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Before and After – Out back

  The inside of the house is not ready for her close-up yet, we’ve only got about 2,832 boxes left to  chuck in the dumpster  unpack so I’ll start with an outside before and after. 

 Unrelated  (well not really) …If ever you need a strong reminder that you have indeed reached middle age, may I suggest you pack up your house and move.  Every muscle in my body is talking to me tonight as I sit to type this post and I  won’t tell you what they’re saying.    That whole “less is more” concept I blabbed about earlier?   Yeah.. it’s a really really good idea and I’m gonna try my damndest to stick to it from here on out.  Remind me of this if ever I start to veer off course..

These were taken a year ago, just as the dismantle process began. Amazing what was accomplished in a year… a HUGE testament to the abilities of the men who came together to take down the house and raise her up again. 

Winter 09
Spring 09
Summer 2010
 The old dogleg off the back of the house was not historically significant. The space was needed, however, so another 1800’s house that Jeff had dismantled and stored in a trailer was resurrected where the old addition had been . In this picture you can see its outline clearly. When we sit in the family room with the cathedral into the loft, we’re in the “Chester” house.

   Tonight’s sky… we still have not received the rain that was promised, and oh, do we need it.

Raptors Live On

  We were given two wingback chairs from the late 1800’s by the previous owner of This Old House. They were in need of new fabric and I found a nice toile print.  The color is a faded coral with a brown  and beige pattern.  I loved them immediately when they came home to roost… and then my son said:

 “Why are the dogs chasing dinosaurs on the chairs?” 

Huh?   

“See? … aren’t those Raptors?”  …..

*Sigh. *
You know… I see it… I really do.

Ben made himself right at home in his new digs (my office)… and then he decided to DIG in my office.  So.. apparently at 14 months old he is not yet trustworthy when left alone to his own devices.  The Pen came back up from the basement and takes up most of my… office.
 (see hole in new pine floors in front of pen).  

The place is still a mess, and we’re still going back and forth cleaning up the old homestead.  I do love it here already though…and thanks for all your comments and encouragement . You make the ride that much more enjoyable.

George Washington slept here

  No he didn’t… but we did, finally!!!

 Sitting out on the back porch this morning on our folding chairs (no porch furniture yet)  with coffee in hand, gazing out over the fields,  dogs wandering their yard, birds chirping and the heat still at bay, it’s a beautiful thing. 

   Still trips to be made from old house to new old house, still many many boxes to unpack, pictures to hang, curtains to iron and hang (hate that job) and just general “stuff” to organize… but hey, look at how neat and organized my pots and refrigerator are.  How long they stay that way is another thing altogether..

Are we there yet?

..are we almost there? How much longer? …. I have to go to the bathroom!

 Moving into This Old House is starting to feel like one of those road trips, know what I mean?  We’re still living in two houses, hopefully sleeping in the other by Tuesday.

  Mike and crew had an awesome time putting together our new Paula Deen bed.  MUCH assembly was required, but I do like it very much.

The dogs have been going back and forth with me, I’m trying to get them used to their new “yard”.  Bailey loves a good car ride with a  face full of wind.  I love this picture…simple pleasures, pure joy.  She is still receiving treatments for Lymphoma, so far holding her own.  
Happy, Safe 4th of July to all…

Hanging it Up

 While we still had another coat of tung oil to put on the floors, we were getting antsy to do SOMETHING… so after the middle coat had dried we began hanging things on walls…

 Remember the “stuff” I got at that little antique red cottage? … This is the finished product..very easy to make.  My son said… “Mom, aren’t you gonna paint all the chipped up stuff? ”   I told him that’s exactly the way I like it.  My one mistake was using too much glue to make sure the half teacup wouldn’t fall off the chalkboard painted background. Now I have to find some chalk to go in the teacup.

This is a photo I took out in the field of a dandelion head… I turned it into a sepia, and I think I will do that for other photos to be hung in the downstairs bathroom too… trying to give it a warm feel… I think the accent color will be a dusty faded rose…
This is a sign I picked up in Vermont… “Welcome to the Zoo”… cause that’s our family, just sayin.  The picture is taken from inside the kitchen pantry, looking out the sliders into the backyard.
Upstairs in the loft/pool table area, Babe Ruth is slugging it out….
As is Mohammed Ali.
Questions answered:   Some of you wanted to know the color of the Adirondack chairs… I finally found the paint can… it’s a True Value color – Sherpa 22D5
I was also asked what color the vanity is in the master bath… that is an artistic mix of several different colors created by the man who made those pieces for us so there isn’t a way to recreate that exact look. When I asked him what he used, he said “oh, well… I can’t remember exactly… it’s several colors.”  When up close it appears to be grey/green with alittle deep red brushed in to make it look old and give it alittle contrast.  Art makes lots of furniture out of reclaimed wood from old barns and houses.  Beautiful pieces that we sell in our Artisan shop.  I’ll do a post on it down the road.
 Yesterday I packed up the “Pharmacy” at our old house among other things…. I cannot believe how many bottles of Advil, Tylenol and Benadryl I found.  There were seven boxes of Bandaids, some of which I’m sure have lost their adhesive ability, prescriptions that were never finished but expired in 2006….   really and truly… THIS time, I am going to get organized. 

The hardest part of pet ownership

 She was twelve years old. By rottweiler standards that’s a long life. We were wondering how she’d take the move to This Old House.  Last night we had to make the decision to end her struggle with a tumor in her spleen which kept rupturing and rendering her weaker with each episode.  Our vet explained  her deteriorating condition and gave us time with her.   She passed peacefully in my arms ….but how I hate those moments.  How I hate having to make those choices.

Rest in peace, Tara girl.

Don’t Bed On It

  See, this is where our differences kinda make for a humorous situation. *sigh*  We need a new mattress. Our old one, a king, has hills and valleys probably where we do…. and it’s time. 

This is my husband’s idea of comfort.

And this is mine…

  So we went mattress shopping today. I got there before him, so I explained our issues to the saleswoman and she gave me a tour of the five mattresses she thought we could make work.  One mattress was too soft, one of those temperpedic things… and I swear I was getting seasick laying in it. Something about that slow molding memory action makes me feel like I’ve got a hangover.  Then there was the sheet of plywood very firm mattress, which made my shoulders and neck hurt instantly when I rolled on my side, which is how I sleep.  I knew that would be the one for Mike. There was a mattress that felt heavenly, but it cost just about $5,000… and that’s plain ridiculous.   There was a middle of the road, however, and I hoped I’de be able to talk him into it.  It actually has some of that memory foam on the top of it, but not enough to suck you in.

   Mike arrived and of course liked the plywood rendition, kept going back to it infact, but the middle of the road version appealed to him too… and so that’s what we bought. 

   Hmmm… we arrived at a compromise quickly and with ease.  Could this be the beginning of a new era?  

Don’t bed on it  🙂

Chickening Out

  I don’t really have an explanation, not sure where it’s coming from,  just not my normal thing.  For some reason, chickens have been on my mind when planning the decorating of This Old House.  I’ve had alot of animals over the years – dogs, horses, rabbits, cats, fish, fire-bellied toads and even a rat for a brief while. But never chickens.

  I went into Homegoods last night looking for outdoor cushions, certainly not poultry…  and there she was, the perfect chicken for my kitchen.

These wrought iron spacers were made for us to fill in the gap between the loft railing and the fireplace.
Poor image quality, sorry. Downstairs bathroom pedestal sink and toilet installed.
Mancave Flatscreen installed… I had to laugh this morning when I walked in to see the boxes from our current house that contained the electronics packed up by our tv/computer/electronics guru-guy.  He wrote “ManCave” on the box so he would know where to install it.  
Throne installed in the master bath.
 Finishing touches all weekend, final coat of Tung oil on the floors Tuesday,  Thursday is move-in day!

Aunt Karen

The teacher gave her fifth grade class an assignment:

 ” Please ask your parent to tell you a story with a moral ending”.

 The next day, the kids came back and, one by one, began to tell their stories.

 There were all the regular types of stuff, spilled milk and pennies saved.

 William was the last boy to tell his story.

 “William, do you have a story to share?’

 ‘Yes ma’am.  My daddy told a story about my Aunt Karen.
 She was a pilot in Desert Storm, and her plane got hit.  She had to bail out over enemy territory, and all she had was a  flask of whiskey, a pistol, and a survival knife.

 She drank the whiskey on the way down cause she knew the bottle was gonna break, and then her parachute landed her right in the middle of 20 enemy  troops.
She shot 15 of them with the pistol, until she ran out of  bullets,killed four more with the knife, till the blade broke and  then she killed the last of them with her bare hands.’

 ‘Good Heavens,’ said the horrified teacher. ‘What did your daddy  tell you was the moral to this horrible story?’

William gave her a look like it oughta be obvious, and said..

‘Stay the hell away from Aunt Karen when she’s been drinking!’