My name is Tarah and its great to meet you!

Container Gardening and New Garden Building Plans

My first time container gardening! With our plans now to do something about the barn my gardening plans also had to change. Our vegetable garden is all of ten feet from the front of the barn so the likely hood of it coming out of this unscathed are very low and trying to protect it would just be inconvenient and silly. But this actually works for us as I had planned to tear out the garden and rebuild it at some point anyway. Well, no time like the present to tear it out I guess! Read More »

Eye-Caring Lamp and other new additions to our Workshop Office

A couple of fun purchases for my “new” office including an eye-caring lamp. So, I’m a reader (I use a kindle), a pc gamer, an editor, a print layout designer, a graphic designer, an IT specialist at my day job, a blogger and a website designer. So, as you might imagine, I spend the majority of my life in front of one screen or another. Its pretty much all of the time if you include watching TV or even just browsing the internet on my phone. I WORRY ABOUT MY EYES! Read More »

Workshop Office Tables Makeover

Over 20 years ago my mom gave me the coolest Xmas present ever: Two office tables and two filing cabinets – officially giving me my very own L-shaped office space to go opposite her desks in our home office. Back then I was an avid PC gamer, writing my first novel and learning website design code. Honestly nothing really feels like settling in to “home” for me like sitting down at my desktop. My office was just always my safe place, a real extension of me and who I am. Read More »

New Butcher Block Counter tops!

So back over the last few months Lodi mentioned that he wanted to get us new butcherblock counter tops for in the kitchen. I believe my response was, “Why? What counter tops?” See I’ve been living with the old counters for so long I had literally become just blind to how terrible they are… Kind of like living with a bad knee LOL you just live with it! The counter tops were totally replaceable though so I don’t know why I put them out of my head so completely. Read More »

Workshop Office Shelves – some much needed storage

Workshop Office Shelves. Normally I would build something like this from scratch but with the current cost of building materials (and that its cold outside) I went looking on Amazon for a deal instead. (Here’s the link to the shelf I purchased – At only $100 and literally only four minutes to assemble it was absolutely worth not building from scratch IMO.) I’m currently in the middle of integrating my office into my workshop and so far I’m very pleased! The space isn’t pretty yet but it is so much more functional as an office than the tiny little desk I was using in our entryway. Read More »

How to: Build your own butcher block!

Moving on to the fourth post ever at Grandma’s house DIY from back in September of 2015. How I built the butcher block for our island. I was pretty excited to tackle this project actually. I was fortunate to have all the lovely oak I needed and I really felt like I had a good plan. My red kitchen island needed a top and butcher block was absolutely the only thing I wanted. It turned out to be VERY doable and a fun project. I was really proud with how it turned out! Read More »

Dresser refinish before and after, refinishing furniture with black stain DIY

Continuing on our throwback series this post first came out all the way back in September of 2015. This was one of the first pieces of furniture I ever refinished so I learned a lot here at the expensive of myself lol. Instead of stripping I decided to just sand the whole thing down and stubbornly stuck with that silly plan. It took me a LONG time and A LOT of sand paper but, eventually, I did get down to the wood grain. I chose a black stain and new silver knobs and I really still love how it turned out. We still use it every day in our entryway! Read More »

Reupholstering Eleonora’s Rocking Chair

Moving on with our throwback posts this one published back in September of 2015 and was my first time reupholstering anything. Its funny looking back I didn’t remember how much I hated the fabric on this rocking chair after I got it done. I totally love it now! What I do remember though was what a long-fought job this was to get the old fabric off and finally refinish the whole chair. It was pretty icky actually. This little rocker is still with us up in our master bedroom closet where I use it every day! Read More »

Upholstered Coffee Table – Changing it up in our Living Room!

Upholstered coffee table in our living room. When I picked up this coffee table at an estate sale years ago I knew I wanted to upholster the top and make it more like a bench / way softer foot rest. It also doubled at making our couch big enough to practically create a bed too! At the time I picked a fun paisley table cloth on Amazon and we’ve loved it for years. However, well, spills happen and though the old fabric I chose held up for a long time it was time to be replaced. Read More »

Oak dresser from the screened in porch – before and after!

Our fifth blog post from September 2015. This dresser takes me a lot farther back than my moving into this old farm house and starting this blog. For as long as I can remember it was always out in the screened in porch. Who knew one day I would be taking it home with me, my heart full of grief, after my Grandma passed? It was one of my very first projects. I don’t know what compelled me to tackle all of the furniture from the house (maybe too much HGTV?) but I wasn’t willing to give up any of it and it turned out that I absolutely loved the work. Read More »

Thrift Store Floor Lamp Makeover – A $10 find for our living room!

Floor lamp makeover for our living room. Beside our sofa we have a little table I built years ago with a built in power strip. Its fine for setting a drink on and we charge electronics there all the time but its always been a bit narrow for a lamp. This last year I finally knocked the lamp off of it for the 100th time and had had enough. We needed to do something different. Of course the fact that it gave me the opportunity to go thrifting (one of my favorite things) had no bearing on my decision to buy a new floor lamp whatsoever… Read More »

A radio stand converted into a red kitchen island

Continuing on in our throwback series to our third post from September of 2015. This red kitchen island that I built out of my great grandpa’s radio stand will probably always be one of the most popular posts here on Grandma’s house DIY. I just loved how it turned out! It was my favorite place to perch every morning before work and every night when I came home for many years. Initially it was a little too tall so I fixed that, then the top needed some adjusting, so I fixed that too. The most recent addition was a lace doily to replace the old fabric and I think it turned out so pretty. Read More »

May 2023 – Yes Spring did actually Arrive

As per my last post you guys can see that spring did actually arrive here in May 2023. It didn’t come around nice though and I’m still crabby about it. The last day of April and first day of May we had 60mph north winds. I was so sick of there always being a big red exclamation point on my phone from my weather app. Here we were, finally into May and still with snow on the ground, but now we’re in extreme wildfire danger because of the wind?! I know the Midwesterner cliché is that we’re never happy with the weather but give me a break lol. Read More »

April 2023 – Is that you Spring?

April 2023 I’m formally apologizing to everyone as it does appear that I jinxed us. At the end of February I proclaimed we had had a lovely mild winter and, no matter what happened after that, we had nothing to complain about! I was so so wrong. I’m sorry. March was horrendous and April started out with a whopping snow storm of over yet another foot of snow and it just kept snowing. It would tease us with a few nice days and then pummel us again. April gave us our SIXTH MONTH in a row with snow on the ground… Read More »

March 2023 – So much snow…

We got hit by some SERIOUS snow throughout March 2023… So, I’m not going to go back on what I said in my last post lol. We still had a mild winter and I refuse to complain! (Though I fear I jinxed us by saying that in February…) With April here spring really is close at hand and I am SO looking forward to dirt and gardening and laying out on our deck. March just totally SUCKED weather-wise. It was FRIGID and we got at least three feet of snow. Unfortunately it meant for Lodi (now working nights at his new job) often coming home exhausted only to have to tackle plowing us out. Read More »

February 2023 – A Lovely Gift from Lodi

I was relieved I didn’t have to write a blog post for January as its always been my tradition to devote that post to the previous year’s recap. I was relieved because I really just couldn’t talk anymore than I already had about last month when we lost my two year old nephew. February 2023, life, though never the same, does just keep going on – so ugly but the truth nonetheless. One thing we are all thankful for is that we have had an absolutely beautiful and mild winter. So lovely in fact that no matter what happens after this I don’t think you’ll be hearing any of us complaining. Read More »

January 2023 – Recapping 2022, we got married!

January 2023, a recap of 2022. Last January started off with a real accomplishment for me though it took me so long to get there it was a little non celebratory I’ll admit lol. I set out to repaint this entire home back in early 2018 as it was badly smoke damaged from heating with wood here for a couple of years. Four years of painting, finishing, accomplishing and designing each space as though I was just starting over. And, with a whole bunch of help from Lodi, I did it! Read More »

December 2022 – COVID and so so so so much snow

I’m not going to beat around the bush with this one as December 2022 pretty much just sucked for us lol. Xmas was still lovely of course and we had a great time with friends and family. But there was a couple of weeks there in the middle of December where it just felt like this month could not be gone soon enough! It began at my day job when we had a gal go out with COVID and then another gal went down with it and then a third gal headed for a long planned trip to Florida. And then I got COVID! There are only five of us lol. Read More »

Master Bathroom and Master Closet Tour

Master Bathroom and Master Closet Tour it dawned on me this is the first time I’ve done a full reveal of these two rooms together. WAY back in 2015 was the last time you guys saw the closet and, even then, it wasn’t much of a reveal. You know I’ve been working on our master suite second floor for nearly a year now. I refused to stop until every. last. thing. I could think of was completed and / or fixed. I’m very happy with how it all turned out! Read More »

Elegear LED Lights! – Adding warmth to our main floor for Xmas

There’s been some changes here at Grandma’s house that you will definitely notice in the pictures! I’ve moved my office into our workshop thus freeing up our entryway entirely. There’s lots more to do and posts coming out all about my new office workshop and our new open plan entryway. But, first, what Lodi did with these incredible Elegear LED lights that were gifted to us! Check them out here on Amazon and make sure and use the 10% off discount code: DHSCZOTA Read More »

Holiday – a little autumn Home Tour

I admit in the past I haven’t done much decorating for the holiday around here. There was just always this little thing about budget lol. Not to mention generally far more important projects that I needed to put my dollars and time into. Things are changing around here though. We’ve managed to take several big projects off our plates so I realized we could afford to do a little holiday decorating. 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 »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #350)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #350. Mmmm I don’t know if its just because I’m currently hungry or if I am just SO READY for summer food and grilling but this week I just had to pick recipes as my five features! I hope you had a lovely holiday weekend, I spent a lot of time at home catching up on chores and getting ready for this summer. Screen doors are up, outdoor furniture is out of storage ready to be sat in and the grill is prepped with a full propane tank. So glad to see some beautiful weather, now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #349)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #349. Well my phone died last Thursday (like RIP time to bury it kind of died) so I had a strange few days while I waited for my new phone. Most weekends I try to give myself a break from screens so it wasn’t a big deal… but it was weird lol. I ran into town to grab some supplies, “Call me if you need anythi- oh no you can’t call me…” I constantly felt like I was forgetting something. Every time on the way out I went to grab my dead phone because I can’t forget to take my phone with me… Anyway, I got my new one and all is normal again lol. Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #348)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #348. Well finally spring is really here and BOOM its time to tackle the yard lol. With the going down of the barn so close to my old vegetable garden we’re going to go ahead and take it out too so I’m container gardening this year. This last Sunday Lodi and I hit it hard, cleaned up a ton of branches and sticks from such a hard winter and got all the containers filled and planted. I’m excited to see how this goes and thrilled at the finally beautiful weather! Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #347)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #347. Well with the current decision to take down our old barn I went ahead with our plans to also take out our falling-apart vegetable garden as its only about ten feet from the barn. Next year we’ll replace the garden but this year I’m going to try container gardening! So finally now that the weather has turned to spring *crosses fingers* I am quite excited to get my containers together and plant this weekend! Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #346)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #346. I’m so tired of my phone having a big red “DANGER!!!” mark on it every day from my weather app lol. We still have snow on the ground and yet now we’re in severe wild fire danger. My gosh if its not one thing with northern Minnesota weather, its another! The north wind this weekend was so insane I half expected for our barn to be in the yard Monday morning. Highs in the sixties though and some sunshine, spring really has finally arrived. Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #345)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #345. Well, slowly but surely, the weather is warming up and we are finally beginning to see more ground than snow. Still not getting much warmer than 50 degrees but we’ll take it. Can we actually, safely put our snow shovels away now? Is this actually spring? lol I’m not going to risk jinxing us again! I think I’ll wait another week at least before I put our winter gear away. 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. From gorgeous colour palettes to hardwood bedroom furniture options, there’s always amazing bedrooms to look at when you are scrolling through Pinterest. In fact, the inspiration doesn’t stop coming the moment you type in beautiful bedrooms into Google! So, without further adieu here’s some gorgeous bedrooms via Pinterest!! Read More »

Marble Floor Tile – Add luxury and beauty to your Home

Marble has always screamed elegance and fancy to me. I always dreamed of one day having a marble kitchen island top! Though I fear in our household it would be hard for us to upkeep I had a friend tell me were already living with hard to upkeep counters. She was right! Our butcher lock counters are durable and lovely however they stain very easily and we really must baby sit them a bit! Read More »

7 Best Ways to Increase Home Value

Increasing the value of your home doesn’t actually have to be costly. Sweat equity in this case can go a LONG way actually. Just keeping the yard neat, picked up and trimmed can give an awesome first impression. A coat of paint can give a fresh new look to almost any space and the impression that a home was well taken care of which is huge for potential buyers. Read More »

Make House Chores Easier With These 5 Useful Tips

Our every day chores Lodi and I tackle on a first come first serve basis: feed the animals, fill the bird feeders, wash the laundry / dishes and put away etc. But the weekly chores definitely get divvied up on what bothers us personally the most. Lodi vacuums and mops the whole house like once a week because he just can’t STAND dirty floors. I can’t handle clutter so I’m the one that’s getting everything in its place, put away and wiped down / dusted. The combination of the two means we have a minimalist house that gives us both peace. Chores are a lot easier when there aren’t a lot of them – keep on it every day and the task is easy, quick and small. Read More »

6 Crucial Tips That Every Novice DIYer Couple Needs to Know

I never really had a partner here as a diy chick until I met Lodi and, let me tell you, it is a tremendous game changer. It also took a lot of getting used to! You don’t realize what kind of control freak you become until someone steps in to start helping and doing things around the house to. Lodi is such a tremendous worker that I’m going to have to start working out to make up for all the things that he’s doing that I no longer have too! Read More »

9 Tips On How To Prep Your Backyard For Summer

OMG I am so excited to finally start seeing our backyard again! Literally one week again today we got over a FOOT of snow! But, its finally happening, the snow is melting and spring is literally on its way. I can’t wait to get out to our yard again and our new lower fire pit for grilled suppers and just plain old relaxing in the sun. Not to mention, I’m just a few weeks away from planting our garden which you guys know is one of my big life joys. Read More »

Why You Should Start Your Own Garden

Oh how I’m looking forward to our vegetable garden. Currently I’m watching the “winter storm of the century” just beginning out my window with the promise of at least a foot of snow. UGH. Last summer I grew garden lettuce for the first time and (no joke) I ate lunch out of the garden at least two months strait! Admittedly I did get a little tired of lettuce lol but that did mean our little garden paid for itself many many times over! I can’t wait for dirt and lettuce and gardening again! Read More »