While I am enjoying a honeymoon mood in my new house, there are a few things here that are not going to make the cut. In the back room are these Victorian sconces, six sets of them. Very ornate and to my taste completely out of keeping with the rustic nature of the house. The wall color in most of the rooms are also WRONG. They are a dulled down manila envelope color and just too neutral for moi.
The front room had two of these area rugs to define the space. We took them out almost immediately. One went upstairs into my temporary studio to cover the floor in case I spill paint. If it gets on this carpet I won't mind a bit. The other one we put in the back room with the sconces. It will probably stay there for a while as we will be moving the rest of our furniture in through this ground level entrance and this will keep the wall to wall carpet clean.
This is the other half of the back room. That woodburning stove is stinking and ugly and must go. The stone wall is great, and with a gas log burning fireplace in that spot we will both be a lot happier. No mess and no stink. The wall adjacent to the stairs there has the support for a wall mounted lcd TV which is also in our plans. Woowoo! No doubt we will LIVE in this room most of the time.
Yesterday we installed closet rails and shelves in the hallway for my clothes. I am soooooo glad I didn't buy that IKEA armoire I had considered. There are two closets that I have claimed and they are spacious and well lit and are not another piece of furniture that would have always been inadequate.
Wild sweet peas. Just growing on the roadsides with abandon. At this time of the year there are althea, and daylilies and just huge hibiscus in bloom down here. And even though people talk of drought, we see nothing to support this. Everything is just so lush. Speaking of rain, makes me think of water. We have well water and that is the biggest surprise of all. It tastes wonderful! Absolutely no mineral-y flavor at all. And it's free to boot.
BAD: Sure it's annoying to be rousted out of bed at 4 am by that rooster, but then there is the delicious compensation of a morning siesta later on. GOOD:Not to mention the best tasting freshest eggs daily.
I just discovered the spearmint in my garden. I know that it could become a pest but in the meantime I am enjoying mint tea and mint juleps. I'll get around to corraling that herb when I have a minute.
And now that we have internet again and cable TV (all those stations and still nothing to watch) we are as happy as pigs in mud, y'all.
The best part is being here with my two fave buds.
Love that picture of Dave and Pops on the back porch. They look completely at home.
ReplyDeleteWow, what an incredible adventure you are having. Can't wait to see how the new surroundings influence your work. Glad you now have internet. I was starting to get "Melody Withdrawal" :) Enjoy your new surroundings.
ReplyDeleteDave and Popeye have really settled in. You will all seriously enjoy the slower paced life!
ReplyDeleteDave and Popeye certainly look right at home. I am amazed that Pops has settled in so quickly!
ReplyDeleteSweet peas....now there is something I miss! I don't have much yard here but what little grass there is is coming out and I am going with a plethora of flowers. You can bet sweet peas will be included!!
teri
One thing with the roosters - - I assume you will be blogging very early, so I can enjoy you with my morning cuppa.
ReplyDeleteWe are enjoying some of the TNT shows. The Company and Saving Grace. That and Blockbuster Online are saving my summer. Oh, and a couple of podcasts and audio books.
ReplyDeleteTime slows down there. What a beautiful concept.
I love sweet peas, but I love more that you and Dave are settling in and being happy.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the south y'all. I'm a happy transplant from the frozen North (Boston, and Minneapolis) and have been lovin' it for 10 years now. Howerver, today's temp will be 103, yikes!! I hope it's cooler where y'all are!
ReplyDeleteRoxane in Raleigh
Another thing about roosters: you don't need them to create eggs unless you want the eggs to produce more chickens & roosters. Commercial egg producers keep the girls away from the boys and eggs are laid, one a day for several days and then there's a few days rest and then more eggs. It's good if everyone is on a different schedule, but you know women. Anyway, if you want to sleep later, consider "farming out" the roosters.
ReplyDeleteCarol
Hi Melody. Before you get rid of that woodburning stove, I'd ask the neighbors how frequently the power goes out during the winter. My sister lives in the Catskill mountains in NY and when her valley gets hit with a bad snow or ice storm the heat generated from the wood burning stove has saved her from freezing & when used to supplement the regular heating system, it cuts the bill to a reasonable level.
ReplyDeleteI second the motion for a compost pile, burning all garbage except plastic & food(the addition of a pet dog could take care of most of your leftovers).
Wishing you & Dave continued joy in your country-life adventures!
Olenka from the wilds of CT
Do you feed those fowls or do they scratch their own meals?
ReplyDeleteThose steps Dave and Popeye are sitting on has got to go. Really! It is just too country bumpkins and not at all sophisticated, even for a country cottage.
This place will look totally different once you apply your Mel-ness. Reminds me of the time we lived in the country in an old farmhouse and tons of fresh air.
ReplyDeleteAh... out with the old and in with the Melody!! I'm so glad to see you enjoying your new found paradise.
ReplyDeleteMelody,
ReplyDeleteI, too, am curious about the chickens. Are they penned or do they roam around free, just hangin' out where the food is? You probably COULD find someone to take that rooster (and if you have to catch him, be sure to take pictures:)
I'm looking forward to seeing the changes you make in the house.
All the best!
Sharon
Am I the only one that likes the rugs and sconces???? I guess they don't suit your style but it pains me to think about the rugs being ruined. Send them to me...I'd love to have them! :)
ReplyDeleteSomeone beat me to the suggestion about not being too hasty in getting rid of the woodstove. Does the gas fireplace work with no electricity or will you have a generator?
ReplyDeleteWishing you and Dave all the best. I have been following your blog and your move and am excited for you!
Jan
Wild sweet peas -- those certainly make up for the sconces. Oh, I love sweet peas, but I never think of planting them at the right time.
ReplyDeleteIt is such fun to watch your new life unfold.
Congrats on the house. FYI - that paint color is almost the perfect color to make a faux parchment wall technique. If you wanted to finish it up - you'd take white latex paint and dry-brush large X marks over an area (3 to 4 foot square). As soon as you make the X you would use a damp (not dripping) wet sponge and soften and blend the edges. work all the way to the edges and corners. Let dry - you can either keep it this way or let dry and add a glaze - a deep apricot or pumpkin can be wiped on and really adds a lot of depth. When I used to be a Faux painter - this was the technique which everyone WANTED for the BIG $$$!
ReplyDelete:-D eirdre
Neutral wall color will make a nice background for your colorful quilts and art! It sure beats the ugly wallpaper I inherited from previous owners. You may need the wood stove to heat the house when it gets cold and damp in the winter, ugly or not. I am living the country life vicariously through you! Can't wait for the next installments and to see how you set up your new studios! ~Barbara~
ReplyDeleteOh keep the sconces! Just spray paint the metal parts hot pink!
ReplyDeleteJaye
http://artquiltmaker.blogspot.com