My name is Tarah and its great to meet you!

Motion Sensor Solar Lights – Tackling our Fall Project List

We haven’t had the best track record when it comes to motion sensor solar lights. Lodi purchased a large $40 light right when he moved in and he put it down in our horse barn. It was nice because the actual solar panel was separate so we could put the panel on the roof and the light inside as far as the fifteen foot cord would reach. It seemed perfect but the sensor almost NEVER worked. We would test it – it would work. Next day, when we wanted it to work, it didn’t work lol. It was SO annoying. Read More »

Deck End Tables Upgrade because we have Chipmunks…

Back in 2017 I tackled building a whole bunch of furniture for our deck including three deck end tables with a built in cooler in the center of each of them. It was such a fun and cool idea! I ended up using the “coolers” as planters over the years and loved planting annual flowers and herbs ever since… Or at least I TRIED to keep lovely blooming flowers and herbs in these planters every year… the end result however was just me being totally annoyed to the point of my deciding to just GIVE UP! Read More »

Wedding Keepsake Bin – Storing Memories Safely Long Term

Creating a wedding keepsake bin. Over the past several months you guys know I’ve been working on purging our entire home and just nearly completed the task. One gift I gave myself (which I absolutely love) is the right for me to keep some things that have no use in my life whatsoever. Because keeping something just because we love it is absolutely a legitimate reason as long as we have the storage space! Which, Lodi and I finally really do now that we got our long term storage closet on our second floor cleared out. Read More »

Antique Insulators Upcycle into a Table Centerpiece

These old insulators are pretty cool honestly so I don’t blame my grandparents one bit for keeping them years ago. I found them in a big box out in the barn when I took over the farm here back in 2015. All in there were at least 30 of them – some clear and some blue glass. Initially I did look into their worth and I could sell them for maybe $10 a piece. (More rare types of insulators go for thousands!) At that price though it felt like more bother trying to sell them than they were worth and, besides, I didn’t want to sell them! Read More »

Tree Cutting – The loss of one of our great grandfather Oaks

Tree cutting, finally biting the bullet and getting a “real” chain saw. One of the things I’ve always loved about this home and property are all the ancient trees we have. Being Minnesota the majority of our trees are pines but right beside our deck were three oaks that had to have been upwards of 150 years old. Thinking about how they were here even before the house was built just amazes me. Those trees saw all of our wars and hard times throughout this country and stood watch over this home since it was first built in 1905. Unfortunately though a major storm took one of them out this spring. Read More »

Storage Organization – long overdue cleaning out in our attic space

Doing some major storage organization and a big clean out. I know a lot of people would be thrilled to have extra storage space in any capacity. Fortunately for us we’ve got plenty! But I do find that the more storage space we have the more things we store and the less things we purge and deal with like we actually SHOULD… I am convinced that the more space humans have the more crap they immediately start acquiring to fill said space… Read More »

Storage Bench Makeover for my closet – before and after!

Of the four storage benches that we own that my grandparents’ made this one absolutely has had the roughest history. It lived in my child hood entryway for many years and suffered quite a bit from teething puppies gnawing on it. From there it moved to our horse barn where it provided a lovely home for mice and chipmunks as well as storing horse tack and the like. Move ahead a couple more decades and it came with me here to Grandma’s house where it lived in the barn (still full of horse tack), then in the wood shed and then, finally, in the old well house for several years up until right now. Read More »

Basement Refrigerator Makeover – Before and After!

Lodi did a refrigerator makeover a couple of weeks ago and I can’t wait to show you the before and after! Our basement refrigerator is a solid 30 years old (at least) I grew up with this refrigerator and remember poignantly the awesome day when my mom got a brand new one and this one was retired to “beer refrigerator” status. When she moved she asked me if I wanted it and I immediately jumped on the opportunity. Our basement has been slowly coming along but, not long ago, this was a totally unfinished space I often used for painting and staining if it was cold outside. Read More »

Cork board and Key Caddy Makeover!

I’ve had this little pine cork board my grandparents’ made for many years now. It comes with the added perk of also being a key caddy so, of course, we put it right by our front door. It really comes in handy! However, it doesn’t exactly mesh with the look we have going throughout our entryway. Varnished knotty pine in that gold color is really not our style so its been on my list for awhile now to give it a little makeover! Read More »

Adding Tufted Upholstery to an old Coffee Table

Adding a tufted top and a new paint job to an old coffee table. I’ve been working on the refresh of my living room for awhile now. It started when I decided I hated my sofa and was ready for a new one! That worked out perfect because I really needed my old sofa to complete my seating area out in my garage. Following my old sofa to the garage was my coffee table and one of my end tables too! That left my living room pretty barren: the perfect time to do a makeover! Read More »

Three Legged Stool Makeover: Paint and stain combo with dipped legs

Teaming up with Chas in our DIY blog hop this month with projects for our bathrooms! (Make sure and check out all of the bathroom projects following this post and feel free to join in!) This little stool has a fun story behind it. My Grandparents’ were wood workers and made and sold lots of these along with many other pieces of furniture. One of my neighbors is an avid follower of my blog and felt she simply had to return it to me so this milking stool came home after being gone for over 30 years! Read More »

Lace Doily Upcycling on my Radio Stand Kitchen Island

Lace doily upcycling across the front of my kitchen island that I made out of my great grandpa’s radio stand. This piece remains one of my ALL TIME favorite transformations that I’ve created. Some projects just work! It was like this old radio stand had been waiting 100 years to be made into a kitchen island. It looks great from the front and the shelves in the back house all my recipe books too. During my recent kitchen remodel I did some surgery on it to work even better for me. Read More »

September 2022 – a Mighty Fine Shindig!

September 2022 – PHEW! Well we had a wonderful reception out here the first weekend of September with nearly 100 of our friends and family joining us to celebrate our getting married in June. It was a BIG weekend, starting Friday with the last of our company not leaving until Sunday evening. Several of my moms cousins came, folks that spent a lot of time at this old farm during their child hoods. To say that there were a few tears shed over the barn is an understatement but it was so awesome to hear stories about this place and my grandparents from years back. Read More »

August 2022 – Planning a Mighty Fine Shindig!

August 2022 – damn this month that never lasts long enough for me. August has always been my favorite time to live here in northern Minnesota. Its a month that can almost always be counted on to be beautiful weather-wise. There’s a coolness in the air that takes the edge off the heat and colder evenings make it prime time for bon fires. I sure do hope we get a long fall to make up for a misery of a spring but, regardless, this has been one beautiful summer. Read More »

July 2022 – Summer Blooms, Bounty & Dreams

July 2022 here in Minnesota was just perfect. I can’t describe it any other way honestly it is the weather example of why we’re willing to put up with -40 degree temps in the winter. Ideally though, of course, we do kind of hope to be able to hop out of here to skip the worst of the winter months someday but that’s a long time off! Meanwhile I feel like this summer is really trying to make up for last year’s summer though we did have a cold, late spring. Minnesota is forgiven in my book though as July and June 2022 were absolutely gorgeous. Read More »

June 2022 – OMG where do I even start!? We got married!

June 2022 will forever remain for me the month that is a blur I think lol. Everything happened so fast that after we got back from our honeymoon I told Lodi that our wedding felt like it happened yesterday but also a year ago! What an amazing trip! Starting all the way back in early June (what feels like a LONG time ago lol) our weather finally made a lovely turn toward summer and, guess what? We got our squirrel back already! He was delivered in his own squirrel box and, no kidding, he remembered us 🙂 Read More »

May 2022 – a little room mate for a couple days…

May 2022 – Lodi and I don’t go out a lot. (We’re frugal people and happily stay in most of the time.) So, the fact that we went out on a TUESDAY (a work night of all things!), was practically unheard of. There was a very good (heartbreaking) reason we went out that night though… That day, 17 years before, Lodi had lost his best friend when they were in the army (in action) together. We always go to a local VFW post and toast to his friend’s honor. Because of this we didn’t get home until nearly 8:30 that night… If we had not gone out we never would have known about the little guy on our front porch, looking for help. Read More »

April 2022 – Some Seriously Horrible Weather

I really wish I had anything good to say about April 2022 here in northern Minnesota lol. I said in late March (when we had a lovely warm up) that mother nature could throw anything at me and I wouldn’t mind at that point because we were so close to spring… I WAS SO VERY WRONG. We got nearly two feet of snow over the first couple of weeks of April. I got my car stuck in our yard… TWICE (that has NEVER Happened) we had snow on the ground for nearly six months this year… Read More »

Garden Tour – an early summer look!

Garden tour, a little walk about in early July! I won’t say things got “away” from me here on the blog due to the wedding but I definitely feel like I’m playing catch up on so many things I want to share with you guys! June (the month of our wedding) definitely went by in a blur for us. What also went against us was the fact that we had such a horrible, cold, miserable, very late, rainy, freezing, absolute nightmare, spring! I planted our vegetable garden three weeks later than last year and was concerned it was still too early. Because of this, when it did suddenly warm up, our farm just kind of exploded in just a few days. Read More »

Master Bedroom Tour – Our Second Floor Oasis

Master bedroom tour, the final completion of the entire redesign of our second floor bedroom. Woah guys how many months has it been? I started on our second floor last winter and am so so thrilled to show you guys the final completion of the bedroom portion. (I’m just finishing up the closet and bathroom too.) There was nothing wrong with our old master bedroom it really just wasn’t US and we were both ready for a change. Read More »

Basement Bathroom Reveal – Pallet Walls, Barn wood and Black Floors!

Basement Bathroom Reveal, adding a touch of girl to this little space because it was starting to feel like a man cave and not in a good way… I am not a girly girl by any means (as I’m sure you’re all aware at this point…) but even I can attest a balance between masculine and feminine in a space is a real must. Outside of this bathroom our living room feels like just the coolest underground speak easy and I totally love it. But with Lodi’s wood furniture and black leather couches no matter what I do it will always feel at least a little like a bachelor pad. Read More »

Basement Living Room Reveal – Speak Easy Theater and Chill Space

Basement living room reveal. So it all started back in 2014 when I purchased and began the renovation of my Grandparents’ 100 year old farmhouse. I was single and the basement had a separate entrance so I immediately tackled it with the intention of putting in a rental suite. It was a ton of money and work that all went for nothing a couple of years later when my husband (now ex) decided that renters were a NO. I used this unfinished space (what a total waste) as my workshop for awhile until I threw him out in 2017. So, I emptied the space to, once again, try to move forward with the rental idea. A lot of life happened in the years since but, finally, all of my time and money down here is no longer for nothing! Read More »

Lodi’s Room Reveal Complete with New Light Fixtures!

Lodi’s Room Reveal complete with New Light Fixtures! Starting at the beginning… When I renovated this home back in 2014-2015 I designed this as a wide hallway which included a huge closet made specifically to house a 6 foot chest freezer. At the end of the hall I put our “back door” which included a doggie door in it – which was a great straight shot out of the house for my big dog at the time. In 2018 I got rid of the chest freezer and I was playing around with making this wasted area into a reading nook / day bed / dog bed area and putting up some kind of gate so I could lock dogs back here whenever I needed to… Read More »

The Back Hall Reveal Before and After

Besides a random peak here and there from reveals and projects of other parts of the house this is the very first time I’ve ever posted about our back hall! This hall, Lodi’s room, our Guest Bedroom, and even a bit of the workshop, used to be a wide open screened in porch. (Sorry for the before pics but they’re the best I have. Hopefully the before and after floor plan as well as the renovation pics help somewhat.) I designed this back hall during the renovation to be a “T” each wing going to a bedroom and, before we made Lodi’s room, to a hall and big closet and back door which was just wasted space until we started work on all of it. Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #315)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #315. With Lodi out on a trip with a buddy this last weekend I was strangely solo for a couple of days. Of course I spent most of it working lol I helped my dad install a new pressure tank in his house and he helped me cut out an access door between our new garage addition and our existing garage. Otherwise, in the chance of a power outage, we would have lost the ability to get into it all. Relieved to get that done! Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #314)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #314. We’ve had such lovely weather so far this fall I hate to even mention it because I know how fast it can turn on us here in northern MN. Kind of like not looking a gift horse in the mouth lol. With all we did this last summer I am ready though to return my attention to the inside but am forcing myself to not do that yet! I absolutely must take advantage of this beautiful weather and finish some outdoor projects while it lasts. Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #313)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #313. Well clearly the first weekend of September is behind us because now: Pumpkin everything lol. I will admit though I am a summer gal through and through when this time of the year rolls around I am looking forward to it. Quieter days. Less plans. More cozy couch time and a lot more time to spend at home too. I never even left the house last weekend and just spent it puttering about and catching up on chores. It was wonderful to not be in any rush. Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #312)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #312. PHEW – well guys, we survived our wedding reception party at our place this weekend! Total count was nearly ninety people all together and one absolute certainty: BOUNCY CASTLES ARE WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD! We had a wonderful time and several folks who stayed in campers etc. It was just awesome to see all of our hard work (the new lower deck and fire pit and our garage) put to good use and appreciated. The weather was also beyond perfect – I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend too! Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #311)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #311. We’ve been on a war path tackling our farm over the past few days in preparation for our big reception party out here. Currently we’re expecting about 70 people plus kids and are getting plenty excited! Lodi did an incredible job with mowing and weed whipping – he’s really made our little farm look better than it has in many many years. He even cleaned up the inside of the barn some and swept her aisles as we’re expecting some folks who remember how it used to be out here to will want to visit her a little. Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #310)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #310. We’re still seeing just lovely weather here in northern MN. So hoping we get a nice long fall after having such a cold and awful spring. Lodi and I are planning our reception party out here in a couple of weeks which will be outside in our yard so begging for nice weather for that! Still quite relieved we separated the reception from the actual wedding day. It took so much stress off and now we’re both looking forward to our shindig! Now, on to the Party! Read More »

OMG Pumpkins everywhere! Hometalk Fall Decor Inspiration board

Hometalk Fall Decor Inspiration board! Summer is absolutely my favorite time of the year – you will NEVER hear me complaining about the heat lol But I honestly think that’s a fact simply because fall and spring are such short seasons here in northern MN. Fall for us could truly last all of three weeks like our spring did this year! And that’s just depressing lol because that means we’re settling into at least four months of some serious cold and snow. Read More »

Hometalk’s Outdoor Projects I Can’t Wait to Build! Do it Yourself!

Inspiration Board of the Outdoor projects on Hometalk that I’ve been drooling over! I received a comment on my outdoor bench saying, “You’re SO crafty, that’s amazing!” And I admittedly got a bit offended, eventually I just laughed about it but I’m not sure how I can build a wrap around bench for my deck and still be called “crafty”. I could’t help but think that if I was a guy she certainly wouldn’t have looked at that bench and called him crafty! I am a builder at heart and I spend most of my time building things in my head or drooling over outdoor projects like these: Read More »

Let’s build some swings! Pinterest Do It Yourself Inspiration Board!

Well now that spring has FINALLY arrived, my dreaming has turned to swings! Let’s build some! These are some of my favorites I’ve found on Pinterest and stashed away for a later time because, seriously, who doesn’t want to swing away a beautiful summer day? Contrary to popular belief, I do NOT feel that swings are for kids in any way. Many of these are very grown up swings for us “adults” lol Read More »

Nooks and Getaway Places: Pinterest Inspiration Board

Nooks, crannies, special getaway places, some of my favorite escapes via Pinterest Inspiration board. It has been a very difficult few weeks here at Grandma’s House, tailing the end of a very, very hard year. I will tell you guys why and what’s been going on when I’m able to get my feet back under me again. To say the least though I have found myself on Pinterest, looking longingly at getaway places and nooks that promise quiet and PEACE. Read More »

Inspiration Board: Six more Summer Projects I can’t wait to build!

Six more summer projects I can’t wait to build for us outside and out on our deck! Some DIYs and things just have to wait for some nice weather not only for us to enjoy them but for us to build them as well. Currently I’m sitting here in late October and we have a winter storm warning 🙁 So, hears to dreaming about next summer and all the things to look forward to building. I posted earlier this year a few summer projects I just can’t wait to build but I’ve seen so many build projects on Pinterest I had to share a few more that I can’t wait to build next summer! Read More »

Inspiration Board: Gorgeous Bedrooms to swoon over!

I spend a certain amount of time on Pinterest gazing with my mouth open at some of the gorgeous bedrooms people have. As far as Inspiration Boards go I’ve published quite a few over the years but I think this one might take the cake. I am absolutely in awe of a few of these. Considering how much time we spend in our bedrooms (albeit it is with our eyes closed) I am a firm believer that they are a VERY important part of our homes. So, without further adieu here’s some gorgeous bedrooms via Pinterest!! Read More »

Construction Draw Inspections and Why Are They Important?

I’ve never been in a situation that required draw inspections HOWEVER I’ve heard from several homeowners just how much they appreciated them though their contractors maybe didn’t necessarily quite as much. Inspections really ARE for the benefit and safety of the homeowner and having a bank insist on them would be ideal. Read More »

6 Great Ideas That Make Life Easier at Home

Making life at home easier is pretty much one of my all time goals all of the time lol. Our house should work FOR us and make whatever we might be needing to get done that day easier no matter what! Just doing some purging, tackling closets and working on organization costs nothing but can go a long way in making our lives a lot saner! Read More »

4 Home Renovation Ideas to Put the Spring Back in Your House’s Step

There are some wonderful ideas and resources out there for even the novice DIYer to give their whole home a face lift. All of the ideas generally start with paint as it is inexpensive, can make a MASSIVE difference, and just about anyone can get the hang of painting pretty quickly. Its also a petty easy thing to change if we happen to end up with a color in a room that doesn’t live up to our expectations! Read More »

Top Tips for Building Equity in a Home

When it comes to equity in our homes and properties it actually benefits us greatly regardless on whether or not we’re planning on selling. For one thing it looks amazing on paper as the more what we own is worth (and the less we owe) the more appealing we are to lenders in the event that we may wish to borrow against said equity. Also it increases our credit scores as well! Read More »

Simple Steps For Your Most Seamless House Move Yet

I think some people may not be entirely bothered by the stress of moving but I think the majority of us look back at it as something we NEVER want to do again if we can help it lol. Of course for most of us that is simply not going to be possible throughout our lifetimes. In fact most adults move over eleven times! I lived between two homes once but, all in, I’ve only ever actually moved twice to which I am very grateful for. This is our “forever” home as Lodi and I have no intention of going anywhere until well after retirement something we are both very relieved by. Read More »

How to Get Your Home Ready for Sale

I find the criteria for getting a house ready for sale is actually my criteria for getting a house ready to live in lol. I can’t handle clutter in any way and Lodi is a clean freak for our place tends to be pretty clean and sparse – not always of course but we try hard! I’ve always found it to be such a tragedy that when folks get their houses ready for sale is when they finally get them really nice and do all the renovations, cleaning, decluttering etc. that they’ve been meaning to get to FOR THEMSELVES for years. Read More »