snapshot...

morning light shining in the master bath

the "American Brilliant" cut-glass crystal bowl was a wedding gift given to Dan's grandparents in 1917

Wishing you a very Happy New Year!

May your new year be filled with joy, love, peace, grace and light!

joan

the glass door refrigerator

In trying to decide which room in the farmhouse to show you next after the entry (click to see the entry) I realized that if you were actually here visiting the natural protocol is to greet you at the door, usher you into the kitchen to get you your libation of choice, and then to proceed with the house tour!

So... the kitchen it is!

It came to my attention a few weeks ago that the refrigerator should get a post of it's own when our electrician who is working on the barn room renovation (post to follow) walked through the kitchen and commented..... "I have never seen a refrigerator with a glass door. You must have to keep it perfect all the time." I've seen and heard this comment, or ones like it, many times on various blogs, but when the electrician said it I realized I didn't want the refrigerator to be the only thing that you saw when you come into the kitchen, so, I thought I would show it to you first!

I have adored this Sub Zero refrigerator since it first made it's debut several years ago. It reminds me of the original commercial Traulsens glass fronted refrigerators of old, and the varied antique refrigerators that first found their way into home kitchens back in the early part of the 20th century.

In Dallas I had this same model with a solid stainless door, which I dearly loved, but it seems a little more contemporary. In this 1850's farmhouse I felt this refrigerator fit the kitchen perfectly!

I love the casual feel the glass front gives the room. I think it softens the room, and makes it feel very accessible since everything is right there in view!

In reality the glass actually has a deep greenish tint to it, so everything in it isn't as "visible" as you might imagine. While it has an interior light that you can leave on all the time, I generally do not, as at night I find it competes with the other lighting in the kitchen.

My secret weapon in having a glass door refrigerator is .....organized chaos!

I liken it to my boxwood-hedged garden back in Dallas. I had a garden that was completely bordered with clipped boxwoods. In it I planted roses, herbs, flowers for cutting, and any and every plant that I just couldn't resist at the garden store (you gardeners know how that is!) It was wild and chaotic, but because of the trimmed boxwood hedge it all looked completely organized, planned, and intentional!

Hence, organized chaos!

The same principal works with the refrigerator. I keep all labels facing forward (think: Jeff Lewis!), and before you tell me you don't have the time... it takes all of an extra 30 seconds to straighten the labels!! Everything else is willy-nilly, but because the beer, water, milk, yogurts, etc. are all facing straight ahead you get... organized chaos!

So, there you have it- the refrigerator! I'm curious... after hearing my explanation/secret weapon have I changed your mind about having a glass door refrigerator, or is it something you would never want to or could ever do?!

do tell!!

(post script...)

Wave "hi" to Linda!

If you look really, really close you will see Linda from Lime in the Coconut hiding behind one of the Perrier bottles! I've cleaned and I've cleaned, but she's still there;)!!

love ya Linda!!

happy holidays to you...

(first of all my most sincere apologies for my lack of post this month.... between my laptop quitting on me early in the month and the tedious process of finding a new one, and the m.e.a.n. cold that has attached itself to me I'm been very lacking in the blogging department.
...my apologies)

I didn't want to let this season pass by without wishing you a very Happy Holiday.
I also wanted to tell you how grateful I am that you are here visiting, and that you are interested in the stories of our farmhouse.
Your presence here is a gift, and I thank you.The antique brass tray on the living room coffee table was originally silver-plated. When we found the tray many years ago all but hints of silver remained.

It's a favorite of mine and I like to bring it out at Christmas, as it is marked:

MA
from
Mary and Nannie
Christmas
1881
Over the years I have spent hours wondering who was MA?, who were Mary and Nannie?, what was their Christmas like the year this beautiful tray was given as a gift?, where did they live?, and on and on...

Just as I wonder about these three people whose names are engraved on an antique tray that has a presence in my home, I also wonder about you, who also have a presence here.
Some of you I know, as you leave me dear comments or send me emails....but others of you remain a mystery. On my site meter I get repeat visits from places that are near and dear to us, and places that are far away and magical. Dan and I always talk about and wonder who you are!
(for example we get a regular visit from someone in tiny
Lebanon, Oregon...
Dan's father is buried in a cemetery there and we would love to know who this person is!)
That you visit from as far away as India, China, Russia, Singapore, Norway, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Canada, and as close as Kentucky, Tennessee, Utah, Texas and that you all obviously have a love for houses just makes the world seem that much smaller.
I love that!

As was the custom in the period of this Victorian tray people would leave their printed "calling cards" in trays at the homes they visited. (to see images click here)
Dan and I are hoping that in the spirit of the holidays that you, too, will drop your "calling card" in the tray and tell us who you are and where you live, and anything else about yourself that you wish to share. If you have a blog, please mention it and hopefully others will then come to visit, and leave a calling card for you!

Thank you for dropping by to visit today...
you can leave your card in the tray!

joan, dan and ella

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Holiday.

this photo is for Claire...

A couple of weeks ago Dan and I were at an antiques mall that we shop at occasionally. Keep in mind that this mall is almost an hour, and several towns away from our house. I am in a booth upstairs where over a year and a half ago I had purchased the beautiful crystal chandelier that now hangs in the master bath (here). A woman walked into the booth carrying some merchandise, so I asked her if she was the dealer, and she said "Yes."

I then said... "you had a crystal chandelier hanging in the corner...."

She replied "Yes, it sold."

I said "I know....... I bought it!!"

I then went on to tell her how it now hangs in my master bath, and it is beautiful and we love it and that we are renovating an 1850's farmhouse. She looks at me a little oddly, and asks....

"You wouldn't happen to be

"for the love of a house"

would you???"

thuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuud..... that's the sound of me falling on the floor!

now, how in the world???............

Turns out I have a very little bit of a Southern accent and she was putting two-and-two together and remembered that we had moved from Texas! She said she had followed my blog for a long time, but had never left a comment ((Helloooooo People......... I blog for comments!!! I already know what my house looks like!!! Your comments keep me posting!!!;);)

She had even told her husband when she originally saw my post on the chandelier that she thought it was "her" chandelier!

Turns out the chandelier had originally been her mother's. Her mother had purchased this vintage chandelier from the Design Center in Boston back in the 60's.

Claire seemed very happy that her mother's chandelier was so very loved and cherished in it's new home!

so..... this one's for you Claire, and your mother!!

everything has a story: the tortoiseshell frame

antique tortoiseshell frames containing old mirrors in the entry

a close-up
(all photos will enlarge when clicked)
this frame, the largest, hangs on the bottom. it was found at an antiques shop in Jackson, Mississippi


this frame, which hangs in the center, was found on our first trip to Paris and our first trip to the Paris Flea Market at Porte de Clignancourt/ Marche aux Puces

the top tortoiseshell frame, the one with the story

the story

I was an antiques dealer for ten years while living in Dallas. We made several trips to France to buy. Dan was my silent partner, okay sometimes not so silent;) partner who moved, restored, waxed furniture; made lamps; shopped with me; etc, etc... so when I refer to "we" you'll know I'm referring to me and Dan!

We would travel to France with other antiques dealers, and the dealers would share a container to ship back all of our finds to the states.

It was a Saturday afternoon, and we had been at the Paris Flea Market since dawn. Shops were closing and our van had arrived to take us back to our hotel. As we drove out narrow Rue de Rosiers with shops lining the drive we became stopped in traffic. Not wanting to miss a second of shopping I was "window shopping" from my seat in the van, and spied an antique tortoiseshell frame holding an antique painting in the window of a closed shop. I knew instantly that I wasn't interested in the painting, but was very (heart skipping beats) interested in the frame, and wondered if the dealer would sell it without the painting. I don't think I slept all night fantasizing about the frame: would it still be there the next day, would the dealer sell it without the painting, could I afford it even if he would???

The next day was Sunday, and was our only day on this trip to go to the Louvre, as we were leaving for Avignon that night. And, I love the Louvre.... love, love, love! Our favorite part being the fabulous paintings on the second floor of the Richelieu wing. (We are also known to enjoy the Sully wing, and know how to embarrass ourselves in a foreign country... here!) So, I had a dilemma, a big dilemma... go to the Louvre or be at the flea market at opening to try to buy "my" frame. I knew that if I wasn't there at opening, it would be gone.

I chose the Louvre.

While at the Louvre that Sunday morning we saw several frames almost identical to my frame at the flea market proudly framing stunning pieces of art.... I was heartsick. I was now starting to regret my choice!

So, late in the afternoon we made our way back to Marche aux Puce. Sure enough, I walk up to the shop and the painting/frame is gone from the front window. I walk into the shop hoping it has just been moved. I carefully look all over the tiny shop several times, and it is nowhere to be seen. Now, I am really heartsick. I leave the shop only to come back 5 minutes later to have one more look, just to make sure!
Nothing.

I leave once again, but turn around down the block and go back one more time...

(You know how you do that, when you find a great find and you always go back to that exact same spot where you originally found the object. Or...you always go back to the exact same spot of the one thing that you went back to buy and it was now sold... like it was going to magically reappear.)

Once again, inch by inch I scan the tiny shop and there waaaaaaay up on top of a cabinet (almost as if intentionally hidden) sits my frame. No painting, just my frame!! I literally squealed! I can hardly breathe at this point, and manage to express to the dealer (could have been me jumping up and down, with arms flailing wildly that helped him know I was interested!) that I would like to look at the frame; the dealer gets it down- no price.

The dealer spoke no English, and while I, sadly, do not speak French usually we each (the dealer and I) know just enough words/phrases between us that we can figure things out. Not in this case. There was zero communication going on. As it happened, on this trip our group had hired a translator who was at the market and via walkie-talkies could help us out in just such a situation.

We had our translator speak to the dealer. The dealer explained that just that morning someone came in and wanted to purchase only the painting!!

Can you believe it?!!!

The price was a steal, and I almost kicked Dan in the shin;) as he tried to wheel and deal for an even better price, as I happily grunted "JUST BUY IT"!!!!!! I then ran out of the store afraid the dealer would change his mind, or realize that he could have charged me about 10 times what I paid!
I looked something like this, my all-time favorite Ikea commercial depicting me and Dan on many antique shopping forays!! I can not watch this without laughing until I cry..... here!

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

muffins on vintage hotel silver tray from the Belmont New York

This is the best recipe and I wanted to share it with you!
It is the ultimate taste of Fall. Sweet with a burst of tart from the cranberries!

I've been making this recipe for about seven years now. I believe it was from a cooking magazine, but I have tweaked it along the way.

I've made it several times over the last couple of months, each time sharing some with neighbors who have both commented "they were the best muffins I've ever had!"

Pumpkin Cranberry Nut Bread/Muffins
(this recipe makes two 9 x5 loaves or 3 dozen muffins)


3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/8 teaspoon ground cloves (3/8t. is = to a slightly rounded 1/4 t.)
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 can 100% pumpkin (15oz.)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

zest of one orange

3 cups cranberries (if using frozen cranberries, add frozen directly to mixture)
2 cups chopped Pecans (I use a large chop, as opposed to fine)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Grease two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans OR line muffin pans with cupcake liners.
Blend dry ingredients. Set aside.
Creme sugar and butter.
Add eggs (one at a time), orange juice, pumpkin, vegetable oil.
Add dry ingredients, blending until just moist.
Fold in cranberries and pecans.
Bake: 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes (or when cake tester comes out clean) for loaves,
or 30 - 35 minutes for muffins.

Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~

Happy Thanksgiving!

"An entryway is an introduction...."

"An entryway is an introduction.

Like the opening pages of a book, it leads us in and welcomes us to the world inside."

~Rose Tarlow~

Welcome to our world inside!

Come in, won't you?!!

Large dried gourd in an antique urn mixed with gourds and pumpkins at the front door; wicker basket holds shoes, rain boots, dog toys and towels for wet puppy feet!

The newel post was a tired, stained wood when we bought the house. I had it painted a gloss black to make it pop, and to make the statement that this is the entry! This is the same gloss black paint as the front door.

Antique chest holds: antique mirror with vintage oil painting leaning against it; antique wooden pediment fragment that serves as candle holder; vintage hotel silver tray that holds orchid and assortment of car keys, sunglasses and letters waiting to be mailed; lamp with linen shade was originally a vintage iron "smoking stand" which Dan turned into a lamp- the matchbox-holder from the stand is now the lamp's finial.

Antique French urn sitting on the floor holds ivy.

Collection of antique tortoiseshell frame mirrors on wall.

All of the walls in the farmhouse are plaster and are painted shades of gray.

Photo taken from the living room.

If you were to stand at the front door facing the base of the stairs and you turned right, that is the Dining Room (you can see a chair in this photo), if you turn left that is the Living Room. If you were to walk past the entry chest and turn to the left (behind the living room) that is the Reading Room. If you go past the entry chest and turn to the right (under the staircase) this will take you into the Kitchen. The stairs will take you up to the bedrooms.


View of the front door coming down the stairs.
Vintage alabaster chandelier was found at the Paris Flea Market at Porte de Clignancourt.
Antique rug.

Close-up of antique tortoiseshell frame mirrors. The top two we found at the Paris Flea Market. The top frame has a story that is worthy of it's own post! The bottom tortoiseshell framed mirror was found in Jackson, Mississippi.

Afternoon sunlight on the entry chest.


150 year old treads.... I love the wear.


Thank you for coming in!
I hope you'll come visit again.

holiday with matthew mead

I recently received an email from my friend Matthew Mead.

( okay, since I've only met Matthew "once"- you can read about it here - I guess I can't technically call him "my friend", but Matthew is one of those people who is so nice and so charming that when you meet him you instantly feel that he is, indeed, an old friend! )

The uber talented Matthew told me that he had just finished production of his self-published, holiday magazine...

holiday with matthew mead!
Matthew calls this a "book-azine" celebrating and offering inspiration for the Christmas holiday season. It is available only through his website.

I didn't want you to miss out, so if you haven't already received your copy you can order it here!

way too much fun!

From the second Brittany and Kristen walked in the door I don't think we ever stopped talking; about: houses, dogs, antiques, cooking!

It was the most wonderful weekend!

I really can't express how much fun we had! Dan and I were so sad to see them drive off on Monday.

I first want to make clear (as I just inferred it in the previous post), that all of the people who kindly drive the shelter dogs from the Shelby Humane Society to shelters in the North are volunteers. They do not get paid to take time off from work, and give up their weekends and holidays. Brittany, Kristen and Brooke (Brittany's sister who was on the first two rescue runs) even go so far as to raise the funds needed to pay for their entire trip, so that the Humane Society does not have to. (click "One Dog at a Time" logo at the bottom of this page for more information!)

It was a 22-hour drive from the Shelby Humane Society to their first drop, the New Hampshire Humane Society in Laconia. Since they have a van full of rescue dogs on the drive up they drive straight through, only stopping for gas and breaks for the dogs.

Here Brittany (left) and Kristen are handing off the last of their pups to the Cocheco Valley Humane Society in Dover, New Hampshire.
At this point, they had been awake for well over 24-hours!

They brought us the most wonderful gift box filled with gifts from Alabama!

It was so gorgeous I almost didn't want to open it!! A vintage french box was wrapped with a burlap New Orleans coffee bean bag to hold all the goodies! Lots of the goodies were also wrapped in burlap. Inside, all from Alabama: peanuts, wine, dog cookies, sugar cookies, honey, habanero pepper marmalade, pickles, Saw sauce, fried green tomato batter mix, notepad, and a burlap dog collar for Ella!!

Brittany and Brooke's sweet parents had also sent along a bottle of wine and some pancake cane syrup!

The next day we took them on our dog-walk (Ella adored the girls!)......

to the falls....

and since it was Halloween, we went to one of the antique cemeteries, and visited the grave of a local ghost!

We then went antique shopping and the girls made a haul at our favorite dive antique mall! Dan found the little demi-john that Kristen purchased... $3!

They are now safely back home in Birmingham!

A very grateful thank you to Brittany & Kristen for helping to save these 33 little dog-souls!
It is amazing when you realize that by the end of this week, the majority of the dogs will have found their forever homes!


It was a pleasure, a joy and a huge gift for Dan and I and Ella to get to spend the weekend with these two amazing puppy-angels!

I absolutely adore them both!

weekend houseguests...

I am absolutely thrilled to have two very special guests staying at the house this weekend!
Actually, two very special puppy-angels:
Brittany and Kristen!

waiting for Brittany and Kristen to arrive!

New Hampshire does not have the same overpopulated pounds and shelters as they do in the South. We have lived here now for two and a half years and have never... never seen a stray dog....incredible! It is said to be because of strict spay and neuter laws, but quite honestly (having been born, and raised and lived in the South I will say) it is primarily a cultural issue. It is just not okay here to mistreat, dump, let your dog run lose, or chain your dog to a bumper as it is in some places in the South.

So, the empty shelters here partner with the overcrowded shelters in the South and bring up dogs to find homes!

Here is information from the Shelby Humane Society's website explaining about the Shelby Partner's Program.... you can click on the photo to go to their site.

Shelby Humane Society's Shelter Partners Program, founded in November, 2006, is a volunteer driven (literally) transport program providing second chances for thousands of shelter dogs.
Shelter Partners moves pets from Shelby County, which is experiencing extreme animal overpopulation, to shelters in states where the success and enforcement of animal and spay and neuter laws and initiatives limit the number of pets available for adoption. Shelby Humane works with a dedicated group of partner shelters to find new forever families for dogs being transported. With rare exception, the dogs and puppies transferred are placed with adoptive families within a few days of becoming available for adoption at our partner shelters.
This program would not be possible without the dedicated volunteers who are willing to drive 19-23 hours to make these life-saving trips possible. We are always in need of additional drivers so we can make more trips and save more lives!
Please visit our Shelter Partners picture page which includes adoption day photos and updates for many of the dogs that have benefited from this wonderful program!
Save a Life - Sponsor a Dog for Our Next Shelter Partners trip!

Each Shelter Partners trip costs SHS $750-850. For $50, you can sponsor one of the dogs leaving our shelter to go to New Hampshire. We will send you a picture of the dog that benefits from your kindness and any information we have about it.

It was over a year ago that I first found the blog One Dog at a Time (while blog hopping) of two sisters who had just completed their first rescue trip driving dogs to New Hampshire. I was heartsick to find their blog literally two days after they returned home, as they had had van trouble, and I could have/would have helped them had I known. I contacted the sisters, Brittany and Brooke, and introduced myself and gave them my contact information for their next trip. I wanted them to have a NH contact, a "just in case" name and number.

From that point, we became fast friends and in May (on their second rescue trip) Ella and I were able to meet them in person! You can read about it HERE!

Sisters Brittany (left) and Brooke, with Ella at the Nashua Humane Society

Gorgeous "puppy angels"- Brooke, Kristen and Brittany

On this trip this weekend, Brittany (right) is coming with her friend- Kristen (center in photo above) and they are driving 33 lucky shelter dogs from Alabama to New Hampshire!

They will depart Alabama Friday morning and drive straight through, arriving in New Hampshire early Saturday morning. They will drive to two NH Humane Societies in different parts of the state to drop off the dogs.
Usually the girls have to head back immediately, but I am thrilled that Brittany and Kristen have taken some vacation days and will stay with us over the weekend!
The girls requested antique shopping! I want them to see and get to know New England, so I have lots of shops and sight-seeing planned!
(you will be greatly missed Miss Brooke...)

To see the adorable dogs they are transporting this trip and to follow their adventure, go to
One Dog at a Time blog (also on my sidebar).
The three girls also make dog collars that they sell on etsy! A portion of sales go to fund their rescue trips, so that the shelter doesn't have to pay for them. Be sure to check our their fun designs at the link at the bottom of my blog!



Ella modeling a One Dog at a Time collar!



Safe travels to the pups and the wonderful puppy-angels driving them!
Can't wait to see you!
xo,
joan

snapshot...

the Fall living room mantel

too pretty not to share....

I hope you don't mind a few more Fall photos!

It's just so gorgeous here that I can't help but want to share it all with you. When you look at the photos imagine that the view is not just in front of you, but all around you- 360 degrees of jaw-dropping color and beauty! And, to be honest, the photographs really don't do the views justice. Every day there are subtle changes; it is a spectacular time of year in New England. As I mentioned to Dan today, I think we use the word "wow" about 100 times a day during Fall!

We have 15 sugar maples along the drive up to the house.

The view from the upstairs porch.


Gorgeous falls are a mere 20-minute walk from the house!

Downstream from the falls. This is deep in the woods, so the colors are less brilliant, but still a stunning view, yes?!

A bridge along the hike.

Ella, being a very brave girl, making her crossing.


I adore this photo.

(This photo was taken from an adjacent hillside, looking back to our hill.)

I have to pinch myself when I realize that....
this is a view of where we live- literally!
The white house in the far right of the photo is my next door neighbor...

Our house sits directly behind (but not in view) the white house.

I want to do a post on how we came to live in New Hampshire, but perhaps this photo says everything that needs to be said.... ?!

A closer view of my next door neighbor's house. This photo faces North.


The little white dot about a one-third of the way in the photo from the left is on our daily walk. It is one mile from our house and is an antique church (that is now a children's summer playhouse). For reference, my neighbor's house can not be seen in this photo; it is out of the frame to the right.
The mountain on the left of the photo is Pack Monadnock.

This is a closer view of the little white dot/church!

Here is the street view of the above photo! The white dot (!) is the church on the left. Trees hide the steeple of the church on the right in the photo above.
I will also add that I was brought to a few tiny tears this past weekend when driving home past this very spot, and there was a tour bus driving through.... a tour bus was driving through my neighborhood! Lets just say that did not happen in my neighborhood back in Dallas!

Thank you for sharing the view with me!!
Happy Fall to you!