a vision for a little house

The question is not what you look at,

but what you see.

Henry David Thoreau, one of my favorite American Authors

We have this cottage house listed on 250 Old Kennett Road just outside of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania that is surrounded by beautiful country estates...it is all potential.  Over the last several years, it has been neglected like Virginia Lee Burton's The Little House (one of my favorite childhood stories).  It would be easy to see what is on the surface and be afraid to take a chance.  However, this is a house that will love you for every little improvement you make upon it.  It is has been standing for over a 100 years and is not going anywhere.  With a bit of imagination and of course an investment of patience and some money will yield a great home.  I wish I could adopt all the homes such as this...for I see their charm, warmth and beauty just waiting for the right person to uncover it.  Want to take a tour?

live passionately

Summer afternoon...to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.

Henry James, American WriterOne thing I absolutely love about summer is the way the warmer weather pulls you out-of-doors, away from your to-do lists, and frees you to play. You are invited to experience the world around you! We plunge in as water soothingly relieves us of the heat of the day, and we forget calories as we enjoy frozen treats and juicy melon. We find excuses to avoid set schedules and can take the long way home just to see the sunset. Roadsides are filled with freely growing flowers and farm stands with amazing produce. Little kids become entrepreneurs with lemonade stands, and sidewalks are filled with chalk designs of some budding artist. So wherever you are and whatever you have on your agenda today, lose your self for a little while. Make time to experience the pleasures of this most amazing season...summer is here for a moment.

Photo: Me when I was about three.

only the best

I have the simplest tastes.

I am always satisfied with the best.

Oscar Wilde, Irish Poet & NovelistWith the holidays behind us and most of the boxes unpacked, I am going to start sharing my home with you. The rooms are cozy, but there is much work to be done. Because I love to make a house a home, I am completely inspired by this challenge. Yet, I am waiting and watching for only the best. Why wait you may ask? I am waiting because over the years of redecorating rooms, I developed quite a habit of looking for bargains...great deals whether I needed them or not. When we moved, I realized just how many "bargains" I had collected...many no longer worked in my space. My "bargains" added up to more than one really good piece would have cost.
When we moved to Pennfield, I made a conscious decision to do it differently. Despite the great challenge to start changing and rearranging, I am taking time to learn this house in order to find exactly what needs to be here. It is the type of home that needs more than just the usual. Taking steps rather than "a room in a day" approach is going to create a home that respects the history and feel of this place.
But even with great restraint, there are things that cannot wait. First on the list is to paint all the trim...I can live in any house so long as the trim is in a beautiful soft shade of white. Historic colors are often mistaken as only these dark, dreary ones...but that isn't my style. As we make up the rooms we will show the progress, and I invite you to share your ideas.
And remember long ago when I wrote about my dream of a black and white checkerboard floor in my house? Voila!! Ask and you shall receive! Anything is possible...especially as you seek for the best!

10 challenges of my new home

I always entertain great hopes.
-Robert Frost, American Poet

Now that we have made it through settlement...it is starting to settle in...buying a 300 year old house does have its challenges. Not that I am one to run from a good challenge, but truth be told, there have been moments when I have questioned whether or not I over-did it this time. While I am absolutely in love and knew this place was the perfect home, there is a slight chance my rosy-colored glasses kept me from seeing the reality of all the work in store. Here are my ten challenges of my new home:

1. If the picture above didn't scare you away and you are still reading, you can guess my number one challenge...they don't pay the rent or clean up after themselves. Completely cute to their mother I am sure, but there's a reason we scream. Not sure how to evict them because they have been here longer. I have already been forbidden to get a cat since everyone in the house is sure they are allergic...stay tuned.
2. Chilly...never before have I used my sweaters more...should have been tipped off by all the fireplaces. Unfortunately someone along the line-up decided all the fireplace chimneys should be closed...most likely to keep out drafts, but how toasty would that be to have a fire in every one? Everyone is getting comforters and slippers for Christmas...need I say more?
3. Two-pronged outlets and having only one outlet in a room...if you are lucky. We have found outlets that must have been put there for status symbols because there is no wiring to make them live...all show and no volts. My very patient father-in-law came to the rescue with a bunch of grounded outlets...so zen!
4. Plaster walls...how do you hang anything on them and how do you fill in a hole that was a "whoops!"? You do have the benefit of quiet space because the walls are about 18 inches thick.
5. Period paint colors and windows being painted shut. Although I have done my share of painting, this one is going to be saved for a professional. We are just going to go room by room. Let me know if you have a favorite painter who knows older homes as I would love references.
6. Fitting my furniture in the assorted rooms sizes. Pottery Barn is a relatively new creation that doesn't necessarily work in the 18th century home, and this is a challenge when your pre-teen wants her room to look like the magazine.
7. Smaller closets...brings to mind the saying, "Live simply so that others may simply live." There is not enough room to change your mind in these closets...choose fewer and choose the best especially when it comes to shoes. Someone told me that they built them smaller so they would not be taxed for another "room"...I would have paid the tax.
8. Appliances that passed inspection, but mysteriously are not functioning the moment your pen touches the HUD1. Who was Murphy, and what's the deal with his law?
9. Cleaning up where someone left off...I am investing in a good vacuum and a good rake. Sometimes when people are moving out, they run out of time to leave it ship-shape for you. Be prepared to get busy right away.
10. My basement and attic that are the perfect sight for National Treasure 3. Someday they will be beautiful.

My brother said it best when he visited this weekend, "You have a project for every weekend for a 1,000 weeks." We are lucky to be in this home and over time like anything else, we will learn and grow from it. Whatever love we give this house will come right back to us as we transform this timeless space into our home. I'm still a believer!

10 Favorite Things about a Country Home

I roamed the countryside searching for answers to things I did not understand.

-Leonardo da Vinci

A week ago, we packed up our house in the suburbs and moved to the country...something that I had been dreaming of doing for the longest time. We found this beautiful 300 year old home in a small town of Pennsylvania and decided to call it home. It has been part of the landscape for such a long time...we are just keepers of this home, and this is our watch. Our charge is to make it better while we are here.

There are some amazing surprises of living in a country manor such as this...here are my top 10:

1. Waking to the endless sky...whether it be a spectacular sunrise or an overcast day, there's no hiding from Mother Nature. She's got your number. Clear evenings reveal stars that were just waiting to be discovered.
2. Well water...I never realized how much chlorine was in the public water I was drinking. We got lucky because our water is crystal clear and fresh!
3. Windows...not exactly sure of how I will wash these tall beauties, but for now, I am enjoying the light that streams through the wavy panes.
4. The mystery of who lived here before and wondering what they thinking when they made changes to the house...a positive and a challenge!
5. The little breakfast spots that make the best French toast and coffee.
6. Figuring out how to arrange furniture in colonial sized rooms.
7. Making choices about what to keep. I have made a new rule...shop for only the best, but get less...there's not a lot of extra storage space in my house and over time, it occurred to me that it is okay to purge. Smaller collections of only the finest have more power.
8. Exploring the hilly road and spaces.
9. Not shopping at chains...there is something special when you know the people who make the food you eat and the things you need.
10. The quiet.

What are the 10 favorite things about your home?

Photo credit: Suze Moore

sunflowers and bees

And the yellow sunflower by the brook,

in autumn beauty stood.

William Cullen Bryant, American author & editor We went for a country ride and came upon a beautiful field...460,000 sunflowers all swaying in the breeze following the sun. What a magnificient sight and how fun that the bees didn't mind us being there.

pardon my French!

I love Paris! Why, oh why do I love Paris? Because my love is near!

Ella Fitzgerald, singer

I have had a on-going love affair with the French…their home design, fashions, cheese, bakeries…the way everything has that ooh la la! I must confess that even when they fell out of grace with the average American not so long ago, just the sight of the Eiffel Tower made my heart race. The language makes everything sound better…”shelf” or étagère (said eh te zhere), “hello” or bonjour!

If you, like me, enjoy bringing in a little je ne sais quoi in your life, here are some simple ideas:

Find a local cafe and enjoy a cup of cafe and a baguette. In the Wilmington area, there is Bon Apetit Cafe on Silverside Road…the shopkeeper is simply lovely…of course. She only accepts cash or checks, but the baguettes are so amazing!! She claims that you cannot make a good baguette in the U.S. because we pasteurize everything…I believe she imports her ingredients straight from the motherland!

One of my favorite books for bringing in a little Parisian style into your home: Kaari Meng’s The French Inspired Home is a delicious selection of her many ideas. http://www.amazon.com/French-Inspired-Home-French-General/dp/1579909965. She also has project books that cover how to make most of her creations, and you can purchase some craft kits, etc. from her store, French General, online.

Trader Joe’s has these scrumptious croissants in the freezer section…believe me they are extraordinary…all you need to do is to take them out of the freezer and let them rise over night. Brush them with a little egg white, bake, and immediately you are transported across the ocean for a lovely breakfast! They also have a splendid collection of cheeses at very reasonable prices.

Watch one of my favorite movies: French Kiss with Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline or Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman…”we’ll always have Paris.”

Wear a scarf or don a beret…pack a picnic…take a walk with your amour…sometimes taking a different avenue in your day by embracing another culture can give you a fresh view. Enjoy this weekend!