Photos of the House From Last Post

The red line in the above photo represents where a three story tower used to be. I've seen a picture of this and it was beautiful. At the JC hall they have a then and now photo album of some of Greene's older homes. I need to see if I can borrow it because it would be neat to share with you all.

Unfortunately she won't have the money to replace the tower. Definitely know how that goes (check out four paragraphs down in June's journal, the two story porch -and ignore the raving about the roofer- I was very wrong).

Here you can see where she was working the day I stopped. This new roof line was originally a flat roof, and the interior ceiling was hard to gage (since it was gone), but probably not over six and a half foot. I think it is a nice addition to the house, kind of balancing out the taller front with the shorter back.

Now that my camera is back if I drive by and she is working maybe I'll see if I can bother her for a few interior shots.

You Know That Annoying Person Who Stops For The Tour

it's me.



So there is this house on the way home in Greene that had a for sale sign in the yard that I really like. I'll try to remember to get pictures next time I go in for work.



But anyway I heard around town that the realtor wasn't even showing it to people because it had been sold already, which is really strange for this small town. So the other day I drive by and there is a pile of stuff in the yard and the roof is ripped off the back upper story. Ooooh, exciting! So Sunday I drive by even though I was headed in the opposite direction and see someone in the yard working. Tim is in the car with me and we are supposed to be on the way back to my mom's to get the girls. I try to talk him into stopping. He majorly protests, and I decide to put being a "good" mom a head of my house lusting. So I head back to my mom's just long enough to quick eat some roast and find out the first name of the woman who bought the place.



I offer again to let Tim come with me, and he now says that he doesn't want to go because seeing a house in the beginning stages of remodeling will "depress" him greatly. -sigh- I miss my old house hunting partner. If I had known he would end up like this... OK I still would have bought our house and put him trough it. He's being a big baby. Sorry to those of you who like him and take offence at this. I like him too, in fact much, much more than you. But he's still being a baby and he needs to get over it. Hey, is anyone looking for a new market? How about Psychiatric counseling for the home-improvement weary? You know, to get them back into that naive/cheery state of mind that comes pre-project.



But I digress. And I go it alone to the house. I tried to get mom to go briefly. She though I was nervous to go by myself. Not true. I don't know about you, but after I see a house I love to talk about it for hours. How do you do that if no one else saw it? You can't. So I just bottled it all up inside until I could sit at a computer and spill it all to you.



So I head up to the house and she give me a look I am sure I have given many others in my life time. I explain to her who I am and give the required list of relatives that you need when you aren't actually from the small town yourself. Once proving my "heritage" I ask to see the house. Explaining that I could come back at a time when it's more convenient. NOTE: This is a nice thing to do if you are putting someone in this uncomfortable situation just in case they have unmentionables strewn all over the house or something like that. She said that she shows the house to anyone who asks and that she was just taking a break. I told her I had been in the same situation and that I promised not to give any advise. That seemed to break the ice, and I had a lovely tour.



She purchased the place because she had always loved it and was afraid because it had such a cheap purchase price it wouldn't be properly cared for. She is planning on selling if the opportunity arises or possibly running a bed and breakfast.



The woodwork in the house was beautiful and never painted. Tim missed out. Especially since the main staircase had a Gothic-ish arch in the rail that he would have loved. It seemed a bit small to me, but I think that mostly comes from living with 18 rooms for the last 5 years. Let me tell you it can change a girl. The kitchen is a decent size for a house of it's age and she is going to be moving a few walls around to make the flow of the house a little more efficient. Plus add a few more bathrooms.



As the tour drew to a close I wanted to cling to her legs and beg her to hand me a hammer or maybe let me strip woodwork just so I could feel "that way" again. Instead I demurely offered her a tour of my home next time she was in the area. We also discussed salvage shops. She is looking for an old built-in for the dining room and I told her they might be a better bet than the antique shops she had been visiting. I just now need to get the information to her along with a thank-you note for her hospitality.

"Monkey With A Tool Belt"

Are you a houseblogger with children or just a handyperson with children? OK, maybe you're like me and you just really think tool belts are cool, and even if you didn't have children you would find some on the street just so you could head over to your local library and check out this cool book...



"Monkey With A Tool Belt"



I haven't taken it home for the official Molly testing, but I'm going to guess that the pictures are a little too busy for her. There's a lot going on in each page. But the art is way cool and while I feel kind of funny about some of the made up tools the monkey's self-sufficiency make up for the weird feeling created by having a snozz remover.

This Contractor Respects Nap Time

Today the roofers came and patched in all the places where the shingles have blown off since last time they were at the house.

I was in the back of the house when I heard them start up. I headed outside to make sure they had found the shingles in the barn. When I said I had just heard them Lucas said he had been here awhile with the lift. He had slowed way down before getting to the house because he figured the girls were napping.

How's that for service? I know you're jealous aren't you.

My Silly Silly Husband

So last weekend we are in the car going some where and Tim and I are talking about the Corn Palace (I don't remember how we got on that topic). I asked, "Do you think they put new cobs on every year?" And Tim replies in a slightly deeper voice, "Would you be interested in purchasing vinyl siding with realistic corn grain?"



hee hee

Bringing Home Some Bacon

I am now a librarian. OK, so just a part-time librarian. I start training ASAP. Tim seems to think this means I will have lessons on how to push my glasses way down to the tip of my nose and stare disapprovingly at people. Do you know what this means?

Money! Yes, since I quit my full time job money has been the limiting factor around here for accomplishing things. No money = no work on the house. But now with a little careful saving we can fix the broken shower head. We can find a faucet for the tub. We can make a toy room for the girls. We can DO things!

Buffet Post #1

This last winter my aunt gave me my grandmother's buffet table. It had sat in her basement for quite some time so it has a mold issue. Her daughter had wanted it, but has since decided she won't have room for it in her house. I jumped at the chance to have it because I need another piece for the wall next to the bathroom door in the dining room.

Plus, I love pieces with a family history. So last winter I moved it right to my step-fathers shop with hopes of refinishing it before Christmas. Those of you with small children understand why this didn't happen. Now my mom has offered to spend the remainder of her summer break from school watching them so I can get it finished by next Christmas. Thanks mom!

It's not a "fine" piece of furniture. The exterior of the cabinet is an oak veneer. The legs and mirror frame are oak. But amazingly the old mirror is in wonderful shape, and the curved glass of the doors survived a household of 7 children and is still in two whole pieces. So once I get it in place in the dining room Molly and Elsie are never going to be allowed to set foot in that room again. Sorry girls.

I actually started the project yesterday, but I forgot the camera so I don't have any shots of the cabinet as a whole. Sorry. Yesterday I took all the hardware off and stored it away in a baggie. I removed the glass from the doors, and let me tell you that was the most nerve-wracking thing I've done in a long time. I was sweating and it wasn't hot in the shop. Bruce (my step-father) then helped me glue broken pieces of the veneer and replace a missing drawer guide for the upper drawer.

Today I got the mirror out of the frame and glued up where wood was separating on the frame. Notice I had lots of help from Cleo the shop kitty who decided that frame was also lovely frame for her ample kitty body.

It's been so nice. I had forgotten how good it feels to have a project. For some reason I really enjoy doing this sort of thing. Lately I've even been having a longing feeling for another house. Someone bought the house two miles down the road from us and has been doing renovation work on it. I'm surprised Tim doesn't stop driving by it with me because every time he does it goes, "Look they have a dumpster! Do you remember when we had a dumpster every summer? Don't you miss getting a dumpster?" or "Look their windows are out. Do you remember when we didn't have windows? I wonder what kind of windows they are going with." and so on and so forth. I know it drives Tim nuts but I can't help it. Tim doesn't have the found dumpster memories I do.

What Happens When You Don't Blog

This happened about a month ago...

Our friends Doug and Em came over and the first thing they say when getting out of the car is something to the effect of (I can't even closely remember the words since it was a month ago), You have a shed, that wasn't on the blog.

We had it built this winter as you can tell from the pictures.

It still needs a floor. We kind of ran out of money to do that.

I'm excited to get it finished though because then I can move all the tools and remodeling stuff we have acumulated over the years out of the libary and then turn that into a play room for the girls.

The contractor we had build it was named Molli (I think that's how you spell it). I think they were out of Cresco. They had built a shed for Tim's dad, and he really liked them. We really liked them too. I think they travel all over Iowa (maybe even the midwest?) so if you need a shed let me know.

So there. Now everyone finally knows.

When It Rains It Leaks

Image from JLG Lifts http://www.apisupplyinc.com/jlg.php

OK... so we've had these leaks for awhile now and we've been hoping that if we ignore them they will go away. Don't laugh. Yes, deep down we knew they wouldn't go away if we ignored them. But I did say hope didn't I. And hopes don't have to be realistic.

So I am to the point that I can't ignore them any more. Tim is still in denial. This is causing some marital tension, but then would it be a renovation if it didn't. So I am hoping. DON'T LAUGH AT ME... that we can attempt to solve this problem over the long holiday weekend. Notice I said attempt, that's because while I can slip into denial at times I tend to wake up to find myself practical again. So I realize that it is probably going to take a few tries to get these leaks back down to nothing, or at least to the point where we can happily ignore them again.

So I was thinking what we really need is a construction lift so we can check things out with out risking our lives hanging out windows. And then I got to wondering do others of you housebloggers wish you had one oh say in the garage or barn to pull out and use when you need it? Or is it just me who was stupid enough to buy a 52 ft. house. It's OK you can say it's just me. Can I ask for one for Christmas? Or will Santa get my letter, open it, and blow cocoa out his nose as he laughs calling the Elves over. I can see it now "What does she think we are Rent-A-Center!" he would say as his belly jiggled like a bowl full of jelly.

So maybe we'll do something on the house here in the next couple of days. Or maybe not.

And please don't respond with dire warnings of death by black mold. Yes I know. -sigh- But then again we all gotta die of something.

Picture Of The Girls With The House In The Background

The picture was taken two weeks ago. Can you see the problem we are hoping to fix this weekend?

hint: It's nothing to do with the house. Yes, that has problems, but luckily you can't see most of them at that distance.

Couple of Cute Little Girls

Thanks Jen!

Argument For An A-Frame

Read this in Sunday's paper. Interesting.

Parkersburg's distinctive A-frame house survivied massive tornado

Waterbury House

Link

Now this is what I like to see in on-line real estate. Pictures! This is the same company that had the 7 mile road house listed so I still don't understand why that house didn't have a photo gallery like this.

This house was up for sale a couple of years ago and I really wanted to see it then. Lets say in a parallel universe I didn't have children (I refuse to send my children to Charles City to school, I can judge, I went there) and I didn't have this strong adversion to living in town . This would be my house. I love it. LOVE it. But I couldn't talk Tim into "wasting" the Realtors time. But would it really be a waste? Why couldn't I have a city and a country house? He doesn't say it but that is really what he is afraid of. We have a tendency to buy things we look at. Stupid commercial building.

So if any of you out there have mind bending control powers or voodoo or something like that point it at Tim and use them to convince him to take me to see the house this time. I'll take the camera, maybe I could even get away with the video camera. How cool would that be! And you know I would share the spoils with you all. Hey, that makes me think. I could take video of Tim doing something like picking his nose or scratching his bum and threaten to post it on YouTube unless he gives me an "alternative" video. Hehe! Sometimes it's good to be evil.

A Silly Girlie Post

So I was catching up on my houseblog reading last night when I came upon a post on the Devil Queen about housebloggers who blog no more (don't be giving this blog that look, yes I know I am one of those he's talking about). It was about this guy who is giving up remodeling because he is going to become a male model. Of course I have to check that out, because I happen to like good looking men. And if this good looking man is doing remodeling work I might have to pick up this here ream of paper to fan myself a bit. My!

So I click on the link and before the page has a chance to load (I have dial up) Tim comes in from mowing. I reluctantly gave up on waiting to go spend time with my husband, who I married because he is so good looking and does remodeling work for me. So really it wasn't a loss.

But now today I get the page loaded and guess who he has on his blog roll??? Little old me. A male model finds the print version of myself interesting! I'm all tittering and blushing alone in my computer room. Man, I wish I had combed my hair this morning!

And so you don't think I'm completely shallow I'm starting with his first post and reading in chronological order, not trolling for pictures like I really want to, hehe. I must say so far it is a very good read, I'm sorry to have found it so late, and that he won't be posting any more.

And if he gets a chance away from that new exciting life to read this little old post I must say even though I don't have any idea what you look like you will still be my go to guy for all modeling jobs here at the farmhouse. Who knows I could be secretly writing one of those sultry women's romance novels. Yes, I could be, you don't really know what I'm doing with the time I'm not blogging anymore. And I could need a male model to photograph for the front cover. I can see it now, "The Farm Wife's Secret" or maybe "Love In The Time Of Remodeling".

His blog is: Nate's Fargo Fixer-Upper .

Front Door/Back Door

Kelli over at Sugar Creek Farm tagged her readers the other day on pictures of your front and back doors. How perfect for you other housebloggers. So if you haven't done it yet, your it!

The front door opens up onto the porch we rebuilt a few years ago. As you can see we have most of the painting done on it, but we need to door the floor yet. So far it's been a good thing we haven't because it's become a place to run saws so we don't have a mess in the now finished portions of the house.

Once we have a warm weekend when I am not so busy I will clean off the wood scraps you see and give it a good sweeping. Then I will venture out into the play house and retrieve our porch furniture.

The swing was just put back up last week. Last year Molly was terrified of the thing. This year is no different. She cried until we took her out. Hoping to inspire her to give it another try the best way we know how we placed Elsie in it. She loved it! Tim had her swinging as high as his head and she was shrieking and giggling. She's going to be my wild child.

This shot is out the back door to the left. I didn't want to open the door all the way because the cats were trying to escape and it's not cat chasing weather (when is it ever?).

It's hard to see, but where there is no grass is our pile of dirt that we have been using to landscape and fill in the last few years. I can't wait to be done with it and get rid of the weedy mess.

The little cream colored structure is Molly's play house. I don't think I've done a post on it yet. You'll have to wait until later this spring when we get it moved on to the pad we poured.

If I had taken the picture directly out the door you would have seen the spot where one day, hopefully, there will be a garage. Then this door, and the mudroom will get much more use as this will be the primary door the family uses. Someday I hope to have a lovely winding sidewalk to the garage and a herb/cutting garden planted around it.

As you can tell by the pictures it is raining here. Want to know why? Well because I chose today to pick up the trees forever plants. Yes, I'm having flash backs to Halloween when it seems to rain every year and mom always made me wear a coat over my costume. What's the point then?!? When I got up this morning I thought maybe I could get away with planting in what looked like a gentle mist, but by the time the girls and I got going it was a all out rain shower. So I stuck the plants in the wet hay covering the foundation of the playhouse, and will wait for the next sunny day.

Old Map Site

Thanks Gary,

So I was catching up on my regular houseblogs and I came across this link on This Old Crack House. It takes you to a site where you can see old maps of your area. Granted the ones they have don't go far enough back to give me any information I didn't already have (however I did learn the old school house down the road that was tore down that Gladys Cable went to was Number 4). But it's still fun to look.

The site is: Historic Map Works.

Real Estate Listing

On my last post it was noted the sad lack of detail that went into the realtor's on-line ad of the home. So I decided to do a little comparison shopping to see if that's just how the Realtors in this area worked. So here are some cool houses from competing Realtors for your viewing pleasure.

Parson Real Estate- Cool virtual tour, lots more details
http://parsonrealestate.com/list/res/B1/index.shtml

New Age is pretty low on the info too, and annoyingly they have a more picture button that doesn't have more pictures for the one i wanted to see
http://www.newage-realty.com/listingdisplay.php

Cedar Valley- lots more details and a nicely organized photo page.
http://www.cedarvalleyiowarealty.com/index.cfm?fa=listings.view&listingid=41016&propertytypeid=1

The house being sold by Cedar Valley is why it would be nice to have more photos up. I like the way it looked on the outside, but once I looked at the photos of the inside I knew it was a house I would never be interested in.

This is the first time I've really looked at houses on line. When we bought our first house we saw it in the local paper. Plus, back then we didn't have a lot of choice because our spending range was so limited.

Before we found this house we went with the approach of if we drove by something we like we'd find out who owned it and then take a look inside. Sometimes we'd use a realtor sometimes we wouldn't. After awhile it got out we were looking for a fixer-upper and Realtors started calling us. I've been meaning to do a post on the houses we looked at before we found this place. Especially since some of them are close to falling down now.

Seven Mile Road House

Seven Mile Road House

I've been driving by this house since before I could drive. It's been for sale now for awhile (I just keep forgetting to post about it). I think it is so beautiful. And it's set back far enough I don't think you'd notice you're on a fairly busy highway. I was all excited to look it up because I've always wondered what it might look like inside, but the realtor seems to think nature photos and bird tracks will sell the house better. I don't know how listing homes works, maybe they don't show inside shots if it's not vacant. Or maybe the inside is really, really hideous. But I can't really picture that because it's so well-kept on the outside.

Trees Forever

Our town sells trees and other landscaping plants at very reduced rates every spring. It is wonderful!

Our first year participating we bought all of our windbreak trees. Our second year we replaced trees that got flooded out and bought a couple of crab apples for the front lawn. Oh, and a willow tree that Tim mowed over like a month after we planted it. Our third year we bought a maple and some bushes for landscaping around the house a long with a replacement for one of the crab apples.

This year I am getting fruit. I wanted so much more but I went a little crazy and spent $65 dollars. Hey, you can't eat crab apples so I don't think that's money wasted. I got 8 rhubarb plants (I love rhubarb), 8 raspberries and 8 black berries, and 4 each of a concord grape and then another type more suitable for eating off the vine.

Why do I love this program? Because for what I pay for these plants if they die I don't have major guilt.

New And Improved Cute Little Farm House...

Now With Door Bell.

Yes, that's right, we you visit us you can now ring the doorbell and we will answer if home. Well, if we are home and want to see you that is. Just kidding!

Yes, it's been a hardship not having a doorbell in a house that is 3x as long as many of the houses around here. More than once I've been up in the laundry room and caught the glimpse of a car driving out of the drive way. Which is a disappointment. Though, if I was logical about it I would realize that the car was probably a vacuum salesman or something. Everyone we know knows the door bell doesn't work and walks right in and yells up the stairs.

The actual door bells and wiring have been installed for quite awhile now. The problem was I couldn't find a door bell I liked. I was briefly excited when Rejuvenation came out with door bells, but none of them really tipped my trigger either. So I asked the electrician if we could just install the insides of one and I'd build a box to go over it (You should have seen the face of my electrician when I was telling him this, you could tell he was thinking, "I sure am glad I'm not married to you!"). Which he did. So now I just have to go see my step-dad about getting something made. He has a woodworking shop and a carving machine that I think I might use. Although it might take me a while to decided on a pattern!

Along with the doorbell we now have the downstairs bathroom, dining room, and all the upstairs wired. They even put the fan and ceiling fixture in the downstairs bathroom for me. They offered to put the wall sconce in too, but I explained to him that I hadn't found one I liked. And at this point I think his wife owes me for showing how difficult "some women" can be.

My New Blog

I've decided to start a new blog for my non-houseblog related musings.

Beyond the Cute Little Farm House