Imagine

If you are a lover of old farmhouses, or of one old farmhouse in particular, imagine what it would be like to have the opportunity to buy that house just sort of fall into your lap.  Imagine that, at the same time, you were given a pot of money that you could use to restore and refurbish that house.  Sounds like a lovely dream, doesn't it?  But that is pretty much what happened to me.  So, the house was purchased, and now the restoration is complete.  I am the proud and happy owner of the 1912 home my mother was born and raised in.  It will not be leaving the family for the fate that so many old farms and farmhouses face, either left to rot and fall down or sold to a developer and destroyed.  I love this house so much, and now looks almost like a new house. Some days the sense of "pinch me" is so strong!  I am so blessed!

Here are some photos of the transformation.  I'll try to show them in a before/after fashion.

The drainboard next to the sink as it was when we bought the house, and as it appears today after being re-porcelained.  The sink was also re-porcelained; last year the basin was almost totally black.

The top 3 of these 5 photos show aspects of the kitchen as it was when we took possession of the house, with its peeling plaster, grungy linoleum, tired paint, and old metal cabinets.  The bottom two photos show the kitchen as it looks today.  Walls have been removed and an addition added where the back porch used to be. You can just barely see this same round table, original to the home, in the third of these five photos. The gray table used to be out on the back porch.  Now, it's being used as an island.  The old refrigerator was kept in the dining room because there was no space for it in the tiny kitchen.  A niche was created by the carpenter to sort of hide the new refrigerator and make it so the fridge doesn't have to take up space in the kitchen.  The niche is all bead board, which I love, and which carries over from the sink area, which is original bead board.

An old sink that we found in the house, and its new placement as the laundry room sink in the new addition. The faucet that I ordered online is just the right style.

The old back porch was removed, and replaced with an addition and a wrap around porch.  The house has been power washed and is, again, white!

The first of these four photos shows the vanity I ordered online.  I was so pleased at how well it fits into the new bathroom in the addition.  I'd like to point out how perfectly the carpenter built a wider  window sill that meets the top of the vanity. That's a nice, custom touch that I wouldn't have thought to ask for.  It is subtle, and it is just right.  The second and fourth photos show the new sun room from two different angles.  The French doors in the sun room open onto the wrap around porch, a portion of which can be seen in the third photo, which Ted, Erin, and Max are enjoying.  The porch was like a magnet, drawing us out each morning and evening for alfresco enjoyment of sunrises, sunsets, and rain showers.

Managing a renovation from halfway across the country is not something I would recommend to anyone.  At times, it was quite stressful but it turned out about 95% perfect, and I think that is just amazing.  All credit for that goes to our wonderful contractor, who has an old house of his own and seemed to have a knack for intuiting what I might like.  The contractor, in turn, uses a carpenter whose amazing skills with woodworking can be seen throughout the home.  The existing part of the house has been restored to a state that mimics what it must have looked like in 1912.  I couldn't feel happier about how the place turned out.  Next time I post I'll show before and after photos of the living room, the restored stairs, and a few other tidbits. 

Reunion Time Is Fast Approaching

I have to start off with apologies to any readers I still might have for not posting anything for a long time.  The days have simply whirled by in the past month or two, with preparations for the reunion, managing my part in the remodel, and the typical springtime demands of home and yard.

Today, May 20, is going to be the big "reveal", as they same on HGTV.  We're in Illinois, at a hotel, heading over to the farm when we leave here.  I feel nervousness for this milestone where I thought I would feel only excitement.  The house renovation and remodel is, except for minor work, DONE!  I hope we like it!  It's been a long slog, and pretty tough at times, this remodeling from a distance.  I don't recommend it, and without Internet I think it would have been impossible.  So, a shout out to technology!, and gratitude for living in this day and age.

The reunion will take place a week from today!  A large number of family members will be attending from such far away states as Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and California, as well as from Missouri and Illinois.  It is going to be so much fun!, reconnecting and, in some cases, meeting each other for the first time.  My husband and I have been working hard on this event to make it as much fun as we can and we are super excited about it.  We have a great BBQ menu, and a bunch of games for kids and adults, and we truly are anticipating an event filled with fun and family love for the Love family!

Love Family Reunion Part II - Things to Do in Madison County, IL

As promised, here is a sampling of things the family might want to do or see while visiting the Love Farm.  Everything on here is family friendly but do check out the websites to make sure the activity would hold the interest of your child.  All these sites are within about 30 miles.

1.  Cahokia Mounds State Historical Site.  This ancient Native American burial site has a great                 museum and a huge mound that requires many steps, but the views from there are stunning.
     https://cahokiamounds.org

2.  National Great Rivers Museum, Alton, IL.  This museum of the Mississippi River has a working         lock and dam.  greatriverroad.com/Cities/EAlton/riverMuseum.htm   Afterward, a drive up
     Hwy. 100 along the Mississippi River is fun as it passes through some cute old river towns.

3.  Gardens at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville (SIUE)  6 Arbortum Lane, Edwardsville,          Illinois.    www.siue.edu/gardens/visit   There is a 1/2 mile paved walking trail in this public                botanic garden that passes flowers, trees, themed gardens, and a bridge over a turtle pond.

4.  Edison's Entertainment Complex. 2477 S. State Route 157, Edwardsville, IL  (618) 307-9020

5. Altitude Trampoline Park.  91 Fountain Drive, Glen Carbon, IL  (618) 663-3879

6.  Edwardsville Watershed Nature Center.  159 Tower Ave., Edwardsville, Illinois
     www.watershednaturecenter.org   This site has walking trails through prairie, forest, and wetland         habitat.

7.  Henry's Rabbit Ranch and The Mother Road, a.k.a. Historic Route 66. 
     1107 Historic Old Route 66, Staunton, IL.  www.illinoisroute66.org  Did you all know that                   Historic Route 66 follows along Illinois State Route 157?  And that it passes through Hamel and         Staunton?  If you're interested in getting your kicks on Rte. 66, you can find parts of it only miles
     from the farm.  Be sure to stop by this roadside attraction and pet the bunnies at Henry's.                     www.henrysroute66.com

8.  Cemeteries.  You can find family markers at Quercus Grove Cemetery just a couple of miles               from the farm up Aldrich Lane.  There are also markers of family members in Woodlawn                    Cemetery in Edwardsville, 1400 St. Louis St.  Of interest is the Nix-Judy Pioneer Cemetery at
    N. Bluff Rd. (IL 157) in Glen Carbon.  Katherine Pittman Love was raised by the Judy family
    in Glen Carbon after she was orphaned. The Judys were pioneers of the area.

9.  Lewis and Clark State Historic Site, Hartford, IL.  As part of this complex you can go up into
     a tower with great views of the rivers, see the site where Lewis and Clark set out on their historic
     journey, and visit a very nice museum.  www.campdubois.com   www.confluencetower.com
     https://www.npsgov/lecl/planyourvisitleclvcillinois.htm

10.  Edwardsville Children's Museum, 722 Holyoake Rd., Edwardsville (618) 692-2094

11.  If you have some time to go a little further afield, there is plenty of Abraham Lincoln                           history to be found at Springfield, IL, there is an Amish Settlement at Arthur, IL, and of course           there is the great city of Saint Louis, MO, which is only about 30 miles from the farm. 

Love Family Reunion - Installment I Places To Stay

To those readers of this blog who are descendants of the the Love Family (you know who you are because you received an email invitation to this event), I promised to post information that you might find useful if attending the reunion.  Here is the first installment, places to stay near the farm.

You already have the address of the farm in your save-the-date email.  The following locations are all sited within 25 miles of the farm.  There's no particular order to the listings.  All dollar amounts are just guidelines and are subject to change.  Please contact me if you have any questions regarding places to stay.  All locations except #1 and the campground serve breakfast.

[I'm sorry, I don't think the links will link even after all my hard work on this].

1.  Innkeeper Motel.   401 State St., Hamel, IL 62046     (618) 633-2111           $45/night
      www.inkeeperinn.com    This motel is the closest to the farm, about 10 minutes away.

2.  Hampton Inn.    5723 Heritage Crossing Drive, Glen Carbon, IL  62034       $93/night
     This location is near Interstates 270 and 255, and a short distance to State Route 157, which gets         you to the farm from Edwardsville.  It's about a 25 minute drive to the farm. (618) 589-5000.
     http://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/illinois/hampton-inn-and-suites-st-louis-edwardsville- STLEDHX/index.html

3.  Holiday Inn Express.  1000 Plummer Drive, Edwardsville, IL  62025          $146/night
      (618) 692-7255    On State Route 157 as it goes through Edwardsville, this hotel is about 20                minutes from the farm.                             https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/edwardsville/stlex/hoteldetail


4.  Country Hearth Inn and Suites.    1013 Plummer Dr., Edwardsville                $100/night
      This is located on the same street as #3.  (618) 656-7829
      https://www.redlion.com/edwardsville


5.  Comfort Inn.    3080 S. State Route 157, Edwardsville                                     $93/night
     A little further south, this lodging is about 23 miles from the farm.  (618) 656-4900
     https://www.choicehotels.com/illinois/edwardsville/comfort-inn-hotels/il423


6.  Super 8.  1527 Herman Road, Staunton, IL  62088                                          $75/night
     This is only about 15 miles from the farm, in nearby Staunton.  (618) 635-5353
      https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/super-8/staunton-illinois/super-8-staunton/overview


7.  Rustic Acres Campground.  New Douglas, IL  (217) 456-1122  This is about 15-20 miles
     from the farm, if anyone is interested in camping.

If this list isn't adequate I suggest looking in Troy, IL, which is about 10 miles from Hamel down I-55.  Alton , IL, is about 21 miles from the farm and is another possibility. 

We've only ever stayed in #2 and #3 and we like both and can recommend them.  #3 is only a few years old (same for #4, I think).  We don't have first-hand experience with the other places so use the reviews to help make your decision.  Can't wait to see those of you who can come to the reunion!!

Next post will have things of interest to see or do in the Madison County area.

Front Stair Restoration

Here are the beginnings of the restoration of

the front stairs which were taken out in the 1960s

to make a bedroom for Grandma Love, when she

could no longer negotiate stairs to her bedroom on

the second floor.  All traces of the original stairs have

vanished except for this one newel post, which is shown 

leaning against its new counterparts, and which remained

in place where the top of the stairs met a landing that launched

into a short stairway to the second floor hallway. We now have

matching newel posts, along with craftsman-style square balusters

and a bread rail handrail (so called because it looks like the rounded, 

squat top of a loaf of bread).  These details have been copied from a

reproduction Sears Robuck catalog that our wonderful contractor, Joe 

Hutton, uses for period details.  (see below)

(I realize this photo is hard to read, so let me just say that

square baluster stock doesn't cost $.02 per each anymore!)

Here's a photo of the old newel post still in situ at

the top of the stairs.  The red circle emphasizes the mark left

by the original handrail (as seen in the photo from the Sears

Catalog), which gave them the clue as to the shape that the

renovated stair rail needed to have.  This photo was taken from

someone standing in a second-floor bedroom (which will become 

an office for us).  All of these open spaces that you see were walled off 

after the stairs were removed (as referred to, above), with the exception

of the stairs beyond the open doorway, which lead down to the kitchen and 

which can't be seen from this angle.  Those kitchen stairs will remain. 

When the stair renovation is complete I will post more photos. 

Stay tuned!

Happy New Year!

Wishing all my readers a happy New Year! 

It's been awhile!  First there were the holidays taking up a lot of my time, and since the beginning of the year I've devoted a lot of my spare time to choosing and ordering a bathroom vanity, vanity lights, and ceiling/pendant lights, some of which I'm still working on.  I'm also researching tank-less (a.k.a. on-demand) water heaters, Internet possibilities, dehumidifiers, and a kitchen hood vent.  A decision on some of these things needs to be made ASAP before I get in trouble with the contractor, who only a few weeks ago praised me for being on top of things.  I don't want to think he spoke too soon.

Not surprisingly, Team Love Farm has run into a few problems.  For one, the furnace has a compromising break in some part of it, so we've also had to make some decisions about replacing that.  Also have to pay a bunch of money.  Still, it's best to have that done now, rather than later.  We've also run into a lot of things that weren't in the contract that we've decided we would rather have done now, such as painting doors, baseboards, and walls that weren't considered before.  Who can say how that happened.  It's probably something that happens in every large remodeling job.  We've also had to decide to update the electrical source to accommodate 200 watts over the current 100 watt load it can handle at this time. 

Lots has been going on, just nothing that is all that interesting to report.  We haven't gotten any photos that would be widely interesting to readers, either.  But I promise I'll try to get some interesting tidbits and occurrences very soon, dear readers!