Family Room Complete: Dec 23, 2011, 4:00 am

Just in time to hang up the stockings...................  Our family room project was complete!  Surround sound speakers (13 we think) were installed, ceiling was "dressed-up", moldings (lots of moldings) were applied to the walls, EVERYTHING was caulked, primed and painted, and the mess was cleaned up (just hours before Dot and El Gertner arrived for Christmas). 

 Isn't that the coolest ceiling fan?

before


(curtains were taken down - too bad I don't have pictures of the original lights - very 1970's - not sure why, the house was built in the '80's)


before   
(notice the wall to the left of the fireplace - that's the closet that El built - and the ONLY straight wall in the room!)





now

 The painting on the far wall is from the art shop in St Charles - kind of a "starving artist" painting shop - but don't say "starving artist" to the owner..............


now



                      

We have been vegetating in front of the TV ever since - we call it recuperating.

Now, on to the kitchen............................................

Merry Christmas from Missouri!

     We can't believe it's Christmas time already!  The season has really snuck up on us this year.  The weather has been pretty good (so far......)  Last Saturday I finished putting up the garland and lights on the front porch and didn't need to wear a jacket - it was 60 degrees!  We've had a few days of waking up to some snow flurries - the kids run outside to try to catch a flake or two on their tongues, then it warms up to about 45 degrees.  So far, so good.

We've spent the last couple weekends decorating for Christmas - we thought that we owned a lot of extension cords..... now we have more.  It takes many, many cords to get the lights out here.  We put a lighted horse and carriage out in the field - that alone took about 250 feet.  Every time we try to put up some lights we realize that we need to go to the store and buy some more cords.  Now we have a lot of extension cords.

Brennan thinks it's time to concentrate on putting presents under the tree (notice his little stocking filled with Hot Wheels cars).  Jim, however, thinks it's time to tear apart out family room....  Last weekend he installed 10 (yes, TEN!) speakers in the walls and ceiling.  (Hopefully it won't be too long before we post the after pictures of that project.)  As stressful as all that sounds, we really haven't given ourselves any deadlines, so we're enjoying the whole process. 

We hope that everyone has a very wonderful (and stress-free) Christmas.

Autumn in Cottleville

So much has been happening on the farm.....

#1 - Remember the "ugly tree"?  It's turned out just fine this fall.

#2 - Remember the orchard? 

Ahhhhh, the promise of juicy peaches and crisp apples, the hopes of wonderful pies in the fall, and the anticipation 'til everything was ripe............all of that vanished with our newest resident - the groundhog.

 

He's such a cute little guy, but evidently very hungry.  He moved in for the harvest............took all the peaches, took all the apples, then cleaned up all the crab apples in the front yard (for which we're grateful).

#3 - We burned the entire brush pile - there's no picture but our view is much better now.  After a whole weekend of feeding a fire it is finally gone!

#4 - The Music Room is done!



Music Room before









Music Room before





Music Room after



Lots of new woodwork

#5 - We've started our barn!!!!  (That's "we" as in Tom, the barn builder)

Our "super-cute, heirloom" barn.  It'll have 3 stalls, a wash bay, tack room, center aisle, and eventually a (party) loft.

#6 - El is building a new closet!!  Since we tore out our only closet in the entryway, we REALLY needed a new one. 

We had a nook on the left of the fireplace which was just the right size for a closet...........

.........which we can access from the hallway next to the laundry room.  Thanks, El!

#7 - Lots of fence mending (thanks Dave!), brush clearing, general maintenance...........

     It's been a busy fall:  lots of company (lots of fun!), a BIG 90th birthday bash (Jim's dad turned 90 on October 20th!!!), Cassidy's softball and marching band, Karryn's gymnastics and school clubs, Brennan (enough said), Jim's travels...........and work.  Very busy, just the way we like it!

The Entryway - FINALLY!

This has been the longest project yet - the stairs were all ripped out and replaced at the proper heights, the stair landing was re-designed, the closet was demo-ed and the floor, walls and ceiling were repaired, the light was moved, the opening to the music room was enlarged, the trim moldings were replaced, the newel post and columns were built, and everything was primed and painted..... the longest project ever.  The result is a larger, lighter, brighter and more welcoming entryway.



Entryway - before



The closet took up most of the entry



Now.............gather up your tools, Honey, we're about to start a barn!

Summer Flowers and a Lake View

    About 2 weeks ago Zac, Theresa, Lilly, Zoe and Cam all came to visit.  We had a great time and the boys helped us clear the rest of the fenceline to reveal the lake.  I'm really enjoying the view.

I'm also enjoying all the flowers the previous owners have planted over the years.  The flower garden has proven to be a bit of work but it seems there is something new blooming every week. 

Project: Landscape Lighting

   The strange (different) thing about Dardenne Farms is that there are NO street lights (and no sidewalks).  One solution to the darkness, which some of our neighbors have done,  is to install landscape lighting - thus the project of the day!   Today Jim decided it was time for outdoor lights.  It was nice to have a project that only took an afternoon and reeped such rewards.

The Cupulas of Dardenne Farms

  

      As soon as we moved here we noticed that there were many cupolas of all sizes and shapes.  Our neighborhood and even the businesses near here all have them... and we had a tired, old, rotting cupola on our house - we had cupola envy!  Jim wanted (needed) to upgrade.  He ordered a new weather vane and built a new base.  Now (I'm sure) the neighbors are all jealous!

Old Cupola

New and Improved Cupola