Built in approximately 1867, but with history constantly contradicting itself, we really have no idea when it was truly built. We are trying to do a full restoration while leaving pieces of the former owners.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Drumroll Please....
This was confirmed through census reports and death records. The little boy in the picture (in a dress) is about 3 years old. In the 1870 census he was 5 years old. The death records were used to find the true ages of the family in the census report. The historian said they could be off, but according to records, they are correct. I also learned that the Marter family was considered well to do because they had $1887 in property and $525 in assets. According to the historian this was really good at that time. Unfortunately there were virtually no records kept outside the city limits, so the "official" date of the new house is still 1890 until we can find a builder, tax record, or some other kind of documentation showing otherwise. The house that we live in is not the house in the picture. But the house in the picture may be part of the house we live in. If that makes any sense.
Monday, January 28, 2008
A Pappy Moment
About the Pappy thing for the people who read this and aren't family...Pappy was my Grandpa. He always looked for the best deals on everything. He found a lot of nice things for really cheap, especially furniture. When Grandma wanted something new Pappy would start looking for deals. I pretty much did the same thing. My Uncle Bill called me while I was getting the living room ready for the new couch and I told him all about it and and he said I "pulled a Pappy"
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
The Kitchen
I would love to do something with this side of the kitchen but really can't
This is the main area. It needs a lot of work. The "island" is actually a microwave cart serving a new purpose. And all the stuff on the top of the cabinet is a vintage glass collection. Everything from McDonald's and Coke glasses to alcohol bottles and vases. And I love the glass backsplash.
This cabinet will eventually be torn out. All it usually does is serve as a catch all for junk, but we need the storage space so it can't go anywhere yet. I need that little orange stool to reach the top shelf of the cabinets.
This cabinet is the only one original to the house and is most likely the only cabinet that was built with the house. I found out that there were originally pass throughs to the dining room.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Puppies
Beauty Advisor to Housewife in 2 seconds
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Back from Ohio
Yes, that was a really familiar site. We went to Wellington, Ohio to my cousin's wedding. That would be this happy family...
That's my cousin Chris and his wife and their adorable son. The wedding was simple but beautiful and we had a lot of fun. I also got to see the rest of my family that I haven't seen in a long time.
And of course it wouldn't be a house blog with out a house to show...
We saw lots of amazing houses and shops in the historic districts, but this one just really caught my eye every time we went by it. I think it was the bright yellow paint or the green front door, or all of it. We stayed with my cousin Dusty and his family the first night who also lives in an old house that they are currently remodeling, and we stayed with my uncle who lives in another old house that is almost done and its amazing. I guess its just in my family that we're attracted to them. I think Dusty's house has the most work that needs to be done. They decided to stucco over the plaster in the living room because the plaster was in such bad shape(I never thought of that), and they have to replace the foundation, and they are going to expand the kitchen. But the house has been in their family for many, many years. it belonged to his grandparents, so it'll be worth it in the end. And my cousin Pam is living in an amazing farm house. She said it was built in the late 18Th century and for the most part looks to be all original...all the was down to gas lamps that have been converted to electric. The trip was a lot of fun and I wish we could do it again soon, but it took me 2 days to recover (I have permanent damage in my neck so I don't handle long trips well) so it'll be awhile. I did invite all my family to come and visit us though.
Oh, and to Gary over at This Old Crack House...I feel sorry for you if you have to drive through all the construction in Dayton! That was horrible...its like a freakin death trap trying to drive though it! And we also learned something...30 degrees in Ohio is not as bad as 30 degrees in Southern Indiana. You know why? No wind! Even as close to Lake Erie as we were there was no wind. Down here 30 is actually about 10 sometimes!
Monday, January 7, 2008
Show Off!
2000 Mustang convertible fully loaded, leather seats, 5 speed, low miles! Love it! I'm so excited...this is kind of my new year gift to my self. I've had a little 4x4 for about 4 years now and this is so much more me. I love cute little sports cars. And that is my hubby poking around in the trunk. This is probably the closest to a real picture of him you will ever see on here. He laughs at me every time I call it a cute little sports car. He says it muscle cause thats what the insurance classified it as, and that mustangs are not "cute".
And a little preview of what my summer will be like: Check out the windows. They're in sad shape, especially the ones in the laundry room (the row to the left) they are so bad the panes are about ready to fall out. So this summer James and his friends are going to remove them and then I am going to restore them. Should be fun. I have never done anything like this before, but another one of our friends is a pro at this so she said she might be able to help me, depending on when I start.