You think you know someone.

 When you hear the name “Paula Deen”, what comes to mind?  I’m thinking Bobby’s smashed potato cakes,  Bobby’s Caramel Cake or Bubba’s shrimp gumbo.   Isn’t that what she does for a living?   I had no idea she made furniture too!  Well, she endorses it anyway. 

We recently browsed a furniture “galaxy” as this one was called, and I have never seen more ornate and tacky furniture  housed under one roof, including the ornatest of the Newport Mansions.   Why, even Donald Trump makes furniture there… or rather.. he endorses it.  What does that mean, exactly?  It’s  the kind he would have in HIS home?  I’ll tell you this, what he endorsed is the most gawd-awful tackyness I’ve seen in a while.   Paula on the other hand, has good taste in what she endorses. I like the simple lines, the cottage or down south feel. 

 SOOOO…. when I came across her line of  home furnishings on the web, I fell in love with a bedroom.  After much discussion, a decent price and a review of the bedroom set we currently occupy  (it’s a King with the middle support thing underneath bent and no longer holding the middle up properly)  we placed an online order for a Paula Deen bedroom set…… assembly required.  *ahem*  

This Joint Is Jumping!

 At this stage of the resurrection there’s a lot of activitiy and we’re rounding the bend towards moving in! Light fixtures and lamp posts have been installed, as well as  railing on the mudroom porch.  Can a great dane jump over said railing?  That remains to be seen, and  I sure hope not.

Steve is working on the loft portion of the family room/mancave fireplace, Cooper inspecting his work.
The other Steve is building the raised panels in the two home offices on either side of the front hall and stairway.
….while Dennis secures the old mantles to their original faces…
  Jeff did an awesome job with the front stairway… those of you who read my original blog might remember it was torn out many years ago and turned into a bathroom. Basically you had to be three feet tall to sit in it without risk of knocking yourself out on the sink opposite the toilet.  Not a good plan! So the stairs were restored.
Poor picture of the mancave fireplace with old beam mantle installed
Mike installed stone steps outside the back porch leading into what will be the courtyard garden… and in this picture you can also see the completed mahogany stairs into the same courtyard from the kitchen sliders.
The lilacs are in full bloom, still fragrant after all these years….

Kate’s Meatloaf

 I have always loved Katharine Hepburn, although I’m not sure I could articulate exactly why.  She was eccentric, certainly. And perhaps sometimes a bit full of herself, but what an extraordinary life. She had guts.  Lived on her own terms and accepted no less.  Fenwick, the location of her beloved family home on the shores of Old Saybrook, CT isn’t far from here.  I used to take a ride through now and then with the hope that I would figure out which house was hers, and perhaps catch a glimpse. You couldn’t ask the locals, they were fiercely protective.   I was looking at all the wrong houses, however, assuming it must be one of those hidden behind walls, hedges and long driveways.  I was wrong. It was right in front of me all along, with the lighthouse directly out in front of it.  I didn’t figure this out until she had passed on.

If you’re a KH fan, an excellent book written by Eileen Considine-Meara, At Home with Kate, has honest insight into the home life of the star, truly a fun read.  Eileen’s mother was Kate’s companion, housekeeper and cook for many years.  One of  Ms. Hepburn’s  favorite dishes was Fenwick Meatloaf.   I’m not a big fan of meatloaf, but my family loves it.  Over the years I’ve tried to find a recipe that I can actually enjoy, and this one is delicious.   Recipe below:

Fenwick Meatloaf
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground veal
1 cup bread crumbs (Kate liked Pepperidge Farms) 
1/2 cup beef boullion
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
1 onion, chopped fine
1 tsp minced garlic
salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil for greasing the pan
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat Oven  at 350 degrees – In large bowl combine meats, bread crumbs, bouillion and cheese. Stir in eggs and onion. Add garlic, salt & pepper.  Place the mixture in large greased loaf pan and make a deep horizontal indent along the top of the loaf. Sprinkle the parsley into the cut. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Serve immediately.

Putnam, CT

  We went antique hunting last week in Putnam, CT at the recommendation of friends.  Putnam is an old mill town established in 1855, current population around 10,000.  It’s an antique lovers haven with many shops to browse.  This photo is  the river that runs through the center, just beautiful.
 We also had lunch at an Italian restaurant, Bella’s Bistro, right on Main Street…. food for the Gods!  We met the chef and owner, Allen Granberg, a colorful person (I’m talking INK) with a great personality and a real talent for authentic italian food with the freshest ingredients.  We plan to go back with friends for dinner one night soon.  Because I did not have my camera, I stole these photos from Google for this post.  
These are the treasures I came home with….. Raggedy Ann and Andy from 1965, the year I was born! I used to have a Raggedy Ann just like her and I  couldn’t leave her in the store.  There was an eye roll from Mike, but we still brought them home.  The story of Raggedy Ann and Andy is as follows: (also googled)
She began as a family rag doll; an old toy, faded and worn, tossed into an attic. And there, the legend goes, a little girl named Marcella found her one wet and rainy day.Her father Johnny Gruelle, saw infinite possibilities in that old plaything, so he repaired her and gave her a name. With her shoe-button eyes and winsome smile, Raggedy Ann soon became the beloved playmate of Gruelle’s young daughter, Marcella.

When Marcella Gruelle fell ill and died in her early teens, Johnny was devastated. But knowing how much his daughter had adored Raggedy Ann, he began writing the stories that were eventually published.Gruelle soon gave Raggedy Ann a brother named Raggedy Andy, and through the years the two floppy rag dolls acquired many other wonderful story book friends – all inhabitants of a very special world, where dolls come alive and enjoy magical adventures when no mortals are present.

This is one solid rolling pin… much sturdier than the one I currently use. I have no idea how old it might be but it will be useful in the kitchen.

Mantle

Jeff and Dennis fitting the old beam which will be the mantle in the mancave.

 Billy, Mike and Pete worked on more of the drain system around the back of the house… and we not only have one ornamental cherry tree… we have two!   Ask me how much I love flowering trees…..

This Old House (2)

So…. the journey continues!  Art Rossomondo and his son Wade have made several pieces of furniture for This Old House, including this vanity for the master bath.  The marble top will be installed along with vintage glass knobs.
The master bedroom is painted what Benjamin Moore likes to call  “Nantucket Breeze”.  I guess, looks like light green to me… I love it.
The ancient lilacs just beginning to bloom…
Jeff has begun construction of the kitchen porch into the courtyard….
Barn/garage  foundation poured…..
Mike does something important with the lamp post thing.