Blogger in Training (pants)

I've asked my son, Hayden, to work on this blog for me. I've asked him to add all the bells and whistles and links I can only dream about. He is amazing. He will do this with an ipod connected to one ear, a cell phone in the other, and the TV blaring. He'll type the speed of lightning using only three fingers on one hand and one on the other.

I, on the other hand, would need a quiet place, a clean space, a clear head, all ten of my fingers and most of my toes -- like that's gonna happen.

If you enjoyed this post (and, gosh, I hope you did) please BECOME A FOLLOWER!

Making An Entry Where There Isn't One...

What do you call it?  entrance?  entry hall?  foyer?  for-your?  I call it "necessary".   I like having some kind of defined entry area into a house, but sadly, not every house has one.  That would be true in my house and, dang it, it was really bothering me.  

You know how sometimes you can just "make one up" using, let's say, a rug, a clever furniture arrangement or something like that?  Didn't happen. I couldn't come up with anything.

Then, I had a light bulb moment...

My mother's going to kill me for showing this picture but I have to show the "before".  This kinda cruddy (sorry, Mom)  all wood bookcase was in my mothers garage.  Clearly she needed it, but she was very generous and gave it to me anyway.  She always saves the day!

 I secured it to the wall and floor and wrapped it with leftover hardwood flooring.  Then I added trim to the front, top, and bottom, and also added doors with glass.  I got the column when I laid down in front of my neighbor as he was taking it out to the trash.  The bottom of the column was rotten so I cut it off.  
(I hope it didn't hurt much)  

If you've ever tried to cut off a super thick, made out of hard old wood, ROUND column with a circular saw in need of a blade change, then you know what I'm talking about when I say...WOW.  Never tried it?  Don't.  

I stacked a wooden plate and plaque from the craft store to make the new base and a little fabric trim to cover where it all (almost) came together.  I just painted the trim the same as everything else.  It looks kinda cool and completely covers the ragged edge left by the dull.....uh.....blade.

These little jewels came from Home Interiors a million

years ago and I will never stop loving them.  

Here's a look down the hall...

The phone is original to the house and still works perfectly!  When it rings you can hear it down the street!!!

And here are some pictures of the front door and porch.

I'm linking this up to Kelly's link party

*To see the parties I link to and to join in the fun, CLICK HERE!

If you enjoyed this post (and, gosh, I hope you did) please BECOME A FOLLOWER!!

I'm a recycler...

Not in the usual sense of the word, being I live in a rural area that does not offer recycling opportunities.  I do, however, reuse and repurpose and rescue anything headed for the dump that looks as though it has an ounce of life left in it.   I don’t know who coined the word “upcycle” but I love that word - it should have been me.  

All that said, one of my very favorite things I have repurposed was a satellite dish.  A big old honker of a satellite dish that was 10 feet in diameter.  I built the cutest chicken coop (if a chicken coop can EVER be called cute) using the dish for the roof.  Looks a little like a giant bird cage.  I love it. Isn’t it just fab? 

I made them this...

Then they made me these... 

And I made Mr. Lindy some of this... 

I love how this works.  The girls seem pleased as well. 

In this photo: Scrambler, Blue, Speck, Millie, Rocket and all the Welsummer girls.  Not pictured: Baby Blue and Chick-a-dee.

If you enjoyed this post (and, gosh, I hope you did) please BECOME A FOLLOWER!

*To see the parties I link to and to join in the fun, CLICK HERE!

This little house of mine

I love houses. I love everything about houses.

Mr. Lindy and I have lived in maybe 11 houses, not counting the rentals between houses and that 9 month stint in the 30’ travel trailer which by my calculations was just a tad smaller than our previous master bathroom. Shocking, I know. However, it was one of the best times of my life -- but that’s a story for another day.

We built 4 of the eleven houses (once starting a new house just 9 months after moving into our new house!) and renovated the rest. I think I love equally the new houses and the renos. My motto, as you will learn, is “I love it, now how can I change it”.

We’ve “lived” in our current house for 2 ½ years. I say “lived” with finger quotations because at least during the first year, the house was pretty unlivable. This reno was by far the longest, hardest, most rewarding to date. The house was the ugliest, most unlovable house we ever purchased yet I think I have loved it the best. (I vaguely remember having said that about other houses…)

Let me start from the beginning. After years of marriage and following Mr. Lindy’s job halfway around the south, we decided to take a different course, to live a simpler life and move to the “country” -- a small southern town of about 1,300 where both our families are originally from. Our nest was newly empty and we were ready for a change. (I think I just heard a little giggle in my head because I say that like we never had change in our lives before that…..11 DIFFERENT houses! Hello!) Mr. Lindy bought a small restaurant and we set out to find the perfect (if not perfectly awful) house.

And then, I saw it. For about two seconds I considered buying it for an investment property but it didn’t take long to see it would require way too much time and money to bring this house back so I quickly dropped that idea. No, this house was a house that needed nurturing -- not just a nip and a tuck -- but real TLC.

Here is a before picture. I wish I had taken more…

This Little "Before" House of Mine

The owner, Charlotte, had inherited it from her aunt several years before and the house had been empty all that time. Charlotte’s uncle was beyond frugal, using tape and free yardsticks (don’t ask me) when needed to patch things up. There was at least 40 pounds of bird poop in the fireplace and the guest bedroom ceiling had relocated itself on the floor. Vines had worked their way inside. REAL heart pine floors had been covered with FAUX wood grain peel and stick tiles - no lie.

Charlotte must have thought I was crazy. I’d asked to see the house almost every day when once would have been more than enough for most. She finally just offered me a key. I would spend hours wandering around in it looking, thinking, trying to figure out if it was even remotely possible this house could be brought back to life or if it were entirely possible I was having a mental break from reality. I chose to believe the former -- I think Mr. Lindy was tittering on believing the latter. But in the end, by golly, he believed in me AND in this house.

There was a day while wandering around the house, thinking my brains out, praying my need to own this house would subside if I looked at it long enough, when I knew, without a doubt we were going to buy it. I was carefully lifting a corner of flooring in the bathroom (just curious, Charlotte) when a big chunk of it fell to the ground leaving a Big. Gapping. Hole. You’ve heard the saying “You break it, you buy it”? Sold.

I swear sometimes we’d take at least 2 steps back for every one step forward but we can finally say we are done -- we can stick a fork in it.

This Little "after" House of Mine

Of course there is always SOMETHING more to be done with an old house but for the most part I am down to the fun stuff. That’s the stuff I’ll be sharing with you here. Be seeing you soon….

HELLO!

I can’t believe I didn’t start this blog a year ago because, boy, did I have something to talk about back then. We’d purchased a 60-something year-old house whose very first project required that a weedeater and some (garden store napalm) round-up be used. And, that was on the INSIDE of the house. Sigh. My momma raised me better than that. But, then again, I am always up to my eyeballs in some kind of trouble project. So now? -- it’s as good a time as any to tell my story. And, life is full of stories, if you’re lucky.

Projects and makeovers I can handle, but I really have NO idea what I’m doing when it comes to blogging. I do, however, have some ideas (like sneaking peeks at some of my friends homes, working on my “To Do” list of projects, sharing how-to’s from a house I’m flipping, and a gazillion before-and-afters), and have been making notes for some time now.

So, I’m just jumping in. Oh my gosh, I feel like I’m running with scissors, in the dark, through a mine field, naked, and (HA!), I hope you join me. Everything’s more fun with friends along for the ride…