A Modern Vintage 1700's Farm House, Part 1 :: The Kitchen

Last month, Miss S (my college girl) and I drove to Roxboro, NC, and we got to stay
in our friend Becky's charming old farm house for three whole days!

When we turned off the main highway and drove up her 3-acre long gravel driveway
(you know, the kind where the grass grows between where the tires meet the ground?)
the first thing we noticed is her beautiful wraparound porch and welcoming blue front door.

Her dogs shuffled out to meet us, their bodies wagging in rhythm with their tails.

And when Becky rushed out to greet us with her elated smile and open arms,
we knew that instant that we was going to have a relaxing, fun weekend.

I should have taken a picture that afternoon while we were driving up the driveway.
But, I didn't, so I stole these outside pictures from her FaceBook albums!

This is last Winter.

The original home, built in the late 1700's, consisted of one room, and the kitchen

was in another building, separate from the main house.

Disclaimer: They bought this home with remodeling in mind, so here and there, 

you can see their supplies waiting to be used in projects to be finished or started, just like my house.

(I added that for Becky, who, like most of us when there are areas in our home that are undone, 

kept apologizing for the project areas. I don't even see them! I only see hope and love.)

This is Becky's home this past Spring. With new porch rails.

In the 1800's the main house was connected to the kitchen with more rooms.

Her kitchen is the original one made in the late 1700's.

In the picture below, the main house was the left side of the house.

Her husband, Rob, is a builder, architect, plumber, craftsman, electrician, and carpenter,

and he (with Becky's help) has raised and leveled floors, dug out an enormous basement,

made an in-ground pool, added several bathrooms, taken out walls and ceilings, 

added new wiring, plumbing, flooring. (Lucky girl!)

Her home is an ever-evolving, labor-of-love work-in-progress 

and Miss S and I loved every inch of it!

Today, Becky is sharing her kitchen with us.

The next post will be some other spaces in her home that Miss S and I adored.

What I love the most about Becky's kitchen is that it is functional!

The open cabinets keep everything handy!

Her flooring is the original crooked, wonky, knobby pine that she just painted over in a pale gray.

She finds her ironstone at estate sales and thrift stores.

I love her "pantry" below!

In the side file pockets, she keeps coupons and stuff related to baking and cooking.

Original fireplace! 300 years old!

Ikea pendant lighting.

I gave her the chalkboard pitcher art for her birthday.

It came from Hobby Lobby.

And Becky, who knows me well, took me to her favorite downtown thrift store.

I bought some steak knives, and she bought the china below.

Becky uses the broiler/baking oven often to keep the heat out of the kitchen in the summer.

The picture is of her grandson, Evan, and her rescued pug, Lucy.

I love Lucy.

A sweet love note from her hubby of 25 years!

Through the doorway is her entrance hall.

Her backsplash wall was in sad shape before Rob installed the real wood wainscoting,

not the fake wallpaper I have.

Miss S in the reflection of the mirror.

Rob brought the yellow roses home for Becky that day. 

No special reason, except that he loves her.

Rob built the island with a lower counter, and Becky found the set of chairs in a dumpster!

My kind of gal!

She gave her sink faucet a makeover. It used to look like this, bronze.

Now it looks like this. Brushed nickel spray paint, y'all!

She madeover the counters, too. They had been covered in contact paper.

(See Rob in the picture all the way to the left? He is a most-excellent pizza chef!)

She peeled the contact paper off. Primed the counters.

Then started marbling with whites and grays with a sponge.

Tada!

Everything got painted. Paint covers a multitude of sins, you know.

Or in my case, makeup covers a multitude of sins.

So, concludes the kitchen tour.

Wasn't that fun?

Scones and tea, anyone?

Thank you, Rob, Becky, Evan, and Lucy for the memories.

(And the pictures.)

..
I am over at Sarah's place: Modern Country Style, for a Kitchen Favourites Party!

Baby Shower Gift :: A First Year Scrapbook

I created a scrapbook as a Baby Shower gift for a friend of mine

who waited 10 years for a baby...

She and her husband deserved something special,

so I spent a few joyful weeks, cutting and taping a few hours a day, and this was their gift.

~

(You can click on the pictures to make them bigger. I am warning you-they are HUGE!)

It is 10" by 10" album, that I wrapped the cover of, in tulle, rick rack trim, and thin rope.

I added two charms in the baby's name.

I made sure each page had page protectors.

simply glowing

A space for mommy to put her pregnancy photos.

I used vintage tatted lace on the pink squares.

Mommy to be

On the left is the invitation.

I had great fun at the scrapbooking store, Hobby Lobby, and on-line 

finding cute and fun stickers and papers!

Below: pages to put pictures from the baby shower.

(A link to her "Nesting Mama" themed shower is at the bottom of this post.)

showered in love

The pink cornered ribbon on the left will hold cards in place.

On the right side, I made a pocket inside the pink paper

to hold more momentos.

There was a "Prayers for Daniel" box on the table at the shower,

with pieces of paper next to it, so friends and family could bless the family,

and I thought the pocket would be perfect for those.

Lots of "firsts" the first year, of course.

I loved the saying below the crib die cut:

"In the evening, after he has gone to sleep,

I kneel beside the crib and touch his face

where it is pressed against the slats with mine.

~Joan Didion"

Ribbon to hold pictures in here, too.

There was a tree and garden mural on his bedroom wall, so I found tree paper to match!

There is a pocket on the right side here, too,

filled with removable tags for grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles, mom, and day

to write their first thoughts about the baby on.

1st Month.

2nd and 3rd Months.

These stickers are from Jolee's Boutique (Hobby Lobby).

This was so much fun!

I heart hoppy, jumpy, bouncy frogs!!

Months 4 and 5.

Another pocket on the left.

A bitty booklet to write memories/milestones in, with tabs on pages labeled:

Small Wonders, Crib Notes, YUM, and 100% Cute.

Hand over the bottle and no one gets hurt.

6th and 7th Months.

Month 9 and Month 10.

These are probably my favorite pages because I love vintage colors and the deer.

Did I mention this was a blast to make?

The tag up left reads:

Baby: 1. A small human. 2.An infant. 3. The sweetest, most beautiful child on the planet--ours.

EEEEeeeeeee!

More stinkin' cute stickers from Jolee's, for Months 10 and 11.

Notice the "bubble" stickers on the paper circles that spell "P-l-a-y"?

Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17

I made a massive mess all over the dining room while making this!

I just left the paper and trimmings where they fell, till I was done.

My First Christmas!

The orange paper below is fuzzy! Fun!

This is the new dad opening the gift at the shower.

He cried, and then I knew the time I had spent was worth it.

Welcome, Little One!!


The post about the Nesting Mama Baby Shower is HERE.


~

Children are a gift from the LORD; 

they are a reward from Him. 

Psalm 127:3

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