We Got Moved In!

So we got moved in...mostly...the important things at least this Saturday! We have loads of details to finish like trim and curtains, but we got in before Christmas! Now where'd I put the shampoo? I guess it's Dawn detergent until I find it. Wooooohoooo! 

The Red Door

Last stage! We put up the original 1867 pediment above the front door.  It's kind of hard to see in the photo, but taking a cue from the reds peeking through the old chippy paint, we stained the front door streaky Barn Red and Bordeaux Red. Two colors give it depth.

In the Spring, using the original clay bricks from the fireplace and stone from the foundation, we'll add a porch which will tie it all together! 

Conjoined Sinks...Whahhh?

Today we plumb in our two copper kitchen sinks! They have a cute story.

Strolling down Home Depot's aisle [for the thousandth time], looking for electrical something-or-other, we discovered a beautiful copper sink on a Clearance shelf. We stopped and gaped. Saw the tiny discount and started to walk away when my honey caught a passing employee and asked, "Wonder if you could take more off?"

"Sorry. I can't, but I the store manager...." The manager knocked off over $100! We lowered it into the cart [*buggy* in the south], and continued our hunt. In a few minutes we addressed the elephant in the store room: we only had room for 2 single sinks, not 1 double and couldn't afford a penny more for sinks.

Stopping to think and pray. We both asked aloud, "Why not cut it in half?" It was a Solomon moment!

We cut. We sanded. We had two beautiful sinks! Today I get to see a dream-wish of mine since my parents and I lived in the old parson's rectory. Copper! Double Yay!

Whattya think?

How Much????

"How much?" I gasped. "He wants more to finish the ceilings than our entire drywall budget! That doesn't include the walls? And we buy his supplies on top of that?"

Our budget is microscopic,  minuscule, ridiculous, frugal so we knew we'd do most of the labor, but drywall is very challenging. Undaunted, we bought a sheetrock lift for the cost of one week's rental because we fugured it'd take us 3-4 weeks to hang it. We were crazy, naive.

Finishing drywall is a whole other beast. We prayed for the Lord to inspire us. He did. We decided to use what we had: tin. Old tin. Why not? It was free. It had been a part of the 1867 roof and 1900 carriage house roof. It was just enough to do the living room-kitchen ceiling...and we LOVE it! [The sheetrock lift also lifts ten foot long sections of tin beautifully!]

I thought about patchwork quilts and based the design on that since we had a hodgepodge of tin. Bonus: It only took about 24 hours of labor including designing it.

As a way to encourage you, when things seem impossible...look up.

Buh-Bye Ugliness

Thought I'd share one ugly truth about old cottages: If neglected, they leak and fall apart. I understand. I do the same when I occasionally don't feel the sun rotate  around me, feel neglected or lonely. I cry and fall apart. Confession is good for the soul.

This horrible *Florida Room* my sweet, departed MIL added in 1976 was the first appendage to get torn off in 2012. Please understand we weren't living in the old, old cottage...so we neglected it hoping it would just ROT off. Not quite, but close. It took some demolition, but "buh-bye ugliness!"

Anyone else ever act like an old....cottage?

Old Sweetwater's New Color

We chose a frosty blueberry color! Whattya think?

I'm Baaaack...Sort of

It's been nearly four years since we moved and now we're just a month away from actually moving into the OLD, old sweetwater cottage! So much has happened...all good. Anyway, I'm on Instagram: Theedecorator. (If anyone happens to see this lonely post.) I have some photos of the two year trial, ordeal, renovation. Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving! Now where did I put that turkey?