Some furniture re-do's and a farmhouse update.

Christmas is right around the corner.  In a festive spirit, I refinished this beautiful bowed-front French Provincial buffet in a lovely dark green.





This piece is gorgeous.  Solid wood, intricate details, bowed drawers... it may be going in my future dining room.

Another piece I refinished is this lovely antique desk.  If this desk were going in my house, I would want it to be white.  So I painted it white.  I painted the back too, since the bottom trim wraps right around.

It has beautiful inset drawers.  I guilded all the hardwood in silver.

Well, I think refinishing furniture may come to a bit of a halt over the next couple of months.  I never seem to be able to sell much in the weeks following Christmas, and we have a bit of a bigger project to work and focus on - our farmhouse!

On Friday, we were handed the keys.  We don't technically get possession until January 15, but since it was sitting empty, the owners gave us the keys to get started on work.  This gives us a bit more time to get it habitable before we move in the end of February.

Most of the work is in the planning.  We have to apply for a gas line to be run, which is about an 8 week waiting period.  We also have to submit plans to the township of West Lincoln for a building permit.  Because we are completely stripping the roof and gutting the second floor, we thought it would be best to add a dormer now, rather than later.  A friend of ours is an architectural designer, and last year I refinished an old antique sled for him.   So, he is helping us draw up plans for the dormer.  We sat down the other night and planned it all out.  Basically, it's going to look something like the dormer on this house:

It will add about 12' x 8' of living space to the upstairs.  So while we wait for these big projects to be completed, there are quite a few other things we can get started on in the meantime.  On Monday, we started taking up all the old tile on the floors.  We were pretty confident they weren't asbestos, but just in case, we wore respirators, soaked the floors completely, and took it up one sheet of plywood at a time.

(or, should I say, Mark took it up.  I hauled it out into the trailer!)

Much to my excitement and delight, there is in fact, the original plank wood flooring underneath!  They are 6" wide, by 2" thick.  And in great condition.  (I mean, other than that clearly they need a sanding!)  I couldn't be more thrilled!

Floors in the Great room:

Floors all stripped in the bedroom:

Mark took really great care not to damage the wood floors or the trim in the process.  He did a really good job.  All the tiles were glued and nailed to plywood, which was in turn, nailed to the floor.  It was a beast to take up.  I helped with some of the really stubborn pieces.  I think I've lost a lot of muscle mass since having babies.  I was so out of breath!  Pathetic!

But half the work is keeping Mark fueled, so I made our very first dinner in our new house.  There was an old stove left behind, so we fired it up and I heated a lasagne my friend Cheryl made.  Delish!

The girls were at my parents for the afternoon while we worked.  The next morning, I woke them up at 8 am (which NEVER happens).  They were completely tired out!

Every year, my homeschooled friends get together and make gingerbread houses.  Last night we all got together and made houses.  In previous years we put quite a bit more energy and creativity into our houses.  This year, we just brought our own pre-made houses.  Mine and Angela's were even pre-assembled.  So we could just sit and eat candy.  So fun.

Merry Christmas!