Happiness is a rocking chair on the cottage porch at sunset, with your dollies and your blanket.

Wood-fairy at the cottage.

Before and after photos are some of my favorites when it comes to house renovations....that said, the following two pictures aren't really before-and-after, more like before and during. If you follow that. That's the same newel post, and while it looks almost black in the picture, it's really a deep, lovely mahogany that still shows the grain of the wood. Oh and all the missing spindles all the way up the staircase? You CANNOT TELL which ones are new and which ones are old - they all look spectacular. I can't wait to finally unveil the refinished stair treads - I haven't been able to see them yet, but I'm hoping the overall effect will be yummy.

The kitchen has seen some real progress - the plaster coat on the range hood is on, and I think I like it in it's natural state (apparently you're supposed to paint it, but I kinda like it this way). And - TA-DA! - the barnwood is on the island! I hope this makes it rustic enough that Grandma will feel comfortable frying an egg of a morning (she found the chandeliers to be a little grand for the humble frying of an egg, but barn board? Barn board pretty much requires fried eggs, right? Right?)


The steam oven - my foray into experimental cooking - has been placed in it's rightful home (the first appliance to have that honor - I'm still not certain on the whereabouts of the refrigerators....they're MIA apparently). You can also sorta kinda see a bunch of slabs of marble sitting on the counter above the steam oven. Choosing a counter-top material has proven to be something of an, erm, adventure. Stay tuned for the final word.....



The front porch has been beautifully clad in Pennsylvania bluestone, and we even have a step up to the porch now, so one doesn't have to heave oneself up while muttering about the age of one's knees and wondering how the worker dudes have been doing this for over a year now....yeah, the bottom "step" is still an old hunk of plywood, but at least we're headed in the right direction!!!!

It really is the little things....things like scupper boxes and copper downspouts....



















Things like a water pressure tank and hot water heaters, make me really really happy for our old house. I mean, when you think about it, it hasn't really had any of those things in a very very long time - or never - and THAT means we're one step closer to making it a proper home. Isn't that a pretty picture????

I'm having a terrible time downloading pictures tonight. This site generally stinks when it comes to adding pictures to my text, but tonight, well, let's just say I'm having a Very Hard Time Restraining Myself (from pitching my computer in the backyard). Anywhoooo, I am endeavoring to get some shots of the farmhouse put up here...hope it works....

The photo here (hopefully) shows the master bedroom, where we spent Saturday cleaning up the original doors and added a protective coating of water-based polyurethane to 'em. Because THAT'S how I like to spend my birthday weekend.

Whoot.

The kitchen is coming along...
















The family room is painted and the floors are finished (and hiding under protective paper). So, here you can see the hallway (kinda yellowy orange) the family room (greeny gray) and the library (gray, to the left of the pic, thru the doorway).









Upstairs, we worked on tidying up the finish of the original doors, before they are re-hung in the bedroom doorways. I think they look pretty wonderful (if you sort of squint and pretend that those big chunks of cardboard aren't there).



And this, this is the long awaited, much anticipated, longingly regarded new stove. I CANNOT WAIT to start cooking on this baby....