LIVING ROOM REVEAL: Please come in and sit a spell

Hello again! I hope you enjoyed my last post with our Downstairs Hallway reveal. Thank you for your nice comments! Now that things are finally moving a bit more quickly around here—at least for awhile—let's jump right back in for the promised Living Room Reveal.   Since many of us like to get our bearings when we first enter a home, we'll start with the diagram I shared last time. Today, let's pretend you walked up onto our big ol' farmhouse (wraparound!) porch, rang the twist-to-ring doorbell, and stepped inside our home. The Living Room is on your right.     As always, I like to show you where we began before sharing with you the rest of the story. If you're thinking this "before" picture looks like a ... Keep Reading...

FARMHOUSE DOWNSTAIRS HALLWAY REVEAL: Welcome to our home!

Hello, HELLO, friends! It's hard to believe, but some of you were here twelve years ago today when I hit "publish" on my very first blog post. If you are one of those indefatigable friends, then all I can say is WOW— just wow—and thank you! That day so long ago I posted a fancy schmancy tablescape, and I had all sorts of mixed emotions when I threw my creation out into the world with no idea what sort of response it would get.   But the response was positive and affirming and opened doors for all sorts of new friendships here in Blogland, and I am forever grateful. So today, as I throw out another creation, there are no mixed emotions; just relief that enough progress has finally been made on this old house renovation to share ... Keep Reading...

MESSY before the BIG LEAP FORWARD: Our Old House Renovation Update

Today is a BIG DAY. It's been a reeaally long time coming!   Remember when I wrote about The PUSH and PULL of renovating an old house? Well, even though we've worked hard to push forward the past few weeks, it still felt like the project was pulling us backward. Squeezing work in between responsibilities and travel is tricky—and waiting for helpers to be available (while worth the wait!) is slow.   Several weeks ago we unloaded the dishes-filled cabinets in the dining and living rooms (in order to make them lighter) then moved the furniture to the center of each room. Everything was covered in plastic to protect it while the Sheetrock guys did their dusty work.   And this is how we've lived for several weeks. ... Keep Reading...