We finished our guestroom in time for our friends from Denver to come and, a couple of weeks later, my parents came to visit! As you can see from my first post about starting the room, there were a lot of issues. We thought we’d never finish, and when I thought we were done, we’d find something new. Let’s start with the hall. First, take down the sheetrock and expose the shiplap. Then, replace the door trim to match the rest of the house and install a new light fixture. The wall tapestry hides a hidden treasure.     Round the corner to the guestroom, and you’ll find a new…

The guestroom is coming along; there is so much repair and bringing consistency to the trim. Also, we are using a different hole filler. I figured out I’m allergic to it. My throat swelled, and I had a major headache. I thought it was a lingering cold. I started feeling better, so I started working with it again and realized it was the filler. But here are a couple of photos of what will be coming soon Another HL picture!

I found this picture at Hobby Lobby this past Fall. I love it! The plates are from my Great Grand Aunt Julie (my grandmothers aunt, she would correct me if I said great great aunt Julie). Love just sitting and admiring them all together.   

Well, the door we made disappear from our primary bedroom to the guestroom, that is. The curtain behind the bed is where the door that connected the two rooms was. As expected, we found surprises behind many corners, literally: wiring issues, missing shiplap, and a few more. We might as well do the hall while we’re at it!           Bed makes for a great workbench.     Guest are coming in February…..

My goal for our room was to add elements such as built-ins, color, wallpaper, and items that would make someone believe they had always been here. Let me know what you think!

I’ve been asked about some of the paint colors I’ve used. Although the cottage was finished in 1925, I really like the 1930s and 40’s. I am going with this area rather than the 20s. The door is gone, and the ceiling is painted. After I was done painting it, I went back and found the picture of the original wallpaper that was on the ceiling in the living room. I think it’s a match!  

Someone told me years ago that my bedroom should be my favorite room in my home. However, two issues keep me from doing anything in this room. One, a door joins our room with the second bedroom. I believe our room was the sunroom that connected it to the primary bedroom. This was very common in the South with the heat. Two, to get to our room, you have to walk through a bathroom. We won’t be addressing this issue for a while, but soon, I hope. Here are some glimpses of our project!

We are trying to finish many projects, including repairing and painting the exterior trim. We are also considering insulating our attic with ceiling spray foam to help with electrical bills that have more than doubled in the past month. So, I thought I would look at what we have accomplished. We have done so much in the past two and a half years! Dining room,       Living Room.     Front Entrance             Side View         Backyard               

Many here in Texas consider the mosquito the state bird, lol. And like they say, “Everything is bigger in Texas.” And, of course, the mosquitoes are. The past two years have been a battle dealing with them. I think I should own stock in repellent. Tony says I walk from the backdoor to the car and get attacked, and I do. So, our next project was to enclose the back porch.   These pictures are how it looked when we first moved in; not much has changed. We started with pressure washing the deck and stairs, we thought we would have to replace some decking, but after pressure washing it,…

As we went on our road trip in August, it became obvious we needed somewhere to cool off in the Texas heat. Everyone we visited had a pool. Tony’s sister in Phoenix, Arizona, had just installed a beautiful pool, and we enjoyed our visit with them and their pool! Our problem with our cottage is twofold: one several hundred-year-old trees with roots all over the property and a sprinkler system. Digging a hole would not be wise. I’m not a fan of hot tubs (I don’t need the heat), so that option is a no. Our only real option is an above-ground pool. The next question was where to set…