The Somerset Farmhouse

  Make Hay While the Sun Shines The patriotic holidays are upon us and so is whatever version of summer this is.  This past Memorial Day was unusually cool but warmed up enough during the day to get some outside projects done! One of those escapades involved hunting through the fields gathering rocks.  Yes, gathering rocks, which we have a funny obsession with.  Whether it's rock, stone, or just little pebbles, we are picking them up and using them! Not for nothing, I plan to use them for rain-scaping and installing dry creeks - that is, whenever this rain lets up.  Pennsylvania has become Pennsyl-rain-ia! I'm surprised we haven't had to use a canoe to get everywhere! We take advantage of every good, sunny day we have to get things done, especially outdoors. The Loot For about half the afternoon, mom and I ventured out to the fields to get those rocks! There were all shapes and sizes we found, including some that looked incredibly chiseled.  I figured the o...

Let's trek outdoors! Have you ever seen such happy faces? This is what gardening does - specifically growing your own food! Prior to learning how to plant food, I used to do a lot of perennial gardening at the old house in NJ - my big project was a dry creek on the sunny side of the yard, an area which had poor drainage.  The stony project eventually became decorated with every unique perennial I could find.  But one thing I've longed to do in recent history is plant my own food. Now, why not just do it in NJ? We really didn't have the means to, and the soil where we lived was poor quality - garbage was buried around the property, thus rendering the soil useless.  Out here, the soil is much better and so rich! The darker the dirt, the better for your plants!     The main inspiration behind this homesteading venture is the expensive produce prices.  We also aren't into the modern distractions like TV and videogames - though I do miss a good session ...

  It's time to venture outside of housework a bit more and talk about most people's favorite topic: cats! I have always been a cat person - don't get me wrong, I love dogs too...and raccoons...and pretty much every animal on the planet! Ever since childhood, I wanted my own cat.  There was just something about felines in general that drew me to them.  My first kitty, Koshka, who passed on some years ago, got the ball rolling in terms of cat ownership.  Now, I take in and take care of every feline that needs me.  And they love me for it! Pictured in the email header is one of the cats that was on the farm when we arrived here.   Meet Phantom ! Phantom got his name from the pattern on his face, which resembled Phantom of the Opera .  He is a sweet boy who had a rough time with some serious injuries.  Drove him an hour and some to an emergency facility in Pittsburgh and spent an entire evening with him to make sure he would live.  Phantom h...

  Old farmhouses contain an interesting array of treasures - something that newer homes just can't boast about.  I've always had a fondness for finding old things, as that little peek into the past feels strangely sentimental.  Tools, desks, items buried and forgotten, this farm has all that and more!  This post will be a break from the usual fixing-up stuff I talk about.  We are still working on the house, but sometimes blogging about something different is nice.  The Schoolhouse Mysteries A schoolhouse resides on the property - it was brought over on horse and buggy and plunked right in front of the house.  Naturally, we were excited to see what was in there, so here's a glimpse of some of the relics we found (and I use that term relic loosely, haha)! Tell me what exactly beats the thrill of finding old desks! I plan to refinish it, and probably use it to display some flowers Two more desks were sitting in the back room of the schoolhouse, the left...

The thing about renovating a farmhouse is I love doing things to preserve the character.  But that goes for any old house really.  And in the guest room, we have been tag-teaming to bring to life a cozy farm style.  There are a lot of pictures, so this may be a multiple post update - not back-to-back since there's more to share, but certainly consistent!  Here's how that's going: One of the first areas we tackled was the floor.  I've probably mentioned this in a previous blog post, but it's worth mentioning again: the wood is red oak! It's durable and has certainly withstood the test of time.  However, the floor was looking a bit worn from being covered with carpet and vinyl.  So, we went to town giving it a proper sanding.   Getting rid of the varnish took quite a bit.  You can see where vinyl had been at one point.    My sister did most of the sanding - days upon days of it! To speed up the process, I started going full force...

Working hard We've been hustling away here at the Somerset Farmhouse! The place has been coming together like a puzzle - slow progress, but that's better than none at all. Updating an old farmhouse can certainly keep one on their toes.  The nice part about it is, you can tailor it to your personal style.  What could be more rewarding? I don't have too much to share on my room as I'm still in the process of decorating and still have to get beadboard up on my ceiling - that in itself is a 3-person project.  Once it's picture-ready, then I can post some good photos to the blog here.   On that train of thought, we finally got my parents' room finished and are now tackling the guest room.  More Wallpaper!! As with my room and basically every other space in the house, the walls and ceiling were completely lined with wallpaper.  Bear in mind, it's never just one layer - it's 3, maybe 4.  Old time home renovations were nothing like today.  If you did...