The Downtown Farmhouse

In the early months of 2015, we approached my parents about a house we wanted to buy.

Now it wasn’t just any house, it was a great big, really gross, in need of major renovation house.

Would they be interested in moving to a 1000 sf mother in law apartment attached to the big old house? We would renovate and create a space that would be perfect for them. They would be fully functioning in their space with their own kitchen and laundry room. This would mean selling their current home which was a nice home with every amenity they needed or wanted.

They said Yes!

Fast forward to September 2015. The house was ours and we would begin the journey of renovating our 1903 house.

Many long days and nights were spent creating a home for us and during renovations Courtney and Justin decided to get married.

“Where will you live?” The question was spoken out loud a few times during wedding conversations.

“The old house is big enough for us all, if you want to live here.”

They said yes!

House renovations were a family affair. We all had skin in the game.

Courtney and Justin began their lives as husband and wife on the front porch of the old house

Jack William Wissinger was born upstairs in the old house and will soon be celebrating his first birthday…….At the old house.

Mom and Dad lived in the 1000 sf apartment together for 14 months. Dad went to heaven on December 30, 2017. I believe that Dad was probably the most excited about the old house. He worked everyday tirelessly and never complained. He would say during renovation, “I wouldn’t change a thing and I would do it all over again.” Dad took his last breath in the old house.

All of this back story to say, we are a multi-generational household and we do it not because we have to, but because we get to.

In the last few months, there have been some comments made to me in regards to our living arrangements. Good comments!

“I love the dynamics of your household.”

“Your family living together is so cool.”

Yes it is.

However it’s not perfect. 5 adults and baby can get a little crazy sometimes.

Everyone has their quirks.

Probably me the most. It’s a learning experience and patience is necessary. Dishwasher loading has become an Olympic event and don’t even get me started on the kitchen counters.

However, there is always someone to talk to and don’t even get me started when we have company. It’s so fun! Naked girls room is always available for visitors.

There is always a room to hide if you need solitude. A multi-generation house has to have boundaries. There must be a quiet places too.

We eat together most times and there is always Sunday night family dinner. We gave a big table, come on over.

We play together.

We laugh and lately we have cried. Sometimes together and lots of times alone.

We have planned together. Planned what? Who cares! Sometimes it’s a walk to the park and sometimes it’s when we will cook hot dogs over the new fire pit. We have planned a garden this spring.

Our house dynamic has changed since Dad left. We went from 6 to 5 and its just not the same but we are working hard at it. Justin came home with a note for Nana yesterday. He told her how proud he was of her and that he would strive to be as brave as her. She cried……happy tears. We all did. The relationship that Justin and Nana might not have happened if you didn’t share the same roof.

You don’t have to live in the same house to care for your people. Give them a call. Write them a letter.

Don’t wait.

Do it now.

You don’t have to, you get to.

The stairs in the old house were a big deal.

The were dangerous and disgusting.

When we purchased the old house, the stairs were located just in side the left front door. Yep, two front doors. No wait!!! There were three front doors.

The left door, led to the stairs, the second floor and attic, apartments three and four.

The right door led to apartment number one, located on the first floor

The third front door led to apartment number two which was also located on the first floor

This is the view of the stairs as you entered the front door. This was of course taken after the plaster and lathe had been removed.

Here’s looking down

Just look at that weird little half/sideways step at the top. Can you say death trap?

This view would be from our now current dining room. Isn’t it just  beautiful?

The old stairs were removed and reconfigured so that you did not have to enter the stairs as soon as you entered the front door.

For a few weeks, this is the way we got to the second and third floor.

The stairs were built offsite and put together on the front porch.

This day the main staircase was installed.

Then the entry level was installed along with banisters

Treads and banisters were stained, facers and spindles were painted

Looking pretty good!

Walls were stenciled and decorating happened

You can read about the stencil wall here The wall that made me cry

Baby Jack came along and we began to think of stair safety.

I really REALLY REALLY didn’t want plastic baby gates.

So my super talented hubs built permanent baby gates that match the stairs.

As I look back on the progression of the stairs, I am completely amazed at the transformation and that we made it through.

Wow.

And we now have 1 front door

Your 9th month on this earth has been a full one and tomorrow you will be 10 months old!

Where has the time gone? We are already talking about your first birthday party.

You have learned how to crawl. When you want to go super fast you army crawl but most of the time you get up on your knees.

You love to meet Pops at the door when he comes home.

Patty Cake is a fan favorite. Along with So Big. DaDa, MaMa and Pop Pop can be understood. No BB yet but I’m patient.

When someone’s says “Oh No” you put your chubby little hands on you head. It’s the cutest thing ever.

Some mornings you come into bed with us

You like to hang from the canopy and we watch Sesame Street which is still your favorite.

You are so cute. You have 7 teeth but we are confident that many more are on the way. You are teething like crazy.

You like to sit in the cart at the store

You got a swing for Christmas and now we swing for hours on the front porch. Shirts are optional.

This month has been filled with ISR swimming lessons. It’s a huge commitment to take you every day but it’s so worth it.

Do you like it?

Not even a little. You cry everyday.

It always help to have Daddy to hold you after swimming too.

It’s hard to watch you be so unhappy but it’s important for you to learn because Pops and BB are putting a pool this month and we are going to have so much fun this summer.

You are climbing everywhere. You are learning to get up and down the steps on the front porch and Pops has been working on the gates for the stairs inside. We are getting ready for you to be walking soon.

BB’s windows will never be the same but who cares when here is a sweet baby boy kissing her through the window.

Uncle Kyle came for Mommy’s birthday and we had birthday breakfast. You love when Uncle Kyle comes to visit.

I could not love you more.

Love,

BB

I have been feeling a little lost.

Do you ever feel like you have forgotten your purpose?

Do you wonder where the weeks go or even the days. Time speeds by so fast and at the same time it drags like nobody’s business.

I’ve tried to write blog posts but I just can’t seem to find the words.

I’ve worked on projects but I can’t seem to finish anything.

Start one thing and stop.

Start something else and stop.

Almost 6 months ago, my friend left and needs to be gone for an extended amount of time.

6 weeks ago my other friend took a job and went away.

Now I have plenty of friends so I’m not alone for goodness sake. But these two are my girls.

For months prior to them leaving I whined. Yes I whined. I didn’t want things to change. I liked it just like it was.

I spoke of replacing them and moving on. Yeah….that’s not going to happen.

I spoke of filling the void of their departures with so many things.

So many things.

2 months ago my dad went to heaven.

Weeks after he left, I had an epiphany. The reason why I couldn’t figure out how to fill the void was because I wasn’t supposed to.

I was to be still. I needed to fill my time with healing and serenity. I needed time to breathe and learn how to live without Dad. This will not happen quickly but it will happen.

I needed to fill my days with peace and contentment. Days spent with Mom and my precious Jack that fills my heart when the sadness wants to take over. Evenings with Steve rocking on the front porch eating ice cream or cuddled up watching a movie. Neighborhood walks with the family and dinner with friends Weekends full of a lot or nothing at all.

All this to say, I didn’t need to find a replacement for my friends. God already knew what I needed, exactly when I needed it.

I wish that I wasn’t so impatient.

Maybe I wouldn’t have whined.

Thirty three years ago today.

We said I do.

We celebrated with our family and friends.

It seems like a lifetime and sometimes it seems like a couple years ago.

I was a twenty year old girl with stars in her eyes.

I’m a fifty three year old girl still with stars in her eyes.

This past year our baby girl gave us our first grand baby. I watch as you love that baby boy with so much joy.

I watch you love with the same love you have shown me all these years.

It’s been a hard year full of loves and losses.

I forever feel safe and cared for. You make me better.

The years only get better.

I have loved you the last 33 years and will love you for the next 33 years.

We’ve got this.

I haven’t had many “work” things to talk about.

Dad was my work buddy and when Dad couldn’t go to the garage, I didn’t want to go.

I still don’t want to go.

It was our place. Our fun place. I’ve made it out there a couple of times since December 30th but most days, I make excuses.

It’s too cold

There’s too many things to do inside.

Most days……I don’t want to.

It makes me sad.

Last week, our last project we worked on together was ready to be delivered.

She was a beautiful old dresser that had been handed down from parent to child. We had discussed what to do with her.

There was no hurry since she would be used in a bedroom that was still being repaired from Hurricane Irma.

That was good because hurry was not in our vocabulary. Dad had bad days and then really bad days. When I took on a job, it was always with the disclaimer, “there can’t be a time limit.”

So my friend and I discussed options and made a plan.

She didn’t want the majority of the wood to be painted.

She didn’t want the metal decorative pieces messed with. Never! I love those

She wanted the top piece removed if possible.

I love how with just a little elbow grease, paint and imagination, something forgotten can be turned into new and improved.

I didn’t take a final picture, but the side panels are painted too. Every other was painted gray like the front drawers.

It was still hard to get this beauty ready to go to it’s home without Dad. He loved the delivery part. Setting it up and making sure everything was perfect.

But we got it done. I had some help from the cutest guy I know.

Baby steps has been my motto. Lots and lots of baby steps.

Have a beautiful Thursday.

Charma

I’m pretty good at the big picture.

Pictures swirl around in my head.

This little alcove in the kitchen used to be a hallway that led to 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. It’s hard to explain what it used to be, but it’s easy to explain what it is now.

To the left, the powder room

To the left, the pantry with the cutest red screen door.

All that to say, I’m not always good at the little things. I have finality paralysis. I’m scared to make a final decision because WHAT IF IT’S WRONG?

Take these corbels for instance.

I bought them at a garage sale way more than a year ago.

I love them.

They can be used in so many ways. How on earth do I decide?

They can be used as shelf brackets.

They can used to decorate your kitchen cabinets

They could be bookends

Or they could just sit on a table as decorations.

They are THAT cute.

However, one day as I walked through the kitchen.

BAM!

Let’s put the corbels, that are hiding in the garage, lost in the hoard. Between the end tables and the big metal letters………here!

Perfect.

Now if I could only figure out where to hang the family picture.

Love,

The girl who has had the flu for 6 days…….and shared it with the family.

If you don’t know about the attic, you can read about it here The Secret Room and here The attic and here It started with a hole in the ceiling and here The Attic update and now there is one more update to share.

I have wanted movie chairs in the movie room since day -45. Do you know how much those silly fancy chairs cost? It’s just plain ridiculous. It would be wonderful for all of our guests to have reclining, massage chairs with lit cup holders but……….well just no.

A few months ago, my sweet friend sent me a text that said “my friend is giving away these chairs.”

I heard “free chairs!!!” And immediately called to see when they could be picked up.

I didn’t talk to Steve before accepting them but instead scheduled a pick up.

I didn’t think about the size or the bases.

I didn’t think about having to take them apart before putting them in the truck.

I didn’t think about it taking three trips to get them all home

Those little details……..well shoot.

However……. it all worked out and look!!!

We took the bases all apart and made them fit in our space.

We ordered the same carpet as the floor and recovered the bases so they matched perfectly.

Now we have 7 chairs for our friends.

Lots of floor space for big pillows and blankets.

This wall….

I am designing a wall unit for this sweet little popcorn machine we found at a yard sale for $5!

I want a microwave and some cute baskets to hold all of our blankets and pillows.

I see Super Bowl LII right here in our very near future.

Have a great day!

Charma

Back in October we bought Lucy.

You can read about that day here The perfect Redhead

In December, we spoke to our friends about the upcoming wedding of their daughter. It was going to be outside on a beautiful piece of property. All I could think of was having Lucy carry the beautiful bride to the aisle.

Ok Charma not everyone is in love with your old truck.

What Bride would want to be hauled around in a loud pickup truck?

I ask anyways.

They said yes! We were so excited.

Lucy was such a gift to our family and we couldn’t wait to share her with others. Dad loved Lucy so much and when I shared we would be taking her to a wedding to carry the bride he was so happy.

So it was planned. We would bring Lucy to the wedding area on December 30th at 1pm.

Days prior, Dad became really sick and I contacted our friends.

“Now don’t you worry, Lucy will be there. I won’t be able to come to the wedding and I’m so disappointed but Steve will be there.”

Here she is all ready for the bride!

Now I don’t believe in coincidence.

Almost at the same time this beautiful couple began their lives together, my Dad took his final breath and met Jesus face to face.

A few days ago, I received an email from the father of the bride. Here are a few of his words.

“Selfless….I’ve thought of this word a lot when I’ve thought of this day, this truck,  you and your family.

You guys were hurting and had every right to hold things close that day, to say “no” to commitments and everyone would have definitely understood that….  But you chose to bless me and my family.  Even though you guys were hurting you still poured into someone else and made their day special…. My day special…. My daughter’s day special.  Selfless.

The truck meant a lot to me….. It was more than a truck.   It was something a dad and his daughter enjoyed so another dad and daughter could enjoy…. Selfless.

I’ve thought many times about this day. I’m so sad that I missed it.

Dad would have been so mad at us if we had said no to his day. He loved Lucy. He would have wanted her to make someone else happy.

In this life, aren’t we supposed to be selfless? I cry buckets just thinking abut the joy of this day and how something so simple as an old truck made one old man and his baby girl so happy and how at the same time it made one younger man and his baby girl so happy.

Have a blessed Wednesday friends,

Charma

You turned 8 months old a couple weeks ago. Your family has been so busy and BB has had a hard time putting pen to paper.

You have grown so much the last month. Not only in size but in personality.

We celebrated with Christmas activities last month.

You visited Santa Claus at the downtown square with Mommy and Daddy and a lot of your family. We waited in line for over an hour and Santa was not your favorite.

We walked around the neighbor delivering sweet treats to our neighbors.

Christmas morning was fun!

After Christmas was hard and you didn’t really understand what was going on but we were so grateful for you. Some days you were the reason to smile. Babies make everything better

So many of our family and friends came to visit and you were the favorite. So much love in one house.

You are crawling now and sometimes you get stuck under the furniture

When Daddy has to go to school, Pops fills in for nighttime story.

And you enjoyed the football game

You are growing so fast and I’m happy and sad all at the same time. You are starting swim lessons soon and I can’t hardly wait to spend hours and hours in the pool with you this summer.

I could not love you more.

Love,

BB