[The first Loquats - unbelievably tart this year thanks to the crazy weather we have had]
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Staircase Challenge: On and on it goes
But ...!
Behold, there is progress!
Not an awful lot but it gives an even better idea of where I'm headed with all of this scraping and sanding and patching. One third of the staircase is now primed, and I got the first coat of darkbrown paint on the top of the newel post and the handrail. Hallelujah!
I'm becoming somewhat of a contortionist - getting the area between the upper and the stair part of the balcony scraped and sanded is .... uh, something best suited for somebody with rubber arms. I have added scrapes and bruises to my heatgun burns trying to maneuver my hand between the two sets of spindles to tackle the baseboard.
I'm thinking spray paint for a chance to actually paint this area with a smooth coat of paint but if you have any ideas, I'm definitely open for suggestions!
And that's it for this week!
I hope to have a bit more to show for next Tuesday. Don't forget to check out how the other duelists are doing and visit
Monday, February 25, 2013
Let's talk about history
Let's talk about you and me ... and the amazing fact that our house will get to celebrate its 100th birthday next year.
Not only that, but in 100 years it has also come full circle in regard to its owners. How so, you wonder?
I'm so excited to share this with you! When our house was ready to move in for the first time in 1914, the first couple to ever live in the Little Old House - when the plaster had just dried and the paint was still fresh - were Henry and Emma Stukenberg. Both, henry and Emma, were half-German, born to immigrant parents from Germany and the Netherlands who had settled in Indiana in the 1800s.
How crazy is that?!
I'm a born and bred German citizen, and immigrated to the US in 2003 (I like telling people I'm a mail-order bride but that's not quite how I met the husband). Little Man was born on German soil, but thanks to the good relationship between the US and Germany, he holds dual citizenship (and has two passports). After 100 years the Little Old House is again home to people with German roots!
Crazy, isn't it?
I mean, what are the odds?
Henry Stukenburg was born on June 15, 1868, in Aurora, Indiana, to Herman and Margaret Stukenburg (also spelled Studenburg, Stukenburg or Stuckenbirg). He was the second-oldest of six children and had two sisters (Mary and Lena) and three brothers (Fred, Frank and Edward). His father made a living as a cooper and his mother was a homemaker.
His future wife Emma was born in either 1869 or 1870 as the second-oldest of five children to Fredrick and Katherine "Katie" Wesler in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. She had three sisters (Maggie, Minnie and Carrie) and one brother (Harry). Her father was a local coal dealer.
Henry and Emma tied the knot on November 17, 1890 in Lawrenceburg/Dearborne, Indiana, and sometime between 1910 and 1920 moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where Henry worked as a foreman for Wright, Barrel & Coal Company.
Their union remained childless, and Henry passed away on October 26, 1929, in Jacksonville, Florida. He was buried on October 30, 1929, at St. Mary's Cemetery. Mrs. Emma must have loved him very much because she followed him only a short time later, passing away on June 19, 1930. She is also buried at St. Mary's. I still need to go and look up their grave site and bring them some flowers.
And in case you are related to our Stukenburg family - please don't hesitate to contact us! I'd love to learn more about the first family at our Little Old House!
All this information I gleaned from census documents and other records through Ancestry.com and Familysearch.org. I really enjoyed Familysearch.org and had the best results through their site. As an added bonus it's free to use but you might run into finding documents that require a paid account through Ancestry.com. I tried their 14 day free trial but can't really get the hang of their interface well enough to make a full account worth my while - for now.
Maybe when I have more time on my hands .... yeaaaah, right. Like that will ever happen!
Not only that, but in 100 years it has also come full circle in regard to its owners. How so, you wonder?
I'm so excited to share this with you! When our house was ready to move in for the first time in 1914, the first couple to ever live in the Little Old House - when the plaster had just dried and the paint was still fresh - were Henry and Emma Stukenberg. Both, henry and Emma, were half-German, born to immigrant parents from Germany and the Netherlands who had settled in Indiana in the 1800s.
How crazy is that?!
I'm a born and bred German citizen, and immigrated to the US in 2003 (I like telling people I'm a mail-order bride but that's not quite how I met the husband). Little Man was born on German soil, but thanks to the good relationship between the US and Germany, he holds dual citizenship (and has two passports). After 100 years the Little Old House is again home to people with German roots!
Crazy, isn't it?
I mean, what are the odds?
[This is not an actual picture of the Stukenbergs - I wish I had one!]
His future wife Emma was born in either 1869 or 1870 as the second-oldest of five children to Fredrick and Katherine "Katie" Wesler in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. She had three sisters (Maggie, Minnie and Carrie) and one brother (Harry). Her father was a local coal dealer.
Henry and Emma tied the knot on November 17, 1890 in Lawrenceburg/Dearborne, Indiana, and sometime between 1910 and 1920 moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where Henry worked as a foreman for Wright, Barrel & Coal Company.
Their union remained childless, and Henry passed away on October 26, 1929, in Jacksonville, Florida. He was buried on October 30, 1929, at St. Mary's Cemetery. Mrs. Emma must have loved him very much because she followed him only a short time later, passing away on June 19, 1930. She is also buried at St. Mary's. I still need to go and look up their grave site and bring them some flowers.
And in case you are related to our Stukenburg family - please don't hesitate to contact us! I'd love to learn more about the first family at our Little Old House!
All this information I gleaned from census documents and other records through Ancestry.com and Familysearch.org. I really enjoyed Familysearch.org and had the best results through their site. As an added bonus it's free to use but you might run into finding documents that require a paid account through Ancestry.com. I tried their 14 day free trial but can't really get the hang of their interface well enough to make a full account worth my while - for now.
Maybe when I have more time on my hands .... yeaaaah, right. Like that will ever happen!
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Dueling DIY: The Staircase Challenge
It's been a whopping six weeks since Kit from DIY Diva and Sarah from the Ugly Duckling House started the Dueling DIY: The Staircase Challenge.
Six weeks of stripping paint.
Six weeks of talk about stair case parts, color schemes, no-slip solutions, runners, spindles and more. Six week of stairs.
While the staircase at the Little Old House isn't anywhere near being done, I wouldn't have made as much progress over the past six weeks as I did thanks to the staircase throw-down. I also 'met' a few more inspiring DIY ladies online, and enjoy following their blogs.
This past week was a slow week here at the Little Old House. Both Little Man and I were down for the count for most of the long holiday weekend with the sniffles. On top of that we had a serious (ahem ...for Florida, that is) cold spell with temperatures below freezing at night which always triggers my hibernation mode. I wasn't really up to doing more than bundling up on the couch with a good book, making a batch of dark chocolate fudge with a sprinkling of salted sunflower seeds and fixing meals.
Yesterday I felt a bit better and well enough to pay some attention to the staircase. Since I was in dire need of some very obvious and REAL progress I decided to prime the stringers and risers.
Oh yeah, baby! Don't mind the dusty treads and ignore that the primer isn't a solid coat of paint but look at the neat crisp white trim and risers. YUM!
I couldn't wait and also primed the newel post at the top of the stairs. Double YUM!
Am I done?
Nope.
Far from it.
There are 20 more spindles and a newel post to strip, sand, patch, and prime before they are ready for paint.
Here's a full view of our small cantilevered staircase balcony - it's all that remains of the original staircase (aside from the original trim encased in the new drywall on the lower part of the stairs).
Six weeks of stripping paint.
Six weeks of talk about stair case parts, color schemes, no-slip solutions, runners, spindles and more. Six week of stairs.
While the staircase at the Little Old House isn't anywhere near being done, I wouldn't have made as much progress over the past six weeks as I did thanks to the staircase throw-down. I also 'met' a few more inspiring DIY ladies online, and enjoy following their blogs.
This past week was a slow week here at the Little Old House. Both Little Man and I were down for the count for most of the long holiday weekend with the sniffles. On top of that we had a serious (ahem ...for Florida, that is) cold spell with temperatures below freezing at night which always triggers my hibernation mode. I wasn't really up to doing more than bundling up on the couch with a good book, making a batch of dark chocolate fudge with a sprinkling of salted sunflower seeds and fixing meals.
Yesterday I felt a bit better and well enough to pay some attention to the staircase. Since I was in dire need of some very obvious and REAL progress I decided to prime the stringers and risers.
Oh yeah, baby! Don't mind the dusty treads and ignore that the primer isn't a solid coat of paint but look at the neat crisp white trim and risers. YUM!
Am I done?
Nope.
Far from it.
There are 20 more spindles and a newel post to strip, sand, patch, and prime before they are ready for paint.
Here's a full view of our small cantilevered staircase balcony - it's all that remains of the original staircase (aside from the original trim encased in the new drywall on the lower part of the stairs).
It's a cute little spot, and although I still have to figure out what exactly I want to do with it (reading nook, gallery wall, ...? Buehler?) I love how bright and airy a spot it is.
That's all the progress I have to show for last week, folks; check out how the other duelists are doing and visit
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Wordless Wednesday
[Inky-Binky demonstrating what we've been doing this past weekend: staying
warm under the covers getting over the sniffles - thus the lack of progress]
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
House Tour 2013
When we bought the Ugly Duckling, the interior did little to inspire awe and house envy. Sure, it did have good bones, and all the space we were looking for at a steal but it wasn't pretty. No, really. Honestly, I look at these pictures now and can't help but think "Oh goody, what were we thinking?"
We have come a long way and while I occasionally feel like asking "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?", it's been a lot of fun and a whole lot of growth.
Hop on over here to this post for some scary Before pictures, and then lean back and enjoy some "After" pictures. I know I certainly did. Phew!
P.S.: There is no rhyme nor reason to the order of the rooms in this House Tour. Heh. For a floor plan of our little old house, visit this ancient post here.
Our stair case: After breaking it free from the wall that separated the upstairs from the downstairs, refinishing the treads and painting the risers, and adding a newel post at the bottom, all that is left to do is to remove the remainder of the wall and restore the spindle baluster on the downstair's half of the stair case. That is, after I'm done restoring the upper part (read about in the Staircase Challenge).
Our entry hall: Hard to believe it was the tiniest bedroom ever when we bought our little old house. It's hardly ever this tidy, though.
Our Living room: It's such a cozy snuggly room. 'nuff said!
The dressing room: It's finally starting to look like a real room!
Our
dining room: It's still the room in which we spend most of our days;
we should really consider changing its designation to 'living room' and call the living room
"sitting room" instead. It's also the one room that we haven't tweaked at all since we moved in.
Our lovely lovely kitchen: We are still madly in love with the big farmhouse sink, and haven't made any changes here either (although I see different hardware, a backsplash and an eat-in nook sometime in the future).
Half Bath: The world's tiniest bathroom but serving its purpose beautifully. No changes here either. I dream of getting rid of the wall time and put in wood floors though ... one day, one day.
Our master bedroom: In its second incarnation we are loving it even better! We traded the dark rich teal on the upper half of the walls for a soft cream color (BHG's "Cultured Colonial Cream") and painted the ceiling a custom-mixed light turquoise like a southern porch ceiling. LOVE it! It feels so much brighter and bigger now.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
A First: A Give-Away Just In Time For Valentine's Day
Aaaaand ...we have a winner (courtesy of Random.org's number generator)!
Congratulations, Dave Lohnes! Entering this giveaway sure 'weorc-ed for you!
The give-away is now closed but you can use the special coupon code LOH217 to receive "Free Shipping" until February 28, 2013.
My friend Amy and I met over the creation of a historically accurate Persian dress for a 16th century dancer. While we cut and measured bright silken fabrics, Little Man cooed over her darling baby boy, and both of us were distraught when they had to move. Thanks to Facebook we have been able to stay in touch, and when she started sharing pictures of her jewelry creations I became an ardent fan in no time.I may be more of a tomboy kind of girl, more comfortable wearing jeans and flats than a girly dress and make-up, but for once I'm actually considering getting my ears pierced so I can wear one of her earring creations.
Aren't they stunning? Beautiful and intricate and customizable to boot! I also love her sweet bracelets. I was really excited when she offered a give away, just in time for Valentine's Day!
Seven years in Hawaii teaching, dancing, and surfing inspired Lora Amy Bright's chain maille designs. Her pieces attempt to capture the turquoise, greens, and pinks of the islands as well as the motion of the waves and the movement of the ocean.
She stumbled upon chain maille while living in Honolulu in a room carved out of a mountain. A bead shop resided at the bottom of that mountain. One day in a fit of creativity, she traversed the curvy road to the bottom, bought tiny sterling silver jump rings and made a few frustrated attempts at Byzantine weave. Her eventual success led to a few more pieces, but a queasy pregnancy gave her impetus to fill the dizzy hours cutting jump rings and piecing together more intricate patterns.
Along with her handsome 9 month old son, Lora Amy Bright now lives in Spartanburg, SC, poring over maille lore and mandrels while plotting her return to belly dance.
You can find her work at http://www.etsy.com/shop/LABweorc
PRIZE: A $35 gift card to LabweorcTO ENTER: Comment on this post with the words “Weorc Me!”
NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
PRIZE SHIPS: US only
NOTE:The give-away is now closed!
"Little Old House" readers also receive "Free Shipping" with the coupon code LOH217!
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