So it's been a little bit since I last wrote an update, and I have to take full responsibility for the busy nature of life that has kept me from sitting and penning something for you guys to chew on. The house, for the most part, has been in a state of flux as we try to tackle the monumental task of cleaning her. There's a lot of dust, dirt, grit, and grime from her various repair projects of the past and, as all unlived in homes, she has one heck of a spider problem. I don't do spiders. At all. Ever. And there's several species and varieties of these eight-legged nopes for me to contend with all at once including a near see-through one that looks like dandelion fluff rolling across the floor until you get a good look at it and nearly come out of your skin. I STILL refuse to go down into the basement and have left my husband to handle that in whole. I'm sure you're asking "But there's thousands of treasures untold down there! Don't you want to see?!" The answer, my friends, is yes... But I've also been told by hubby and the municipal worker who turned on the water and electric that there are scary things down there that defy logic and explanation... And they're alive. No thanks. Needless to say there will be an exterminator brought in very VERY soon.

Other than that... There's a surplus of paint cans, trash, and various other items that are being gone through and removed. The dump is going to be our best friend for awhile. Coats that we've found will be donated to the Salvation Army and so on and so forth. Contractors have been called, a chimney inspector is being brought in, and we're ordering firewood in order to be better prepared to spend the winter in our new wonderland. Am I overwhelmed? VERY. But I think the feeling of being overwhelmed will cease to exist as soon as the house is at least clean and I don't feel the heebie jeebies brought on by the soon to be evicted arachnid tenants.

In AWESOME news, my husband was eyeballing what he thought was a hole in the "library" wall affectionately known as the "Purple Rain" room due to the color of the current paint. He discovered it wasn't a hole in the wall, but rather a hole in about 18 layers of paint and curiosity got the best of him, and I'm glad it did, because stripping it away bit by bit he's uncovered the original flocked wall paper. We're being VERY careful to gently expose this treasure and see just how much of it is intact. At worst we'll be having a pattern made to re-flock the room. Either way, it's a treasure not unlike finding little Sally Greensfelder's graffiti on an upstairs bedroom wall (we affectionately call that room the green room because of the flooring) or the incredible mantle in the living room.

Uncovered treasure; flocked paper

So all in all I'll be doing more and hopefully posting more as we continue on this monumental task of restoring the old mansion.

The kitchen is a point of serious contention at this point... The cabinetry does NOT appear to be original and appears to have been haphazardly done. We're having things looked at, but the general idea appears to be in favor of redoing the entire kitchen 100% but keeping the Victorian/Gothic feel that this home so deserves. It has an abundance of natural light and we're going to work with that. So far we're wanting stained wood cabinetry, flag stone floors and back splash, stainless appliances. We're going to resize the island in the middle of the kitchen and VERY likely set a gas range there in order to free up space for a double oven, space for a fridge, and more counters because counters are a very needed thing. The entire outside wall is basically windows and is off limits. Nothing will be going there aside from delicate window treatments to help preserve the view of the garden and the light afforded by those windows.

The back covered porch is going to be demolished. It's beyond saving with the amount of roof and exterior damage and the idea now is to preserve the windows, rebuild it larger, and do it in stone work to create a sitting/rear entry grotto complete with either a wood burning stove or another fireplace and hanging period correct lanterns for ambient lighting and enable it to be used all year round. Might make an EXCELLENT informal dining area.

I STILL want book shelves in the library. Floor to ceiling. But the integrity of the flocking WILL be preserved and these cases will be bolted as opposed to being built ins. It'll be a very special paradise filled with novels and legal texts and I envision a stunning area rug and period furniture stained to match the gorgeous window moldings. The ceiling will be done in a darker mural, maybe celestial, maybe as a map... Or maybe a large compass rose. We haven't decided, but it will be done. I get chills thinking about it.

Needless to say, this home is going to be a work of art once completed. I aim to see her chronicled in an architectural digest. She deserves it.