Basement Walls – Putting up Plyboard and Trim

Putting up plyboard and trim – finishing out our basement walls. Also painting the whole place out and making some changes in the kitchen! When Lodi and I planned the material we were going to use we agreed that neither one of us wanted to deal with drywall. Lodi in quarantine early this year meant he headed to Menards without me with this as the only thing I had to say about it, “Focus on inexpensive and light weight… I trust you.” To be fair I knew there wouldn’t be a ton of options – I was really just encouraging him to get something (anything) easier to deal with than sheet rock. I wouldn’t have been unhappy with plain old wood paneling on the basement walls – everything is paintable! Read More »

Small Office Tips to Keep Clutter Down – Carving Space out of an Entryway

Small office tips using not one single piece of actual “office” furniture! Carving out a space in our mudroom/entryway/dining room for my office was not the easiest of tasks. Over the years my office has moved all over this house. It went from a dedicated room in the back of the house (which I hated – its now our awesome guest bedroom), to on a table in the living room (which was great but not sustainable) to finally finding its home here. Read More »

Rust-Oleum RockSolid Flooring Kit – Doing our Basement Floors

How we completed our Basement floors using a Rust-Oleum RockSolid Flooring Kit. The last major basement project (the spray painting job from hell to complete the ceilings) I couldn’t take any credit for, Lodi was tackling this space without me. But once he moved to the floors (and I finished a few of my own projects) we combined forces. This floor is over 100 years old so we went into this figuring whatever the result it would at least be better than what we started with. Read More »

Tiny Bathroom Paint – So long overdue that its Embarrassing!

Tiny Bathroom Paint choices and cheating a little… The main floor bathroom has so many issues that I’ve just been ignoring it since I finished the renovation and moved in in 2015. Ok to be fair “issues” is an over statement. Basically this little space works totally fine its just so tiny its hard for me to take it that seriously. It doesn’t have any natural light either so that also makes it a nightmare to photograph. One thing it needed beyond all else though was a fresh coat of paint! Read More »

Creating Hidden Storage in our Entryway

Creating some much needed hidden storage for boots and our boot dryers in our entryway. One thing that is an absolute certainty in northern MN in serious mud and snow on our boots ALL winter long. We have a long rug in front of the door and last winter I added a rubber (hardcore) rug for a landing place for us when we come in wet from outside. Conveniently its right in front of our bench too. That’s all great but we were still seriously lacking a place for our boot dryers and boot storage. Read More »

Deck Coffee Table out of Treated Lumber – Replacing a Rotting Spool

A simple deck coffee table build! I had grown to totally despise the spool that was sitting in this corner. There are a lot of reasons why but the most practical reason is because it was literally rotting the deck out beneath it. I had plenty of lumber on hand from when I replaced the table top out here so I quickly grabbed what I needed to make a simple deck coffee table. 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 »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #219)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #219. We’re still seeing some pretty warm weather for November and absolutely no one around here is complaining. Got a dusting of snow this last weekend that is almost gone – we might see a brown Thanksgiving for a change! We got the wall and door in, officially making our back hall/closet into its own small room! So excited to have that project done. Next up for me over my four day weekend is sheetrock tape, mud, paint and trim – oh, and eating way too much of course 😉 Hope you all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving! Now, on to the Party! Read More »

October 2020 – Our Fall Photo Gallery

October 2020 – This time of the year in Minnesota can either be Heaven on earth or a great big ball of suck. (Usually it takes turns being both which is exactly what it did this year.) We’ve had snow storms throughout October some years and have also seen highs in the 80s other years. This year it was cool but a pretty much lovely month minus the snow storm we got hit by at the end of it! We had many of those perfect, shiny, fall days where the sunshine feels like liquid silver and the shadows are long and dark and the trees get to take their time turning in for the winter… And then a foot of snow landed on us… I have some catching up to do as I didn’t recap on all of the projects we completed throughout September in my last post. Read More »

September 2020 – Leaving the Emerald City

September 2020 started off quite tragically for all of us here in north country Minnesota. It FROZE two nights in a row. I know we weren’t the only ones hit by the deep freeze but wow did that come on hard and fast. Fortunately we did return to “normal” temps but, of course, summer was just over after that. The constant joke I saw on Facebook was, “The temperature went from 90 to 50 like it saw a state trooper!” And it REALLY did. I’ve seen that meme just about every year on Facebook that I can remember but it has never been more accurate than THIS year. I guess it is 2020 so nobody is exactly surprised… maybe a little disappointed though! Read More »

Barn Photo Gallery – Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder

My old barn did not quite make it through our winter of 2018-2019 – its back fell in. (As most of you know, we were heart broken. This is where my aunt and mom grew up. This was my grandparents’ dairy barn.) It was built in 1929 and it was already many years too late to save the roof/hay mow when I came along and purchased my Grandparents’ farm in 2015. Living up on the Hubbard prairie in northern Minnesota I am very familiar with the suddenly empty space of a barn that was finally removed after it had fallen. (SO MANY.) Read More »

August 2020 – Actually getting in reach of ALL of our summer goals!

August 2020 went by far too quickly for my liking which is always true. I’m a total summer person and August is my favorite month. I promised myself last month that I would kick my ass in gear and get some things done this month and, lo and behold, I actually did! Lodi started us off by taking it upon himself to do something that’s been on my list for the last two years. Remember that pile of dirt I had dropped off so I could use it to hand shovel in a very dangerous dried up well out in the barn? Also remember I didn’t use all of it so its just been a sitting eye sore ever since? Not anymore! Read More »

July 2020 starting with a heat wave that totally BROKE me

July 2020. Every. Single. Year. I panic right now. Whether its because we hit the longest day of the year in late June. Or that the year is suddenly HALF over or its because I just got a flier in the mail about purchasing pellets for this winter. OR, the fact that we just put up the hay for the horses also FOR THIS WINTER. Every. Single. Year. I panic about everything that isn’t done yet that needs to be done before the snow flies. As if, suddenly, two days passed June, the count down begins. I lose my damn mind. 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 »

Bedroom Reveal – Completing the New Guest Bedroom Unisex Redesign!

I’m so excited to finish the new guest bedroom reveal! My old country girl design and library just wasn’t right anymore and this room needed attention badly. It needed to grow up,l become more unisex and also become a lot more comfortable for any guests or friends that might stay. It all started with a new far more grown up paint color called Flannel Gray by Valspar. From there I tackled the challenging furniture layout and now moved on to the final touches, design and completion. Read More »

Living Room Reveal – Farm Houses can be Classy, Fun & Practical!

Farmhouse living room reveal! OMG you guys this room took me over 5 months to finish – UGH Finally though, we have arrived at the new living room. It probably seems strange and even silly but buying a new sofa meant something to me. Throughout the entire home almost every single piece of furniture here I’ve either inherited or I built. The few other pieces besides I picked up at either thrift stores or garage sales. I literally only have one “new” thing and its my dining room chairs which my mom bought for me as a gift MANY years ago! Read More »

DIY Farmhouse Kitchen Reveal! A Bigger Closet and a Bigger Kitchen!

DIY Farmhouse Kitchen Reveal, somehow I took space AWAY from my kitchen and yet I ended up with MORE storage and a bigger feeling space! In this kitchen I will always think of my amazing Grandma Charlotte who lived in this home for over fifty years before me. I was thrilled that this old farmhouse could become mine and ecstatic at the notion of creating my very own farmhouse kitchen. This space was a VERY long time coming for me. I had no idea it would take me from early spring of 2014 until right now, to finally create and finish the kitchen of my dreams. But, ya know what? It was worth it! Read More »

A Farmhouse Entryway, Office and Dining Room Reveal

I should have posted a reveal of my entry way back when I first “completed” it in 2016. But, honestly, it never felt truly “done” until now. The wood stove happened and the entire room needed to be repainted because of smoke damage and then, because I had it cleared out I went ahead and gave my floors some TLC too. Finally though I was able to take my time and put it all back together again! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #218)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #218. Well we finally got a dusting of snow on Monday but, amazingly enough, its on its way to being melted and gone! Strange for us this time of year but no one is complaining. (We were missed by a huge snow storm that hit most of the state last week.) We got a heated water bowl for our birds and little critters and I can’t believe how much they appreciate it! We’re filling it up almost daily and totally regret not getting one sooner! Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #217)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #217. Well the weather reprieve was absolutely glorious. I can’t remember if I’ve EVER seen 70 degrees in November lol. I couldn’t sleep at all Sunday night and finally realized it was because of the sound of the rain pounding on our roof. It sounded amazing and sad in a way. I knew by Monday night the rain would turn to snow and it would likely be the last time we had rain in a very LONG time. It was nice though, it filled up the stock tank so that’s a worry I won’t have to think about in a long while! Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #216)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #216. OMG You guys I am SO excited – its going to hit 60 degrees today. We have one last truly beautiful week and weekend before it looks like winter will fully arrive. What a gift! I had my first weekend alone here in over a year and I took the opportunity to tackle some projects and just be incredibly boring. A little bit of gaming, a little bit of wine, I never left the house except to feed the animals. I ate pizza and didn’t even bother putting on a bra lol it was pretty great though incredibly quiet! I missed Lodi terribly but I will say a some time alone I think is good for all of us. Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #215)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #215. Well, fortunately for us, after record lows and a record snow fall, we have highs in the 40s on the way! Woop Woop! Winter is not quite here permanently YET lol But with it being only in the single digits yesterday morning I finally broke down and got out my winter jacket, boots and a pair of gloves. All this cold and snow made me crave comfort food and you guys shared so many wonderful recipes last week that all my features ended being food! Now, on to the party. Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #214)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #214. Well it happened hard and fast: winter is here. Snow is on the ground and we’re staring down maybe getting up to a foot this weekend! WTH! Hopefully *crosses fingers* this is not the end of our fall weather and may still see some highs in the upper 30s and 40s once this cold front and winter storm moves through. We tackled some pretty hard core projects this weekend right in the nick of time and actually managed to get a new door in! How are you guys fairing? Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #213)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #213. We got the majority of our “before winter” work done though it does seem like an endless list… Probably because we keep adding to it! I want to replace the door on the south side of our house and move it into my workshop. This will accomplish a couple of things. Firstly: It’ll be awesome to have an exterior door in the workshop and secondly the current door is total crap and was letting out a lot of heat last winter. The workshop can be the coldest room in the house, so this will work out perfect. Now we just need to get it done lol 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 »

Signs That You Might Have Rodents in Your Home and What To Do

Living on an old farm and still keeping livestock near a 100 year old home means we still get rodents into the house from time to time. I feel like, at this point, its a damned near impossibility to eliminate the problem completely especially with how hard our winters are. Every single fall the mice get in somehow. A few years back we were in for a whopper of a winter and the rodent problem here in Minnesota brought cat adoption up 20%! As for us, we put out traps in the basement and that takes care of it lol. Read More »

Things to Do Before Turning an Inherited House Into Your New Home

Working in real estate I often see inherited homes being put on the market by children (or grand kids) of folks who have often lived in their homes for decades. I was SO fortunate to be able to keep my Grandma’s house as its really not always a feasible thing for the remaining family member who sometimes even live in other states! Inherited homes do come with their own challenges though and often comes with the sometimes enormous task of deciding what to keep and sell etc. Read More »

How To Furnish A Large Bedroom

We don’t have a large bedroom though it is plenty big for three dressers two end tables and a king size bed! I have, in the past though, had a very large bedroom for several years and no matter how many times I moved things around in that space it never felt cozy no matter what I did! I know a lot more now than I did then on how to create coziness in large rooms and most of my experiences are listed below in this great article. Looking back on it I think I may have built myself a canopy bed so I could have used the canopies for fabric “walls” to help break the space up… Read More »

Updating Your Home this Winter

There’s a relief in getting to winter for me usually. Unlike most years I spent a lot of time working inside this summer. Usually though its wonderful to turn my attention from my property (and garage etc.) and turn my attention inward again. Winter is the perfect time for us northerner’s to tackle our inside work and think about all the updates we can make to our interior. Not to mention a little holiday coziness and decorating as well! Read More »

Getting Your Home Ready To Sell

Getting a home ready to sell can be a huge undertaking and can add thousands of dollars worth of collateral to a place. Small projects of just getting the lawn mowed and the place weed wacked can make a huge difference in salability. Just a fresh coat of paint and a thorough cleaning that includes deep cleaning carpets etc. will give your home its best “ready to sell” look when it comes time to put it on the market. Read More »

How To Strike The Balance Between A Modern and Traditional Home

I’ve always been a huge fan of modern design which is probably not what you would expect from someone living in a 100 year old farmhouse. The more I’ve immersed myself in the designs that I love the more I’ve realized that if there was any aesthetic that was probably more “me” than anything else it would be Quaker interior design. Its OLD. Its SOLID WOOD. And it is always very minimal and simple. I love it. It makes my OCD of clean lines and absolutely NO clutter very happy! Our own home I believe captures that pretty well but still bringing in our personality and practicality.

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