House Tour 2014

It is hard to believe that another year has passed. They seem to go by faster every day. I have now been blogging for two years, and it has been an amazing journey. There have been ups and downs, but overall I am glad that I started.

One of my very first posts when I started the Cape of Dreams in August of 2012 was Before and “After” Pictures, a look at my house when it was put up for sale in 2009 and what it looked like at the time. I did another house tour in August of 2013 when I completed my first year of blogging. And now, to keep with the new tradition I bring you House Tour 2014.

This year there is an additional challenge for you. Douglas spoiled me on my birthday and bought me six items for our home. See if you can spot one… or all six. If you want a hint, I have listed the items at the bottom of this post.*

Here is the house today. The garden has been expanded, the dormers were painted, a trellis was built and I planted fewer sunflowers this year than last.

When you go in the front door there are stairs up to the tenants’ apartment. We need to paint the front door.

Going through the door on the right, you enter the living room. One chaise lounge is new; the other chaise has been reupholstered. The sofa was reupholstered in purple velvet and the chair was refinished and outfitted with new cushions. The coat rack has been hung on the wall.

The hall has seen a minor change. I think that it looks much better now.

Our bedroom is through the door on the left. Minimal changes occurred in this room.

The guest bedroom has not changed much either. This room is about to experience a big transformation as we have an exchange student coming to live with us.

This weekend we are planning to regrout the bathroom, but as of today the only change here was that I moved the ivy plant to the bedroom. I cannot wait to get rid of that old moldy grout.

You can return to the living room back through the hall.

Continuing to the back of the house you encounter the dining room. The only changes in here have been minor such as my new vase.

Through the dining room lies the kitchen. In here the cabinets have been cleaned and polished, there is a new counter and a new backsplash has been added. The installation has not yet been completed, but I hope that it will before next year’s house tour! I also brought in the rug that used to be in the hall. I like it much better in the kitchen.

Exiting the kitchen onto the back porch you can see that the furniture is the same. We did replace the rotting beam, but we have yet to paint it. We also put up flower boxes. If you look very closely you might notice a new sign next to the back door. It was a gift from my sister and reads, “Beware of the dog. The cat is not very trustworthy either.”

There are several changes in the back yard. First of all, you will notice that the neighbors removed the large pine tree in their yard. Our bushes have filled out and the garden is doing better this year. That is one New Year’s resolution that I am doing well with. As you can tell, I took these pictures last week before the ash tree came down.

I hope that you have enjoyed the tour. Did you spot my birthday presents?

Happy Homemaking!

*The items I received for my birthday are: a box, nesting tables, two ants, a rug, and a letter opener.