Meanwhile, a 180 Degree View of the Family Room ...

Don't let my last post about the state of destruction and work-in-progress nature of our living room make you think that that room represents the state of the rest of our house ... far from it.  Most rooms are very close to finished, which is why it took five years of full-time work on the place before we could move in.  (I cannot tell you how much I wish that blogging had been around back then, to keep an in-the-moment record of what I was doing.)  Today, let's move across the hall to the Family Room, and I will show you a more representative view, left to right from the spot where I'm sitting, just like we did in the Living Room.

Immediately to my left, as seen from my seat on the sofa, is a large trunk with a glass top that we use for an end table.  The Lane cedar box holds crochet hooks and other yarn-craft supplies.  The mantel is original to our house, and I stripped off countless layers of paint to reveal its  simple classic details.  The fireplace surround is sandstone.  I bought the Victorian sheep painting at an estate auction many years ago ... that woman who was bidding against me quickly discovered that I was NOT going to let this go and she conceded with only some token opposition.

We have had these red leather chairs forever.  They are uber-comfortable ... Maggie thinks so, too.  The turquoise armoire is an antique in as-found condition.  It holds games and toys and books for our grandkids.  My father-in-law built the ship model and the glass case that holds it.  The paintings of our barn were done by an artist friend of ours.

The TV cabinet used to be our dining hutch.  (The post where I converted it is HERE.)  The staircase is another project that had more going on with it than I could deal with at the time.  All of the fancy pieces, and half of the balusters, are in the basement ... some are ready for primer and paint and others are in various states of stripped and/or sanded to get them ready for paint.  One day I will have it all finished and reassembled.  Right there in front is the top of the coffee table from THIS post.

You see a bit of the weathered blue and green painted finish that I applied to the coffee table ... paint and distressing in THIS post, and application of glaze in THIS one.  That's Ruby's crate, covered with a Pendleton wool blanket that I got at Goodwill for pennies.  The chairs are antiques, bought at an auction exactly as you see them.  They fit perfectly in the bay, along with the pie crust tea table that used to belong to The Husband's grandparents.

This is the scene immediately to my right ... you see Ruby, and Winnie is under the afghan.  I bought the painting of the Heidelberg Castle on eBay many years ago.  Took it to Antiques Roadshow about ten years ago and Colleene Fesko told us that it is a real live counterfeit, probably painted in the early 20th century, complete with a stamped signature of an artist that I have never heard of.

I hope this little mini tour gives you a good idea of what most of the rooms in our house look like.  Almost everything in them is repaired, restored, painted, etc.  Most people don't notice the nagging unfinished details that I know I still have to deal with ... like installing the moldings in the windows and replacing random pieces of missing baseboard.  All of this will be done in time.  For now, I concentrate most on living here and enjoying it to the fullest ... this is my dream house, after all, and you know the old adage about 'all work and no play ..."

Sunday morning dawned today and it was an hour later than yesterday, which means that we have begun my favorite time of year ... Daylight Saving Time!  With the extra hour of evening sunlight upon us, spring cannot be too far behind.  Bring it on!

Happy Sunday, Everyone!