"Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow."

Finally...snow! I wish it could have been here for Christmas, but it's hear now and I'm thankful for that. I know this snow creates hazardous road conditions and my thoughts are with everyone who has to travel in it. But fortunately for me, I don't. In fact, I even had a snow day today and was able to stay home with my babies all day. There were probably a million things I could have/should have done today, but I decided to just enjoy the time home with my children. However, one thing I did do was to treat myself to something I haven't had in a very long time....a nap. It was very much needed. And since I was home all day I thought it was a good time to snap a few pictures of our basement to share with you. My basement has no windows or natural light so it's a little tricky to get my pictures to turn out just right. It seems everything looks a little brighter than in real life. However, I hope you enjoy all we've done.

Early Morning Lights

For the past 6 month's I've been very neglectful to this blog. Not because I don't enjoy blogging or the wonderful people I've meet through this technological ingenuity known as "blog land", but more so because life happens and I find myself stretched in too many directions. However, with the start of a new year I decided to take more time for myself and my passions. I will try my best to post more often because it does give me an escape from the hectic world that surrounds me. Today I will start with a small sample of pictures I took this morning while the early lights shined through my windows. Everyone in my house was still sound asleep while I sipped my coffee with hazelnut cream and decided to take some pictures. It truly is the simple things in life that make me happy. Enjoy!

DIY Colonial Floorcloth

Recently while exploring the Country Sampler website I realized I was the featured DIY project. It was for making my colonial floorcloth. It really was a lot of work, but so worth it in the end. If you would like to read the how to article, you can by clicking here: Colonial Floorcloth. If you decide to start one I would love to see some pictures.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful 2nd day of summer!

Take Care,
Janice

Still a Work in Progress

Hello Everyone. I know I have went on and on about our never ending basement project with some pics and hints here and there. I was hoping to have it all finished before showing more photos but I think there is enough done to give you the idea. I have some more decorating to do, more chair rail to hang, the poles around the kitchen need finished, the sink isn't put in yet...you get the idea. However, I am so pleased with the projects that I do have done I would like to share some pics with you.

Enjoy!

Here is the view of our kitchenette from the living room area. Under the plate rack a sink will soon be installed. Our cabinets are a black distressed cherry from Kraft Maid and the counter tops are custom made from figured maple.

Here is another view from a small eating area.

Here is a different eating area on the other side of the room.






A small sitting area at the end of the basement. Please don't mind the dusk under the chairs, I didn't even know it was there until I shot the picture. : )

Our bathroom is small, but it has all the amenities one would ever need in a basement.

I love my sink!

A little desk area to fill an awkward corner. I've had the primitive style table top desk for a long time and was so excited when I finally found a home for it.

There is more I will show you when I get done. If anyone is interested in the paint colors, I choose Sandpiper for the walls, and Kiln for the trim and underneath the chair rail. I got the idea for the Kiln color from a great friend, Dan. He did some extensive painting in his home using the color Kiln. Thanks again, Dan! All the colors are from Home Depot and are Martha Stewart brand colors.

I'm off to do some dusting...but thanks for taking the time to stop by and look at my never ending basement project.

Janice

Rainy Day Re-Do

Today there is a chill in the air and rain tapping on the window. I'm taking a break from painting in the basement to look for items to decorate it with . I am going for a red, blue, and mustard look down there...so I decided to raid my bedroom. I stole the blankets, pillows, pictures, and even curtains to use throughout the basement. After I got done raiding my room, it looked a little bare. So then I went into the closets and did a quick "no cost" redo.

Here is a glimpse of what my bedroom looked like before....

Here is the after....

There is still some tweaking to do such as fixing the curtains, sweeping up dust bunnies, and putting back the mess that "re-doing" a room creates. Or, I could just hop in bed and take a nap. : ) I hope you enjoyed my "rainy day re-do".

Take Care,

Janice

I've Been Exposed

My home is featured in the April/May Edition of Country Sampler Magazine. It was an amazing experience to have my home photographed, and an even more amazing to actually see it in print. If you get this magazine I hope you enjoy the article!

We continue staying busy by working on our basement. When I get it a little further I will post some photos. Our basement will also have the colonial touches but be different from our upstairs. Please stay tuned, there are more photos to come!

God Bless,

Janice

Winter Weather

I've enjoyed two snow days in a row now. I'm watching the local news and schools are already closing for tomorrow, but I haven't heard if I'm off yet or not. I actually the weather, and not just because I'm a teacher. : )

Here's a glimpse of all the fun I got to have with my children today.

This is my daughter's first sledding experience. I think she'll enjoy it more next year.

I think they would rather just be pulled around in the snow as I was doing here. It was so much fun...but exhausting!




And here is what we've been working on for what seems like forever now. It's our basement. The drywall is finished, the plumbing, wiring, and heating are done, too. Now on to the first fun part, the paint. I chose a neutral tan on the top and a red on the bottom. I will put a piece of chair rail in the middle and also paint it red. I think it will finish it off nicely.

The poles will be wrapped in wood and I have some blackened tin sconces that will be electrified on each pole.



Here is the other side of the room where my kitchenette will go. I have already ordered my cabinetry, perhaps the small jelly cupboard will give you a glimpse of what it will look like. They will be here on February 23rd and once installed I will show you how they look.





Here is the wall that will soon be gone. We are tearing out this wall to open up the stairway with a colonial railing. I'm very excited about the stairway.

As you can see from today's post, between two small children, working full time, and this never ending basement project...I've got my hands full. I would like to post more then I do but finding the time isn't always easy. However, I will post as often as I can and keep you updated to the basement progress. I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful winter weather and staying safe.

Thanks for stopping by!