half bath

Speaking of small projects, we've done a few small things in our half bath.

I do not love the location (at the end of our galley kitchen), but with three children, I am thankful it's there.

- see the half bath way down there? -
- i was torn about sharing this picture - the kitchen is next on the list for
a small makeover - paint, new hardware, gas range, etc. -

By the way, the end of the kitchen is actually an addition.
The doorway beyond the kitchen table and chairs had swinging doors when we moved in. Not super convenient for us, so they came down (don't worry, we kept them). And what we now call the pantry room, used to be laundry. While I do not love laundry in the basement, we needed all the kitchen space we could get. So, hubby and I ripped out cabinets and hauled the heavy appliances to the basement.

The pantry room not only has shelving for storage and a coffee station under the window, but also the refrigerator. No, not ideal for your kitchen triangle, but it was there or partially blocking off doorways on the opposite end of the kitchen. It works, and we're all used to it now. We do a lot of walking in the kitchen.

Now that we all know the background story, here are the half bath pictures.

- last winter -

- currently -

When we first purchased the old house, I had no affinity for the sconces. Now though, with the small changes, I love them! We also decided to keep the wallpaper. It is cute and works in this space.

The only thing left is a new mirror or a new paint color on that one. Any ideas?

One more note. I am sure many of you love the old sink. We do too, BUT it was so short. Hubby is rather tall and I am not short. Plus, the thing leaked and leaked and we were tired of fixing it.

The current sink is what was thrown into the main bath when they tried to do a quick fix-up before listing the old house. It did not match at all, so moving it to the half bath meant a new sink upstairs!

And if you must know, we also replaced the toilet in the half bath, but who wants to see pictures of that...

- here you get a glimpse of the wallpaper -

 

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in the details:

gray and white chevron curtains - hand made, fabric from hobby lobby

decor - from my stash/collection in the basement
old sink - the guy that fixed our french doors took it, he accepted it as trade/credit

vestibule: an update

Dear readers, did you again think I gave up on blogging?

I am sorry, but I cannot promise this long pause will not repeat. September is proving to be a busy, busy month for this family. I have a backlog of posts, some started and some still in my head, and I have
decided that the easiest posts for me (right now) are those about old house projects.

We are currently working on smallish projects at the old house. Remember this previous post about the vestibule? Let me be the first to tell you:  if you can figure out a way to work a shoe closet into your entry way, do it. No shoes strewn about the house. No, "mom, where are my shoes?" The one problem, that I cannot believe did not cross my mind, is a little bit of an odor. You know, kid shoe stink. It wasn't a problem last fall and winter, but consistently hot days brought consistently smelly shoes.

I am getting way off subject... Please know, we have tackled the problem with regular shoe cleaning, airing out of the shoe closet (never when people are over), and lots of baking soda.

So, all of that to say, that the rest of the vestibule is finally getting a make over. We pulled up the faux brick linoleum and hauled the heavy, original french doors up from the basement. The doors, by the way,
we noticed when we first looked at the old house last summer. While in the basement, we peeked into the dark and a little creepy coal room. Along, with many other treasures,we found the vestibule doors!

progress pictures:

- last july -

- fresh out of the basement with decades of storage dust and grime -

- cleaned up, but in need of repair and replacement hardware before they can be installed -
- white tile sample is leftover from the bathroom, i had it there to help me visualize -

- under the linoleum - the condition looks much better in this picture -

- $9 vintage mirror from local thrift store -

here's the plan:

There is a guy here in the new city who has an architectural antiques business. We bought our vintage

door and windows for the new garage from him. We have enlisted his help again for glass replacement (one of the small, lower panes on each door is broken), as well as repair. Wood is splitting at the bottom of

each door- expected for their age, but sad. We will also need new door knobs and hinges.

No problem, right? Ha. I will save those paragraphs for a later post.

The vestibule will also get a fresh coat of paint and a tile floor. I promise we will do it right and protect the original wood floors. We intend to install vintage-style, hex tile, which is appropriate to the era in which

the old house was built. Check it out here.

Sounds good, right?!

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 in the details:

thank you, hubby

the market

I feel fall fast approaching. In fact, I have been told by many new-city-natives that
the cicadas' hum is an early warning of frost- a siren, perhaps. And, while I love the fall season for cardigans, crunching leaves under my feet, football games, wide open windows and a new menu, there are things of summer I struggle to let go. The Saturday morning, local farmers' market will soon end and so will their fresh, beautiful produce savored by our family in the old house, all summer.

The early hours of Saturday mornings I reserve for my own time.

This summer, I've spent these early morning hours with my friend, Jessica. We are running and training for
a half-marathon and like to hit the trail before the sun is up. I know I am deviating a bit from topic,
but running at this hour, witnessing the sun's rays reaching out over the fields of corn and beans and prairie land, has presented powerful and humbling moments. It is me and the Lord.

Our post-sunrise run routine is local coffee and a stroll through the farmers' market, chatting and
filling our bags with goodies for the week ahead. There is nothing better than warm sun shining on your face, coffee in hand, and the perfect medley of market sounds and smells. And, of course, those feelings of a day started before most, complete with a sunrise blessing and His shining grace.

 * * * * *

We are regulars to our favorite farmers. Father, Lord thank you for their worn hands and their devotion to cultivating, harvesting and sharing the riches of the earth.

* * * * *

a few images from the market-

- don't you just want to buy the whole bin! -

- best eggs ever - we stood in a long line for the strawberries! -

- the best watermelon we've ever had came from the back of this truck -

- tomatillos and poblano before i turned them into salsa verde -
- and there's that best-ever watermelon! -

- here i purchased a beautiful hanging basket and many succulents -

- another morning haul - the peaches were amazing! -

- purple chinese long, green, and dragon tongue beans -

- all from the market, including edible flowers and goat cheese -

- my rustic rhubarb (rhubarb from the market) pie -

- all fresh from the market, including the ingredients in my pico de gallo! -

- weekend cooking and baking with my farmers' market goodies -

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in the details:

i am happy to share recipes - send me a message

(salsa verde, market salad, rustic rhubarb pie, pico de gallo, cucumber vinegar salad)