Butterfly Farm Manor

Fruits of Our Labor

2009-07-01T18:04:00.000-07:00

Some of our first fruits.

Clockwise from 12 o'clock: banana pepper, green beans, squash, jalapenos, and yummy bell peppers.

Our Garden, June 2009

2009-06-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

We've planted a vegetable garden behind our house. It has been a lot of fun, though hard work, and we are already seeing some fruits of our labor.

We are growing 2 types of tomatoes, 2 types of corn, 2 types of pumpkin, 2 types of sunflowers, zuchini, squash, jalapenos, banana peppers, yellow bell peppers, basil, parsley, cucumbers, okra, and strawberries this year. We planted them just outside the back door and in the circle in the middle of the driveway. Everything is showing signs of fruit except the cucumbers and okra. Well, and the strawberries that we are intentionally not allowing to fruit so that they will grow a larger patch.

I wanted to show you how some of the plants have grown in one month.

And more pictures from our garden:

In order from top: 1.) the first female pumpkin shoot (fruit);
2. & 3.) our first harvest---jalapenos & green beans;
4.) the snake that lives in the garden;
5.) Erin weeding;
6.) Bill in strawberry patch.

CREDITS:
Font: Kitty Weed by KevinandAmanda.com
Garden Tools: from "Arbor Day" by Faith True (SYTYCD challenge at digiaddicts.com)
Date Stamp and Days: from "Project 365 Essentials V.1" by WM[squared]
Slide Picture Frame: by Gunhild Storeide

New Tile in the Mudroom

2009-06-25T10:00:00.001-07:00

Bill and David worked hard on our mudroom one weekend in early May. They tore out some of the old shelving, but left the top shelf that runs along the far end of the room. Then they ripped up the old floor. They put down new under-layment and then put down a beautiful gray limestone-looking tile.

Here are pictures of the work in progress.

Below is the finished project. Isn't it beautiful?

Replacement Radiators

2009-05-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

Let me just tell you, we have had a rough time this year with our heating system!!!

We had a freeze in the pipes which caused huge holes in a long section of pipe underneath the house, damage to our furnace, and burst radiators in one room. The burst radiators leaked and damaged the floor. It was an ongoing problem for a couple of cold months and we went without heat for over one weeks time, all added together. Quite a headache! The house is becoming such a money pit.

Anyway, we had to remove the old cast iron radiators in the library. Temporarily we had a copper pipe running along the edge of the room to keep the system's circuit complete so that we could continue using heat downstairs. Well, we finally had that replaced yesterday.

We had aluminum radiators installed. They are a little smaller than the cast iron ones, and look very nice.

The next steps are to remove the old wallpaper and paint the room; and to repair the damaged floors.

New Blinds in the Kitchen

2009-05-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

I spent about two weeks in February/March making balloon shades for the kitchen. They are made of a cream colored eyelet cotton material. I bought the internal parts from an online roman shades store. I lined them with light filtering thermal lining which should help to keep the kitchen cooler in the summer time when the HOT sun beats down on that side of the house. I had a lot of fun making them and love how they turned out.

New Project: The Kitchen.

2008-12-28T18:25:00.000-08:00

We have moved on from the living room to the kitchen.

The way the kitchen looked when we first moved in.

When we first moved in we removed the really ugly wood paneling from the kitchen. It was dark. It made the room that I think should be bright and cheery and easy to work in feel more like a dungeon. So we pulled the paneling down. Underneath we found cute old farm wallpaper. We did not know what to do with the wallpaper. It seemed too precious to rip off or cover up. So we left things as they were for a while. But finally decided we could not leave it in a half-finished state any longer.

Kitchen wall with paneling removed.

Bill came up with the idea of putting the paneling back up and covering it. Bill and his brother, John, filled the gaps in the paneling with Spackle. Then they sanded it down.

Paneling is back up, it has been Spackled, and John is sanding it.
(Click on any picture to view a larger version.)

Afterward, Bill primed the wall and radiators.

Unfortunately, the wood stain from the paneling seeped through the three layers of primer.

A close-up of the stain coming through the primer.

Then I painted the wall with Valspar Satin color Churchill Hotel Maple. It looks nice.There is more work to do. We are actually going to pull off another piece of paneling and fill in the wall and paint it. There are a couple of walls with wallpaper that we will remove and paint. And Bill will install trim.

Christmas Cards

2008-12-22T13:48:00.000-08:00

We are having "house" issues today, so I feel silly putting up a cute little blog entry, but I really do not know what to do with myself while Bill deals with the immediate effects of the issue. One of our copper pipes got a leak and spewed hot water all over the utility room---it blew with such force there is a spot where there is no more paint or paper (or whatever was covering the wall). There was about 1/4 inch of standing water when I discovered the leak. Bill rushed home to turn off the valve (I do not know what I am doing!!). Then trekked out to Home Depot for a *consumer report* recommended shop vac to clean up the water mess. We still have not called the plumber to fix the problem, but Bill is going to see what he can do to temporarily fix it so we can have some hot water tomorrow morning. What a stressful day!

So on to the focus of this blog entry.

The front of the Christmas card

Bill and I made homemade Christmas cards this year. They were simple, cheap, and fun to make. I cut out the shape of a holly leaf onto green fabric using clip art. Bill cut the paper in half to make it "card sized". I scored each of the cards with a bone folder, so they folded very nicely. I sewed the holly leaf onto the front of the card using red thread. The thread represented the vein in the leaf. Then I used a pencil eraser and a red rubber stamp pad and stamped holly berries around the top of the leaf.

On the inside, Bill---the master stamper---stamped one of three messages: Merry Christmas, Celebrate the Season, or Joy to You.

The inside of the card

Behind the scenes of my photo shoot, Lillie and Cole had to stick their noses in. So I took a quick shot of them too.

"Behind the scenes"

Cinnamon Cookie Christmas Ornaments

2008-12-18T10:51:00.001-08:00

This will be the fourth Christmas since I have planned on making cinnamon Christmas ornaments with Bill. I wanted to do it the first Christmas, that way every year we could hang ornaments we made together on our tree. Unfortunately, that year we did not find the time. Nor did we the year after that...or the year after that. Of course, we did not necessarily have Christmas trees those years, either. So here we are 3 years into our marriage, celebrating our fourth Christmas together and we finally did it! And we used the very cookie cutters I bought way back when for this very purpose. So, given enough time, everything will be achieved, I guess.

We made santa clauses, Christmas trees, stars, snowmen, and gingerbread men. They smell fantastic and turned out fine.

We used the following recipe:

1 cup cinnamon
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup glue
Form the dough, roll into a ball and allow to sit for one hour before making into cookies.
Working with a quarter of the dough at a time, roll dough out flat using a rolling pin until the dough is 1/4-inch thick. Then cut using a knife or cookie cutter. Use a straw to make holes for hanging.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place cookies on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Heat for 2 hours, flipping once.

We found that the ornaments started to turn up at the edges, so we placed parchment paper and another cookie sheet on top to help keep them flat. Then once they came out of the oven, we placed some objects on the top cookie sheet to add pressure and make them lie flat. Only one ended up being a little uneven.

We carved our initials and the date into some of the cookies, as well.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

2008-12-14T16:17:00.001-08:00

I spent some time playing with the Make-a-Flake website. It's fun practice if you plan to cut your own for Christmas. Mine are not nearly as good as my sister's, but I tried.

Collage created on Picnik.com, Snowflakes made on Make-a-flake website.

Happy Birthday Cole and Lillie!

2008-12-11T11:19:00.000-08:00

Cole and Lillie turned one today!
Happy birthday, Cole and Lillie!

The birthday boy and girl at age one.

This is what they got for their birthday.

Cole Bear playing with Lillie's new toy.

The Valances Are Finished! They Are So Cute!

2008-12-09T18:16:00.001-08:00

I spent Thursday through Sunday at my parent's house. The goal: make the valances for the living room. Mom did all the machine sewing. I have to admit I am not a good sewer, don't have that much experience, and am a little scared of the mess I can create with a sewing machine. Besides, working with layers of drapery fabric is not easy! Add to that another layer of piping and you have got one very difficult piece to sew. So, thanks so much Mom for doing the dirty work. I did have a role in the completion of the valances, though. I did the hand stitching of the rod pockets, which made the valances look so much better than the machine would have done (and gave the machine a break). Anyway, Bill and I hung the rods and valances last night and I am so pleased with them.

Here you can see the valances in context with the room and decor.

Meet Lillie!

2008-11-30T17:01:00.000-08:00

Tiger Lillie: the independent thinker
Breed: Papillon
Birthdate: 12/11/07
Weight: 8 lbs.
Likes: Balls, biting hair, ice, food, and pigs ears
Dislikes: Snuggling, getting in trouble, baths, and wind
Favorite Trick: Shake (AKA "paw")

Meet Cole!

2008-11-30T11:21:00.000-08:00

Cole Bear: the little lover
Breed: Papillon
Birthdate: 12/11/07
Weight: 8 lbs.
Likes: Barking, soft fabric, Nylabones, cats, treats, and cuddling
Dislikes: Baths, yelling, the cold, and being alone
Special Ability: To make anyone love him

Firewood Carrier

2008-11-23T19:12:00.000-08:00

I made a firewood carrier following instructions from marthastewart.com.
It has already become so handy. Instead of making multiple trips to carry several logs and fatwood from the outside pile to the living room, the carrier makes it possible in one short trip. I made mine from a pretty piece of canvas that matches our living room.

Here's how to make your own:

Materials:

2/3 yards of 45-inches wide canvas (22- X 42-inch)
30-inches rope
4 grommets and eyelets
Grommet tool
Hammer

Directions:

Cut the fabric to 22 by 42 inches.
Fold the long sides over 1 inch, and then fold them over again to create a 1-inch double
Press, pin, and sew.
Fold the short ends over 1.5 inches, and then fold them over again creating a 1.5-inch double hem.
Press, pin, and sew.
Measure and mark 4.5 inches from the corners on the short ends.
Make small holes where you have placed marks.
Insert a grommet on one side and align the eyelet on the other side.
Using the grommet tool and a hammer, install the grommets/eyelets.
Repeat for all 4 grommets.
To reinforce the knots in the rope, install washers between the grommet and rope knot.
Cut the 30-inch piece of rope in half.
Insert rope into each grommet and tie a knot.
Repeat for all 4 ends.

Pillows

2008-11-21T14:03:00.000-08:00

Mom bought us pillows that match our living room decor. Aren't they lovely?

That's my butterfly, Lillie, hovering above.

Living Room: The Interim

2008-11-16T13:46:00.001-08:00

2008's Big Project: The Living Room
I thought as a Part II to my most recent blog, I should highlight what has gone into getting the living room to where it is.

The room originally had yellow walls and pink carpet.

First, with my mother-in-law's generous help on at least 3 or more whole days, we scraped all of the painted wallpaper off the walls.

Next we bought a wood stove. It was probably 25 years old---we found it on Craigslist.

Then Bill ripped up the ancient disgusting pink carpet.

I scrubbed the walls with TSP and then patched the many, many holes and cracks with plaster compound.Next, in order to install the wood stove, Bill built a hearth pad. He screwed a cement board to the floor. Then using mortar he placed tiles on top of the board. Then he put wood trim around it.

Next Bill applied an antique finish to the floor.Then we had to bring in the 400 lbs. wood stove. Three really strong and generous guys from Bill's work helped haul it in and place it on the hearth pad. Finally, we had the wood stove installed. The chimney sweep installed a liner in the chimney and connected it with a T that attaches to the back of the wood stove.

Once the floors were finished and the wood stove was all set, Bill, my sister and I got down to the business of painting. Bill and I added sand to the ceiling paint and gave the ceiling texture to cover up the drywall joints and cavities from nails. Then Elise and I worked on the walls. We applied painters tape, used a high hiding primer, and painted three walls white and an accent wall the color Green Tea by Valspar. It looks fantastic as a contrast with the red couch.

Now check out the following entry to see the before-and-after photos. :)

The Living Room is Nearly Finished: Before and After!

2008-11-13T13:08:00.000-08:00

Boy, the living room sure has undergone a transformation from when we first moved here. My mother-in-law helped me strip the yellow painted wallpaper from the walls. We now have three greenish-tinted creamy white walls and one green (green tea) accent wall instead of the overwhelming yellow all around. My sister helped me with the painting. Instead of the 1950s used-to-be-pink carpet which Bill pulled up, we now how beautiful wood floors that Bill finished with an antique finish. We also now have an excellent heating source in the room---a wood stove that sits out in the middle of the room on a hearth pad.

Of course, it's not completely done. There is a wire that goes across one wall that we need to place in a cord-hider. We still need to replace the socket plates. And I have to come back at some point and paint the trim white---probably this Spring.

Note the black boards behind the wood stove. They are put there during the winter months to provide a heat barrier for the wood mantle. Also, it has been rather gloomy around here so the after pictures do not have quite the glow I was hoping for. If time allows and the sun decides to show its face before too long, I will try to update these pictures.

Too Many Fruit Flies!

2008-10-13T16:21:00.000-07:00

Fruit flies have been all over the kitchen and pantry in recent weeks. I saw a news broadcast last week that said the number of fruit flies has increased and it's probably due to more people recycling and not rinsing food containers well enough. We have good rinsing habits in this household. It's our trash can that is oh so popular with the fruit flies.

Well, my mother-in-law gave me a great tip to get rid of them. You create a trap that kills them. I tried it last night. They were swarming around pound cake so I put this "trap" next to the cake. This morning the numbers were: pound cake=0 v. trap=17 fruit flies!

So, you want to know how to create one of your own?

You will need plastic wrap, a dish, apple cider vinegar, plastic wrap, a rubber band, and scissors.

First, rip off enough plastic wrap to cover the dish and come part-way down the side. Next pour apple cider vinegar into the dish---enough to cover the bottom of the dish. Third, find the center of the plastic wrap and cut a small slit. The slit in my example was a little smaller than one inch. Now you are ready to put the plastic wrap over the dish and secure it in place with a rubber band. It's that simple. You're done!

More Progress...Ceiling Painted

2008-10-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Bill and I painted the ceiling in the living room. We used Homax Sand-Texture texturizing paint additive in the white ceiling paint. We decided it was best to use some kind of texture on the ceiling because the joints where the drywall meet and the divots made by the nails are visible. I filled in the divots with joint compound, and now after adding the texture, they are barely noticeable.

The sand texture threw paint all over when you rolled it and made a mess. Here's a picture of Bill after he finished.

Lightning is nothing to be trifled with!

2008-10-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night lightning hit the house. It was strange because the storm that generated this particular lightning was only one of three bolts of lightning. The third one hit our house and the storm was pretty much over besides a some rain.

We think the lightning hit the well and blew the cap off. It followed the lines into the house. It fried the well's submersible water pump. It fried the electronic control boards on the furnace (integrated hot water and baseboard radiator heat). It melted the cable lines.

It also damaged our electronics. It fried Bill's computer, fried the cable modem (which the cable company replaced), damaged the Linksys router, created color-burn on the screen of our 32" TV, fried two other TVs, and fried the photo printer.

In the yard, the lightning tore up the grass and left strike marks on the large sycamore.

You can follow the line it made from the well, to the tree, and across the yard.

Here is a view of the torn up grass leading away from the well.

The sycamore:

Leading away from the sycamore, across the yard.

The lightning tore up the grass, throwing clumps of grass as far as 10 feet away.

It disintegrated parts of the sycamore's roots, leaving shreds.

Here it split the root and threw it in the air.

Autumn Wreath

2008-09-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

I added some ribbon and corn to an old wreath the previous home owner's left behind. It decorates our front door.

I started with a green sheer ribbon fringed with orange and wrapped it around the wreath. Then I made a bow from this beautiful autumn leaf-decorated orange wired ribbon and attached it to one corner. Then I gathered two pieces of Indian corn and used a wire to hold them in place. They are really heavy and make the wreath sway to the left a little.

New Clothesline

2008-09-29T10:30:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we completed setting up the clothesline. This morning I got to use it to dry the puppy's blankets.
Here Lillie chases the blanket blowing in the breeze.
Cole graciously poses for the camera in front of the new clothesline.

Dining Room Chairs

2008-09-19T11:31:00.000-07:00

We bought six mahogany T-back chairs for the dining room. They are late-19th/early-20th century reproductions of either Georgian or Queen Anne style. They are simple, but beautiful. Some are a little rickety and all need to be cleaned. I will reupholster them with fabric that matches our decor (black/white/gray).

Bill took some pictures of the chair seats. As you can see below the bottom layer is extremely old, leading me to believe it is the original upholstery. It appears to be white or off white silk.

Since this is Butterfly Farm Manor, I had to throw in the picture of the rescue dog---a Papillon---the couple had that sold us the chairs.

From Butterfly Farm Manor

Clothesline & Other Progress

2008-09-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend Bill (and I) put together a post for a clothesline. Bill dug the hole and, with my help, poured cement around the post to hold it in the ground. The next step is to affix the line so I can use it!

Bill has been vigilently working on the floors. He has applied Miniwax Antique finish to the heart of pine floors and it has produced beautiful results. Above are pictures of the finished look and a comparison of the unfinished floor next to the finished floor. They are beautiful!

Also, we completed the hearth pad project. I washed the tiles well and Bill put a stone sealer on. Now we are ready for the wood stove.

More Progress in Living Room

2008-09-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

Progress continues in the living room. This past weekend we installed the hearth pad that the wood stove will sit on. To install the pad we screwed a cement board into the floor and put mortar on it to install the slate tiles. There was about a 1-inch gap where the tiles did not cover the cement board, so we had to come up with a creative way to address this. We bought some small tiles of slate and created a border, lining the tiles end to end across the back of the pad. In the pictures below Bill is installing the small tiles. There are also some close-ups of the small tiles.

This is what the pad looked like after all of the tiles were put down.

View with the fireplace to the left.

View with the fireplace to the right.

The next step was to install trim around the pad. We bought a mitre box from Lowes. They do not sell trim to the height we needed, so Bill made a very nice-looking trim by combining two pieces of trim together. He did the following installation. All that is left is to apply a finish to the trim. And, of course, we still need to install the woodstove.

I continued to work on the walls prepping them for painting. There is one plaster wall in really bad shape. It looked like it had measles by the time I finished applying plaster compound. I have almost finished sanding it now that it is dry.

Finally to complete preparation for paint, Bill caulked all of the seams around the windows, doors, and fireplace. It looks substantially better with this small step. Here are pictures of one un-caulked side and a caulked side of the fireplace.

Pre-caulk

Post-caulk

Thanks!

2008-08-31T04:27:00.001-07:00

Just when I thought my firewood pile was dwindling and we'd be able to see the grass again, Bill claimed a couple of trees from two sources around town. They were placed right next to the firewood pile, and it seems like the never-ending pile. Thanks! ;)

Anyway, the bigger of the two trees is a sugar maple which is rated amongst the top of types of wood that burn the hottest and are best used as firewood. It was a smart call on Bill's part. We bought a maul to split it, but first we need a chainsaw to get these logs into more manageable sizes. This could be an on-going project for some time. This wood will need to be seasoned, and just our luck---someone in town has given away two pallets that we will use to stack the wood on. It just might be a long time before that happens, though.

Shrunk firewood pile to the right, two new trees to the left.

Progress

2008-08-26T20:02:00.000-07:00

Progress on the living room is being made. The living room is home to two projects right now. It's the room that we are hoping to paint soon and where the wood stove is going.

Work on the living room in preparation for painting has been going on for months. The walls had really old wallpaper (I'm thinking 1950s era) that had been painted over several times. With the help of my mother-in-law we stripped the paint and then the wallpaper from the walls. It took forever and created a few blisters along the way!!! Well, in the last two weeks, my husband and I have stripped all of the remaining glue from the walls using a diluted vinegar mixture. Then we washed the walls using TSP (without Phosphorous). This stuff is amazing! I am a big fan. Any glue left on the walls dissolved instantly and it left the walls super smooth. Well, they are smooth except for the gouges that took place during the arduous wallpaper-removing phase. There is also one plaster wall that is crumbling, has several cracks, and has extremely uneven texture. So, we spent a few days repairing the surfaces of the walls. My husband read online to use caulk in the cracks. Plaster cracks are due to shifting. Caulk has more give than plaster compound (aka, spackling plaster) and will not be as noticeable when there is more gradual shifting. I used plaster compound to repair all holes, divots, and gouges on the walls and ceiling.

After my up-close-and-personal experience with the walls, trying to apply plaster compound as smoothly as possible, I decided that we need to do something to, if not all walls, at least to the "ugly" wall to trick the eye. So, my husband and I went back to Lowe's to look at paint options. Because we did not want to spend much more money on paint, we decided to do rag rolling, which only requires two colors of paint. We had already planned for the "ugly" wall to be the accent wall, so we were all set.

We are going to paint all the walls with a base coat of a white that has a slight green tint to it, called Gilded Endive (Valspar #7003-22). Then the accent wall will be rag-rolled with Green Tea (Valspar #6008-8A). My hope is that the rag rolling will create an illusion that will hide some of the unevenness of the wall.

Of course before we get to the step of applying paint, we still have to sand the caulk and plaster compound, wipe down the walls one final time so that they will be free of dust, and prime the walls using Valspar's high-hiding primer. I'll update you on the progress. Here are some pictures of me scrubbing the wall with TSP.

The other progress being made is on the wood stove front. Not a whole lot has happened, but it is rather exciting. In order to have a fire-safe area around the wood stove, we have to put fire-proof materials underneath the wood stove. We bought some cement board and slate tiles that the wood stove will sit on. It's going to be beautiful! So that we could put this down, Bill removed the horrid 50+ year old carpet from this room.

Please excuse the mess, this room is undergoing lots of work!

Lincoln Logs

2008-08-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

Today I got to play Lincoln Logs. That was one of my favorite games when I was a kid. Did you ever think that you'd be playing it again as an adult without any children around?

Our house is heated by baseboard radiators. It cost us more than we could afford to heat this house since we moved in in late December. The last time our tank was filled, we paid $675 for 150 gallons of petroleum! No kidding. During the three winter months we have been in the house we burned about 200-250 gallons per month; and it was still cool in the house. You can see how expensive it can get! Well, we found an alternative that we are going to try this winter---a wood stove.

We found a very nice wood stove that should heat the majority of our house on Craigslist. I say "the majority of our house" because the house is very large (2900 sq ft) and additions throughout the years have rendered it a very funny shape. We bought a Grandma Bear Fisher wood stove. It weighs 400 lbs. Some of my husband's co-workers helped him move it to our house. What's so cute about this line of stoves is that they sit in bear feet.

These are the little bear feet that the Grandma Bear Fisher wood stove sits in.

We got the wood stove for a really good price and the guy threw in all of his remaining firewood and equipment. We made out on the firewood! I saw an article recently titled Firewood a Hot Commodity as Heating Price Climbs. Yep, not that we have bought firewood, but we are certainly part of the trend that is trying alternative heating sources.

This is only some of the firewood we got, one truckload-full had already been stacked.

I have begun stacking the remainder of the wood. I read how to stack wood in order to have a vertical edge without relying on something to support it. To form a vertical side, you find logs that are about the same height and are uniform in height across the whole piece. They form a pair. Then you stack pairs alternating directions as you go up. It works the same way lincoln logs worked.

This picture offers a visual explanation of how the logs are stacked alternating directions.

Rolling Towel

2008-08-12T17:15:00.000-07:00

from Martha Stewart

I saw this cute rolling towel organizing idea on marthastewart.com. What do you think? Wouldn't it be so cute for this old farmhouse? It would be neat to make several and switch them out every 2-3 days. That way things would stay clean and neat. Maybe one day I'll have the time to do it. I would like to put it in the downstairs bathroom that would be used most frequently by guests.

Bargain!

2008-08-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

Earlier in the summer, when we planted some tomatoes, I needed to get my garden hose under control because the water spigot is quite a distance from our veggie garden area. It wouldn't be that big of a deal, I mean I have bigger fish to fry, except for we pay someone to cut the grass and I never know when he is coming. So, I try to keep the hose put up at all times. I went to Walmart in great hopes of buying a convenient hose reel that makes winding it up super simple. After looking at the prices ($30+), sadly I resigned myself to getting the $10 hose holder that attaches to the house and requires that I wrap the hose around it manually. I installed it myself and it works just fine.

It's the end of the season and guess what? What's left is on sale. We found this nice hose reel with great features at Target for less than what I paid for the boring basic version (a whopping $8.24)! The picture below is of a similar reel, I think our model may have one additional feature. To wind the hose up, you use a hand crank that folds away after use. It also has a sliding track that guides the hose for easy winding and unwinding. Awesome! The reel is actually a cart on wheels, so it can go anywhere on this 1.6 ac property. Since the yard is so large, we have quite a bit of hose, and this additional reel will be so handy. It takes three hoses hooked together to reach the fence along the road (we know because we cleaned algae off the fence a couple of months ago). We also found a a ring of about 10 hose washers at Target for $0.53 and know they'll be useful in time as well!

It All Begins

2008-08-10T17:17:00.000-07:00

After 8 months in our new home, the house is a disaster...projects started everywhere. Yes, this old house---which I've affectionately coined Butterfly Farm Manor after our two beautiful Papillons---is quite the fixer-upper. Who knows if Bill and I knew what we were getting ourselves into, but here we are. Aside from the fact that we love love love this house, with the economy as it is, there is no way we could sale the house if we wanted to.

I decided to finally commit and start a blog as a record of the little progress that we've made in our house, perhaps for no one's enjoyment but mine. I would like to have a record, including pictures of where we've been and where we are going. Sure, I'd rather do it in a journal, but in this digital age, it's substantially easier to type it than to write it, especially when it comes to posting pictures!! I love my color printer, but it's still put away from our move and I really don't have much of a place for it.