Stairway Progress

Here is the stairwell as it looks today. Joe was able to get to this point before the wedding weekend, so it looked pretty darn nice! This is standing in the family room/kitchen looking towards the stairs and dining room.

Here's the little corner block detail. This worked out so well to tie in where all these pieces of trim meet.

Now we are going up the stairs....quite an improvement over how it looked before! This is just the cottagey look I dreamed of for this house. Some of my son's friends keep saying that we have lights like at the bar...I guess I don't hang out at bars enough, because I just thought they were cute little stained glass lamps that didn't take up too much room!

Now were are at the top of the stairs looking at the window that goes into the guest room...Joe fixed it so it swings down, so we can get some ventilation and also clean it easily. You can see the other side here. We also put a little fan at the top of the stairwell because the heat tends to rise up the stairway in the winter...hopefully this will help with that.

Here is the next step...the old acoustical tile on the ceiling in the upstairs hall needs to come down so the beaded board can be contiued into this area. Also there needs to be a little trim along the corners going down the stairs where the beaded board meets the plaster. The whole ceiling thing sounds tricky to me, but Joe is a perfectionist, and I'm sure it will be beautiful when it's done.

The guest room is done...

and has passed muster with Jessie and Dan overnight, and again with Brenda, so I guess it's good to go!

I found the bedding at TJ Maxx...nice...simple and white. I don't have stock in TJ Maxx but I should. You can get such wonderful stuff there for a great price. The headboard is from a bed that belonged to my great grandmother. I have the rest of the bed, but the rails and footboard don't seem to want to stay in place. So, we attached the headboard to the wall and just used a metal bedframe to hold the mattress and springs.

The lamps and tables are vintage and came from that great Pontiac store, Old City Hall Shoppes. ;o) Stop by if you need similar items at your house...we'll be happy to help you out. The chair is from Pier One. The artwork is some that I bought at the farmer's market in Hilo, HI. 

 The colors in the room came from the art.

I really like how this window over the stairwell turned out. At night if you leave the stair light on, it's like having a little night light in this room. Very cozy. Our house has had quite a bit of remodeling done on it before we came, so I don't feel the need for true restoration (it's too far gone for that) and can just renovate...adding quirky things if we want, and staying within the spirit of a folk victorian.

Gardening...

I got a very late start this year, and still haven't caught up, but things are blooming! Luckily, perennials know when to bloom whether I'm late or not. And they come up on their own, right on schedule.

Many folks don't like the lowly day lily because they grow out of bounds. I love them...because they grow out of bounds. Ha! I'm better off with plants that don't need lots of attention, and that list includes most of the ones that you have to start ripping out when they get too carried away.

Mom checking out the hydrangea.

This year the Lace Cap Hydrangea finally bloomed. It's been there, growing and green, but apparently it has to get some size to it before it starts blooming. I think it was worth the wait!

 Here's another hydrangea on the side of the house. They come up every year, love the shade, and flower like crazy...what's not to love?!

This is Trumpet Vine and Silver Lace Vine all mixed up on the arbor. I'm not sure how it happened, because the Silver Lace Vine grew beautifully for years...on the other side of the arbor. Now for some reason it has died out on that side and is coming up with the Trumpet Vine. I've planted a Black Eyed Susan Vine on the other side now, but it's an annual and it takes it a while for it to get a decent size.

 

This is just me enjoying being out of high heels after the wedding. I got the cutest apron at TJMaxx and ended up wearing it all day. Yes, I wear aprons.....when I have my wits about me, anyway. It seems that anytime I mess with food, it's attracted to my clothes like a magnet, so I try to remember. I was checking out this book the other day, and all the wonderful vintage aprons. I almost bought it, thinking I'd make myself a few really cute ones, but then I realized...the last thing I need at this moment is another project!

The Wedding....

Mike and Jill are now married! Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day:

Jill getting ready.

The bride's maids helping her with her gown.

Colleen and I before the ceremony.

Mike and Jill pouring sand during the ceremony.

Entering the reception hall.

Their first dance as a married couple.

I get to dance with Mike. The song is here...so touching!

Colleen caught the bouquet...yikes!

Congratulations Mike and Jill!

Trimming out the stairwell....

Joe is doing a great job on the stairway. It's turning out just as I always wanted. It's been primed and will get a coat of paint today.

I told you it's a very tall narrow stair...runs right up the center of the house. Ahhh...no studs showing! Heaven.

He designed some little corner blocks for the spot where the wall and ceiling meet at the bottom of the stairs.

Here's the bottom of the stairs...looking into the dining room.

And here is the view from standing in the dining room doorway. We are going to have the cabinet maker do a rail on that side of the stairway, and build in bookcases (bye, bye to the walmart ones stacked in the niche) around the corner and over the doorway to the bath.  This is open to the family room/ kitchen, so I want to kind of tie it all together.  If you click on the link you can see the kitchen. It looks a little different now, because we have all black appliances, but it's pretty much the same. It's tricky getting all the surfaces to work together in an old house, especially one that has been remodeled through the years...

I'm not a cat person.

Last night I took the scenic route home, through the countryside, and as I'm driving along I realize I'm hearing "meow" every so often. And had been for several miles. I know, I know, but cut me some slack, I have a lot on my mind these days, and well, it just didn't register right away. So I when I got home we found this under my car:

See the little kitty leg? It took us a while to coax him down, but he finally came out. I can't believe he rode up there for 12 miles!

He still won't come to us. But he comes near, and is very verbal...meowing all the time. We fed him and he was a hungry little dude.

I think I may have a cat.

Flowers, flowers, flowers!

I think I have my work cut out for me! I've been getting the weeds out of the beds, and now I need to get to planting! It's so late that I thought I'd have to spend a fortune on getting bigger plants, but Big R is having a sale...they have beautiful large baskets marked down to 4 and 5 dollars each. These just came in too...they are not wilted planters that you have to baby back to health. If you're local, you can pick up a bargain.

I also had good luck at "The Garden Path" in the country outside Cornell...she always has gorgeous stuff and she has sales going on too.