A Couple of Days Away

I always love when Hubby and I can get away even if for just a night. We left on Wednesday morning to head up to our cabin near Auburn. We made a quick stop by the farm to drop off a few things and let Hubby and a friend shoot a new gun.

I brought the pillows that I finally made for the couch. They looked even better than I thought. I have thought and thought about that picture above the couch. I kept thinking that the picture I have at the cabin of a red barn would look better there, but every time I get to the cabin I can't bring myself to move it from the cabin.

I thought and thought on Wednesday morning about bringing the picture to the cabin with me, but ....

Well, I just decided that each will stay in their respective places.

The one above the checked couch at the farm house has a pond that really looks like the pond at the farm. It is hard to see from the picture above. It does have a red mat as the secondary mat as well.

The final thought is it will stay there, and I will get this room painted soon which will bring out the painting and the curtains.

I also am thinking this basket needs to be filled with cross stitch smalls. I need to get busy and finish the two samplers I have planned and then start filling those baskets.

I added some cute read dish towels to the kitchen as well.

I will share some photos I took of construction going on near our cabin tomorrow evening. Several new cabins around the corner are being built.

We took in a basketball game and ate in Auburn with some good friends.

In the meantime, Hubby and I had such a great two days. Lots of talking and thinking and planning. I am in the process of painting some bookcases at home, so I will be working on that tomorrow.

I have plenty to share for awhile.

For now a little football watching,
Sandy

The Gathering Room Is Ready For Family

I finished up the farmhouse "gathering room" on Saturday. Well, if you don't county that there are two rolled up rugs and a wingback chair sitting in the middle of the room that need to go out to the storage cottage.

We will go up Wednesday afternoon to prepare for the family on Thursday.

I am excited that I get Lindsay and Tyler this year. They are traveling to Tyler's parents for the weekend. My niece and the twins will be here..

15 in all. We will fill up this wonderful room. I plan to make family pictures out by the big oak tree.

For now, here is the room.

Going shopping with Lindsay tomorrow.

Serving at church for a service project Tuesday with my small group.

Baking a cake Wednesday morning, and then headed to the farm for more food prep.

Cooking and Counting all my blessings on Thursday.

Friday...Bring on the Christmas tree. IT is going to be real this year. More on that story later.

Not sure when I will do laundry, vacuum, etc.

Life happens,

Sandy

A Little Painting Weekend

Well, I am trying to heal my sad self tonight.

Losing to Georgia is almost as bad as losing to alabama.

I decided posting about my two days of painting would cheer me up.

Hubby was off for Veteran's Day, so we went to the farm yesterday and spent the night. We are trying to get that big room dubbed "the gathering room" ready for Thanksgiving.

I finished painting the walls tan which I like soooo much better.

We painted the cabinet the same color as the Hoosier cabinet. 

You may remember we started with a mahogany cabinet that was left by previous owners. It was wrapped in blankets out in the storage cottage. 

I love how it turned out. I really was ready to leave it just like this, but we had put a glaze on the Hoosier cabinet and pie safe, so we finished it with the glaze as well.

I have a few baskets and a few other decorative pieces to add to it. The hardware also is missing. I just spray painted the gold ones. They weren't quite dry when I took this picture.

Here is a close up of the glazed back.

I am very pleased with the way it turned out.

We didn't have to sand it to paint it due this amazing stuff.

You just rub this on with a cloth. It dries in 10 minutes and then you paint. The paint adheres really well and goes on SUPER SMOOTH. I am just not into that roughed up look. I used a paint brush, and you couldn't even see brush strokes. 

I highly recommend it if you need to paint furniture and want a smooth finish.

This is the glaze we used on all the pieces in the room.

The Hoosier cabinet is finished. I chose not to put the door on the flour sifter part and left the rolling door off as well.

The bowl and the red checked table cloth were my maternal grandmother's. I actually have a blue bowl just like that was my paternal grandmother's. 

I know white walls are all the rage now, but they just weren't working for Hubby and me. We both love the walls now.

I think both Hoosier cabinet and pie safe look so much better against the tan.

You can see my letters that say "GATHER" on the table.

Still have to mount them on something. I want them to hang long ways on the wall next to the pie safe.

I also added red ribbons to the ducks. I want to find some red floral napkins to go on this table.

I am going to paint the living room walls the tan color as well. That may not happen until after Christmas though.

You can see my other purchase.

A metal table.

I am thinking that flag on the mantle will look so much better with tan walls.

Now, for the table. This is sitting in what should be the kitchen dining area. It is a small area with a glass sliding door on one wall that goes out to a screen porch. I just didn't want a table and chairs here, but there is a light and a need for something.

I am unsure about the table. Got to mull it over a bit. I was thinking some stools that fit under it rather than chairs. More of a serving table than sit at table.

I plan to paint the kitchen area just from cabinet to cabinet something else as the cabinets are so much like the tan.

As you can see there is very little contrast from the wall to the cabinets. 

I had paint chips out to let me think them over.

I think I am going to go with the far right green??????

Since there is so many blue accessories, blue curtains, and blue dishes...I am leaning towards the green. I don't want to go to dark, but the cabinets are so light. AND, it will only be in just the cabinet area. Everything else will be the tan.

This won't happen either until after the New Year, so I have plenty of time to think on that.

I painted this window frame in the hallway bathroom. It added some color in there.

I am working on a corner by the door.

The goose is something I have had since before the kids were born. My mother in law bought it a craft fair many moons ago. The hearts have Jeff and Sandy on them and the goose says, "Welcome to the Palmers."

In the corner of the kitchen dining area, I brought my milk churn and matches holder.
I didn't realize how dark the picture was. I will do that one over at some point.

Well, that is the status of the farmhouse, and how I spent the holiday and Saturday.

So grateful for the veterans in my life. My dad (Korea), my father in law (WWII), and my 2 brothers in law (Vietnam).

Blessed,

Sandy

Update on the Farmhouse

I am popping in to do a quick update on the farmhouse. I could stand the white walls no longer, so this past Saturday I started painting the big room that we have now dubbed the gathering room.

It is a very large room, so I had to stop and get another gallon of paint this week to finish. Since we have an Auburn trip this weekend, I will probably go and finish next week during the week.

The wall color is wet here and not nearly that dark. It is the same color that we have in our main home. 

The Hoosier cabinet is painted and totally LOVE it. We put an antique glaze on it. I still have to do the pulls.

I finished the other side. I kind of have a bit of a mess everywhere, but just love the walls now.

I tried to like the white since it seems to be all the rage these days, but it is just not me.

Now, for the other side of the table. We have thought long and hard on what to put here. The Hoosier cabinet and pie safe are just so perfect on the opposite side. 

We looked far and wide for a long side table. This cabinet was left by 2 owners ago. It is a beautiful piece and IF this were being used in my main home there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY I WOULD DO ANYTHING TO IT.

I am a believer in stained wood not being painted. I love wood grain, but I will never use this cabinet there. It was going to ruin out in the storage cottage. I thought we might only use the base, but it ends up that the hutch is attached to the top of the base and can't be removed easily. We did try. 

Our first thought was to strip it down to bare wood which you can see we did to the drawers. I actually liked that. The other drawers are in our garage where Hubby is working on them.

Mom is doing a bit of painting in this picture.

Plans changed when we realized the top would not come off. Currently we are planning on painting it the same as the Hoosier cabinet and doing the antique glaze.

The two inspiration Pinterest pics for this decision...

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We will do the drawers first and see how that goes.

Our hope is to have this room done by Thanksgiving.

Planning on "gathering,"

Sandy

A Little Work at the Farmhouse

I definitely have my motivation back for the farmhouse. With the heat of the summer and it being loaded down with my daughter's stuff I just completely didn't care what it looked for awhile.

Last weekend I cleaned it up from top to bottom and got everything back in its place.

This weekend I began to get some things accomplished. Here is a little update on where I stand.

Last week, the gathering room was left like this.

The Hoosier cabinet needed painting, but I love the pie safe.

Today, I tackled the Hoosier cabinet.

I was extremely pleased with the color. I have to put the antique glaze on it before setting it back up.

After working in there today, I realized that I can't leave those walls white.

I don't care how much white walls are in vogue now...It is NOT for me.

I will tackle those walls very soon. 

Stay tuned.

I also have in mind what things will hang on the walls. I have a few DIY projects along with some cross stitching to get busy on.

I haven't shown the opposite wall in awhile. We have been thinking we would add a rustic table to be a serving side table. 

Today I walked out to the so called "Cottage." It is adorable from the outside and not so bad when you first walk in, but it is quite spooky to me after the front room. As far as I am concerned it will always be just a storage room.

Anyway, two previous owners ago left a cabinet/hutch wrapped up saying they would come and get it. They never came to get it. It is old but a really nice cabinet. I was looking at The Cottage Journal magazines today while taking a break from painting.

I came across this picture and just knew that we could make that cabinet work..Out to the cottage to measure.

Hubby agreed, so soon I will tackle stripping it and making it a bit rustic.

Pictures soon.

Now, for the living room, I worked on the mantle.

I am going to paint this room also.

I also did a bit of sewing this week.

I took this very long pillow case that was in a closet at the farm house. There were two of them. I cut them in half and made four pillows out of them. I have plans for them in the gathering room.

I am looking for a little rustic bench and that will be the end of my furniture search for the gathering room.

Now, I have definitely decided to bring my red barn /oak tree picture from the cabin at Auburn to place above the couch in the living room. I mentioned it before. It is just too perfect for that area.

The corn pillow I found for a steal on the Internet. The plan is for some red patterned pillows to go on each end. 

I planned to put them together last night, but Joann's had no zippers the right length and color, so they are cut out and waiting on a mail order to arrive.

And one last thing that I have got coming is an enamel table. A lady was selling one at a yard sale up there. It will go under the light in the kitchen where a kitchen table was supposed to go. 

You may remember my inspiration picture.

Now mine does not have these cool legs, but I think it is going to work.

We need rain so bad. We ran the pump last weekend and it is still so low.

Everything is so dry.

Well this little busy beaver is very tired tonight, so she is going to sit and stitch and watch football.

Motivated,

Sandy

The Farmhouse Bedroom

On Saturday, I went to the farm loaded with things to start trying to put together a farmhouse that I liked.

I didn't plan to stay in the bedroom as much and use some of the stuff there, but it is just what came together and worked.

I put the yellow toile bedspread back on the bed. It works for now. I still am mulling over the gingham, but that may have to wait until a bit later.

I also used the louver doors behind the bed.

I ended up liking the doors a lot. I still have to work around decorating them, but they warmed up those stark white walls a ton.

I have some more hardware to take off the top, but left them for now, because I may use them to hang something on the doors.

I moved the chairs around.

Then I remembered that I had painted the little bird cages yellow. The plans were for them to go in the living room, but as I started playing with the shelf that hangs in the bedroom I realized I liked them there.

I did NOT plan on using that cross stitch piece there, but it just worked, so I guess it stays.

I still need a little chest or table for the side wall and some lamps. My little bowl and pitcher needs a home. I have had that for 30 years.

More things for the wall, but slow and steady it will all come together.

We are going to call the area where the farm table is "the gathering room."

I moved some stuff around in there and it going to be great, but I will share that later.

I have some painting to do.

One last look at the bed.

My little Lucy had a seizure last night. I am a bit tired from being up with her, but got my list of things to do, so I better get busy.

To work, to work I go,

Sandy

Decorating Ideas for the Farmhouse Part 2

Yesterday, I shared my dreams/plans for the gathering room. Today, you will get a glimpse of some other things I am planning/dreaming for the other rooms.

The kitchen was fully stocked and is really a cute little kitchen.  Country, but not primitive rustic, so there will be a combo of those two themes going on.

There was an area for a table between the kitchen and family room. Since we made the living and dining room combo a huge eating area (the gathering room) we don't need a table for the kitchen. In fact, it would kind of be in the way if your are coming in the screened porch area.

I saw this little table on Pinterest and thought this might be something to put under the hanging light.

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This is the area in the kitchen it would go.

Under that light.

My other thoughts were doing something with the wingback chairs that are already there facing out  towards the glass doors. The glass doors lead out to a screened porch and the pond can be seen from them.  Maybe a reading /stitching area. I saw something like this in a magazine, but I haven't found the picture yet. 

Now, onto the master bedroom thoughts.

This is what it looked like when we bought it.

BTW, this past weekend was our 1 year anniversary of purchasing it.

Mother walked in that bedroom and fell in love with the bedspread, so I pulled it off and gave it to her. She ended up not liking it in her room. She still loves it, but it didn't work with all her all of her stuff and she didn't want to change out all her other decorative items, so it is sitting in the closet at the farmhouse.

I then bought a navy matelasse type spread which was just so so. It has stayed that way with all the chaos of the summer.

The bedskirt definitely was the wrong size. The one with the yellow is a perfect fit.

Now, for my plans and my decision.

You may remember I took louver doors off of my laundry closet. I have held onto them in case I ever wanted to put them back. As long as we have dogs which I believe will be forever they can't be on the closet.

I am planning to take them and put them behind the bed. I will not rough them up or make them rustic because, well, I just can't. 

The decision now - is do I put the yellow toile bedding back on and keep, OR do I add a gingham bedskirt and pillow shams and change out the curtains with the matalesse spread???

Here was my Pinterest inspiration.

Source

Of course, that bed is amazing, but I am doing the farmhouse on a budget.

There are two great chairs in the room which you can't see that would lead me to go with the toile...

Decisions, decisions, decisions, but fun.

I do envision when Hubby retires, that we will actually stay up there for a portion of most weeks. Maybe a night or two, but home will always be where it is now.

Oh my goodness, I should know better to even write that. God writes our story, not me.

I have more things also, like painting something in the bathroom, so as I go I will share the progress. All will labeled farmhouse.

I will share my fall decor on Monday. I will take a break over the weekend. It is finally all out even though I have not been motivated at all to think autumn with all the heat.

Needing more hours and energy in the days,

Sandy