Chandelier Globes Found!

                   We took a drive last Saturday to check out a new area which ended up being a waste of a drive, BUT going down the main drag I saw this dumpy store in a rundown strip shopping center and had Bob turn around, might as well check it out.
        

                 Much to my surprise, this place was packed full of antique lights and shades, a mess of a place, but was kind of fun looking through all the great lighting fixtures in every corner.

                      Ever since I found my chandelier that I wanted to use in the farmhouse kitchen, I've been searching online and in local antiques stores for five glass shades or globes that would work, and finding five I knew would be hard.  Then here were shelves full of beautiful antique glass shades in every shape, size and color.

                  Not expecting to find a place like this, I did not have my chandelier with me, so Tuesday I took a drive back up with my chandelier to see what would fit and look good.

                          Tried out many different globes, but then I found the perfect one.

                      I really liked the taller chimneys and had them already in mind.

                 Then I saw this one with a light amber base, but clear body and the painted floral on a tall chimney and when he said there were five, I knew it was meant to be!

           I needed something clear that wouldn't detract from the hobnail globes on the bottom.

   I have the electricians coming this Wednesday, wish it could be hung, but will have to wait for the ceilings to be vaulted.  This week we will be changing out the very, very old meter and getting a new line to the electrical pole.  Not the fun part of renovating, but has to be done.

                   And as an aside, my good friend in Florida, Valerie who I have gotten many a chow to, her mother turned 98!  

                   She still lives in her home by herself and does all of her yard work.  I said to Val that we both have good genes and hope we are as active as our mothers when we reach our 90s!

Peniel Road Before

              One of seven houses Mindy and Shahab are working on and my favorite of all! I loved the layout and the feel of this place built in the early '50s with a cottage feel.  Just needs a lot of work.

                   This is the side entrance into the big open foyer.

             Mindy chose a dark paint for the exterior called Wrought Iron, a girl after my own heart!  I love dark exteriors.

          This is the front entryway, concrete floor and all windows, bright and cheerful.

           The living room to the right off the entryway has wonderful old beams as does the rest of the house.  A huge loom was left with a piece that had been started, but not quite finished.

                Doesn't get much better than shiplap and beams!

                  The kitchen needs a lot of work.  Dutch doors like I have in my house. Beautiful heart pine floors.

                Removing ceilings in bedrooms revealing pretty wood, the same plan I have for my little farmhouse.  I hope mine looks as good.

          Old cast iron tubs. Mindy was measuring this one for me to use in the farmhouse.  Jake will be here tomorrow to discuss my plans for the bathroom.

                    Outside was a shed that had this awesome, huge birdbath? in it.  This stump was the perfect place for it.  I have to say I was salivating over this!

                More statuary found on the grounds.  

                 I spent a good portion of the day hanging out and talking about all the plans for this place.  I love it!  When ready to leave, I reached in my purse for my keys and something grabbed my finger!  UGH!!!!  It will take at least six months to complete this project, and I will do an "after" post once it's done. I'm excited!

Getting the Farmhouse Ready

    Spent a lot of time down at the farmhouse last week prepping for renovation.  

 

  Clearing rooms out, packing smalls and listing a lot of items for sale.  The first to be done will be vaulting the ceilings, which is going to bring down a LOT of dirt, so covering what I can with plastic. We know the attic space, which is actually pretty small, houses squirrels and who knows what else.  Vaulting that space will eliminate that problem.  I can't wait to see what the wood looks like!  Had Duke Power out last week discussing the upgrading of the meter and wires and getting the line to the pole put underground, which he believes will be free!

      Some of the items I'm trying to sell, an old handmade ladder.

 

Folk art chest

Primitive mantle

                                

                        I plan to change it from the Colonial farmhouse it now is to more of a cottage/cabin, so collecting things along the way to change the feel of the place.  I'm loving these crewel work pieces I'm finding.

Not a fan of cross stitch, but this was a micro cross stitch and it was bamboo, so couldn't pass it up!

   I spent the weekend plucking foxglove babies from the ground and potting them up in some great potting soil I found hoping they spring into action and grow like crazy before the winter so that they will be in full bloom come spring.  I have been working on this bed just for that purpose, removing all the ivy and poison ivy and amending the soil.

                                                         This stuff is awesome!!

                Just the beginning of many flats of foxgloves in varying stages.

   I planted the biggest in the beds yesterday with the impending storms coming.  I will most likely be stuck inside for the next few days with us getting the tail end of the tropical storms.

      In the garden

    The front bed I set up in spring is blooming, but not as I hoped.  Rabbits got a lot of seedlings, and the soil I bought did not turn out to be the most nutritious, so amending that for next year and raising the height or fencing it off, I don't know which yet.  I do have a lot of sunflowers and cleomes and morning glories on the fence. The tithonias will be blooming soon, Mexican Sunflowers, my favorite.

               Sweet Autumn Clematis getting ready to bloom on the fence.

    All of my coleus in pots are doing fantastic as always.  Can always count on coleus!

     And I'm getting back in action with rescue.  I don't know how these shelters get my number, but got a call about this 8 month old chow in Oklahoma, the shelter only had 10 runs, they were full, and she only had days left to live.  With a little begging, I got Houston Chow Connection to take her in, found a foster in OK, and she was on the road all day Saturday. Her name is Sissy.

   Last week I got a message from Ashlyn at an NC shelter about this big 82 pound boy named Tobias.  He was left at the shelter tied to a light pole along with two rabbits in a cage.  He was not doing well at shelter.  I contacted Fabby in CT who asked her foster in NJ to take him, and I set up the long volunteer driver transport from NC to NJ and he is doing great, has many applications for adoption.  I got to use my friend who just moved here from Utah to drive four hours! So glad my chow friends are leaving their states and moving here so I can put them to work!

     Princess is still hanging on, she's a fighter.  Last week I took a lot of photos of a house Mindy and Shahab are renovating.  It's my favorite so far, and I can't wait to share the photos in the next post.  Talked to the people who bought the boathouse and found out they just moved here from NY (like that is a surprise!)  Hopefully this week I can concentrate on some projects inside.