My Grandparent's Home

Never in a million years would I have ever thought that I would be living in my Grandparent's house & making meals, etc for my family. There is something so lovely and so heartwarming every time I walk through the mudroom door. The nostalgia is at an all time high that's for sure. The first time I baked a cake in Dolly's kitchen, I texted my aunt Betty and definitely teared up a bit. Every time I step into that big pantry it is like stepping back in time when I used to literally shop in there for things I needed and didn't feel like 'driving into town' for in high school and in college.

My Dad offered the home to us as a place to stay while we build our lake home. It is perfectly situated about 2 miles from the building site, 1 mile from my parents, 40 minutes or so from Seth's parents and about a half a field away from Betty. The house has been empty since both Dolly and then Clinton passed away but the memories are still in every nook and cranny. So many wonderful holidays and SO many wonderful meals were shared in that very kitchen. I remember bringing my college friends over almost every Sunday (usually slightly hungover) just for Dolly's famous Sunday lunches which brought us all back to life. We knew it needed a little sprucing up before we could totally move in so about a year ago, we decided to dive right in and start getting some things done. Most of the renovations were cosmetic minus the wall we decided to knock down in a dark hallway to expose the front door and lots more natural light. Things were cleared out and moved, carpet was pulled up, floors were sanded, walls were painted and lots and lots of cleaning was done before we could envision a plan.

We are still working to finalize floor plans for the new build but I will share some inspiration next week for sure. Today, lets take a look at some before and afters I was able to capture during this 'sprucing up' process. We moved in fully in July and it has been the perfect little homestead ever since. We love the out buildings and fields, having our horses there, the creaking in the floors, the interesting upkeep that comes with well water, having to drive your trash to a dump, the banging the furnace makes (think Kevin in Home Alone) and of course, the treasured memories of the life my Grandparent's made here.