The Grateful Farmhouse 2.0

When Life Changes How We Live

2021-01-11T22:49:00.000-06:00

It turns out that people are right. The years go quickly and the children grow. When we moved to this home, our oldest was in middle school. Last summer, he graduated from college and married his high school sweetheart. His sunny corner room is now living its best life as a guest room. You see, days drift and needs change. My youngest is happy to not have to share the bathroom upstairs while her sister is off at college. This time next year, my husband and I will begin to wonder what to do with all that space upstairs as learn how to be empty nesters. This is life.

Raise your hand if you know true contentment. If I'm being totally honest here, I struggle. So, of course, January makes its appearance and learning to be content steps up as a goal. We've lived in our home for 8 1/2 years, which is actually the longest time that we have ever lived in the same place. That's a pretty big deal for us. We have had the best of all worlds with this home. Proximity to our schools, space around us, large rooms, old house love, wood floors, and many more attributes have kept us here. Our little slice of heaven on earth. We love our home and it has served us well. This reminds me of the hidden wallpaper we found in the kitchen. We've also been so busy, there hasn't been much time to be unhappy about the minor things that could be improved. Time tells us there are a few things we need to figure out.

Making changes to a 111 year old home isn't for the faint of heart. I'm more of a purist than some, but we can talk later about the decorative changes we've made to the house that aren't historically accurate. Fortunately, we haven't made any structural changes. But, we might. We are considering it. It is daunting. The very idea of adding or changing the farmhouse makes me feel like we are attempting to change history. Isn't that a strange way of thinking? It is our home and yet it feels borrowed. My dad used to tell me that when I borrow something, I should always try to return it in better condition than when it was borrowed.

That time I remembered I once had a blog...

2021-01-03T00:39:00.000-06:00

January 2021. Yes, this is the right time to do the thing. Do the thing I have forgotten, avoided, purposefully tucked away into the long lost and hopefully hidden blogosphere. DO THE THING.

The thing that scares me most. Putting myself out there. If you know me personally, then you know. Let me just back up a bit and maybe, just maybe, you'll see what I mean.

9 years ago, my husband and I bought a house and it wasn't just any old house. A 1910 farmhouse, to be exact. When we bought the house, I was inspired to blog about the renovations/restoration. I think it went pretty well, especially since I really didn't expect anyone to read it. My friends showed up for me along with a few new faces and I was thrilled to know that there was interest in the house. Y'all, we hit a few small road bumps with the house and then I honestly didn't know what to write. Fear entered the picture and took over my ability and willingness to continue. I realized that my diary was public and I choked. Simple as that. Am I the only one in the entire world who has ever felt that way? I actually feel my throat closing up right now. Nope. DO THE THING.

I'm starting again and I need a new blog name since 8 years have passed by and now Grateful Farmhouse is used by others who actually followed through with their dreams. I am still truly grateful for this farmhouse, but a fresh start deserves a new name. Any thoughts?

Thank you for reading, I mean it. We have a lot to catch up on!

-Jen

Big Things are Happening at the Farmhouse!

2012-07-09T10:43:00.003-05:00

I would like to be here, now.

During the Winter and Fall, when my kiddos are in school, I always look forward to Summer. Yes, I love Summer (even in Texas). Not just because of the sunshine-y days and going on vacation, but because of the time we can spend together as a family. The time spent when we don't have to be anywhere. When I'm not telling the kids to "pick up the pace" because we're going to be late. I'm sure that's why we say we truly enjoy the lazy days of Summer.

So, I was reminded by my youngest that we haven't really had any of those days. Not as a whole family together. Now, I'm not complaining, because we still have plenty of Summer left to enjoy. It's just that we have spent the past two months either working at the farmhouse or driving to Home Depot or Lowe's for more stuff. The reason I'm telling you this is because we are so close to finishing the farmhouse that I can taste it! It won't be long, like, less than a week!

So, here are some updated pics. (Warning: this post has lots and lots of pictures!) The floors in the following pictures are stained, but the polyurethane hasn't been applied yet.

Parlor/Living Room:

Come on in!

Sitting Room:

No, I still haven't finished stripping the fireplace. It'll happen, folks, eventually!

Master Bedroom:

Can you see the bathroom? That's a secret!

Kitchen:

About halfway there!

Sneak peek into the coral dining room! (No, it isn't burnt orange, people!)

A lot can happen in a week's time. I can't even keep up with all of the changes. Here's a little run down:

The interior painting is complete.
The cabinets and counter tops are installed.
The floors have been sanded and stained.
The bathrooms are in the process of being put back together.
The new porch boards are installed.
Painting has commenced on the outside of the house!

Upstairs:

Pretty in Pink

So, this week, we are moving in. We are also moving out of our current house and preparing it for our renter. There is a lot of work to do and there will be more rushing around than I really like. I know that the days will go quickly and we will be able to sit and relax as a family together.

Yesterday, Hubby was working so hard at the house prepping it to paint. I brought over some lunch for him and he asked me to just sit beneath one of the giant pecan trees while he was eating. Not really even speaking, just being. It was wonderful and relaxing. Even if just for a bit. I am so grateful for those moments. Now, if I can just figure out how to get a hammock to hang between two of those trees!

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. ~J. Lubbock

Boys and Their Toys

2012-06-25T21:54:00.002-05:00

Father and Son

Part of the renovation process has been repairing the front porch and prepping it for a new paint job. So, hubs has taken this job on himself. It has been a tough job involving a grinder, a sander, goggles and a dust mask. The sweat and cuts (oops!) seem to be just part of the job. So, while I was at home this weekend with our sweet daughter helping her recover from a tonsillectomy, Hubby took our son over to the house to work on the porch. Father and son together working on a project, that's a good thing.

What up?

The boys made a trip to the dump and then picked up a load of porch boards to replace the rotted boards on the porch. Apparently, the type of boards used on the porch are not your average porch boards, so we had to find a lumber supplier that specializes in hard to find wood. Together, the boys picked up the wood and got started. First removing the old boards then replacing them with the new. When I stopped by, they had this system working to put the porch back together and they were using some building terminology that I am apparently unaware of. It was interesting seeing them working together so succinctly, as if in their own construction zone world.

So, my son turns 14 next week. How and when did that happen? He's growing up and I love that he wants to hang out with his Dad and learn the things children should learn. These are skills for his life and I know that while I certainly won't forget watching them work together, I know that he won't forget that bond either.

For that I am forever grateful.

~Jen

Midway Through My Farmhouse Kitchen

2012-06-23T17:20:00.002-05:00

What do you think you might see if you were to peek into my kitchen windows? (I will be moving in soon and don't really care to have peeping toms, so feel free to ring the door bell!) Anyhoo, right now you would see a big mess and a whole lotta potential! Just in case you might have forgotten what it looked like before, here you go.

It really wasn't that long ago!

I am so excited to say that my new cabinets are installed and the new drywall has been hung and textured.

So this happened

And this happened

Hubby has painted the ceiling the color I have chosen to use for most of the ceilings in the house, Behr - Antique White. I know that the trend right now is to use a lighter version of the wall color for the ceiling, but I really just got overwhelmed trying to choose all of those colors and decided that using one light neutral would help the flow of the space. Since I'm not a professional designer, take that for what it's worth. I knew I didn't want to use flat bright white ceiling paint throughout the house. and I wanted a color that would look nice with the many wall colors I have chosen. So there you have it!

Behr Antique White

For the walls of the kitchen, I decided to go green. Maybe I'll remember to eat more green leafy vegetables while in my kitchen now? I actually started out with a paint chip from Benjamin Moore in Sherwood Green. But, since it is much easier for me to get to Home Depot, I instead chose Behr's Spring Walk. What do you think?

Benjamin Moore - Sherwood Green HC-118

Behr - Spring Walk UL210-15

It looks like the BM color is more grey and the Behr is more green, but they are close!

Last night, we were cleaning up all of the construction mess so that the painters could come in and paint all of the cabinets and trim. We still needed to remove the glass cabinet doors and the painted-on hardware along with the 20 year old mini blinds. Which, by the way, I wanted to try one of those fun pinterest ideas of turning old blinds into roman shades but I couldn't do it due to the state that the blinds were in once they had been taken down. Seriously, they did not want to come down, so the blinds had it coming to them... I have to tell you that it was an overwhelming experience seeing the house in that state. With all of the ceilings and walls patched and re-textured, it was like a clean slate. Don't we all need that feeling sometime? I am starting to feel like the house actually belongs to us and we get to start making our own new memories there. So, today, I'm grateful for my husband and our children because we get to make those memories together!

~Jen

Projects and Progress

2012-06-19T16:56:00.000-05:00

Waiting isn't so bad!

Summertime and vacations are often synonymous, as are road trips and say, ummm, whining. Of course, I'm not talking about my beautiful, wonderful, perfect and never (ever) whiny children! ;-) Oh no, I'm not talking about them, especially since two of them were away at camp last week and I really missed them.

I am talking about me, yes, I know that probably surprises you. I know how to whine and throw a fit and pout and all of that lovely stuff that grown women should not ever, ever do. But, since I endeavor to be honest with you, I will tell you that the past week or so has seen my 'not so nice' side. I've had to realize that sometimes, things take longer than I expect them to. Sometimes, things don't look the way that I planned and sometimes, I just need to stop and take a breath before I turn blue. I'm talking about learning how to enjoy the ride, stop and smell the roses, not sweat the small stuff; you know, all of those cliches that you can think of that equate to taking a chill pill (not literally, people.) So, what I'm trying to tell you is that I haven't had much to show you lately, simply because we have many irons in the fire but nothing quite finished. There isn't a single room in the house that we can proudly say is finished. That's not to say that they aren't almost finished, but none that are complete. While I'm taking in the fact that it really won't be much longer before we get to move in, how about some pictures of progress?

My children call this room the ketchup and mustard room.
Please take note of the fireplace on the left.

I decided to strip and stain our fireplace mantle, all by myself. I have refinished some furniture, but none ever had as many coats of paint as this. But that's okay, I like a challenge! I have been using an environmentally safe paint stripper and surprisingly it does work. One kind soul advised me to try using airplane stripper but I haven't resorted to that yet. So far, I can tell that the mantle was once a beautiful oak mantle. I'm not done yet, but there is hope!

Ta Da! About a quarter of the way through...

Can you see the grain of the wood? It will be very purty, very soon!

Okay, so next project please. By the way, I think I've decided that you can't really call yourself a multi-tasker if you never actually complete any of the tasks... However, we will actually need a bathtub, so I will actually finish this one!

We found this beauty on Craigslist for a great price. I think it is really cool that the tub came from an even older farmhouse than ours not too far from us! The date on the bottom is 1913, so it totally fits with the age of our house.

Obviously, it needs a new paint job. I started by removing the feet with the help of a screw driver and some nice workers at the house with a fancy schmancy tool that actually worked.

See the original ball and claw feet?

I used lots of sandpaper to sand away the rust that had formed on the bottom side. I then cleaned the outside of the tub with mineral spirits.

No more feet

After I taped the edges of the tub so that I wouldn't damage the porcelain, I painted the outside of the tub with a coat of primer. My next step will be to sand the primer and then coat the tub with enamel paint. Also, I am planning to strip the paint from the feet and then paint them as well. I know it will be beautiful once it is finished!

She's looking better already!

These are my projects and I can't wait to show you how they look once they are finished. It really won't be that long! My hubby has been working very hard on the outside of the house and the work on the interior is so close!

While I really wanted to be moved into the house by now, I am trying to enjoy the process. It will be so worth the wait in the end. So, this summer vacation is definitely a trip and yes, we really are "almost there!"

I'm grateful for the opportunity to challenge myself today and every day. There are so many times I think that I can't possibly do 'whatever it is' and each time I reach beyond what I think I am capable of, I learn something new! It's a good lesson.

Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.

- Earl Nightingale

Have You Seen My Front Porch?

2012-06-11T22:40:00.000-05:00

Exhibit A - Side Porch

Today, I am going to show you something that I didn't notice when we first purchased the farmhouse. Well, I noticed it, but I didn't really see it. I saw it through my rose colored glasses. This is a tendency I seem to have with a lot of things. Which could be considered a good trait. I often see things not as they truly are but as the beautiful thing that they could be or were at one time.

Confession time - unfortunately, this often applies to my unmade bed or the dishes that need to be washed (just ask my hubby!)

So, you might be wondering what I saw but didn't see.

If you squint, it really doesn't look so bad!

The front porch... THE FRONT PORCH! I mean, how could I not notice the peeling and non-existent paint, the mismatched porch floor boards, the layers upon layers of flaking, multicolored ceiling paint?

Technically this is the back porch, which has been closed in.

Nope, nada, all I saw was the perfect place to hang a porch swing, the beautiful bead board, the huge glass front door, the glass sidelights, the wonderful wrap around. I could feel the breeze and imagine my children swinging in the perfect seat hanging in the pecan tree out front (yes, even big kids like to swing!) Well, this is my day dream... And I'm sure the Judd's are involved in part of my day dream, providing the back up singing of course!

I just knew this front porch was what I had dreamed of for a long time and that it was beautiful. And it will be again. Soon!

Y'all this is for real

I can't wait to have my family and friends join me on our new front porch. :-) So, today I am grateful that I get to live in a community with such kind and thoughtful people who are always willing to lend a helping hand, say a prayer, and offer a sweet smile. What more could I ask for?

-Jen

Shopping for a Farmhouse

2012-06-08T00:27:00.002-05:00

While all of the fun business of scraping ceilings, sanding woodwork and tiling is going on over at the farmhouse (thank you, Russell Moore and AUSAM Construction, http://ausamconstruction.com/) I got down to business with the important things! SHOPPING!

Actually, as a family, we drove down to the big city of Dallas to check out one of the coolest stores that I have ever been to. If you are into 'reduce, reuse and recycle', then this is the place for you. Discount Home Warehouse, check it out at http://www.dhwsalvage.com/ . I know you must be wondering what we purchased, but maybe you should remember that patience is a virtue... Bwahahahaha!

Ahemmm.... did I mention it is 12:30 AM as I am writing this and I just ate a bowl of grape sherbet? That really explains so much.

We arrived at about 9:30 on Saturday morning with a truck ready to load up with antique doors that had been removed from demolished homes nearby. Although it makes me sad to see an old and possibly historic home demolished, I am so glad that there is a company there to pull all of the character out of it before it is torn down. This place is a cornucopia of architectural goodness! Our newest friend, Larry, was so kind to show us around and help us find the perfect doors to replace some on the back of the house.

Yippee Skippy! Door Number One.

We were so happy to find doors that match the style of the front door and now we are able to keep the continuity going. This store stocks so many different items and most are one of a kind. I saw gorgeous islands with granite tops in the warehouse along with a room filled top to bottom with blinds and plantation shutters. There were vintage sinks, a couple of really old ranges and a plethora of light fixtures. Oh, the light fixtures, I felt like a kid in a candy store. There were so many beautiful chandeliers that I honestly got a bit overwhelmed by the shear brilliance of them all. See how I did that?

Giant Back Door of Debate... more on that later

You will want to take a list of items you are or could possibly be looking for along with a tape measure and your list of measurements. Be prepared to make your purchase the day you go because it is likely that your one of kind something will not be there when you decide to return.

Happy Hunting!

Today I am grateful for the rain, because even though it sometimes forces us to change our plans, our beautiful green grass grows, the flowers bloom and the air just smells clean. Sometimes we just need that. I am also thankful that our local Dollar General has lots of umbrellas because I can't ever find mine so I bought four of them this morning. ;-)

~Jen

Upstairs House Tour - Before

2012-06-01T10:45:00.000-05:00

How about a trip upstairs today. I'll start with the staircase, which I think is perfect! Well, except for the that one stair tread that needs to be repaired. I don't know how many times I've slipped! I've heard stories about some children (back in the day) using sleeping bags to slide down these stairs. I can only imagine the giggling that ensued! Although, that does seem like a pretty bumpy ride.

Please follow me upstairs

One of my favorite things about the staircase is that the handrail and top of the newel post are stained instead of being painted. As you may have noticed, all of the trim in the house has been painted. I love the rich color of the stain and the little nicks and scratches, we will leave it as is. It will serve as wonderful reminder of the history of the home.

Once you arrive at the top of the stairs there is a landing that leads to the bedrooms and bathroom. The heart pine floors continue throughout the upstairs. When you look up, you will see more of the lovely popcorn ceiling and the ceiling fan (I'm not a fan, BTW!)

Future sewing studio ( that sounds sew fancy, don't you think?)

Pretty much, the upstairs doesn't require more than some paint, floor refinishing and light fixtures. Easy peasy lemon squeezy, right! Other than the bathroom, of course.

Two of my kiddos had to duke it out over this room! Errr, not really. Well, kinda...

All of the bedrooms are huge! Considering our current house has two children sharing a 12 x 12 room, it doesn't take much to impress us. But, seriously, these rooms are ginormous! I can't believe spell check didn't catch ginormous! I didn't think that was a real word. I guess our English language is evolving as we speak. The light that fills these rooms is amazing. The room in the photo above actually has seven windows. I'm definitely going to have get my sewing machine set up quickly or I'll be sewing curtains until I'm 80.

Upstairs Closet

There are three bedrooms upstairs and an extra room that will serve as my sewing room (yea me!) This room doesn't have a closet but is definitely large enough to serve as a guest room, game room and/or sewing room. There is a giant closet next to the sewing room though, it really is wonderful and uncommon to have an old house with so much storage.

Another hugemongous (not really a word ) bedroom

One of the bedrooms is not like the others. This room has an archway leading to the bedroom entrance to the bathroom. The archway is so cute, but out of character for the home. I'll have to do some investigating. The little light hanging in the alcove is precious and probably the only light fixture we are planning to keep.

This archway is in one of the bedrooms and leads to the bathroom.

This concludes our tour of the upstairs. I hope you have enjoyed seeing all of the before pics of the house. I can't wait to show you the after pictures!

Today, I am thankful for summer vacation!!

lazy mornings

no agendas

swimming

laughing

playing

church camp

road trips

lightning bugs

fireworks

ice cream

trips to the library

I could go on...

What is on your summer list? I'd love to hear your plans for this summer, please share!

Downstairs House Tour - Before!

2012-05-28T12:35:00.001-05:00

We have seen some changes happening over at the farmhouse this week! Woo Hoo! Lots of scraping and wall patching going on. Brian and I even got to start painting (gasp!) this weekend! It has been nice to have a long weekend to get some work done. We're working on the upstairs bedrooms now since these rooms don't really require much work beyond paint and floors. We also started working on the outside of the house. The porch needs a lot of repair, scraping and caulking before we can paint. I don't really have ~~many~~ any after shots for you to see right now. So, I thought I would show you some of the downstairs before we started doing any work. How does that sound?

Please let me begin by apologizing for the picture quality. This is proof that owning a nice camera does not make a good photographer... Photography classes are on my To Do list!

The listing called this the Parlor, we'll call it the Family Room

We have two living areas downstairs, this is the larger of the two. Notice the coffered ceilings? The pine floors go throughout the house and will be refinished and the walls repainted.

This is the second living area downstairs. I see a new paint job in the near future!

The second living area will be more of a sitting room. The fireplace isn't working but we would like to add a gas insert at some point. In the meantime, it looks cute. This room connects to the dining room and the parlor. The dining room is such a nice space. Right now it is a pretty sunny yellow and has a very lovely popcorn ceiling... The popcorn is actually being removed and the paint, it's going away as well. I haven't located a new chandelier yet, at least not one that I'm willing to pay the asking price for. It is disappointing that there aren't any original light fixtures remaining in this house. I may have to get creative.

Dining Room - Another fine example of my photography skillzzzz

Lastly, we have the master bedroom downstairs. Really, this room only needs cosmetic changes. We have lots pf patching and repairing of walls and ceilings downstairs from running the new wiring, so the rooms all look a lot worse right now.

Master Bedroom

As an added bonus, I'm throwing in a picture of the "Big Scary Barn". I have a love/hate relationship with this behemoth. On one hand, it will hopefully be the home to lots of chickens and goats! Yeah, I know very little (ummmm, nothing...) about farm animals. Surely my degree in Agricultural Economics will help me out some. Hey, I took Animal Science 101 and I can learn! The scary part of the barn is, well look at it! IT NEEDS HELP AND I HAVE NO CLUE!

Big, scary and hopefully NOT haunted barn

Today, being Memorial Day, I would like to express my gratitude for all of those who have served in the military, those who have died for our country and the families who have awaited their return.

"And they who for their country die shall fill an honored grave, for glory lights the soldier's tomb, and beauty weeps the brave."

-Joseph Drake

The Old Becomes New... And What I Found in the Attic!

2012-05-23T22:04:00.001-05:00

Old Kitchen Walls (and a big ole mess)

Last night, I decided to take a look at the progress that has been happening at the house. Up until now this has been more of a backwards slide. Things were demo'd and torn out leaving little but the structure left to recognize. Somehow, I had managed to become fascinated with the antiquity of it all. From the construction of this amazing home to the antique wallpaper hanging on by a thread. So, naturally, when I walked into this huge kitchen, which I had grown to love in its stripped down state, I had the strangest feeling. There, hanging on the walls, over the tattered old wallpaper, was brand new drywall. Drywall covering the would be memories from someone's past.

New Walls

There is something about the newness that makes me feel melancholy. I know it is a bit unreasonable since I have never lived in the home and have no memories in this home to cherish. I guess I'm just feeling nostalgic about what was and what might have been. The history and the stories that must have been told by the family and friends who once sat at a table in the kitchen, over a piece of (mulberry? There is a huge mulberry tree in the backyard!) pie and a cup of coffee.

I plan to do some digging into the actual history of the home. You know, just because I can't help myself. (Stalker-ish, I know...) And then maybe knowing the history will make me feel more comfortable about the changes we are making.

Goodbye Old Wallpaper - Hello New Walls & New Memories

Though the old wallpaper is gone from sight, it is still there, and maybe in 50 more years another new family will make their own little discoveries and day dream about us. So, today, I am grateful for the memories that I am making with my family. Every day of grace is a gift and the smallest things can make a memory. Make each one count.

Oh, and I wanted to show you what I found in the attic. I'll show you a pic (cell phone pictures aren't really that great...) and let you figure it out. ;-p

~Jen

If you squint you might be able to figure it out!

Up close and personal

Got it yet? (And there are three of these!)

Welcome to my Farmhouse Kitchen - Before

2012-05-19T11:37:00.001-05:00

Can't you just see this with a fresh coat of paint and new hardware?

It has been said that the kitchen is the heart of a home. I believe it, especially if there are warm brownies waiting to be eaten. Yummmm... There is something about a farmhouse kitchen that I love and I fell in love with this kitchen before I ever set foot in it. The listing photos included one picture of the kitchen with its large glass doors and I was sold!

Once I got past the peach and red color scheme (interesting, just not my favorite...) I noticed the open shelves at the top. I'm sure they had doors at one point, but I love the idea of open display shelves. I have some of my Grandmother's dishes I would love to display, milk glass anyone?

When we finally purchased the house, we had to decide which projects would happen first and which ones we could take our time with. The kitchen sort of got put on the back burner... Ahemm... But, once you get the sledgehammer out, things just start coming down. It turns out that the lovely red walls (not so much) are actually painted wallpaper applied over thin paneling. With hopes that there might be drywall under the paneling we started tearing it out. There was no drywall, but it was so nice to see the old layers of wallpaper. I've found three different wallpapers in this kitchen (four if you count the layer on top of the paneling). My favorite is the one pictured below.

I love this wallpaper!

I think this kitchen was given a face lift sometime during the 50's with the wallpaper, but it could have been earlier.

The ceiling had an exceptionally thick coat of popcorn sprayed on, so we decided to scrape it down and apply new texture. This has to be easy, right? I mean there must be 100 videos on YouTube showing how to do this. The problem we ran into was that the ceiling was loose and sagging, so there was not going to be any scraping. So, the tearing out had begun and was over before I knew it.

West Wall

Somewhere along this adventure, we decided to remove the tile back splash. Once again, we found a concrete monster! There was at least two inches of concrete behind that tile. I'm so thankful that my son is at an age where he enjoys destroying things. We gave him a hammer and other tools and he went to work. Talk about a mess, though!

The tile back splash was made to last.

Ummm, doesn't his mother know he should be wearing safety goggles?

Our plans include refinishing the wood floors, adding cabinets, new counter tops and a new back splash. New drywall and paint and new lighting will be added. We will be making one of the three doors that goes into the kitchen into a pantry door. This door actually leads to the back porch, while the door on the left goes to the hallway.

Pick a door to reveal your prize!

Today, I am thankful and grateful for kitchens and all the love they facilitate. Some of my happiest memories are from the kitchens at both of my Grandparents' homes. Whether sitting at the table while bread was baking in the oven or helping cook a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, there was always a sense of unconditional love, peacefulness and happiness. So many lessons have been learned in the kitchen and some didn't even involve cooking! The thing is that it doesn't even matter how updated the kitchen is or how new the appliances are, the kitchen is just where it all happens. I want my new kitchen to be that place where my family and friends want to sit and talk and maybe even eat a bit. Come on over, I'll let you know when I have brownies in the oven. :-)

~Jen

The Kid's Bathroom - Before & Demo

2012-05-11T23:44:00.001-05:00

Hey Folks! Okay, this week has been, well, stressful to say the least. Sometimes (most times), things are just out of my control. I've spent some time feeling sorry for myself and worrying about things this week, only to be reminded how blessed I am. Life has hiccups, that's just the way it is. And the hiccups I have experienced are soooo minor, so insignificant. I am blessed and I am grateful. So, it's late on Friday night and lets just consider the things and problems of this week a thing of the past. K?

Now, how 'bout some upstairs bathroom pics to brighten up your day?

Upstairs Bathroom

This bathroom has two entrances, one from the hallway and one from a bedroom. I don't know if the entrance to the bedroom is really necessary and we still have time to wall it off, so feel free to leave me your thoughts on the matter! Pretty please?? I like the bathtub. There, I said it. It feels nostalgic to me and I know it is old (please, let it be old). From what I can find online, these corner bathtubs with the apron were beginning to be installed in homes during the 1920's. This particular one has an Art Deco feel to it, but I can't be sure until I look on the bottom side of it. Hopefully, I can do that this weekend. I'll let you know what I find out! If it says 1985, well, what you don't know won't hurt you... Update: I found out the tub "was born" in 1941! Not quite as old as I thought, but I still like it. :-)

I lobbied to keep this tub, please let it be old!

We will install a tile surround and add a shower. In order to maintain the corner look of the tub, I have asked that we install an "L" shaped shower curtain rod. Here's hoping the kiddos can keep the water in the bathtub instead of all over the floor!

Speaking of the floor, have you noticed the peel and stick white tiles? The good news is that they peel right off the floor. We will put down some porcelain or ceramic tiles and we have one style in mind but I'll save that for later. ;-)

Lovely floor tiles

I'm not sure if you can tell by the pics, but the walls are actually a thin veneer of wood painted white with mint green trim. I think it gives a nice spa like feel to the room, I think I'll go do some yoga now... Okay, zen moment is over... The pedestal sink is leaving and will hopefully find a new home with a Craigslist shopper soon, along with the medicine cabinet and light fixtures.

The ceiling is an interesting thing. There are ceiling tiles glued to the drywall on the ceiling. I can't really understand why the tiles are there since the drywall is there. However, the drywall was never taped and bedded (is that how you say it??) Maybe it was easier to put the tiles up than try to tape, bed and texture. I love a good mystery, but I'll probably never know the answer to this one. It doesn't really matter though, because guess what? Brian loves demo, I mean he loves it! I know he gets sore and worn out from it, but I know he wouldn't keep tearing things out if he didn't truly enjoy it in some way.

Ceiling tiles to match the floor tiles, symmetry is calming.

Now that you have seen what the bathroom looked like before Brian got his hammer and pry bar going, here is a picture of the demo. As you can see the bathtub is the only survivor!

Who needs serenity when you can tear out the entire bathroom??

This week, I am grateful for hiccups because they remind me of how many deep breaths I have. ( okay, it's late and I'm a cornball...) How awesome it is that even though things don't always work the way that I planned, they always work out. Worrying and fretting doesn't help. Working out a back up plan seems reassuring. But, guess what, I don't really need "back up plan insurance" because my path has already been cleared and lit for me.

Downstairs Bathroom Demo!!

2012-05-05T09:58:00.000-05:00

As promised, I have pictures of the big demo going on at the house. Let me just tell you that things will get scary (and possibly a little boring), so be prepared!

Remember this lovely shower?

Talk about a stress reliever!

This demo took about a day for the walls and shower, then another day (or two) for the floor. A pry bar works wonders for pulling off old drywall and ummm....fake plastic cultured marble. The tub is a actually a nice heavy cast iron tub and if you like flesh toned bathroom accessories it's right up your alley!

This is the shower wall, do you see the old wallpaper?

I love history, especially the history of homes. So, imagine my delight when I make little discoveries along the way! (I can't wait to tell you what I found in the attic!) In this bathroom, we found old wallpaper beneath the drywall. This is pretty typical for older homes, so not really a surprise. From my limited experience, I have found that these ship-lap walls were covered with cheesecloth and then wallpapered; walls, ceilings and many times a small wallpaper border at the top of the wall. This wallpaper seemed to be a cream color with lily pads all over it. The ceiling was light blue with metallic silver polka dots! Oh how I wish I could have seen this when it was new. Unfortunately, I don't have a close up picture of the wallpaper before it was torn down. I was able to salvage a few small pieces for a project later, though!

So, back to the hard work. Since we are rearranging the layout of the bathroom, we will have to change all of the plumbing. Apparently, the plumbers can't reach the plumbing without removing the boards on the walls, so good-bye boards. We (and by that I mean Brian) tore out the tile floor expecting to use some elbow grease, but instead got to use a jack hammer! I rented one for him from Home Depot and he got to work. There were two inches of cement under the tile, that stuff wasn't going anywhere. Hubs continues to amaze me.

Remember this?

After! Beautiful, right?

After all of this, we found out this week that the demo of this bathroom is not quite finished. The floor has to come out completely so that the plumbing can begin. Maybe we'll get to meet the little critters that had their nest under the bathtub!

Today, I am thankful for my family. :-) Quick, think of five people you are thankful for (I bet you can't stop at five...)

Until next time!

And the Bathroom Gets Demolished... Before

2012-05-02T16:58:00.000-05:00

Downstairs bathroom before, can you dig it?

My kids think this is a garage door...

Our first adventure involves demo, lots of demo! Needless to say, it is (very) hard work and my husband continues to amaze me. My son is working hard, too. The downstairs bathroom is a total gut. Down to the bare board walls. The amount of wood in these old homes is astounding, there is a reason it is still standing. This bathroom has one entrance from the hallway and one from the master bedroom. Someday we hope to add a dedicated master bathroom but for now we are more than happy to share. It definitely beats sharing the one bathroom we have in our current house...

You can't beat a flesh toned bathtub and multicolored cultured marble, that's perrrrttttyyy

The current bathroom decor leaves a little something to be desired. It appears to have been done in the 1980's and I'm sure a lot of thought went into it. Especially the tile floors. Ask my husband how much fun he had with a jackhammer tearing up the 2 inches of concrete beneath the tile. I don't think he was expecting that! There is a lot to be said for doing things in a way that are meant to last... unless you are trying to demo it.

OK, so the tile isn't too bad. But it's gotta go!

Today, I am thankful for modern bathrooms. No trips to the outhouse for me! Check back tomorrow for demo pics. Until then, take a minute to think of 5 things that you are grateful for today!

Everyone should have a big window above the toilet, just saying...

Welcome Home!

2012-05-01T22:43:00.001-05:00

The Grateful Farmhouse

And so it begins... Several months ago, my husband and I took a chance and made an offer on a 1910 farmhouse not too far from our current home. We were hoping that an opportunity like this would come our way and boy were we surprised when it finally did! Then we waited, only to find out that someone else had the very same idea. Disappointed, we went back to our normal everyday not really knowing what our future would hold (does anyone, really?) Two weeks later Brian got the big phone call! The other buyers had dropped out and we were in! Yea! We had no idea the trials that were in store for us. Four months later with a long lesson in patience and perseverance, we finally closed. Let the renovations begin! I can't wait to show you all that we are doing with the house as well as all of the adventures we are sure to have along the way. In the meantime, remember that a grateful home is a happy home ~ and that goes for farmhouses too! ~Jen