In my new Laundry Room...

...I find it is the little things that make me most happy to do laundry.  Truthfully, I haven't complained (not yet anyway) about doing laundry since we moved into our new farmhouse.  Honestly, I use to grumble quite a bit 'bout doing laundry - but now, I'm finding when you have room to be organized a bit - everything seems to be a lil' more enjoyable - even if it is washing dirty clothes.  But instead of ramblin' I'll simply share some pictures with you and let you in on why this room makes me happy.

Of course, starting with my sink - graciously given to us by Linda and Tommy from an old house of theirs being demolished.  I'm so thankful they thought of me - because I will always love this sink.  It is cast iron of course with a 1934 stamp on the bottom of it.

So #1 - I love my sink!

 #2 - I love my big window that lets in lots of light and I can look out and watch the cattle grazing up on the hill.

#3 - I love the simple things like my handmade soap - ready to work as many hands are washed in there.

 #4 - Oh how I love this painting - lovingly given to us by my friend Becky, of one of our barns with the quilt squares.

 #5 - I'm still loving my front load washer and dryer - it is about 3 years old now - and farm clothes really give them a workout.

 #6 - I love my faucet - purchased from Overstock.com

 #7 - I love this painting - also gifted to us by a talented artist, Mary Lou - of a lady hanging her clothes on the line.  I want a clothesline - that'll be a summer project.

 #8 - I love my cabinets - lots of places to put cleaning supplies and such.

 #9 - Of course, you gotta have a place to sit down and take your boots off - and this is why I love my lil' chair.

 #10 - I love my kettle - a gift from mom and of course, I love that lil' boy in that picture.

 #11 - I love my cabinet with pretty baskets.

 #12 - I love my bead board and all my molding - thanks Andy.

 #13 - and lastly, I LOVE the fact that all the ugliness - like all my dirty clothes and hampers and shoes and my brooms and you know - all that stuff you gotta have to live each day - well, it is hidden nicely behind this door and I love that ;-)

I say you can make any space - no matter how big or small - a happy place when it is filled with things that make you smile.  I'm grateful for this space to do something for my family and I'm thankful for the lil' things more and more each day.

May your day be a happy and blessed one.

The Fireplace...

Hello friends - hope your new year is off to a fantastic start.  First, I want to say thank you to all of you who have had such nice things to say as I've shown you around some of our new home.  I'm finding out that getting this house all put together - is gonna take a long time - so I appreciate your forgiveness and oversight of the many things that are yet to be done.  There are curtains to be sewn, lots of furniture to be found, things to be painted - but that is all a part of the process - and I'm enjoying it more all of the time. 

But today, I thought I'd let you look in on the fireplace.  I must admit - I did not necessarily want a fireplace - I was afraid it would make things really dark in the den but after the mantle was given to us as a gift from Shaun's late father, I couldn't say no nor did I not want to incorporate such a neat piece of family history into our new farmhouse.

 You may recall me posting this picture nearly a year ago - showing you the condition of the mantle.  It had been stored overhead in the barn for nearly 50 years.  Shaun's dad had rescued it from his grandparents home before it had been tore down.  After some research - we figured out that it was 150+ years old and made of chestnut.  Chestnut trees were wiped out in our part of the country I believe back in the 40's due to a disease.  So with that being said - we knew we could not paint it.  I wanted to paint it white - but I was threatened - hehe - by many people, like my cabinet man, my dad and my hubby - that I just couldn't paint such a great piece.  I suppose I lost that battle - but that is o.k. - there are many reasons why it was so special just the way it was.

 Our "stone" guy, David, used the same stone that we used on the outside of the house around the fireplace.  It kind of ties the two together.

 Here is one of the few imperfections in the wood - we figure it is a water stain from being stored next to the roof in the barn.  After a lot of sanding  - it still wanted to stick around - so we just left it - it really doesn't bother us a bit - just adds more character.

 Here you can see the wide width of the boards on the base - the boards measure a foot wide.

 So there it is - a great gift from our beloved Poppa - whom we miss so much.  He would have so loved to have seen this in our new home.  

But each time we see it - we think of Glen and the many gifts he gave us.  What a great piece of family history to incorporate into our home.  Thanks Poppa.

The Sunroom..

...and just like the rest of our new home - it is still very much a work in progress.  My husband wanted a more "neutral" palette in this room - and trust me - when I see people who use all the lights and neutrals - I truly am drawn to them but when it comes to my own home - I'm a color girl - I can't help it.  So needless to say - I'm having trouble with this room - it is just burlap and navy - aaaaahhhh where is my red???  Don't worry - I think you will see it soon.  But till then - we will browse around a bit.

Excuse the absense of presents - they have already been opened ;-(  I miss them already.  Another project - paint coffee table and end tables - they were hand - me - downs from my sweet mamaw, Ruby.  But they don't quite fit the way they are.

 In the other corner - a rustic ladder I had - a great place for my plethora of magazines - along with every drawer and basket in the house ;-)

 My husband was also quite sure he wanted a metal ceiling and I must admit - I was leery - afraid it was going to be toooooo shiny.  I felt more comfortable with some that had already rusted a bit - but oh no - he wouldn't go for that.  Anyway, I have ended up liking it a lot and so does everyone that sees it.  I must give him credit for this one. (Ignore the plastic on the clock - my ladder is not tall enough to get up there - I can't believe I haven't taken care of this yet - oh well, someday) 

 I love my lamps I found - bought one 1/2 price and got the other for  FREE - just had to tighten it up a tad.  The burlap shades are my favorite.  That cool wooden ball came from the peddlers mall - I loved it from the moment I spotted it.

 A couple of navy and white chairs flank each side of the entrance into the kitchen.  You'll also notice that the walls are simply made of 4X8 sheets of an exterior grade material that has a rustic barn wood look.

 My Christmas tree in this room was full of some natural elements as well as a little sparkle.  Again, I stayed with more of a neutral palette of  navy, browns, creams, silver and white.

 Pods, nests, snowflakes, birds, netting, burlap ribbon and traditional Christmas balls all found a home on the tree.

 You can see we are gonna have a great view out the back when we get the yard all fixed up in the spring.  Right now, I'm waiting on the first snowfall - I think it will be so peaceful and relaxing sitting in this room.

 And you remember from the previous post - you enter the sun room through our barn doors - sorry I just love talking about them. Now, only if I could get them painted.

Hope your Christmas was happy and that you made great memories with your family and friends.  Wishing you continued blessings for a happy new year!

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. - Hamilton Wright Mabie

Merry Christmas...

...from our home to yours...

Kitchen Post #4..."Where we eat"

Ok friends - we are down to our last new "kitchen post".  You know, ya gotta eat somewhere and right now - till I get it jus' right - it is here.  You can tell from the previous posts - there was no room to eat around the island - so everything is happening at this table.  It is a really old table with a fresh new coat of paint on it - but - I have got to distress it - it is looking just to bright - but not being in the house but a lil' bit over a month - it just hasn't happened yet - but it will.  Another must have -  new chairs - I'm currently looking for mix matched chairs - or at least new ones for the ends.  Maybe I'll paint these - and put two upholstered arm chairs on each end.  Oh well, just another project in the works.

 In this picture, you can see we still have plenty of room in between the table and island - so maybe I'll even look for a bigger table - I think I'd like that. 

 I'm enjoying our light fixture - it really does put off great light - and I've been painting lots of ornaments at that table so that is a good thing. Next year - I'll get around to hanging some fresh greenery from it.

 Just another angle...

 At the other end of the kitchen is our sliding barn doors - which we love.  I still haven't distressed them either but I will - someday - I promise. 

 I had to show you this picture that my dear friend, Kim, gave me.  She gave us two - both of which were her mothers.  We loved her momma, sweet Ms. Fannie, so much and Kim thought these would look just right in our farmhouse and I agree - we love them Kim.  Thank you. 

 One more pic...

Next I'll show you what's behind the barn doors - our sun room.  Which is turning out to be our favorite room in the house.

Hope you are enjoying all your Christmas gatherings - with friends and family.  What a beautiful and blessed time of year!

"When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things - not the great occasions - give off the greatest glow of happiness." - Bob Hope

New Kitchen Post #3...Over on the "left"...

O.k. friends - now we take a look over at the left side of our new kitchen.  This side is more utilitarian with the stove and refrigerator an all - but needless to say - I still like the way it turned out. 

 We have another matching corner cabinet on this side - these flank the double window which lets in a lot of great light.  I filled this side with more of my pitchers - most of them gifted to me by my sweet "mamaws" and a couple of older quilts.  "Quilts in the kitchen" you say - I know - I won't leave them there long but I love the pop of color they provided.  I also have a small tree sitting on the bench.  When it is not filled with "stuff" - it is great place for somebody to sit and watch the cattle graze out the window.

 We opted for a simple hood but I'm already thinking about how I might "tweak" it a bit.  I haven't been in here but a month and I'm already thinking about changing something - ;-) I can't help it - it is just me!

 Here is a good shot of those drawers I was mentioning in the previous post - I do love these - I've got all my kitchen appliance books in one and the other is still waiting for something to fill it - don't worry - it won't have to wait long.

 Here is my lil' scale that my precious momma bought for me - mainly - because it is one of my favorite colors even if it isn't accurate - obviously those cherries don't way 3 lbs. but it is still cute nonetheless.  I bought a tiny poinsettia to fill my # pot - I love these pots - I'm gonna have to get some more.

 Looking down the wall is the fridge - we are really enjoying our new Frigidaire appliances - I've never had a dishwasher or ice and water in the door before - so we are getting spoiled quickly!

 And at the very end of that wall is my old mantle that I bought many months ago - not having a clue where it would end up - but here is where it has landed for now.  I love the blue/gray color of it - so I didn't touch it.

 And on that mantle, my carolers - I talk about them every year - are they glamourous - no, are they fancy - no, are they perfect - no - but to me they mean so much - my mamaw, Cleo, made them for me and I wouldn't trade them for anything!  And that sweet picture - my lil' guy many years ago - but I just love that smile!

Have another fantastic week - and there are still more posts to come - like "where do we eat?"
Merry Christmas!