House – Page 2 – This Old House 2

New stuff!

When we finally moved into This Old House after the ressurection

was complete.. we bought a new couch and chairs for the “family room”.

I was going for a country look because we were in an old house, and truth be told…

when the furniture arrived eight weeks after purchase,

I was a little flustered at the big bold floral gold print I had actually picked out

for the two overstuffed chairs and the red couch was very pretty but not alot of room

for sitting. It was a –what was I thinking– moment.

Have you ever done that with a major purchase? ugh.

And you know, when you spend that kind of money

and the man who paid for it is standing next to you in the new family room

asking if you’re happy with the new furniture..

well, it’s kinda hard to say… I SCREWED UP!!!

So we lived with it.

No one was ever really happy with the arrangement,

and the room got very little use, despite the fact that it is

the most beautiful room in the house. We all huddled in the mancave,

a small room truly only fit for two-three people comfortably,

because the furniture in there was more casual, comfortable.

Last week the man who pays the big bills in this house

got tired of us all huddled in his mancave and agreed to

go look at sectionals – the kind that would make the family room

more like a family room. We went.. we looked, we found

and bought a reasonably priced sectional that accomodates a small crowd, hooray!

We all watched a movie together last night sprawled out and comfortable

together, the way a family room oughta be used.

Country, it ain’t.

Comfortable, functional, accomodating… it’s a beautiful thing.

The old gold chairs are now in our bedroom and they actually look inviting.

The red couch is in storage for when the kids get their own place.

It’s all good.

By the way.. we watched Man of Steel last night.. because I have always been

a Superman Fan. While he wasn’t hard to look at and there were many good

actors involved, the movie was nothing but Aliens having tumbling temper tantrums..

a big disappointment in my opinion.

Seasonal Decoration – bringing Autumn in

I’ve talked about it before on the blog…

it’s something I think I inherited from my grandmother Elsie.

Her specialty was Christmas… even family photo frames had red bows on them,

no kidding.

The mornings have been cool as I walk up the hill to feed horses.

Leaves are just starting their color change on tops of trees.

I do love summer, but fall is a beautiful thing here in New England.

So is the Pottery Barn catalog… oh, how I love their stuff.

Their use of neutrals had me wanting to lighten up

here at this old house, and so I’ve slowly been

changing inexpensive things here and there

to do just that.

seagrass lampshade on sale at HomeDecorators right now!

I’ve got a thing for white crackled pitchers….

Look at these unusal artificial plants…

The main fireplace mantle is getting it’s fall makeover…

I love owls too…

Brought my garden owl in out of the weather.

Found these at Pier 1, $6.

Added these faded stripe (tick?) cushions to the kitchen barstools…

and some sunflowers and crackled vase…

M & M’s are a staple ’round here.

As far as store bought cookies… if you’ve never had DARE brand Maple cookies?

They are absolutely delicious. Betcha can’t have just one.

Visit your garden center for great deals on end of summer shrubs and perennials…

I picked up a few new cone flower species I have not seen before…

aren’t they beautiful?….

such vivid red..and dusty deep pink

Have a good day, all –

Smile at a stranger, for no good reason…

see how good that can make you feel

when the smile is returned.

It’s the little things, you know.

Part of my day job….

…is picking stuff.

And getting dirty doing it.

A girl could have it worse.

While we’ve lived on small horse farms for all of our married years..

The Man didn’t get into big time vegetable gardening until a few years ago.

I have to say, I’m grateful. It’s alot of work,

but the rewards we reap are well worth it.

It’s a great feeling to know where your food’s coming from,

and that it’s not loaded with chemical crap.

If all you’ve got is a deck off a condominium or apartment,

I recommend you atleast put a few pots out there

and grow just a wee bit of your own produce..

Tomatoes, herbs and even cukes do well this way!

There are few things more gratifying

then sitting down to a homegrown salad, cobbler or jam.

Frasier couldn’t care less.

He’s got more important things on his mind…

Like – don’t nobody mess with my angrybird

….and Mamma won’t let me get that bunny!

I feed that baby bunny every day.. carrots, blackberries.

He no longer runs away when I open the door to toss the berries out to him.

Is this a bad thing?

I do love this old house.

Humidity so thick….

…you could write in it.

We’ve been waking up every morning with heavy condensation on the windows.

It takes a few hours for the sun to break through the heavy air…

I try to get my coop and barn chores done before 7am to beat the heat…

The horses are turned out early and they come and go from their stalls

into the pasture. Frequently they’ll run back in to get relief from the sun and bugs.

I have a fan blowing on them in the barn too.

Important that all critters have clean water during these hot summer days.

The gardens are looking ragged, although still producing.

We’ve had an odd combination of extreme heat, some drought,

then torrential downpours… lots of rain rot and mold.

You can see the humidity in the air.

The second cut hay crop is wishy-washy.

Lots of branches and leaves removed from moldy tomato plants…

The zinnias and blackeyed susans never complain though,

always up to the task, no matter the weather.

It’s why I love them so.

I used to think I’d love to retire down South…

to live in the South somewhere full time would be wonderful..

bring on the heat! Show me the sun! DAILY!

Now, in my middle 40’s body..

I’m thinking…If we’re lucky enough… maybe just a few months in the winter.

I don’t know how you Southern folk do it…

weather the heat coupled with humidity.

It saps the energy right out of me.

*thank you to all who participated in yesterday’s conversation without

turning it bitter. I was uplifted by the positive views and ideas we have here.

You’re pretty awesome.

ccording to Wikipedia, the word turquoise, which dates to the 16th century, is derived from an old french word for “Turkish”, because the mineral was first brought to Europe from Turkey , from the mines in historical Khorasian of Persia. In many cultures of the Old and New Worlds, this gemstone has been esteemed for thousands of years as a holy stone, a bringer of good fortune or a talisman. It is referred to as a ‘gemstone of the peoples’. Pueblo medicine men were considered of no power unless they were fully adorned in Turquoise.

I’ve always loved the jewelry, have a few pieces of my own, but don’t wear it often. My ‘go-to’ colors have always been black, nuetrals, etc. Mom has often said “you should wear more COLOR, Karen”. I’m not morbid or Goth… It’s just that I’ve always felt very at home in black…it’s easy to do. Color says something different, something I didn’t feel at home in. Oh, I’m sure there’s a freudian conclusion there… but seriously I don’t think it goes all that deep.

Anyway.. where am I going with this? For some reason, the color turquoise has spoken up in more than a whisper this year. I’m looking around This Old House.. which we have decorated in soft neutrals and some big splashes of reds, the antique version. It goes well with the wood work that abounds. I’m seeing places that need turquoise, though. The color is soothing and cheery. And so it’s my mission to start bringing it in, in little ways.

Yesterday I went to Pier 1 and found what I was looking for to use on the porch, which we use a lot. I like this to be a restful place.

Frasier approves.

Ben and Bailey prefer the mattress in my office.

Seriously, if you’ve got more than one dog

or a dog that weighs more than 180 lbs…

that old mattress you’re gonna through out? Great dog bed.

If you’re still with me…

here are a few more examples of how turquoise

brings life to a space….

Tell me in the comments… what color speaks to you?

How cool would it be to have this truck to bomb around in.

Lightening up a room

I’m one of those who change up the decor just a little with each season. With the unseasonably warm temps of recent weeks I’ve starting bringing out the Spring Things… and the dining room table area got a little facelift.

I took a big old painting I had done when I was a teenager off the wall and put a mirror I found at Homegoods in it’s place. Immediately there was more light. Then I finally found a simple not quite sheer curtain to put up over that window. It’s a linen that looks like sheer burlap and I love the simple rustic look.

I know it needs to be ironed. Just hush.

I also found a metal chippy basket to put some of my shell collection and seaglass in instead of having it just sit on the side table looking sort of cluttered.

The center of the table has a more spring-like theme…

The top of the curio cabinet with my paperweight collection

has a few old pieces – a platter and a metal horse I found at an antique store.

The silver (tarnished!) creamer was my grandmothers.

With just a few changes, this area of the house looks lighter and more welcoming. It doesn’t take much to perk up any space and simple changes like this can really lift your spirits. We’re in the middle of some glorious weather and I’ve been spending it outdoors, soaking up every bit. I hope you’ve gotten the chance to do the same in your neck o’the woods.

rocks

Connecticut has lots of them. Take a walk in the woods almost anywhere in the state and you will find remnants of the old stone walls, when Connecticut was mostly farmland and the rocks found abundantly in the soil were used as fencing for livestock.

This Old House has many walls surrounding the fields and along the road. Mike is Type A squared, if you know what I mean… and so the crumbling old walls drive him nutz. It’s important to me that we don’t ever sterilize this place, as I am much more bohemian than he… so I have fought against rebuilding them all. However, with the expertise of Steve, (who long time readers of this blog will remember as the guy who rebuilt all our fireplaces and chimneys and foundation and porch floor)… the stone walls surrounding the fields are getting put back together the way they were 100 years ago… and that’s OK by me as long as we’re keeping it authentic.

This morning after a winter hiatus, Steve returned with his side-kick, Cooper… and will finish the front roadside wall. This is a section already completed by Steve a few years back…

and this is the section across the driveway he’ll be taking down and putting back up.
It was a portion of wall that someone had re-done in the past forty years or so,
but not in keeping with everything else.

I think Mike actually loses sleep when things don’t line up.

Every now and again I notice just how very ugly all those power lines are overhead.

Some day perhaps they’ll all be underground. Not here, yet.

Coop could care less about symetry…

Hey, whatever puts milkbones on the table, says he.

Speaking of rocks… my little perennial rock garden at the side door is starting to shape up.

During this winter that wasn’t a winter

I’ve been able to walk Ben at the beach more often,

and I’ve gathered treasures along the way to fill it in.

It’s a beautiful day here in Connecticut.

Last year at this time we were buried in snow and many had no power.

Life*is*Good

I hope you’ll take the time to get out and enjoy it some.

Goodspeed’s Station Country Store & a History Lesson

One of my favorite places to visit this time of year is the Goodspeed’s Station Country Store, found this side of the Connecticut River and East Haddam Bridge across from the Goodspeed Opera House and Gelston House Restaurant. Both can be seen in the photos below…

There is old fashioned candy and kitchen goods and cookingware….

..and beautiful reproduction prints – like this one.

So New England… It’s titled “A Smart Turn-out” – original artist unknown!

Oreo says hello –

Speaking of prints… do you see George Washington kneeling in prayer?

Its all about the trees

It’s beginning to look…..

..just a little like Christmas. Because… Thanksgiving Dinner is at another family members house this year. And.. I do a lot of decorating for the holidays. So… why not get a head start? Although.. I feel like I’ve betrayed Thanksgiving just a little.

I did make that chocolate pumpkin cheesecake for tomorrow’s dessert and it looks wonderful. Not hard to make either.. recipe HERE.