Petting ants...

We're still very much in the middle of this project, but here's an 'after-ish' image of the back of the house. I finished painting the screened door (the same color as the two back doors- Forest Canopy by Valspar), but I haven't put it back on yet. Take a look at that resurfaced chimney. Hotness. The flower beds still look bad, but not as bad as the rotten wood. Here's what's making me insane: the whole damn patio is crooked and that trellis thing on the left is screwed in, making it impossible to take down without leaving two gaping holes. It simply cannot be a priority this year, so I have to just let it go. Here's a photo where it looks really junky. The only lawn ornament-like thing that stayed was a bird feeder from a favorite pottery studio on Cape Cod called Scargo.

I think my top after-ish image actually looks worse than the photo I posted the other day, but all of those bushes were covering up serious problem areas. With PRH teaching again, we were anticipating projects slowing down, but I'm freakishly determined to prove to myself that things can still get done around here while he's at work. We've done really well the last two days. It's obviously hard to get things done with a 2-year-old and 4-year-old under foot, but I'd rather our kids see a mama who's capable and active than the one I feel like being most days...in pajamas, reading books, and drinking coffee all day. I've found that safely getting them involved is the best way to make it happen. I moved rocks, they looked at ants (Kicky actually "pet" several ants until she realized they weren't recovering from her petting). I removed two old doghouses, they picked up sticks in the yard. I refinished a door, they watched Emmet Otter...you can't win them all, right?

Mom-mobile...

Just checking in quickly. We're headed out the door to the mechanic...my old blue wagon finally died. I love that car, so I'm hoping it can be resuscitated. This photo is from our staycation a couple of years ago last summer. Have a lovely day and think good thoughts.

Done...

Thankfully Irene only brought rain and wind to our house this weekend (you're still kind of a jerk, Irene). We worked on the weird little room, slapped up a few paint swatches, and pulled my closet together. We also worked on the kitchen and, on Saturday before it rained (and just a few hours before we needed to be at a birthday party) I tore out the rotten, awful edging from our flower beds and replaced it with slightly less awful edging. Phase I of the back of our house is continuing as planned. Here's what we've finished:

1. My uncle very generously made our hideous chimney look incredible.
2. He cut down this thorny bush in the process. It's quite pretty when maintained, so he left the stump and we'll keep it in check.
3. The exterior doors are painted. Finally.
4. This rotten wood has been replaced with stone and brick...nothing fancy since we're planning to re-do the patio next summer. I also tried to clean and straighten the patio a bit. The 1/2 wine barrel is gone.
5. We removed a ton of miscellaneous bushes and weeds, making room for perennials.

I'll take a photo as soon as it stops raining. This is PRH's first full week back at school, so I'm sort of anxious to see how things go trying to complete projects by myself with two babes in tow. This guy is coming to stay with us this coming weekend, so picking up stray toys is first on the agenda. That should take all week.

This weekend...

Happy Friday, everyone! This is our last weekend before PRH heads back to teaching, so I'm in a sort of panic to finish up loose ends (I'm talking about you, downstairs bathroom). A self-imposed technology break should help. What are your plans?

Dream job...

A few months ago, I mentioned that I was working on a big freelance project. Well, I'm thrilled to finally be able to tell you all about it. I made (and helped style) 12 Halloween costumes for the October issue of Parents magazine! I saw a slideshow of the photos for the first time yesterday and the kids look absolutely adorable!

As a long-time fan of Parents magazine, this was truly a dream job. Making the costumes was fun and the photo shoot was incredible (I dragged my dear friend Kris along to help...thanks, Kris!). We got to work with a really talented + amazing group, including Amanda Kingloff, Lifestyle Director at Parents; photographer, Frances Janisch; and makeup artist Noelle Marinelli (be sure to check out the photo of Miss Star...fabulous!). Photos and instructions for most of the costumes are on the Parents Magazine website. The issue will hit newstands on 9/13 and mailboxes on 9/4. Let me know what you think!

Avon and pipe smoke...

He smoked a pipe and she sold Avon in the 1970's. That's a pretty accurate description of the smell of the weird room/closet off of our 2nd floor bathroom (which is a complete horror show in and of itself). We spent yesterday cleaning the room, peeling off layers of mildewed wallpaper, and painting walls. Here's what it looked like the day we bought the house. We literally tore out the green carpet a few minutes after we walked in the door. That black trim along the top? Electrical tape. Yeah, I'm not sure why either. The wallpaper was covered in mold and in terrible condition, so it simply had to go.

The remaining green was interesting and very Anthropologie-esque, but the pervasive smell of Avon and pipe smoke necessitated a clean coat of paint.

I found this wallpaper underneath the black and white wallpaper.

For now, we're planning to use the space as a dressing room/linen closet. It'll be taken out during Phase II and incorporated into the bathroom renovation. There I go again, mentioning Phase II. PRH is huddled in a corner crying.

Left behind...

I mentioned the other day that the most recent owners of the farmhouse left behind an enormous pile of old photographs and ephemera. The day we closed we were actually shocked (and a little bit saddened) to find the pile still on an old tanker desk in the mudroom. We're not sure if any of the photos were taken at the farm (the photos above and directly below could have been), but they're all quite interesting nonetheless. This Fall I'm planning to spend some time at our local historical society researching the history of the house. In the meantime, here are a few of our favorite things that were left behind...

I love the contrast between the little girls in this photo. The look of satisfaction on one and the indignant bent arm of the other is so classic.

I've never seen an old photograph of a fire before this. The owner was a volunteer fireman, so that may explain the handful of fire photos...

Check out this beautiful little pop-up card...

This photo is an unusually narrow format...

The handwriting..oh my! Look at that gorgeous loopy 'M'...

The rest of the house was empty, but the barn isn't. We're anxious for projects to slow down a bit so we have time to look. That said, I'm off to paint more doors and finish my rock moving from yesterday. Have a lovely Wednesday!

Vote for Erin...

Erin Austen Abbott is one of my favorite online friends (don't you love how dorky that sounds?!). She's also a finalist in Daily Candy's Start Small, Go Big contest. Erin owns Amelia Presents in Oxford, MS, she's SUPER talented, and she has impeccable taste. This lady definitely deserves our votes. :) You can vote right here and check out Amelia Presents here. Three cheers for Erin!

Outdoor fireplace...

The Hendrickson family is off to a late start this morning. My youngest brother and his fiancé stopped to see the house last night and a bonfire convinced them to stay a bit longer (btw, no hostas were harmed in the making of that bonfire). Our driveway is circular, and in the center is an old stone fire pit, a small garden, and an excellent climbing tree. I've been dreaming of an outdoor fireplace forever (remember this post?), but as you can see, our fire pit has seen better days. It still functions well, but it needs to be brought back to it's former glory. I like the shape of the outdoor fireplace in this photo by Tom and Susan Vance (via HGTV).


I'm not really sure how to make that happen, but I'm going to spend the day digging rocks, moving flower beds, and thinking about it. We're trying to take advantage of good weather, so we've been vacillating between outdoor and indoor projects. PRH starts school at the end of this week, so it's crunch time. Anyone else going back to school soon? Anyone else obsessed with outdoor fireplaces?

It's going to take some convincing...

We have a weird little room off our of living room that's literally only big enough to house an old soapstone wood stove. The room meausres about 7 feet square. I'd love to take out the woodstove and make the room into a tiny jewel box of a library. Most of these rooms are completely outside the realm of possibility, but there are ideas to be had from each and they all have the vibe I'm thinking about. The room above from Lonny Magazine Dec 2010, designed by Lulu Power and photographed by Patrick Cline, is one of my favorite rooms ever. Those windows...oh, those windows! Here's what would work in our room: the color and the forward-facing books.

Let's move on to this photo of Paul Fortune's Laurel Canyon home. The haphazardness of the books really appeals to me, particularly where they've been tucked into the rafters. With two young kids in the house, we can certainly do haphazard books.


This image from Elle Decor (via The Goods Design) was taken at the home of CASA MIDY owner. I'm a sucker for library ladders. The only element that would work for us? Concealed storage on the bottom of each shelf.


And, finally, this photo by Nikolas Koenig via Real Simple is the most realistic and do-able. I even have a ladder like that!

I'm convinced. Are you? Now it's just a matter of convincing PRH and making an effort to help...instead of perhaps spending the day reading a biography of Sonic Youth while he bakes an apple crisp and puts up drywall. Some days I'm such a lazy jerk.

This weekend...

I woke up last night and couldn't stop thinking about snow. This photo that we'd found in the farmhouse earlier in the day must have had a greater impact on my psyche than I'd realized. What's your plan for the weekend? We're going to spend every possible minute outside. We have some barn windows calling our names. Happy weekend, everyone!

Menus for Chez Panisse...

Princeton Architectural Press sent over Menus for Chez Panisse: The Art & Letterpress of Patricia Curtan. I've spent the last few evenings poring through it and it's lovely. As a printmaker, I'm a fan of Patricia Curtan's work. Combine that with an interest in the history of Chez Panisse and genuine respect for Alice Waters...well, you've found yourself a pretty fabulous book. I loved seeing some of the blocks that Patricia Curtan used to print the menus, and the insider's history lesson that accompanied each menu was fascinating. You can pick up a copy here.

In the studio...

Carefully consider this photo, lest you think houndstooth carpeting is a good idea in your home. I actually thought this carpeting was kind of fun...the smell of said carpeting? Not so much fun. Also not fun...the maps on the wall hiding a gaping hole and mirrored tiles (with classy gold veins) glued to every corner.

After we pulled the stinky carpet up, we were left with rough, paint-covered floors ...

We considered refinishing the upstairs floors, but they were in really bad shape and, since we're planning a complete remodel of the 2nd floor within the next few years, refinishing wouldn't have been worth the time or expense (refinishing the floors downstairs cost $500 vs. $75 to paint the entire second floor, both DIY). We decided to paint them white, which immediately looked dingy and terrible. Our final choice was a deep gray, which looks OK for now. Here's a photo from the same angle as above...

This room is going to be my studio, so the task for today is to finish painting the trim, remove the blue tape, and unpack 2 bajillion boxes that look like this...

I'll share photos once that Herculean task is complete.

Aesthetic spaz...

Let's be honest...some before + afters just aren't very impressive. Case in point? Our barn. You may remember my post last week about getting our barn in shape. Yowzers. PRH and I have spent days (in muck boots and shorts) hacking down diseased grape vines...

and, after days and days, this is what we're looking at. To be fair, that pile of vines on the right is gone, but it was too dark to take a photo...

Let's take a look at the before shot.

There was an entire building under there! The giant storm windows nailed over the original barn windows? Yeah. The aesthetic spaz in this house is freaking out (yes, that would be me). Those suckers are coming DOWN! Deep breath. I'm trying to keep my eye on the prize.

Open...

Shameless self-promotion: my shop is open again. Yay!

I have a plan...

This photo of the farmhouse is just one photo from a huge pile left behind. It was taken in 1974, the year the previous owners, according to our new neighbor, purchased this house as a retirement home. He also told us that they loved to be outside and never had children. According to our deed, the house itself was built in 1880 and changed hands many, many times. I'll share a photo of the deed- it's amazing. Anyways, the point of showing this photo is that I think the house looks better without a railing. Here's a recent image from relatively the same angle with the railing. Looks are deceiving...the current railing isn't wood. The posts are, but the railing itself is plastic. I know that it was probably put it up as a result of local building codes and we don't want the kiddos to careen off the porch, but I have a plan. I have a plan...that seemingly simple phrase strikes terror in my husband's heart. Insert evil laugh here.

Before and after...

As promised, here are some more before/after photos. If you're like Jamie and guessed that our thrifted light is hanging in our dining room, then you were right! Let's take a look at a few before photos, okay? The photo below was taken on the day we closed (3 weeks ago). Everything in the dining room and kitchen was painted this muddy green. The appraiser required us to put flooring in the kitchen (she didn't think that the floors were hardwood). We weren't happy about wasting money on vinyl flooring, but we had no choice...

A close-up of the previous chandelier...

In this photo, the walls/ceilings were painted and we had just finished staining the floors...

Here, the trim was being painted and the floors were waiting to be clear coated...

As you can see, we still need to do something about the radiator, hang artwork, and put some trim back up around the baseboards...

I found the wool rug at a local store called Nasco Home. It's huge and I love, love it.

We also still have some organizing to do. That's quite a wacky pile on top of the cabinet...

One of the unexpected things that I really like about this house is that we don't need curtains; it's tucked back off the road and very private. A French mattress for the window seat is in the works. It's the perfect reading spot...

My pressed penny collection has a home again. I'm still putting them up (with hot glue- they pop right off) but I promised photos today, so you get the incomplete view...

Compared to three weeks ago, I think the dining room is a vast improvement. What do you think?