Behind the kitchen and the dining room, we have a TV room. It was probably once a porch that the former owners closed in. When we bought the house, our real estate agent in her never-quite-left-the-Bronx accent told us, "Laura, you'll take out the stove and put in a sectional sofa on that back wall. And then paint everything white."

We are going to paint the room white next week (and get proper chairs), but the stove is staying. My husband the Eagle Scout is having way too much fun building fires. We also have a fireplace in the living room, so we're in fire heaven. After Halloween's freak storm, Steve ran around the neighborhood stealing branches off the neighbors' yards. 

Showing you where our priorities are, our first purchases for the new house were equipment for the living room fireplace: Crate and Barrel's Fireplace Screen and tool set. On a whim, we also got a fireplace candleabra, which actually sits in the middle of our large picture window. Some nights, I light the candles, so Steve can see our house on his walk home from the bus stop. 

After reading this article about a Finnish house full of wood burning fireplaces, Steve and I are now in love with Jotul stoves. Maybe next year. We need more equipment, like a storage bin and a log tote. 

Along with the light coming from the fireplaces, we love decorating with lots of candles and string lights and paper lanterns for the holidays. You'll be able to see our house from space.