Missing family
We’re moving to Virginia…a conflict of Virginia scenery and history love versus our having to leave my parents and brother and his family.
My kids have cousins they want to grow up with.
Missing Taste of Texas
We’re also leaving great cooking in Texas. Honestly, food has been at the bottom of the enjoyment list on our vacations to Virginia. Restaurants just don’t get how to operate and run and tasty success outside the Republic of Texas!
All these years I didn’t try too hard to improve my own flavorful cooking, merely dabbling in it. Why not? We had great restaurants at great prices to enjoy. Let them do the great cooking.
I need to somehow conquer the Taste of Texas!
Missing our French Country/Texas Hill Country home
Also…our beloved little house. On the one side, we’ve felt a bit squeezy here, but not by much. I always said if our house and property could take a big breath and expand, that would be just about right.
Visiting lots of Parade of Homes, we’ve gleaned decorating ideas…and ideas to move to Bitters Road further north (love that area) or out in the Hill Country.
Thusly inspired by the rolling hills, Live Oaks, and Texas Hill Country still with a touch of French Country, we endeavored to recreate that in our cookie cutter house purchased nine years ago.
Planning to take lots of great photos and blog all our remodel projects at a future time, when everything was done, I decided to journal our projects and would-have-beens now.
Our remodel projects will be the edge in house selling
Because of all the cookie cutter houses around here, we have great potential to sell high and quickly, despite the recession, since we created a unique and lovely home.
Obviously that’s subjective, but we’ve had many compliments, so we are hopeful.
Originally we thought the new job after the military would be near Bitters Road, and that we’d buy a house there and recreate our French Country on a slightly larger home.
We wanted a pop-up camper to store on our property, neatly tucked behind privacy fencing and surrounded by Crepe Myrtles, to grab and go for trips around the country.
However the recession tanked everyone’s bank account a couple of months ago.
Suddenly the job prospects were no longer able to hire.
However, Washington, D.C. has a job opening…
First year projects
Almost looking like our dream Texas Hill Country/French Country styled home we’ve drooled over during Parade of Homes, we grabbed it.
Located in the foothills of the Texas Hill Country, next door to Shamu, our house is white, the front of which is brick, while the sides and back are Hardie Plank.
We’ve often seen This Old House proclaim the merits of Hardie Plank…50 year guarantee against wind and insects, the worst enemies to siding.
Made of concrete, its durability with the look of wood, reminds me of George Washington’s Mount Vernon home, whose siding is likewise uniquely made.
Our first remodel project, before moving in, was installing the microwave above the stove and purchasing a refrigerator.
Read the first year of that journey, here, which includes: laying sod, laying flagstone from front to back yards, laying garden edging bricks, planting flowers, bushes, trees, and container gardens, new garden containers.
My first favorite window treatment I landed on was this red gingham for the loft, our homeschool space, overlooking the front yard.
The plan was to sew drapes, such as in the audition photo.
First year kitchen upgrades: microwave, fan lighting, island, new table, window treatments
Second year projects
After one year my trees are growing great galore, along with other new lovely plantings. My second year garden journal is here.
Third year projects
Inspired by HGTV to paint our walls, I painted fun murals for the kids.
For my son I painted his beloved trains, as inspired by our trip to Colorado the previous summer.
Pulling inspiration from our vacations to South Padre Island, I painted Under the Sea in my kids’ bathroom, which they loved!
Since I couldn’t think of a mural for my daughter’s room, I initially painted stenciled daisies around the top edge of her newly painted lavender room.
I then painted the powder room a sage green, with light sponge paint, which took well.
Finding lots of bathroom accessories in white French Country, they were installed.
Found a lovely late 19th century print of a mother and daughter in the daisies, which was the focal point above the toilet.
Securing other garden gleanings, like French Country birdhouses filled the huge wall between the toilet and sink.
Only photo was years later, with a mere peek here.
I bought a rustic white French Country hook in Gruene to hang on the door, to hang the clothing I sew, since the sewing room was nearby.
The powder made a great spot to privately change and try on attire that I sew.
Check out my third year garden journal here, which includes new split rail fence, trees, bushes, flowers, courtyards front and back, a cute new garden shed.
For my son’s birthday I sewed a quilt inspired by his love for trains.
While painting the walls of the kitchen, family room, dining room, and adjoining hallway, my son happily practiced his cursive writing…the beauty of homeschooling.
He learned all the intracies of painting while schooling.
Meanwhile the cat kept an eye on all the proceedings.
Inspired by the new taupe sofa/love seat/recliner we bought, we painted taupe on the walls.
However to our dismay, the taupe on the paint chip looked awfully pink on the walls.
A certain someone refused to stop and buy other paint, so proceeded, then asked me to sponge paint to tone down the paint.
Once done, I sewed new window treatments to tie everything together.
Found a gorgeous French Country print at Hobby Lobby at half off!
Hmmm…we’ll come back to this.
Fourth year projects
Then I painted the master bathroom, very French Country. Even the window treatments and bedding I sewed was with French Country fabrics.
Meanwhile my plantings continue to grow greatly, surrounded by additions of year round grapevine deer, metallic American flags, weathered limestone edging stones, and new patio furniture. Check my fourth yard garden journal, here.
Sixth year projects
New front door that I stained, massively mulching, and lots of gorgeous plants rounded out our garden year, detailed in my sixth year garden journal, here.
Finally having a plan, I painted a garden mural in my daughter’s bedroom which she loved. (the following pictures of her room were finally taken two years later)
To coordinate with her room, I sewed a Double Irish Chain garden quilt, which popped with her favorite color of purple.
Then rumors spread that we would be transferred to Warner Robins in Georgia! Wow! We’d be closer to Colonial Williamsburg!
However, the sponge painted taupe (really pink) in the main living space had to go, if we wanted a chance of selling the house.
So I repainted that entire floor a creamy yellow, same as the foyer, stairwell, and loft. It really enlarged the space!
Fifth year kitchen upgrades: new ceramic stove/convection oven, painted creamy yellow walls, cabinets painted white, new wrought iron hardware, grapevine theme, newly sewn bistro window treatment…linoleum removed from floor in preparation to lay floor tile later that week
For Christmas I gifted my daughter a new floral ceiling fan for her bedroom, where the blades are different pastel shades. She loved it!
I also sewed new window treatments for the foyer and loft, creating a unified effect, that coordinates with the adjoining open concept family room and dining room.
To beautifully showcase and protect my Precious Moments collection, I found this lovely French Country curio cabinet, which allowed a free gift certificate which I spent on tall candlestick decor, barely seen nearby.
Seventh year projects
Since we had lots of major upgrades on our to-do list, we tended to focus on one major project per year.
Upon hearing rumors that we might be relocated to Colorado Springs, we eased back on house remodeling, then did smaller projects.
Thinking that every step forward remodeling would set our house apart in the housing market, we pushed forward, because these rumors tend to take a long time, eventually leading nowhere.
Yet, with each small project, easily conquered in a weekend, we can easily regroup if sudden news arrives.
My Mountain Laurel are blooming near my kitchen takes me back to my first apartment with the beautiful heady frangrance of grapes fills the air every February/March.
Check my seventh year garden journal for all the lovely plantings I purchased that year.
I planned out new tilework to replace the linoleum in the foyer, taupe stone with a mosaic border.
Really nice for the small space, actually enlarging, unifying, and presenting a simplistically grand look.
The window overlooks that narrow flagstone pathway from front to back, where I’ve planted cannas and hanging plants. Always something to enjoy from the window…which I never caught in photography.
A bit of tea set styling in the dining room, which I used mostly for sewing, also game day/night, and for company.
Since it was a tight space, it worked best for my sewing table and game time.
Originally placed at the large picture window overlooking fthe front courtyard, the lace curtains always stayed.
Opposite this angle are the silk sage green panels on each side of the large picture window, under which are the original lace curtains I purchased shortly after moving in.
Meanwhile this room overlooks the foyer with new tile floor and flagstone garden view, with a peak of the stairwell.
A small hallway to the garden powder room to the kitchen is on the other side.
Finding countertops with the look of stone, we bought up quite a supply for various areas of the house.
I chose limestone for the kids’ bedrooms, to give them a place for their school projects and crafts.
These look great and are super easy to wipe clean.
Seventh year kitchen projects: black faux granite, tiled limestone backsplash, beadboard inside cabinet doors, chandelier.
Eighth year projects
In Gruene I found some great Texas stuff for my garden: flagpole holders and a historical marker.
Eighth year kitchen projects: faucet, moulding edging top part of cabinetry, new patio doors.
For the new family room window treatments, I took inspiration from many Parade of Homes I swooned over.
I sewed sage green silk dupioni into drapes, suspended from these short rods, merely comprised of huge dowels, the end of which we inserted French Country finials.
Loving the layered effect of the silk dupioni and lace, undermeath all that are window shades.
Then we remodeled the master bathroom. Check out those details at this link.
Ninth year projects and our final year =(
Adding to the coziness factor of our loft school room, I used the extra red French Country tapestry that I sewed for the window treatments for the homeschool room loft and foyer into a giant pillow.
Love the trim I found for the pillow, different from the window treatments.
And of course, the week’s reading stored in a grapevine basket!
Enjoying our home more and more, we enjoyed our garden time extensively.
In our Texas-French Hill Country garden, we hand-cranked ice cream, then grilled and ate dinner, while surrounded by butterflies, hummingbirds, green anoles, and toads…all while unaware it was our last year to enjoy the space. My ninth year garden journal is here.
We happily prepared for more Becoming History presentations!
And then I designed the perfect homeschool room.
While helping to carry schoolroom cabinetry up the stairs, the photos show the window treatments sewn for the foyer and loft.
Behind the valence on the window over the front door, just above my head in the photo, is a cellular window shade that operates by battery via remote control, close each afternoon with the sun set in the sky, blasting through blinding us and heating up the house.
Otherwise we liked that windowshade up.
Meanwhile our Becoming History presentations carried on, set against a view of the entire kitchen remodel.
And then the homeschool room that I designed was completed for us to use and enjoy!
Somewhere along the way we installed louvred shutters for the loft. The fun trim for the window treatments, ochre yellow tassled balls, have small etched glass beads atop…allowing the sunlight to sparkle through.
The countertop is another faux type that is highly durable.
For this one I chose a crackled leather.
The CPU inside the cabinetry is fronted by chicken wire.
Practically it allows required air flow to cool off, there’s a fan in back, but aesthetically it’s French Country!
We envisioned replacing the lighting in the foyer and stairwell, most likely in the next year.
Meanwhile my kids were in 7th and 9th grade.
What to do with the space upon their graduation?
My sewing room would move from the dining room to this amazing desk of mine.
Their old desks would be moved out and replaced by comfy Texas style oversizeded leather seating.
Being a bookworm, I knew I’d continue to make use of all the bookcases.
We got a ton of use out of this new homeschool space before the move.
Bye-bye sweet French Country House and Gardens
Can’t we just take our house with us to Virginia?
