But Why Can't I Live in a Stone House?

I don't know the exact day or year even when I became this person with superior taste. Only a house made of stone will make me truly happy. Big and grand as it is, Cannondale is only a lowly brick house. The stone foundation, stone steps and stone wall out front are only a reminder of what I don't have. A stone house.

More About That Dining Room

The floors have been stained and polyed. I've moved the farm table forom the kitchen to the dining room and put a mishmash of dining chairs around it. Happily painted the mantel black (thanks Donna!).

Olivia Conquers Broadway

My daughter Olivia is an absolute star. Here she is with her tall friend Morgan (Witch #3). Olivia performed the part of Witch #2 with an unbelievable amount of believability in The Elk Ridge School production of Macbeth. The talent and dedication she and the entire cast put forth were truly admirable. Well Done All!

The dining room in fabulous Cannondale has two personalities. The first and most domineering side of him (her) is regal and commands respect. "I have a corner fireplace, my ceiling is 10 feet and am in possession of two large sash windows" Now the flip side to that two-faced little witch...floors are an unholy mess and what floors there are--are sloped at an alarming angle. It faces north and the wind howls fierce and shakes the windows. And sunlight, there's not enough.

So in an effort to tame this shrewish side of Cannondale's Dining Room, I've commissioned floor boards from the repurposed lumber of the Oxford Water Authority Covered Bridge plained and sanded. I had Rueben and Levi fit the boards. Now apparently its up to me to sand and refinish.
Here are some before and after photos. Good luck figuring which is which!

So I've painted the library with Farrow and Ball Pavillion Gray and used Hardwick White for the trim and fireplace, still not sure what color the bookcases will be....

Working on the library.

Finally Done (sorta) Painting

So now I have my own Big Green Monster!

Gettysburg Grey

After many long and agonizing indecisive months I have finally chosen a color to paint the Fabulous Cannondale. The color chosen is Benjamin Moore's Gettysburgh Grey. I have a few pictures that I am happy to share with both of you readers out there on the Blogeshpere.

Mow Better Now

RECIPE FOR ABSOLUTE FRUSTRATION:

Buy an acre and a half on a hilly, slopey damn lot, add 187 year old house, stir in a limited budget, fold in a not-so-handy husband and that my friends is the recipe for an overgrown lawn.

As luck would have it it, our saviour neighbor is God on earth and fixed our riding mower and now spousal unit is actually mowing the lawn.

It's the little things...

A New Cutting Garden

This past weekend, I broke the news to spousal unit that I wanted make a cutting garden (read: you dig holes, make fence and let me spend 200 bucks). So guess what he says? Yeah really, he says "well that's what we're out here for"-- Boom, I finessed my neighbor Andre (hardest working man on my block) to bringing his tractor over and tilling the grass up for me. Then continued perfecting my finessing abilities by making unit dig fence post holes (it is NOT a cutting garden without a picket fence around it!) and tonight we kept up digging holes--lots of holes for a 12' x 18' garden I know. Anyhoodle poodle, I need to figure the easist plants that will grow and not make me work too hard. So far so good on that front.

Garden craps out --I'll bury dog in it.

I will buy a new camera, God is my judge!

It's Medication Time

Whoa! Can't even believe what happened last night on the HGTV DREAM HOME GIVEAWAY? I only wish I could have been at the bar with Lauren Lake after a couple of Appletinis! That alleged "winner" and I use that term loosely gave me the "willys". She was so weird, all those ticks and folded arm body language. She choked out her thank you and left it at that. Boy oh boy the show I would put on if they'd knocked on my door and handed the million-dollar house-keys to me. "Where's the jet? LET'S GO LAUREN!! We're going to FLORIDA right now! Richard Branson, one jet please and yes you may stay overnight in my dream house, and bring a guest! JUST GET ME AND MY NEW BEST FRIEND LAUREN LAKE to FLORIDA and into my new Dream House nowsa!
Why her? Why not me?

Hello Again, Rumors of my Demise have been Greatly....

Well, you know the rest...exaggerated. My only, and it is an incredibly lame excuse, is that my digital camera is broken. I can say that I've really missed sharing my thoughts with all the nice bloggers who've been supportive with so little asked in exchange.

So no new pictures but here is something you haven't seen yet--my bathroom, it's back and white!

I would love to show pics of the new trampoline we got the kids...of my new soapstone woodstove that absolutely saved our bank account this winter...and my two new mantels, one in my office and the other on my bedroom fireplace--just too gorgeous. There's so much!! I'm buying a new camera today!! Thank you for helping me make that decision! You guys ROCK!

Hello Ladies of the Club!

• I'm busy with my job lately


• and busy supervising my neighbor boys who are scraping and painting the Cannondale front door surround and front windows.


• I'm also trying volunteer more at the kids' schools--Book Fair and Halloween Party--oh yeah and not miss my daily excersize...


• and reading a super-fantastic book: "The Virgin's Lover" by Phillipa Gregory. It's historical fiction about Queen Elizabeth, highly readable, cannot recommend enough!


• Hey Ann! Some chesse with that wine?


• I'm fine. Lost more weight, my doctor thinks I'm her best diet patient ever. I'm crazy happy about this turn of events.


• Is everybody enjoying my bullets? I couldn't be more proud.


• I really am going to try to find a Russel Crowe picture and put it up on this post. His new movie "American Gangster" with Denzel Washington is opening today! Liam and I are going to see it this weekend for sure.Anyone go see "3:10 to YUMA" it was Russel's last movie and was fabulous! Take your husbands to it--you owe them one after all those chick-flicks they sat though...Fingers crossed for this picture post.....


• I suck at this, it's taken me one hour to get this done.

Me, me, me

Great news--lost five pounds at my weigh in, things are coming along fine.

But more importantly--I have found out that the Amish man who made my gorge kitchen island will plain some wide-width floorboards for my dining room! He won't have them available until after Christmas but that's fine because I won't have the dough 'til then anyway!

This picture is of my dog Scruffy--he's got flaws--basically he's the reason why we have to pull up the carpet and put down hardwoods in the dining room!!!

Chug, Chug, Chugging Along...

I notice, quite interestingly, that my one post about me going on a doctor prescribed diet had zero comments. Since everyone is soooo interested...I've lost eleven pounds so far and have not cheated once. I'm really doing well with my exercise too. My darling friend Tracy took me on a
4-plus mile walk last Friday at the Ridley Creek State Park. She's fit and energetic and refers to it as "our little walk"---I saw it more as a death march! Yowsa, was I sore! Seriously folks though, I'm so glad she kicked me in the but I do think she could have warned me and I could have at least "powdered up" for the ordeal. I have to admit that two hours of uninterrupted chat time in a scenic, shaded park while getting the fitness benefits was heavenly! Now my 1.4 mile walk around my block seems like not such a big deal and don't ever put it off or skip it. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow to check in and see if I've lost anymore--wish me luck.

Football Game

Well my son's first big game "under the lights" was played last night. But not by him. He was on the sidelines, not one play did that coach put him in. He broke his arm for that team and they won't put him in for one play in the last home game? Am I allowed to be outraged? On the good news side of things, we received his standadized testing results and it turns out he's a genius boy! We're taking him out to dinner Friday night--his choice, and then to a sports store for a weight bench.

There's not enough Welbutrin on the internet to make my anger go away.

Low Key Day with my Boy

Another gorgeous day. I want to amend an earlier statement--I said the walk around my block is just under a mile...incorrect...it's actually 1.4 miles! Ha, look at me exercising like my life depends on it.

My 12 year-old son, Francis is home sick with a very sore throat today. I only hope that he feels well enough to go to school tomorrow. He is on the football team at his middle school and has been practicing since July. He broke his arm during an August practice--continued to run drills with the team, cast and all. He now finally has the cast been off --over three weeks--- and the coach FINALLY gave him his pads and helmet. Wednesday is the big game "under the lights" and if that coach doesn't let my kid on the field tomorrow night--there's gonna be trouble in Dodge City!

I cannot abide it when adults treat children as if their dreams and passions don't exist. I will always listen to my children and when they have a true passion for something--encourage it and allow them to explore it.

Nice Weather for a Walk

So what do I enjoy most about my home? Is it the $5.00 bouquet of flowers from the Amish roadside stands, or the green fields with majestic draft horses grazing after a long day's work? At harvest time especially, the wagons rumble past my front door, eight mules being driven by a fourteen year old boy. He's taking the corn to fill the silo. He waves and smiles always, and if it's a neighbor I know well--maybe Beniel or Daniel , they'll stop and ask how I am today and aren't I enjoying this fine weather too? That's always so sweet to have a team of eight mules hauling two wagons pulled to a dead stop to find out if you're having a nice day--isn't it? Actually it's rather ego lifting if I'm being completely honest with you! Don't forget the black and white Holsteins curled up in a cozy bunch on my side yard. I say Hi! to "the girls" when I step outside to throw the crusts from my daughter's peanut butter sandwich to my little hens...so many things to love and how lucky I was to find this home.

Amish Barn Raising

I'm so glad you're all getting a kick out of my rural Amish community. Sometimes I think I'm the only one who appreciates them, I know now that's simply not true. There was a barn-raising around the corner from me this summer. I'm so glad I had the presence of mind to snap a few pics! Enjoy.

Ann