New Home Archives - The Weekend Country Girl

Behr Paint with Primer, Building a Home, Coldspring, guest house, Repurposed Furniture

The Guest House Porch

August 31, 2021September 1, 2021 Karen

We spend a lot of time outside and porches are important to us. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the guest house has a little porch to welcome guests. The original building had a sort of porch but we took out the original slab and reconfigured the space. We now have an eight foot by twelve foot porch that is blocked by the north wind and rain we get in the winter but open to the prevailing southern summer breezes. It has a great view of the garden and down the road will have a nice front view. I have plans.

The porch ceiling isn’t finished yet ( or the top section of the house caulk and paint) but we are still moving forward.

Our future plans for the porch are to put in a shiplap ceiling painted haint blue, cover the front posts and beams with cedar, and possibly do something with the concrete slab.

I am excited to say that the house got a coat of Behr True Taupewood, it is a gray with brown undertones. The trim is almost done and is painted Behr Dove. It is going to look beautiful with the door, swing, and cedar trim.

Speaking of swing, my goodness this four foot cypress beauty is a show stopper. A friend makes swings and other items in his shop. I love that it was custom made for us, It is stained a cedar stain and has three coats of Spar Urethane so that it can hold up to the weather.

We also have an Adirondack style rocking chair that was literally salvaged from the trash and rebuilt by Mr. Math. It got a good coat of black spray paint and has a place on the porch.

On top of the finishing up we need to do, I also want to make a barn quilt for the blank wall by the door. The view from the swing is just a blank wall and this house is all about quilts.

I found this pattern https://newlywoodwards.com/how-to-make-a-diy-barn-quilt/
I like how simple it is.

The Behr App has a project tab where you can save colors and look at how they go together.

All of the paint is in my shop right now so the 36 x 36 inch plywood is all that is needed.

We are making great progress now and it feels like we are getting somewhere finally. I am so thankful for all the work my husband has put in to get here.

Thanks for following along on our journey.

Blessings,

Karen

Blogging, Coldspring, mid-life, moving, new home, Real Life, San Jacinto county, The Garagemahal

Wishing, Hoping, Praying and Dreaming

January 5, 2015January 5, 2015 Karen

This year I become eligible for retirement. Wow! How in the world did that happen? Time has flown by. I will not be retiring this year, but the realization that I could retire is causing my husband and me to give some serious thought to our future. We are both healthy, active, and still full of dreams and plans. There are places we want to visit, things we want to learn, and goals we want to accomplish.

Our biggest decision for the past few years is where to live. We decided two years ago to move to a new school district and community. We know for sure that was a great decision, but at the same time we don’t plan on living in that community after retirement.

My husband and I met in college, and we weren’t from the same part of Texas. Neither of us feels a strong pull to our home towns. We both have friends where we grew up, I have family still in the city I grew up in, but it feels like I am visiting when we go back.

A lot of prayer and self reflection on our parts has helped us to know that our adopted weekend community is home for us.

I am positive that our sweet “near the lake” house, Star Hill, is not our forever home. A week or two is about as long as I can be confined here in the winter. I need a studio and workshop. My creative side cries out for a space to have projects out, to experiment, to think. I also would like to sell more furniture in my retirement. Hubby wants a tractor, a garden, woods to walk in, a pond and outdoor projects.

Star Hill

The Garagemahal

We believe we may have found just the place. 15 acres, with a workshop, a creek, a barn, wooded trails, very near our friends, a garden plot, a greenhouse, a small pond, and several other outbuildings that I would really enjoy doing some neat things with. I am not crazy about the house, but it is solid. well cared for and has a ton of potential. It will take work and money but it can become the house I see in my mind’s eye.

The barn and the pond.

The side yard. The garden plot is in the back of this cleared plot of land. Water is run to the garden area.

My favorite area. The shop is the small building and the outbuildings here will make a perfect paint and furniture area. both have wood burning stoves in them.

The house. The greenhouse is visible behind the house.

The outbuildings. There are some very interesting buildings that I could really have fun with.

The property will come on the market this spring. In order to purchase this property we will have to sell Star Hill. That means we will have to focus on getting all of those “one day” projects done. We will be making sure that this place we love is ready for her close up. We are already praying that a family will buy the place who can love this place as much as we do and will create new memories in this home.

Look for lots of projects that are focused on the house and the property in the next few months. We have things to learn like concrete work and more of Hubby’s favorite: plumbing. (Ha!)

We plan on keeping our home in the burbs for several more years until we both retire so even this new spot will be our weekend home for a while.

I have a few projects in the Garagemahal I have already either sold or promised to someone. Other than that we will be keeping furniture projects to a minimum as we focus on clearing out, fixing up, and moving forward.

We ask you to pray with us that if this property is meant to be ours, everything will work out. If not, that we will have peace and direction in our journey.

Thank you all for continuing with us on another chapter of our journey.

I hope you have a wonderful new year. I would love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Karen

Building a Home, French Provincial, home decorating, the guest room, vintage style

The Green Bedroom Is Coming Together

August 5, 2013August 5, 2013 Karen

Have you missed me? I will bet not, but I have missed having finished projects to write about. We finally have a minute to breathe and start dressing the house. It is nice to not be opening boxes. Most of my house is almost put together, but none of it is done. F.r.u.s.t.r.a.t.i.o.n. The first room that I feel like is almost there is our green and coral guest room. It didn’t hurt that the walls were already painted a pleasant color I could work with. After one week of hard work we have it almost finished…I think…for now anyway. The smallest guest room is finished except for some way to display my milk glass and something interesting to go over the bed. I am still thinking about those projects, but something will come to me. Any ideas? I also have a coral accent piece in mind, eventually.

The links below will take you to the projects that were added to this bedroom.

The French Provincial dresser is in place.

I did not love the mirror that came with the set with the dresser in this room, so I used a few of my vintage mirrors over the dresser along with a frame from my gray bedroom there. I like the look!

The bedding was my grandmother’s and so were the milk glass lamps on the night stands. I love that they have found a home in this peaceful room.

The rocker was my dad’s great grandmother’s. It needs to be re-caned, but I love that she sat in this chair so many years that she wore the cane out on one side, We bought the quilt years ago and I am always happy to find a place for the flower basket pattern.

The coral accents on the milk glass lamp, pillow and table legs add to the green, black and white theme.

The flowers were from Baby Boy’s wedding to Sweet Amanda and the Follow Your Heart sign was a Goodwill find for .99.

I love the chalkboard above the black rail. It is fun to be able to change the quote when the mood strikes.

The clock has bounced around my offices, our house and the garage but I thought it looked good painted in the room. The watercolor in the vintage frame I painted circa 1988. My parents had it in their room for a while.

All in all the room was put together for under $200. Not too shabby for a totally new color scheme and furniture.

The dresser and headboard were purchased for $80.00 and painted for $15.00. The mirror went home with my friend Shahana. She has the perfect spot for it.

The curtains were inexpensive black panels from Walmart and the white shears were on clearance at Anna’s. They have a nice little embroidered swirl on the fabric. The whole window was dressed for $30.00.

There was no cost for the end tables. Roadside finds and left over paint. The silver owls and other accents were picked up for the yellow and gray bedroom side tables.

Add in a $20,00 World Market shade and a 12.00 accent pillow and I am done for today.

collecting, moving, Repurposed Furniture, Texas

What to do With my Furniture

May 30, 2013May 30, 2013 Karen

Weeeelllll….keep your fingers crossed for us. We submitted an offer on this beauty today.

I know.
Pretty huh? I so hope this is the house for us. Hardwood floors, slate porches front and back, a barrel ceiling entry way that is calling out to be lined with reclaimed wood, a huge, beautiful kitchen… The list goes on and on.

But if this is our home, I have a problem. Some of my furniture is not going to fit and others just won’t make sense in this very rustic, Texas style, home. Remember that our City House was a 1979 Brady Bunch style home with soaring ceilings and funky angles. My bright rug and living room art won’t work, and my yellow night stands won’t fit the way the guest room is configured. Hardest of all, the mudroom bench may not fit in the entry way. It will be tough getting rid of things that I have an emotional attachment to, but more stressful for me is what to do with these beloved pieces. I will have to sell it in order to buy or make things that will fit. I have not sold any of my furniture before and I may have a hard time pricing it. I am going to need help on this part from those of you who do sell your work!

On the bright side, I will need a ton of new stuff that I look forward to collecting and creating…if we get the home.

Fingers crossed. There may be some thrifting, resale shopping and garage sales in my future!