Be Our Guest

We are thrilled that Jordan's folks are coming to visit us.  We've been looking forward to this for a long time, but somehow the time has passed far too quickly and we spent the weekend trying to throw the guest room and bath together.  

It was a long weekend, but we did it.  Well, yes, we do have some minor details to complete (trim, curtains, paint, etc.), but the room is habitable, which is a far cry from what it looked like Friday night.

 

I was going for a Swedish country vibe, a nod to both of our family's shared heritage.  All we need now is to stock the room with some pickled herring and we'll be good...

Swede or no, we hope that YOU will come and stay with us soon!

Outdoor Surprises

Owning an old home is work - lots of work, especially inside.  On the other hand, old houses come with landscaping.  This is especially true of our new house.  While in Colville we didn't have any trees on our acreage, here we are blessed with an abundance of trees (deciduous and evergreen).  We are also discovering that a previous occupant had quite the green thumb.

It seems that almost every week we discover some new flower:  daffodils, tulips, lupine, wild asters, etc.  We also have huge old lilac and azalea bushes. 

 

We are also expecting roses, irises, day lillies and rhododendrons any day now.

Angus is preoccupied with some discoveries of his own - mostly involving squirrels and chipmunks (not to mention a brief, albeit painful, encounter with a porcupine).

The kids are delighted to finally have trees big enough to climb.

The only downside is that all of the foliage has blocked a good portion of our river view.

Not that we are complaining!  It's a small price to pay.

Welcome to the New House

Everyone has been asking us to post pics of the new house.  While we aren't "quite there" yet, I'll go room by room to show you what we've been doing while neglecting the blog.

First is the mudroom.  When we bought this house, the first room you entered was what we called the "Piano Room."  It was a big, empty room with old barn wood walls, a shelf and a very dusty piano. 

We wanted a place to hold all of our coats and muddy boots, but I also wanted a separate laundry room with storage.  So Jordan divided the room.

 

While we loved the old barn look, the walls were quite dark.  A quick coat of primer over the wood made a huge difference, and now the walls reflect the coastal look of the area.  To complete the look, we painted the sheetrocked walls a bright aqua blue.

 

We also replaced the old window with a transom-style one that allows you to look out into the courtyard.  

Lastly, Jordan mounted an untouched piece of the original base board to the wall, and then he put reproduction square nails on it to use as a coat rack. 

In the end, the new mudroom is functional and welcoming.

A Little Pomp and Circumstance

Annabel graduated from kindergarten a few weeks ago.  Yikes - how did THAT happen?   We're very proud of how well she has adjusted to our new life here in Maine.

Many thanks to the staff at Machias Valley Christian School - and especially to Annabel's teacher Mrs. Heallen.  Thanks for all you do!