Finally, more pictures....

Let's see...to catch you up, Jim went to Sunnybrook today and redid all the plumbing he did last week! He didn't like the pipe he used (Do you remember me saying he hates plumbing?), so he swapped that out for a different type, and now he feels better.

Eventually, this will cumulate into a kitchen with running water and a brand new bathroom upstairs, complete with a shower, clawfoot tub, potty and vanity!!!  Here's a  picture of what was once an upstairs bedroom but will become the new upstairs bathroom, and home to my new (old) clawfoot tub!



We're going to catacorner the tub here. Plumbed in!



 

The picture above is the same room from a different angle.  Right now there are three doors into this room. I don't want three doors going into my bathroom, so this will become a solid wall and these two doors will be gone.  The area to the right is where the shower will be installed.

Here's a picture of my tub. We have the feet off right now, waiting to be painted. We're also going to paint the bottom of the tub. It actually looks pretty good. It has the original coat of paint, and that's it. A lot of these old tubs have layers of paint and/or rust. The inside of the tub looks good, so we won't do anything to it....except give it a good cleaning. The outside will be painted white...in maybe a satin finish (which has only a slight shine), and the feet will be painted white in a gloss finish...for contrast.  What do you think?

OK, now look at these stairs. How difficult do you think it'll be to get that 350+ pound tub up those steep, narrow stairs?  They're 28 inches wide. Uh-huh.

Well, that's where things stand upstairs....for right now.

Downstairs? What a mess. Jim took this picture while standing in the "dining room", with the "kitchen" in the background. I use both terms very loosely....for right now.

More to come.

Another Thursday...

I wanted to add a quick post to the Sunnybrook blog, just to let you know that progress is still being made. More plumbing (which Jim HATES) and electrical wiring got done today. Not to much more to talk about with that folks!

We've ordered a bed!  After that gets picked up (and set up)....and when warm weather decides to present itself in a more consistent manner, I'm going to take a few days off work so we can spend a couple of days and nights at Sunnybrook.  We may actually get some cosmetic stuff done....cleaning and painting...that sort of thing. I want to get some curtains up, pictures on the walls, furniture moved in and get some personal stuff strewn around!  I'm anxious for a homey feel!

Knick Knacks --- What Nots.....and other things.

All day trip to Sunnybrook on Saturday, but I totally forgot to take the camera. Really no new "decorative" pictures to take anyway; however, I saw all the plumbing work Jim has done, which is a truly good thing!

We stood on the porch and leaned around on the front porch railing to talk about where to put outdoor furniture. After hearing my list of things we need for the porch, Jim stated that I probably should plan on working for quite a while......Well, you gotta have "stuff" or what's the point in have them big 'ole porches!!

We stopped at the Restore store and I bought a $10 coffee table that I'm going to "do up"....I don't know how as yet. I'll take a before and after. Unfortunately, I left the coffee table at the farmhouse, so I can't take the before picture right now.  They had a $15 end table too....real wood. If it's real wood you can paint and sand...paint and sand...paint and sand!! I didn't get that (it had a little bit of a wobbly leg), but I wish now that I had. Jim's going to stop Thursday to see if they still have it.

We went to a couple of antique/junk shops (my favorite kind of shop) and bought stuff for a buttery I'm thinking about for a corner in the kitchen. I had never seen or heard of a 'buttery' until I saw pictures at http://www.behindmyreddoor.com/ (a post from March 5, 2011)  I wasn't allowed to "copy" the pictures to my blog, but just in case you're wondering about what one is/looks like, you can visit there and take a look.

Here's pictures of some of the knick knacks/what nots I bought on Saturday to use in the buttery. I feel like I did pretty good....What do you think?




I bought everything here, except the shelf and the teapot at a church rummage sale....cheap. And, I got invited to church!



  

This was $2 and I like it lots more than that! I'll put it with a grouping in the kitchen.

Recipe box - $4, as you can see. Probably will fit this onto one of the buttery shelves somewhere.



$1 for the set...Wouldn't you think S&P....Nope, got home S&S!  I don't mind though....for the buttery as well.



I love this $1 primitive candle holder!



Too cute to pass up for only a quarter.  I'd pay that for the distressed red frame. I LOVE red.



I got this at a different time, but thought I'd show it to you as I'll probably use it in a grouping with some of the other stuff.  It needs a good cleaning.

I LOVE this! It was NOT a quarter, $1, $2 or $4.  I won't tell you how much, 'cause Jim reads my blog! It was less than $15 though......OK, it was $15, but I really like it and I got such a good deal on the other stuff!

I got five other pieces, all $10 total price, but I left those at Sunnybrook. Those things, too, I thought would look good in a buttery.  Be sure and take a look at the ones on the link above! I'd love to hear what you think about that idea!  Everything here, and everything I bought work real well together color-wise.  I would love to have some crocks though....You know, those big heavy pottery things.  Those make great decorations for a country kitchen, and are actually functional too. The lady at the "buttery site" has two big crocks....she keeps trash in one and recycling in the other. But, those things are expensive....even if you find them at junk stores (which doesn't happen too often in my experience). 

OK, so leave me a comment if you have one!

Here are some pictures of the outside of the house. It looks much better on the outside than it does on the inside!

Side view

Front/side view

The back

This is an upstairs bedroom. The door leads onto the sleeping porch. Someone used the walls as a canvas :)



Same room, different view

  
These two pictures are of the sleeping porch.



 

Narrow and long. I'm going to LOVE this room.  I'm thinking of a wicker set on one side....or in the middle.

And a small table with two chairs...somewhere.



But, not a bed....probably....not yet.  Book bookcases though, and plenty of plants!!

A Better Look

Jim went to Sunnybrook today. He did a lot of plumbing work (and still came home in a good mood!). By the sound of it, we'll have a bathroom upstairs before you know it!!!  The house had been winterized, but now it seems we have running water.  As a matter of fact, Jim said we had a kitchen floor full of running water when he turned on the pump today (have I mentioned we have well water?)  As I understand it, that wasn't due to anything that needs "fixing", but due to the fact that the kitchen sink pipes have been cut off at the floor and the old sink removed.....as well as the walls and just every other single thing in the kitchen!!!We're getting closer though.

Jim also talked today to a company about blowing insulation into the walls and the attic. We HAVE to have insulation, so I guess that has to be the route we take. We talked and we know we have to sacrifice the look of the house from either the inside or the outside. If we have the company blow insulation in, they have to cut  2-inch holes in the clapboards outside (a bunch of them); but, on the other hand if we insulate the walls from the inside we'll have to take the old bead boards off the walls, which is part of the old farmhouse charm. A catch-22....or between a rock and a hard place. Considering the time and effort, it would be more feasible to cut the holes in the clapboard and have blown in insulation....unfortunately....fortunately....?

OK, on a lighter note, if you read my two earlier posts (about the Betsy Ross flag and the porch decorating), you'll better understand these pictures.



This is where I want to hang the Betsy Ross flag.  Right in that open space under that roof.

And these are pictures of the porch I'm dying to decorate for spring/summer.  These first two pictures are of the front porch. It's huge, isn't  it? Ah, more to decorate!

 

This is the side porch. Jim and I enjoy dinner outdoors, so I'm definitely thinking a place for that here.

  Something like this...

                                                                              or this...

And that old junked up kitchen porch I mentioned in the earlier post? Tsk..Tsk...TSK!

That mess in the kitchen had to go somewhere...but, we'll get that cleaned up soon.

I'll be sure and post pictures after the decorating is done. Everything will look better in no time at all!

Warmer weather wondering..

With the weather becoming warmer (72 degrees this weekend!) I'm getting as excited about decorating outside at Sunnybrook as I am about decorating the kitchen.....almost.  I posted a picture yesterday of the wooden Betsy Ross flag Jim and I made. All it needs is another light coat of paint and the eye-hooks and chains to hang it with and it's ready to go.  Plus, I'll have to have a real American flag for the front porch. What American farmhouse would be complete without one of those!? 

However, first we need to move a lot of old wood and other debris from the kitchen side of the porch..... and the whole porch probably needs to be painted.  That won't be too big of a job though. A can of paint and a paint roller and that job can get checked off in no time. It'll be painted back green....same as now.  Then let the decorating begin!!!!

I adore both these porches. I think they just shout spring and summer. 



In actuality I've never been too good at getting plants to look this lush.

  

Look how quaint this small porch is! I love it! It just says country in so many ways.



I also love window boxes.....and red geraniums....




.....and wild roses. 



Happy almost spring!

Betsy Ross flag! Yay!

Betsy Ross flag  



This is a wooden flag that Jim and I made to hang at Sunnybrook. I want to hang it near the road, so it's a two-sided flag. We're very happy with it.  Once it's hung, I'll post another picture so you can see it in the setting where it was made to "fly".  

Back to Sunnybrook

Yep, it'd been a while but we finally made it back for a visit. No work done, but plans made. Plumbing for the  new upstairs bathroom has to be done before the kitchen walls can be finished. (Have I mentioned that a heavy 'ole clawfoot tub for that bathroom is going up a set of steep 29 inch wide stairs?) More on that when it gets closer to happening!

With the weather turning warmer, we hope to be able to spend some quality time at Sunnybrook soon. We will be able to un-winterize (OK, I'm sure that's not the right way to say that, but you get my meaning) the house soon. In other words....water, which equals working potty and working shower, which equals more work getting done, which equals YAY!

I'm still undecided about kitchen colors. I've already decided to repaint the whole interior of the house white, or a variation thereof....walls and ceilings, so color in cabinets, furniture and accessories is of the utmost importance.  The kitchen will have white appliances, so I have to come up with some color.....and soon!

The kitchen sink base is built, and lacks only door hinges (mostly because I can't decide on color) and paint (again, because I can't decide on color). White walls, white ceilings, white appliances and dark wood countertops....those are my definites. 

Although it was a quick trip to Sunnybrook, I did have the pleasure of meeting one of the former occupants, and it was interesting to hear about her experiences in the house.

Until next time....