Photo: Great grandparents at their farm in Blandinsville, IL, with five of their six children .. my grandpa was yet a twinkle in grandma's eye. Stable boy and governess also pictured. Hodges farm, circa 1903-4

Tuesday, April 24, 2007





Coffee's on ... pull up a chair and have a cup while I fix us a snack. Our kitchen is the hub of the home. It's open enough to move around in ... but not large enough to get lost in. From the sink I can visit with company, look out the dining and great room windows, keep an eye on the stove. Putting away dishes is a breeze.

Monday, April 23, 2007






The "daily" home tours are not consecutive if you haven't figured that out by now. I'm just too busy figuring out how to work everything that I don't have much time left at the end of the day :)

Here's a peek at the dining room. It is its own room off the kitchen. Three walls are exterior; two with nice windows and a single French door. There are no blinds up yet ... I love the views and won't do much other than simple Roman or cloth roller shades. We're not a "formal" type of family and didn't want a "formal" type of dining room. The table and antique sideboard were purchased when we got married (26 years ago). As soon as I get some stools, we can eat at the kitchen counter.

See the cuckoo clock hanging on the wall. A recent find at a "junk" store. Wasn't working too well when I got it home ... fortunately (?) it fell off the wall ... struck my head and nose ... I caught it in mid-air ... now it works just fine.

The dining room chandelier once hung in my grandparent's home.

Monday, April 16, 2007

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Day two of the home tour: This morning I'm sharing a few pics of my vintage tub and the master bathroom. My poor plumber had a difficult time with all the tub fittings ... but alas I can relax in a warm sudsy bath ... my earthly "sanctuary" from a long tiring day. Calgon ... take me away!


Friday, April 13, 2007



Now that I figured out how to post pictures with my wonderful dial-up connection, I'll start posting a few each day. There are very few decoration on the walls, as I like to take my sweet time and get a "feel" for what the room needs (so I don't have to patch holes from errant nails). I'll start with the master suite: We desperately need to have drapes made as the thought of moose and deer just outside my bedroom sliding door traversing my yard whilst I'm sleeping is a bit thrilling and creepy (I do find their hoof tracks several times a week ... )

Photos: Our bed; chase lounge ... dresser ... mirrored door leads into the walk-in closet

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

There will be no photos for a while, so I will just fill you in with words. We finally moved into our new home on March 10th and have been settling in for the past month. Mounds of effort were expended and we still have many more boxes of STUFF to sort through. I'm debating whether or not to have a garage sale to get rid of the mounds of unnecessary junk that has been hauled with us. Why do we need to have so much stuff??? I'd like to just give it all away as the amount of energy used to put together a sale is exhausting just to think about. This week finds us waiting for our final grading of the property so we can start landscaping and getting the driveway paved. We had the satellite dish installed and can now get TV reception ... but the Internet situation is not the best ... but who cares. It was rather nice not having either for the past month! Today a worker will be here to take care of the many little details that need to be checked off my "punch" list. Doors adjusted, trim molding around the base of cabinets, door stops installed, etc. etc. Tomorrow my claw foot tub should be hooked up; the thing has taken great effort to get installed! Saturday was a most beautiful warm springlike day; and I have the allergies to prove it. Not quite in full bloom, but almost there.