Monday, September 28, 2009

How I spent my summer

When I started this blog my intentions were to merely record a year in gardening. What were my successes and what were my failures. And to share my thoughts and ideas of gardening without sounding like I am some kind of Master gardener. I did not think about life happening and postponing my gardening endeavors. I have kept track of the gardens through photos, and I hope to record them soon. I am not going to blog about gardening today, but rather blog about restoring, redecorating and reviving my cousins home. We unfortunately lost uncle glen this past week. We started all of this renovation with the hopes he would be coming home. However he went to be with my aunt Josie who passed away many years ago. I have had an emotional summer and my number one goal is to get my cousin Glenn Jr.'s house up to speed. I have always been an older brother to Glenn Jr and I know that my aunt and uncle would want me to be there for him. And I want to be there for him. Glenn Jr has gave me license to get things done, and so we are on our way. The following photos are a small peek into some of the transformation thus far. This blog is dedicated to my Uncle Glen.


Just to lighten the mood so I don't turn into Debbie downer, this is Millie. No she is not dead. lol

We haven't actually started any plumbing projects just yet but the following is not so much a before and after, rather a before and I wish. lol



My aunt Josie loved her lamps and lights. Here is a small sample of some of her lighting fixtures and paintings she would do around them.

This light is at the top of the stairs and we haven't even started up there.

In the breakfast nook.

In the upstairs foyer. This design was carried out throughout the upstairs. Unfortunately this is the only one left. But with this photo and aunt Josie guiding my hand maybe I can recreate it again. Ohhh maybe make a stencil. hmmmm And yes we need a light fixture.

This is the parlor ceiling. Sorry about the poor photo.

One of the chandeliers in the front room.


Earlier this year.

We plan on putting back the brick columns with wrought iron between columns. But that is a lot further down on our list. The deck does however wrap all the war around the back side of the house.


The concrete under the windows is on the list.

The parlor. One of my favorite rooms growing up. Well that is what we use to call this room. It was originally a dining room, then aunt Josie made it into a parlor. Now we need to start calling this the office. I think it is quite freaky how close this purple is to the original purple.




This is the front room. It is 30 feet long. We weren't allowed in here when we were kids. lol I will post some more photos of this room from its hey days.



Glenn Jr's favorite color is blue.




WTF was with the taxi cab yellow. lol clearly we are in the market for an updated medicine cabinet. lmao


The downstairs bedroom that I always called the red room.



This was a beast to get accomplished and we still have some plaster to contend with.

The ceiling leaked and plaster everywhere. omg

Has anyone ever seen the 409? lol Just kidding nooner.

If you notice a milky substance on the floor, it is a sealer that dries clear. It looks really good. You don't see this kind of floor very often. This house is a gem.

We painted these cabinets to match the built ins.


How fabulous is this tile.

Another one of my projects to finish. Someone had painted over the designs on the kitchen ceiling. I tried to trace over what I could see but it was much harder than I imagined. So this is on the lower end of the to do list.

This is the hallway looking into the kitchen from the front room.

The ceiling in the north part of the hallway.

The old basement steps.

Again, the old basement steps. lol

The new basement steps. And you don't have to bend your head while you use them.

This area of the house was not part of the original house. After they bought the house sometime later they built a carport, then no time after that they enclosed it to make the family room. I always remember it as an enclosed carport. So much of this has suffered over the years but it will be showroom new in no time.










The back of the house.




The back yard and the little house.



It will be very sad to see the little house go. I have a million memories running through my head when I look at the house. It however is a death trap. If you think the outside looks bad you can't imagine the inside.

Both aunt Josie and Uncle Glen loved to sit and look out over the pond.

The goat shack has got to go. Thank goodness the goats are long gone.

I do however hate to see this part of the barn go. Years ago this was a two story barn. This is the last wall of the original barn left standing. Can anyone else see a greenhouse? lol


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