Friday Favorite: the New Stairway
Mr Chiots and I were talking about all the work we’ve been doing around the house and which part was our favorite. Oddly enough, with two new bedrooms and a new bathroom, my favorite part is the old stairway that just got a bit of a redo. They were covered in beige carpet, the only remnant of the original house. They were plain pine stairs, just like the ones that went to the basement. We debated on covering them with wood that matched our hardwood floors, but the way they are installed would make it very difficult and it would have been very expensive.
I decided to paint the risers and trim white and stain the stairs dark. The results were nothing less than remarkable. Instead of spending almost a thousand dollars on wood and the headache of trying to figure out how to install it, I spent only about $30 on supplies (paint, stain and some moulding) and a few days painting and staining. (I used a mix of half Mahogany half Walnut Minwax Polyshades)
The area needed a bit of flair, so I printed out a bunch of old Grow Your Own posters and hung them. This stair area, which used to be the only eyesore left in our home, is now a real focal point. It’s my favorite part of the house redo.
When it comes to stairs there’s nothing I dislike more than carpet. I find them very difficult and tedious to keep clean. The wood, on the other hand, cleans up in a snap! This stairway is my current favorite thing about our little house.
When it comes to stairs do you like with or without carpet?
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Frost Kissed Seed Tin Giveaway
Yesterday, we arrived home and found a package on the doorstep from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply. Of course that made me giddy, as packages of seeds and garden goodies always do! I’m very familiar with this company, because my parents have been ordering from them since I was a little girl. Back in the day, they were one of the few places to find organic gardening supplies.
Inside my package I found a big bag of Soil Builder Cover Crop with an envelope of inoculant. Being a huge fan of various cover crops and the wonderful benefits they provide, I’m really looking forward to trying this out!
I also received a collection of various seeds that I will experiment with planting this fall and winter. Which seeds arrived? ‘Little Finger’ carrots, ‘Flame’ lettuce, ‘Bloomsdale’ spinach, ‘Pink Beauty’ radish, ‘French Breakfast’ radish, ‘Sparkler’ radish, Mesclun mix, Braising greens mix, arugula, ‘Tres Fine’ endive, ‘Freckles’ lettuce, and ‘Black Seeded Simpson’ lettuce.
Along with all of the wonderful cold tolerant vegetables above, I also received the Frost Kissed Spring or Fall Mix Seed Tin. I plan on planting some of these this fall in a low tunnel to see how they do. The remaining seeds will be planted early next spring.
In order to kick start you fall garden, Peaceful Valley is going to be giving away a Frost Kissed Seed Tin to one lucky reader. All you have to do is comment on this post. Winner will be chosen September 12. Winner chosen, thanks to Random.org Joy Giles won. She said “Looks like a small Farmers’ Market to be in a tin. Would love to plant test garden with these.”
What’s your favorite fall/winter vegetable?
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Crossing the Finish Line
Late last night, Mr Chiots and I finally crossed the finish line on the upstairs project. We now have two extra bedrooms, a bathroom and a nice sitting area. Working around the clock is almost an understatement when it came to this project. I snapped a few quick photos and then we fell into bed.
We still need to have the tub installed, we’re going to have a plumber to that. We’re still waiting on a few parts to arrive for that. I can’t wait to see how it looks in the bathroom with the show attachment!
We crossed the finish line just in time because we have two showings today. One this morning and one later this evening.
What was the last home improvement project you completed?
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Whispers of Fall
Last week I noticed a leaf falling from the tree above me. Then I spotted some yellow out of the corner of my eye. When we were driving around Cincinnati this past weekend, the smell of fallen leaves filled the air in the park. Everywhere you look you hear whispers of fall.
The tulip trees are the first ones to signal the change in seasons. Their leaves start collecting in the gutters and by the doors long before the other leaves start to turn. Soon after the sassafrass trees start changing, the dogwood trees will come soon as well.
On Sunday, I realized there were already enough leaves on the ground to consider raking. I can’t believe that fall is almost here!
Has fall arrived in your garden yet?
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18 Years and Counting
Way back in 1994 I was a college freshman in Cincinnati, OH. That fall, I met five other girls with whom I would form a close friendship. Little did we know that 18 years later we’d still be getting together yearly for a reunion. This past weekend was our 17th one. Throughout the years we’ve reunited in different places, rented cabins, at each other’s houses, until we settled on traveling back to the city where it all began.
One member of our group still lives in Cincinnati, thus we all stay at her place. The rest of us drive in from our respective locations in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. Not all of us can make it for each gathering, but there are always at least four of us. We have celebrated weddings, rejoiced at births, comforted after divorce, and cried at a funeral throughout the years.
Even though we don’t talk much throughout the year, when we come together it’s like we were never apart. We laugh as we tell funny stories from the past and much time is spent filling each other in on what’s going on in our lives.
It is a weekend filled it lots of laughter, great food, and good company. This past weekend we went to the Findlay market, walked down the by the river, rented a quad surrey and went for a ride in the park. Of course, all the Cincinnati specialities like Graeter’s and Skyline Chili were checked off the list as well.
It’s really hard to believe that I’ve known these lovely ladies for 18 years, time really does fly. It seems like yesterday when we were eating key lime pie out of the pan in our hotel room of our first get together the summer of 1995 the summer between our freshman and sophomore years.
Do you have any friends that you reunite with on a regular basis?
