Upstairs Flooring and Restored Doors

The upstairs flooring is on. The story behind it is this:  I fell so hard for something else. That flooring was engineered hardwood. I wrote about it and showed pictures of it some time ago. But, when it was time to order the flooring and all the numbers were crunched, we decided that one way to save would be to go with less expensive stuff upstairs. This flooring was on clearance at the same place we purchased my dream flooring. 

This is laminate and comes in 7-inch planks. I must admit, when we got home late at night with the truck loaded up and I carried 40 boxes of flooring upstairs all by myself so Rod could get the desperately hungry calves fed, I was having some serious second thoughts about the color. But now that it's installed, I'm really happy with it. It achieves the weathered wood look I was searching for.

And these doors....ahh.

I've written about the barn that was hit by the tornado, but I haven't said anything about the house. There was a house. It was old. It was taken down on purpose by the previous owners of this property (my in-laws) in order to build a new house. 

Lucky for us and every thanks to my father-in-law, some of the things were salvaged, including these doors. They had several layers of paint. I just got them back from the guy who stripped them for me. And, I just love them. I think the exposed nail heads are so cool. They still need to be sanded but we plan to keep them the natural color. They will be closet doors in the kids' bedrooms and our closet.

That's all for now. 

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A Peek Inside-It's White

There's a whole lot of white going on in here. Which I love, but I'm not sure Rod does. But once the wood went up, I think he sees the vision a little more clearly.

The wood comes from the old barn, so I think this is really cool. 

So what is finished? Most of the windows are trimmed. Most of the paint is finished. As we speak, I think the upstairs flooring is being finished up.

And, what needs to be done before we move in? Bathroom tile, stairway trimmed, kitchen and counter tops installed, two shed roof ceilings get decorative wood, downstairs flooring, closet shelves. 

Ahhh, this is so exciting.

Thanks for following along.

Drywall Starts Tomorrow

Tomorrow the kids and I go back to school after a restful, yet busy Christmas vacation. 

Maybe you noticed, maybe you didn't but I haven't been around here lately. Discouragement set in sometime around June and it overwhelmed me. We worked on finishing the siding, windows and roofing for most of the spring and summer and there seemed to be no end in sight. And I just couldn't mark progress with a picture of one piece of siding at a time.

Today I am happy to report that I am overwhelmed with gratitude for many reasons but the biggest reason is because the drywall will start going on tomorrow! The end just feels a litter closer today. 

So here is what you missed from the summer until now:

So, tonight we had a great time dedicating our house with truths and reminders that will be hidden in the walls. 

That's all for now. 

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Stumptown: A Little History

Have I mentioned that a tornado demolished an old, historic barn on this property? It was in 2007. 

You can read about the tornado here.

But the history of this property goes back much further.

Abraham Stump and Jonathan Stump were some of the earliest settlers of this area in 1846. They apparently came from Pennsylvania. 

There are said to be eight fresh water springs here that were used in these early days of settlement to generate power. 

A saw mill was built on the property that employed eight people who worked for $1/day in 1880. There was also a store called the Union Valley Groceries, Dry-Goods, Boots and Shoes Store. 

Because of the Stumps who first inhabited this area and the businesses that they started, the area was referred to as Stump Town. The name Stump Town even appeared in some local newspapers in the late 1800's but it was never documented as an official community. 

People who have been around this area for awhile still refer to this property as Stumptown.

It seemed only fitting to keep the history of Stumptown alive when we were searching for a name for our farm and cattle business.

The information I share here comes from the Nappanee Historical Society. I hope to continue to learn more.

Since 2007, the beams from the historical barn have been rotting in the elements. Once we purchased this property three years ago, this has been a hard one to accept. We'd love to be able to use these beams in the construction of our new barn, but the beams have been reduced to crumbly, weathered saw dust.

Fortunately, quite a bit of the barn siding was preserved inside one of the buildings on the property. We're hoping to use as much as we can through-out the new barn.

That's it for now. 

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French Doors and Porch Inspiration

The French doors are in and it's getting warmer around here. Both are causes for much happiness. 

We're way behind schedule; to the point that there is no schedule anymore, which is the cause of much discord. I don't ask anymore.

Life keeps moving in high speed. We have 16 days of school before summer vacation. Have I ever mentioned that I am a Mild Disabilities Special Education Teacher? I cannot think of a more rewarding job. Kids who are different are amazing. I guess I'm saying this as a reminder that no matter where we're at with this project, I'm very lucky. Enjoy the process.

The following are pictures that I'm using as inspiration for finishing the porch. I always thought we would have white porch posts and a white front door but I'm considering stained now. I think it's a more modern farmhouse look. I also like it with the black door. 

You can find the link under each picture. 

here

here

here

here

here

here

here

That's it for now. Thanks for following.