My name is Tarah and its great to meet you!

Privacy Fence – Expanding the Dog Kennel

Privacy Fence – Expanding the Dog Kennel. When it came to why I didn’t do this years ago it simply came down to cost. As far as fences go privacy fence panels are not terribly expensive but when it came to the distance I wanted to go it added up fast! So, because it wasn’t NECESSARY, it got sent to my back burner for more important projects to spend my money on. Read More »

Painting Bathroom Cabinets and New Hardware for a Major Facelift!

My Grandpa built these bathroom cabinets for their main floor bathroom back in the 1950s when they first got REAL indoor plumbing. (Yes I even have a picture of their old bathroom!) He really built furniture to last! I was only able to save about half of the kitchen he and my Grandma built and cussed the entire time… Those kitchen cabinets would have HELD this house up during a tornado lol. Lucky for me though I was able to save some of them for the kitchen down here and these bathroom cabinets too. I installed them a few years back and built an oak countertop too. Read More »

Rocking Chairs – My two favorites and how I updated them!

Many years back one of my very first blog posts I ever wrote I called “a story of two rocking chairs” – it was all about a big oak rocker and a little cedar rocker I found here on the farm. I immediately thought of them as the farmer and his little wife. That blog post is long gone but I do still have the picture of it! They were one of the very first pieces of furniture I ever refinished and they’re still with us but have been retired to deck duty holding flower pots. Besides those two my absolute favorite rockers have to be my first ever upholstery project and a large rocker that became absolutely stunning with just a coat of black paint! Read More »

Upgrading the Basement Bathroom Lighting – a Black Pendant

Continuing with our basement by upgrading the bathroom lighting! We’re getting pretty close to finishing up this room with the lighting now upgraded and only the cabinets left to paint. Its not exactly a large space so there was only SO much I could do in here with the lighting. The recessed can light above the shower was staying so I simply purchased the water proof can light cover for it. But the bare bulb above the sink was a great place for a major upgrade! Read More »

Can rack dispensers, freezer baskets and organizers that changed my life!

Can rack dispensers, refrigerator and cabinet organizers and wire baskets for our freezer! You know you’re an adult when organizing makes your whole year better… It turns out Lodi and I drink a lot of liquids in our household – he jokes that when he first met me all I had in my refrigerator was pickles, condiments and beer and, honestly, that’s not that far from the truth! To be fair though, when I was single, there was just no reason to keep perishable food around. I don’t eat a lot and preparing a big meal just for myself felt redundant… Read More »

Upcycled Mailbox – A Storage Cubby for our Vegetable Garden!

This old mailbox was my grandparents for many, many, many years before I came along and used it as long as I could before it was finally time to retire it. I didn’t have the heart to toss it though and its been literally sitting in our flower garden, by our front step, for all the years since. I thought about bringing it in and hanging it on the wall or placing it above one of our hutches as decoration but it was just too big for either of those things. It finally dawned on me where it would be perfect this spring when we started working on the vegetable garden! 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 »

Thrift Store Lamp gets a Country Makeover with the Farmhouse Hens

So, a few months ago, I went to my local thrift store to get myself a sweater to make mug koozies for my Christmas in a Jar post. I left the thrift store with two sweaters, some shop rags, a mirror tray and a lamp! To be fair I still only spent $8 and no one really believed I was just gonna be able to get one sweater right? Read More »

Lamp gets a country girl makeover using license plates! Before and After!

My new guest bedroom and library needed a reading lamp for the bedside table so, of course, I went thrifting! I found this little dude for only $6 and then went directly to walmart and found what I decided was the perfect burlap lamp shade. From there it was time to decide just how I was going to transform this little lamp into something country and fun! Using two old MN license plates I got to work! Read More »

A little end table gets a full on adult country girl redo!

There are a lot of changes taking place here at my Grandma’s old farmhouse. You guys know now that I got divorced and that means new and very different plans for the whole house. My old office is now going to become my guest bedroom and library and it felt really important to refinish all of the furniture that will be going in there. So, I got to work! Read More »

July 2021 Concerts, Total Craziness and Taking a Break!

Well our July 2021 started off almost like a “normal” July before Covid meaning: We did way too much over the 3 day, July 4th weekend and totally exhausted ourselves. It was REALLY hot and sunny and crazy humid. We went to two concerts and had a big family get together at our place. It was A LOT. Deciding last minute to have a party out here meant Lodi and I were scrambling all day to prepare for it and then running to try to enjoy a concert and then working again all the next day before the next concert in some pretty impressive summer heat! It does mean we had our new lower deck and fire pit complete WAY ahead of schedule though I’m not convinced how much we stressed ourselves out was totally worth all we got done… Read More »

June 2021 – So so so much manual labor… in 90 degree heat!

June 2021 – When we said “come hell or high water” we didn’t know we were making a choice! *laughs while sobbing* May 27th and 28th we had to cover our garden because it froze hard two nights in a row. And then seven days later (Friday June 2nd) we hit a heat record of 100 degrees. (Lodi and I also got our second Covid vaccines that Friday morning.) Unfortunately for us we had chosen that specific weekend, several weeks before, to tackle our yard with the rental of a bob cat, a concrete saw and a ground leveler. That first weekend of June we stoically put on our work boots, took a deep breath, and stepped out into a record breaking heat wave (and several week drought) that we spent two days straight in. Read More »

May 2021, Yard Work, Kitchen Organizing and Vegan Dinners!

May 2021 we had such an odd year this year when it came to the weather. We broke record highs in January and March and then saw a chilly rainy April and a cold early start to May. For us Minnesotans an actual “spring” is kind of a weird thing. Usually it seems like we go from 20 to 90 every year in about a week. But I’d certainly still take a couple months of cold and rainy over what we would have normally had which could be very cold and snowy. It did feel like we were endlessly going back for “just” five more bags of pellets for the stove though and I know I wasn’t the only one getting beyond restless for nice weather. Read More »

April 2021 A Spring Walk About, Gearing up for Summer

April 2021 – This month brought us grief and joy in large quantities this year. April 13th Lodi proposed to me and, of course, I said yes! We are absolutely just annoyingly happy lol no set date yet but it won’t be until next year. Not two days later I got the call we all dread. Lodi got home before me and my Mom’s little mare (Jazzy) was unable to get up and had been struggling for at least a couple of hours. She had a sky high temp and our vet gave her antibiotics to fight the tick disease he suspected. We made her as comfortable as we could and waited for the shots to kick in. Read More »

March 2021 – Spring Temps Makes me Ready to Garden!

Unlike the old saying of March coming in like a lion and leaving like a lamb this year we saw spectacularly warm weather almost the entire month of March 2021. I think all of us Minnesotans were holding our breath waiting for one last hit of real winter before spring. Its happened so many times before in March that the fact that we didn’t get two feet of snow felt quite odd. (Though we did get a few inches and April has dumped some serious snow on us…) As always though, if its warmer than it should be, I have no complaints. Except for that two week serious cold snap in February we had an incredibly warm and mild winter. Read More »

February 2021 – Two Birthdays and One Serious Cold Snap

February 2021 and January. We had a truly beautiful first half of winter – we literally set records with how warm it was! By the time mid January came around we all agreed that no matter what the weather was like for the last half of winter: we had been spoiled and had nothing to complain about. Remarkably it was still cold enough for ice fishing and we still even had enough snow for snowmobiling. So, everyone was close to happy, and I doubt that’s ever happened before. To be fair though, with Covid and all we went through last year, it sure felt deserved. Lodi and I have our birthdays in the first two months of the year and man how that sucks after the holidays. 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 »

The Current State of the Garage and What’s Next!

To get the garage to its current state feels like a huge accomplishment for me! To recap I started in the early spring of 2019. First I had to clean the whole place out, get everything off the walls and then haul yet another pile of crap to the dump. Then I ran power, insulated, covered the walls, installed the doors, put EVERYTHING back where it belongs, made a path and enclosed my stock tank complete with a barn door on top of it! Read More »

Autumn Deck Reveal with New Seating and Updates!

Autumn Deck Reveal with updates and lots of new seating and additions! OMG Where on earth did this summer go!? I can’t believe its so far into November already and I still have so many fun things Lodi and I finished this summer and fall to share with you guys. I decided after so many changes to the deck (Check out the old reveal here) that I definitely needed to share a new deck reveal with you before 2020 was over and I missed the lovely fall colors! The biggest changes are all the seating we removed and replaced with new! Read More »

Tiny Bathroom Reveal – From Embarrassment to Moody Stunner!

Main floor tiny bathroom reveal! This bathroom was the most difficult and annoying of the planning issues I had here during the renovation. (To get the whole scoop check out my post all about it here.) I think I made the practical choice on where I ended up putting the bathroom but, really, there were few options and I didn’t like any of them. But now that its fixed and finished I kind of love our tiny bathroom now! First though let’s take a trip back to what this little space looked like before. Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #254)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #254. Well we have been entirely fortunate to finally get a little bit of rain here though it is far too little and WAY too late. With so many places burning close to us right now we are still SO SO fortunate to have gotten even half an inch of rain. The heat is still just beyond crazy for us this far north in Minnesota. I try to remind myself that it won’t be long until we’ll be buried in snow again but dang its been so hot out for SO long! I hope you’re all keeping cool and having a good summer! Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #253)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #253. Well we kind of took the last two weekends off. The first one, after the craziness of fourth of July, we did absolutely NOTHING. And it was awesome! This last weekend we went to a couple of fairs and hung out with our family a little bit but we really took it easy and simply went home whenever the heck we felt like it. It was great but its time to get serious on projects again. The garage addition is waiting to be built so I’ll be renting a concrete nailer and framing nailer on Friday so we can get to it! Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #252)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #252. Well after the last crazy 3 day weekend over the 4th I put my foot down this weekend and did absolutely NOTHING. I didn’t leave the house. I didn’t even need to get out of my pajamas, though I did. IT WAS WONDEROUS. Apparently I really needed it to because Friday night I slept for 16 hours and then I slept another 12 hours Saturday night. Wow I feel so much better! Besides that I laid out on our deck in the sun. I think I’m ready to return to summer activities lol Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #251)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #251. PHEW! We had a big weekend here at Grandma’s house. Friday night we saw a concert, Saturday night we saw another concert, Sunday we had a full house with a big party with our friends and family and then Monday night more family. It was wonderful to see everyone but I tell you what: “I am beat!” I can’t wait to do nothing next weekend lol. I hope you all had a wonderful and safe 4th of July! Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #250)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #250. Well we hit it hard in June and got the bulk of the BIG projects done here on the farm. We’re tentatively looking at each other like, “Is it OK if we relax a little now?” Three separate concrete pours and getting our entire pea gravel deck done in less than four weeeks… dangit I think we earned a little break! I can’t help it though my brain is starting to panic that its almost July and BOOM its going to be snowing before we know it lol Hope you all have a wonderful, safe and relaxing 4th of July weekend! OMG, YOU GUYS, WE GOT INTERVIEWED THIS MONTH TOO! Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #249)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #249. Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #249. Wow it finally happened guys – IT RAINED HERE! The temperature plummeted and with a high only in the 60s it rained ALL day Sunday. It was absolutely glorious I swear I could hear everything outside singing lol. Looking like more normal temps now and more normal rain fall. Maybe we’ll actually have a yard to mow this year! We got our first little harvest of radishes out of the garden, can’t wait for more. 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 »

Selecting A Living Room Set That Lasts

I couldn’t believe it a couple of years ago when, not only could I afford a new living room set, I could finally for the first time ever, pick a new one out just for myself! I chose Amazon because of the affordability factor and also the drop off factor. I certainly did not have the ability to haul a whole living room sofa in my Honda! It was a great day for me as an “adult” and single gal. Read More »

Want To Add A Natural Touch To Your House? Read These Tips!

I love the idea of adding plants to create natural elements and feelings in a home but some of these tips take it even further. Who doesn’t love bay windows? My mom has me currently designing here dream house and one of her absolute MUST haves was a large, east facing, bay window. Inside the bay (that would be flooded with morning light) she’ll be putting a small table to enjoy the morning with her coffee. Read More »

Natural Disasters, Save Your Home From The Devastationdisaster,

Fortunately for us up in here in northern MN we don’t have a ton of natural disasters to worry about. Though I will say we’ve had a tornado touch down twice in my life here and a wild fire came within just a couple of miles of home a few years back. I digress, every single year I see this meme one facebook when its about -40 degrees outside, “At least we don’t have a hurricanes!” Yeah, well, – 40 degrees is incredibly deadly too but we build for it because it is what it is and it is absolutely certain we’ll see it every winter! Read More »

Roof Maintenance, Home Renovation When You Retire

Whether you’re retired or not the roof is literally the most important thing to maintain in our home. Or, at least in my opinion it is! Without a stable roof and enormous amount of damage can be done from top to bottom in a home. There are many alternatives too if 30 year shingles (and the maintenance) aren’t getting old. Steel has become really popular around here and, honestly, once our own shingles need replacement I think that’s the way we’re go too! Read More »

Home Improvement Tips To Spice Up Your Kitchen

I think the kitchen remains one of my favorite rooms in our house. Years ago I built all of the cabinets custom to just our needs and they are a little different for sure, but they offer us an incredible amount of storage! The kitchen build was one of the rooms I was most nervous about in the house and, understandable, as the kitchen is without a doubt the most complication when in comes to renovation! There’s a lot of improvements that can be made though without starting from scratch. Many kitchen can benefit hugely simply from a new coat of paint! Read More »

Plumbing Issues to Solve Before a Home Renovation

Aw the dreaded “plumbing issues” I at least knew what I was getting into with our 100 year old farm house. It was a complete gut – all the plumbing had to go. Knowing that helped a lot of course but many home owners begin a renovation to realize the bit off a lot more than they bargained for as opening up the walls reveals leaks, issues etc. Fortunately, though there is always the chance of flooding your house, most plumbing is not all that complicated. Read More »

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