Wednesday, November 30, 2016


I have a dream (no, not THAT kind of dream...thought that would be nice too). No, my dream is to restore old farmhouses to their former glory. You know that old saying, "They don't make things like they used to"? Well, in the home building industry, I'd have to say that the saying is pretty much right on the nose. Take the above home for example. Yes, it looks like it's about to fall down. Yes, it looks like the only inhabitants are of the deceased kind. Yes, there is a mummified—rather LARGE—rat in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Seriously, it's huge. But here's the truth behind the disrepair and the large, dead rodent: the house can be saved and once restored, will be amazing!

Let's take a closer look (don't be too frightened).


The house was built in 1898 and is 828 square feet, small but efficient. There are three bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, dining area and living room. Of course, in it's current state it's uninhabitable. But with a little love (and some money - funny how money is always involved), the house could look like this!


Shall we take a peek inside? I think so!


The dining room is in the rear of the house and needs some work. Okay, a lot of work...But here's what I envision the end result to look like:


First thing I would do (besides making sure the entire house was level and had updated plumbing, electrical and running water) would be to remove the blue fiberboard walls. Because, wouldn't you know it, underneath that fiberboard is amazing SHIPLAP! Next, the 1970s vinyl flooring would be pulled up to expose the wood floors. Given the slope of the house, it would be safe to assume the floors in the dining room most likely need to be replaced, but you can't ever tell until you bring them into the light. I'd also add a second window to the room to open it up.

Okay, how about a peek at one of the upstairs bedrooms?


Here's how I see it could look after being restored:


Once again, SHIPLAP people! And exposed brick from one of the TWO chimneys. Back in the day, wood floors were often painted instead of stained, and in trying to keep the house in the correct era, I would strip the current wood floors and paint them a warm gray.

So here's the deal: I'm having a REALLY hard time not buying this place. Obviously in it's current state, a bank won't loan money to buy the property, so the dilemma is do I walk away or do I dive in and go with the owner financing option and cross my fingers that I don't spend the rest of my life regretting the decision I made to purchase it?

What do you think? Should I do it? Would you buy a place like this to restore? Do any of you out there want to buy it for me to restore and you can live there? Haha! It comes with a barn, an old root cellar, an outbuilding, 2 apple trees, 2-3 pear trees and .92 acres of land. Trust me, it's a gorgeous piece of property.


Thursday, November 17, 2016


How many of you have just realized that Thanksgiving is next week?!? Umm...am I the only one raising their hand? Anyway, I put together 7 tips that will help you have an awesome Thanksgiving with as little stress as possible.

1. Plan the menu - What's Thanksgiving without the turkey and mashed potatoes? What about rolls? If you take a little time (10 minutes or less) to plan out your menu, you'll find it easier to make your shopping list as well as gather your tried and true Holiday recipes.
2. Set out dishes ahead of time and label with a post-it note as to what will go inside - This one is pretty self explanatory.
3. Don't be afraid to ask for help! - You know that cousin that is always offering to make a side dish? Well, tell her your menu and see what she would like to make. People are often flattered and very excited when asked to help prepare a Holiday dinner, so don't feel bad asking for help.
4. Prepare food ahead - Ok, we know you can't cook dinner days or weeks in advance, BUT, you can make or prepare certain dishes a day or two ahead. For instance, chop those green beans and make your green bean casserole a day or two before Turkey day. Prepare your bird the day before as well. Pies hold up for a couple days as do homemade cranberry jelly. Look at your menu and determine which dishes can be prepped a day or two ahead and get them done. Thanksgiving will be a breeze if you do this!
5. Set the table ahead of time - Seriously, do this. You'll thank me.
6. Now is not the time to tackle unnecessary household projects or new recipes! - Again, self explanatory. You've found an amazing stuffing recipe in a magazine, in fact you're drooling over it right now. Problem is, you've never made it before and it calls for ingredients that aren't all that common. Sure, you could purchase everything, make it the day before, but then when it comes to eat it, you may find that you hate it. No one likes to make food and then have no one eat it. To avoid this, save the recipe and make it sometime in the next year. Find out what you like about it and change it up if needed. Same goes for remodeling. DO NOT do it 3 days before Thanksgiving!
7. Relax, have fun and save room for pie - This one needs no explanation. With all these other tips, your Thanksgiving feast will be less stressful giving you the peace of mind you wish for every year.