Christmas Decorating 2021

Christmas Decorating 2021

On Sunday we put up our Christmas tree! Rob came home with the tree that afternoon. It was a nice, tall, straight tree with a perfect pyramid shape, but when we got it in the stand we noticed that its bottom branches had lost most 

New Roof

New Roof

We have a new roof! It’s so nice. It looks like an old-timey tin roof, which is just right for a country cottage like ours that has seen over a hundred birthdays. I like the way the new roof gleams in the sun and how 

Shutters!

Shutters!

For thirteen years, I’ve dreamed about adding exterior shutters to the house, and now finally my dream has come true. I’m so excited to show you my new improvements! Our house must have had shutters in its earlier days. You can still see the indentations 

Carl’s New Collar and Tie and More

Carl’s New Collar and Tie and More

About a week ago, I ordered Carl a cat-sized collar and tie from a lovely Etsy shop called ChariotsAFire. The combo arrived in the mail on Tuesday. The tie is olive green with tiny gold dots, and Carl looks great in it (it really complements 

February Projects

February Projects

February was another busy month for home-improvement projects around here. Rob and I were hard at work every weekend. We started fixing up the bathroom in the main house, planted lots of plants, and even did a little Easter decorating. We spent the beginning of 

Painting the Back Bedroom

Painting the Back Bedroom

Last weekend Rob and I painted the trim in the back bedroom. The trim in there had always bothered me because half of it was painted and the other half was bare wood. Plus, the bare wood part wasn’t even stained or varnished and wasn’t even completely bare; bits of old white paint were stuck around all the nails.

Refinished Floors

Refinished Floors

Last week we got our sunroom and kitchen floors refinished. Both really needed it. The sunroom floor had water damage and most of the old finish had peeled off, and the kitchen floor was painted dark green. Both floors are wood (pine), and we had 

Christmas Decorating 2015

Christmas Decorating 2015

Last Saturday Rob and I put up our Christmas tree. As we “labored” (as Rob likes to say) we drank hot apple cider out of some festive Spode mugs. The mugs were my favorite part of the day; they have handles that look like candy 

Peachy Dining Room

Peachy Dining Room

Last weekend we spent four days (Friday through Monday) painting the dining room, a project associated with our big kitchen redo. See, there used to be a pass-through from the kitchen to the dining room (it was essentially a big hole in the wall), and