type area just off of the kitchen.

These two living room areas were the only ones in the home for several years and the only ones I remember as a child. The main door to the home entered into living room #1 and the den was simply a den type area. Two living room areas is not odd, several homes have two such areas.

About 10 years ago my grandparents decided to add an addition to the house. This addition included a basement area and a 3rd living room above the basement. The room was added onto the original living room of the home; however, with the addition of the basement a full floor to ceiling wall had to be added, creating two separate rooms and thus creating living room #3.

Years went by and then just this month my grandparents added the fourth living room. This room was added on to the back of the house and was initially intended to be a sun room. This room is the largest room of the home and will be the place the family spends Christmas celebrations. Doors on either side of the room lead to two separate decks. Four windows line the side and back of the room allowing for lots of natural light to enter the room.

And that is how and I guess why my grandparents have four living rooms. There is still one question I have...how do two people in the 70s use four living rooms on a daily basis? Or do they?