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Thursday, August 11, 2011

The Life Of A House

Once upon a time, 
That Old House was a working farmhouse.


The family who built it owned most of the land at this end of Main Street.

From June, just after the painters finished.  The day before our daughter's wedding!
Bit by bit, the land was sold off, other houses built -- hundreds of them --
and a big sprawling high school built on the hill above.
On this side of the house, our property ends quite close to the sunroom.  There is more lawn on the other side.
The previous owners further parceled up the land, taking the last
intact 3 acres and dividing them into 4 three-quarter acre lots.
That Old House, in its new white coat, hosted an After Party the night of the wedding; I got no pictures of it!
That Old House sits on one of those lots.  Gone are the barns, the greenhouses,
the wells and pump house, but we feel lucky that the house is still here.
A Greek Revival country farmhouse, recognizable.
Well cared for by generations of families.  Yes, we do feel lucky!
Yup, that window on the bump-out IS that crooked.  You should see the others.
But we mostly live inside of our houses, so come on through
the newly-painted door.  They tell me it's yellow.
I had threatened to paint the door pink, so I didn't get too many arguments on the bright yellow.

A big part of the joy of living in an old house are the
echoes of past lives that you feel, or that you wonder about.

This past June, I wondered how many other brides
had come down those front stairs in the last 179 years:

How many sisters had stood together in that parlor,
with one fussing over the other's gown?

How many other bridal parties posed for their picture in the parlor?

How many other daddies have hugged their little girl on her wedding day within these four walls . . . 

. . . and then left from the old house for a last ride together, as that little girl begins a new life?

I wish I could say that in the month-and-a-half since these pictures were taken,
that we'd ordered and had installed the reproduction shutters for the house,
and painted all the porch furniture, and planted a few shrubs in the front bed . . . 
I wish I could say those things, but we haven't done much of anything.

Maybe it will take another wedding to get us off our kiesters and into gear again!
Oh please . . . not yet!
***************************************
I meant to show our mostly D-I-Y interpretation of a
farmhouse kitchen for this post.  But the post had different ideas.
Maybe next week.

Meanwhile, I'm linking to a few Linky Parties today.

LaurieAnna's Vintage Home is sponsoring a new meme -- Farmhouse Friday.  Click here!
At My Romantic Home, it's Show And Tell Friday.  Click here!
It's Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage.  Click here!
The Charm of Home features Home Sweet Home on Fridays.  Click here!
It's Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground.  Click here!

 Now one more thing ... if you are interested in those wire baskets -- or the little pumpkins -- that I blogged about yesterday, Thursday, I forgot to say that you can buy them online, have them delivered free to your local Dollar Tree, and pick them up there.  No running out of stock, and they will now break up case lots for most items.  No Dollar Tree near you?  They'll UPS it to your front porch.  No front porch?  Sorry.  Can't help you there.
Anywho -- check it out at Dollar Tree Online.
 To go right to the wire wastebaskets, click here!

I didn't get any compensation from Dollar Tree.  I mean, really . . . it's Dollar Tree, folks!  -- Cass




28 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing the history of your home!

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  2. The wedding pics are spectacular ! What a joyful day it must have been!

    Hasn't the weather been spectacular in jersey today ? This is my kind of Summer weather !!!!

    My STINKY Give-Away ends tomorrow on Lavender Hill - I'd love it if you'd pop over and check it out !

    gena

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  3. It takes a while to recover from a wedding! The before stuff is just so overwhelming and once you get to the wedding day, you enjoy the fruits of your labors (pun intended!), but once it's done, and the guests are gone, and life has begun to return to normal, it takes some time to work up enthusiasm for another large project of any sort. It will come, but maybe not right away! :)

    After creating the world, even God rested!

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  4. What lovely photos!.
    You'll get busy soon when the eather turns cooler. Speaking of cooler--aren't the pumpkins at the Dollar Tree cool? I picked up another one today for my new shelf on our deck. Plus some Faux gourds.

    Take Care.


    Melinda

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  5. Great post! Your family has just added some wonderful "history" to your beautiful home.
    Glenda

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  6. I often find myself walking past old homes and wondering those same things. How many people laughed within those walls? How many people sobbed? Where was the happiest moment, who lived there the longest? These questions play in my mind every time I see a house from a by gone era.

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  7. What an elegant yet cozy home you have. I'm always drawn to older homes, the architecture, the porches, the history.
    The wedding was held in the most perfect of places, you can now add your own chapter to the already fascinating history of this beautiful old home.
    Your daughter looked blissfully happy :)
    ~Jo

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  8. Your daughter is beautiful. I hope they have a wonderful life together.

    And your house is beautiful, too.

    I love the pumpkins and basket in your other post.

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  9. Lovely photos of the house and daughters. Just when I needed a 'wedding fix' there you were. Thank you for sharing more photos.

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  10. Oh boy, if those walls could talk!

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  11. You have beautiful home even with a few outstanding jobs that need complete. Still recovering from out wedding, so take your time, no hurry. All will still be there later.:)

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  12. The house looks so lovely with it's fresh new paint job :)

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  13. Wow, what a beautiful home you have! Thanks for visiting my site and posting the kind comment.

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  14. I LOVE it! From the crooked window (and yes, that is why we love and care for these gems) to the hug in the parlor...true treasures!
    Rene

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  15. The house looks great in her new coat of paint. Great wedding shots. Oh, the history of an old house.

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  16. I snickered b/c mine is on Main street too. The barn is still here, & the feedhouse (converted to a henhouse). So is the wash house but it is in such disrepair I may not be able to save it. We have about 23 lots but the rest of the land got sold off piece by piece. Thanks for sharing.

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  17. Cass,

    From one NJ historic home owner to another, thank you. Thank you for 'getting it' and opting to become a steward to a home that was here before we were thought of and will outlast our lifetime. I love That Old House, how you lovingly restore and renovate and create new chapters in her old story.
    As we both know, there will always be plenty to do. Thomas and I predict we'll be 'finished' just in time for the future generations to enjoy! :/

    Your Friend,
    Deborah

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  18. Cass,

    What a stunning home! Just exquisite!

    And bride!

    Thank-you for helping Miracle Makeover!

    love, kelee

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  19. Thanks for stoping by my blog, it lead me here and I came to know the history of your home. your daughter looks so pretty on her wedding day.

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  20. Just love your old house. We live in a 1914 Craftsman - in a small-rural town in Georgia - most of the houses here are antebellum southern style - I wish we had a covered porch - but, someday we hope to put a pergola across the front.
    Your daughter is gorgeous! Ours got married last October! Such a blessed day, Thoroughly enjoyed my visit, your newest follower!
    Kathy

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  21. What a joy to see a beautiful vintage home fully lived in and loved! Too many of them have been left to ruin or been torn down all over this country. I laughed when you commented on your crooked windows. You oughta see my three interior pocket doors of our 1923 bungalow. Or my two back porches added on in 1928, which appear to be falling off the back of the home! The old houses, they shift over time. But I kind of like it. The old wood floors contract and expand with the weather changes as if they're breathing in and out!

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  22. I always like stories about your house. It must be kind of neat to know you are the oldest in the area (house wise of course).

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  23. I love all your posts, and this one is another gem. The sight of your daughter coming down the stairs in her wedding gown is so wonderful, what a precious memory!

    Homes are always in need of some tweaking here and there, but old homes have a character and a charm the new ones lack. Just like us old homeowners, lol!

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  24. Such a beautiful bride. I'm sure it was an amazing day for you all.
    I love your old house!!!
    Thanks for your recent visit,
    Susan

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  25. Your home is beautiful and the perfect backdrop for a romantic wedding! Lovely bride! Thanks for linking it up at Home Sweet Home!
    Sherry

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  26. A wonderful house just like in my dreams...
    A beautiful bride...
    I am just dying to see the rooms ;)

    Friendly from France

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  27. Congratulations on making the family house maintain this beautiful for the past years. It was a tough job maintaining an old house but you did great. Thanks for sharing to us the beautiful history of your home. It was very inspiring.

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