Irons in the Fire

This past weekend was pretty busy, 

and the week promises more of the same.

Big E is away for the week, 

so I've kicked my projects into high gear.

I figure this way he can't stop me from ripping something out

or painting something

won't have to worry about getting sucked into a job.

First up, we got us a 'coon trap.

So far, no raccoon, though he did eat the bait and trip the trap.

Current thought: he's a biggun and

I think we need a bigger boat, er, trap.

Or an elephant gun.

There is also a lot of stripping going on since Big E left.

Paint, I'm stripping paint.

I plan on stripping this old farm table and staining the top

and painting the legs.

It's going to be used under the windows in the dining room for photos and plants,

but also be available for more table space should I ever get anything finished enough

to have more than about 5 people over for dinner.

I'm also stripping the 100 years of paint off the transom window.

I really hate the design on the glass.

Big E really hates the design on the glass.

So, I'm going to measure the glass and start hunting up prices for stained glass.

I'm not even 100% sure this is the original glass.

And honestly, I'm not sure this is even the original transom shape.  

More on that when I get to the whole post about the stripping and painting of the transom window.

Also going on is the sanding, priming and painting of the hallway door, entryways and living room windows.

I will finally have that chore marked off the list.

So, when I get a moment to sit and breathe,

and maybe take some better photos,

I'll share more detailed info on what I've done,

and the products I've used,

and what works and what doesn't,

and what not to do.

 

Surprises

Most people like surprises, 

at least the good kind of surprise. 

In a hundred year old house, there are surprises- some good, some not so good. 

Finding the original plaster wall in bad shape beneath the ugly wallpaper paneling in the kitchen?

Bad surprise.

Finding original 100 year old hardwood under living room carpet in good shape?

Good surprise.

Photo of the scroll work

Another good surprise was discovering some interesting indentations on the wood running along the bottom of the railing along the upstairs hallway.  

I've been up and down the steps tons of times and never noticed anything.  

Then one evening, the setting sun hit that section just right 

and threw enough shadow to pop out the indentations.  

Originally there appears to have been some scroll work on the wood 

that was painted over many times.  

Eventually someone removed the scroll work 

(yes, I'm screaming and sobbing inside as well), 

but the layers of paint left the impression.  

My plan is to use a pencil to rub the edges to make them stand out and 

take the time to paint the curls and swirls so they can be seen again.  

It won't be the wood scroll work it was back in the day, 

but at least the shape and decor can be salvaged.  

It's little discoveries like this 

that get me excited and give me the motivation to poke around and find more surprises.

I'll be sharing them all,

no matter how unpleasant

(finding mouse poop in the drop ceiling in the kitchen and realizing it's been used as a stealthy mouse superhighway? BAD surprise. Especially when you have it nearly dumped on your head.

Excuse me while I go shower in scalding water and bleach)

Tear Down This Wall!

President Regan  said it best:

Last night the house settlement was completed,

and it was time to tear down the wall.

While not as significant as the Berlin Wall, 

the wall of paneling that separated the upstairs from the downstairs

needed to come down.

 

The wall was simply two pieces of paneling.

The railing for the staircase is behind the wall in the above photo.

In the next photo, you can see the other side of the wall

showing the railing.

 This is the doorway to get to the downstairs of the house.  

My sister refers to it as the Alice in Wonderland door.

In fact, when she first saw it she wanted to know where the magic mushrooms were she needed to consume in order to shrink small enough to fit through.

 You can clearly see the resemblance.

Seriously, normal things don't fit through it.

Like lampshades, shop vacs and laundry baskets.

Even my husband has to turn sideways to get his shoulders through.

So once we got home from dinner,

the demolition began. 

This is the view from the bottom of the stairs now.

And the view from our hallway.

I had to halt demolition because it was a school night

and I had just put the Brat Child to bed.

These "studs" need to be cut to remove them safely and

without damaging the railing

(I have threatened certain death if that railing is harmed in any way).

It's strange to see so much light in the hallway.

And the cat is enjoying the new set up.

Already he found he enjoys sitting on the railing and looking into my bedroom.

Without my glasses I was certain a short little man was looking at me from the hall.

Scared the crap out of me.

What's In a Name

Bannister that is original to the house- LOVE IT!

A month ago, I talked a little about some of the obvious changes going on with this blog (you can read that post here).  One of the biggest changes was to go from The WannaBe Farm to The Historical Homegirl.  I imagine for the handful of people who read/follow this blog, that posed the biggest question.  Why in the world would someone change the name and all links to an already established blog??  First, I was noticing that there were an awful lot of people using the name "Wannabe Farm".  It was no longer a unique name, but one that could become easily confused.  And second, I decided I didn't want to start a separate blog to write about the upcoming renovations on my soon-to-be new-to-me house.  My option was to use the existing blog for everything and come up with a catchier name.
It wasn't easy to come up with a new name.  You'd be amazed at how many cool blog names are already taken.  I finally settled on The Historical Homegirl (The Historic Homegirl was taken, but that wasn't a bad thing).  There is a distinct difference between the definition of the word historic and history and that came into play.  Historic is an adjective that refers to something important or influential from the past (i.e. The Battle of Gettysburg was an historic event.) while the word historical is an adjective that refers to something from the past that may or may not be important (i.e. historical romance, historical replicas, etc).  While the soon-to-be new-to-me home is old, it is merely historical not historic as it isn't part of any important or influential part of history (at least nothing I know about yet.  One never knows where George Washington might have used the outhouse).
It wasn't just the house that lead to the name.  I'm also big on canning, and that is a process that is from the past, as is the idea of homesteading.  And by that I mean that homesteading and producing and preserving your own food was a common thing back in the day, it was a necessity, and during WWII, it was encouraged by the government. Now it seems that preserving your own food is growing in favor again because of increase in food costs and all the GMO food concerns.  Historical seemed like the perfect name.  And homegirl, well I was a girl who was going to be talking about her home and it also fit in that homegirl means a woman from your hometown or neighborhood, or a woman who is your close friend.  That's me: your good buddy here on blogger.
So stay tuned! There will be some of the same blather about chickens and gardens and canning, plus renovations, historical information, and whatever whatnot I decide to throw your way.

The Big News

So, the BIG news I've mentioned can finally be shared. My husband and I are getting a house.  And it isn't just any house, it's the place we've been living in (in the upstairs apartment) for a few years.  The house belonged to Miss Bertha, our landlady, who we came to know and love like family.  Sadly, Miss Bertha passed away this July at the age of 91.  My husband and I worked to come up with a way to purchase the house and turn it back into a single family home.  Without going into all the personal details, we've managed to do that.  A settlement date has been set up.
The house was built in the early 1900's (I'm anxious to be able to find the actual history on the home) and needs a lot (I mean A LOT) of updates not to mention the work to turn it back into a single family home from a multi-family home.  Despite the enormous amount of work, hard work, needed to get things in shape, I can't be more excited.  We're chomping at the bit to rip up old carpet and reveal original hardwood floors, and my husband can't wait to take down the wall separating the upstairs from the downstairs.  And of course, it will all be blogged about here.

This is a photo of my husband and I and Miss Bertha at our wedding.  It's one of our favorite photos from the day, and we were both pleased she was able to share our big day with us.  She had a great laugh and was always laughing and smiling.  She always baked us zucchini bread for our birthdays and had a special treat ready for my son on special occasions.  She told people my husband and I were her "adopted" son and daughter.  Staying in the house was more than just getting a house, it was being able to take care of Miss Bertha's House.  We recently learned that she wanted us to be the ones to get it after she passed.  I hope we do her proud!