The Fairy's Rest is hopping!

Morgan
Danny

Emma


Colton and Emma




Morgan...(I plan to do this one in charcoal)

Just when I get ready to go to work The Fairy's Rest gets to rolling too!! That's a good thing though! We were able to go down ourselves for a 24 hr jaunt on Sunday evening. We had a great time too! We had a nice weinie roast using the tractor wheel as a fire ring....nice touch Danny! Our neighbor, Jesse, came over and we had a really nice cool evening under the stars. The weather has cooled down and could not have been any prettier this weekend!!

We have such beautiful Autumns here in SW Virginia and I am ready for the leaves to change colors. I can't really believe that I am feeling that way so soon. I think it was the super hot summer that we have had!!

We had such a peaceful laid back time on Sunday evening with Jesse, slept very well in the cool crispness of the night....as guests....that was way cool!! Til the smoke alarm went off at 4:30 AM for NO reason and scared the beegeesies out of me. lololol Not too funny when you remember that the last thing you did outside was have a FIRE, even though it was watered down with the water hose! We had no work there to do, no painting to be done, no cleaning, we did mow but oh well we won't dwell on that one, no decorating, no gravels to haul, no decks to build, etc etc.......we were REAL guests!!

I tried to go in with the mind set that it belonged to someone else....you know as if we were paying guests so I could hunt for things that could be wrong and let the owners know about them. I searched and searched for problems and the only things I could find were there is a picture that needs to be moved about 1" in the living room and there is not enough time in my life set aside to stay there more often!!!!!!

We both really needed this R&R and the time to fall back in love with the place.

It worked. We both were so happy!!

Of course this trip was topped off with a great picnic lunch on the outdoor picnic table with Leslie and her family and Morgan.

No pictures....way too laid back to think about getting the camera out.......

We then hooked to the boat and went to the lake for one last excursion before the cool temps.

The water was barely warm enough to swim but we did.

Sad that summer went by so fast, but looking forward to a great autumn!

~~~

We have some great weekend guests coming to The Fairy's Rest this weekend too.

She is a friend of mine.....Chelsa is a friend of everyones actually....one of those young, beautiful, super contagious people who everyone wants to be around!!

She is also a professional photographer!! woot woot!!

Look out folks, there will be lots of really cool photos of the place coming soon!!

She joined The Fairy's Rest on Facebook, before she even knew it was my place, and asked if she could rent the place for a weekend as a birthday surprise for her Mother!!

She said her parents have always loved Fairystone Park!

She had the sweetest comments on the place too!

I feel so honored to have her and her family as my guests!!

Chelsa has a blog and you can see some of her work here.

She is a very very busy lady and with all the weddings and senior portraits she doesn't have time to update her blog very often. You can always join her page on Facebook and see her work too. Chelsa Yoder Photography on Facebook.

(I hope that link works for you.)

She is just as excited to have the time to get away with her family as I am that she is coming!

I can not wait to see how she captures the place on film!!!

I sure hope they all enjoy their stay as much as we did!

That's a great birthday present for her Mother, don't you think?

She's a good kid!!

Dumpster tables.....

.......that's what Danny called them. I bought these at a yardsale (2 for $10) last year for The Fairy's Rest and they were not pretty but I could see the potential at the time.

He could not!

He really really wanted to take these to the dumpster or better yet, cut them up and burn them in our outdoor furnace!

I got up the energy and "want to" today to finally start painting them.

I was just about to let him convince me that they were not suitable for using.

I am glad I didn't!!

I just love how the "character" of the wood shows thru after painting them!!

I have to admit that they were just downright dog ugly before!!

(don't tell him that I felt that way, OK?)

I used Rustoleum High Gloss black spray paint.

Odd for me huh?

I usually paint everything white!!

I love the way they turned out and I can't wait to see them tomorrow at The Fairy's Rest with the black lamps sitting on them!!

I also can't wait to see my husbands expression when he sees them......he will probably think that I bought new tables!!

I am visioning some other items in my house coated with a little touch of color......

wink wink

Company's coming......

.....to The Fairy's Rest!!!! Yes, you heard me! It is booked for a weekend in August!!!!
I am so excited! I knew it would happen one day. I just knew all that hard work would pay off for us. I mean one weekend isn't going to replenish the drained savings account, but hey it's a start!
Makes me happy that some one sees a place that they would like to pay to stay at, and for more than one night too!!! LOL!!!

Now I got to go clean the place some more, make some Blueberry Jelly and homemade bread for my guest, maybe a Blueberry Cheesecake (uh um Terri?) turn down the beds, cut some fresh flowers, put a mint on their pillow......... and.....and........and..... hahaha (it is very very clean right now ;-)

I want my guests to like it there!!! I want them to be able to tell others that it was their best vacation ever!!!!!! I want them to mention all the little touches (such as homemade jam and bread) that made them each feel special. I also want them to mention how comfortable and clean the place was.

This has been an interesting day. We finished most everything at The Fairy's Rest yesterday, I have just a few little things that I want to add but it is ready to rent out as of today. I have sat in front of this computer all day long today, til my eyes were literally crossed working on my website and advertising. I have had about 1500 hits on my website today already!! I also mentioned it to a couple hundred friends of mine on Facebook and that's were I got the first booking! Maybe Craigslist will come thru for me too as he has in the past!

Wish us luck on this new adventure!!

more for and after's......

Looks pretty cool huh?

Nice clean white chairs on a nice clean deck in the dappled shade?

Inviting huh?

Wrong!!

It was between 97 degrees in the shade and 110 in the partial sun in Stuart Va today!!

There's no amount of cool lemonade that will quench that heat!

It was too hot to even sit and admire my very first ever Gardenia blooms!!

I was really worried that these were not even going to live let alone bloom but they did!!

They sure do smell good too!

So with the extreme heat I went inside and did some more tweaking on the place and I just have to share some more before and after's with you guys!

I know I know I know you are all sick of seeing this place, just as sick as I am of working on it!!

But here goes anyway.....

Living room before



After, I still have 2 end tables that will be painted and sit on either end of the sectional with the matching lamps. One day!

Cheap art!

My babies in black n white! Too cute!

I knocked the leg out from under the center part of the sectional and dh has to fix it, that's why it is leaning back in the pics.

See the Craigslist $50 TV DVD VCR combo plus TV stand??

"my bedroom" before

after

after

my little bathroom before

after

after

I made a curtain out of a $1 vintage flour sack towel
from a yardsale and when I hung it it was 1/2 inch too short so I hung the lace panel and made a scarf out of the towel! Cute?

another view

my favorite part the "heart of the home" before

"my big red heart of the home" after!!

These are postcards from a local artist

I love how they turned out!

The middle one is the Floyd Country Store
where the Floyd Jamboree is held every Friday night with great bluegrass music.

It is quite a fling! Folks come from all over the place.

Stars like Bill Monroe, Patsy Cline and Earl Scruggs have been here.....in my little ole town!!!

Copper stove hood turned out just right!

Added a nice touch, I think!

More cheap art!!

I think all these pics have been in previous posts on my blog and i just love all of them so I thought it only fitting to display them here!

I mean Leslie has on her beachy/vacationy tshirt in her picture!

I WILL get the chairs painted soon! I will! I promise!!

oops I told you I like these pics! hehehe

My craigslist $30 red microwave fits/blends right in!!

How about my $1 yardsale vintage tablecloth????

I know that I have been complaining alot about all the work that we have been doing there to get the place ready to rent, but I am sorta upset that it's almost done now. Well just a little upset but very very happy at the same time! I am going to find it hard to let some total strangers come into my home that I worked so hard on and tear it up in a couple days. I love to go there now because it is so pretty and clean!!! A far cry from this home!! I am sure that my spouse will be happy for someone else to be staying there for a week at a time so that his housewife will take care of his house again!!!!! We'll see about that! I am not sure what I will be doing in all my free time that's coming up. Well cleaning, gardening, canning, freezing, jelly making, milking, making butter, making cheese, feeding animals,
etc etc etc etc etc............WHAT FREE TIME????

I better be traveling up and down the mountain to clean The Fairy's Rest between overnight guests a lot too!!

My Shabby Little Shack Makeover

Let me first explain myself here......

I am so tired right now that I am in a stupor!

I have uploaded these pictures and I had forgot one so I had to add it in here at the top.

I sure as heck was not going to delete all my other pictures just to put them all in order so you guys could understand them!! Hahaha,

that would take way to much energy that I surely do not have right now!

So here goes anyway......try to follow along with me as I narrate in this dead fog......

My Shabby Little Shack was the first name for The Fairy's Rest, back when it was only going to be our retirement/vacation home and not up for nightly rental.

We are sooooooo close to being finished now that I can taste it!!

Do you have any idea how happy that makes me????

VERY HAPPY!!!

The big bathroom before......hold this thought OK?

(circa 11/2008)
The property 11/2008, we had owned it for over a year at that time and the work finally began.

Today 6/21/2010

Quite an improvement No?

Bathroom after!!!!!

I still have to make the cushion for the little bench out of the fabric that is laying on it now.
Did you know that I like toile??

after

The armoire is getting ready to turn white and Danny is going to build me some shelves in it to house linens. I can't wait for that!!

Laundry before

after!!

wootwoot

I LIKE IT!!!

I love love love (in case you didn't already know that about me) white paint!!

On everything!!

{{{smile}}}

OMG I love it so much, I could just stand and look at it all day!

I have to make some more curtains for the door.

I robbed these from the kitchen to help keep the sun out today while I worked.

(92 degrees there today)

We replaced the old door with a new one but Danny tore the other new mini blinds when he took them down.....urgh!!!
That's OK cause I got a new door!

Master Bedroom before.

Now, Kerri this ones for you!!!

This was Kerri's bed that she left me in the home when we bought it from her!

I couldn't wait to paint it cause I knew it would be gorgeous, and she couldn't wait to see the room after it was painted. I am not sure why she didn't like the wallpaper in this room????

after....

Morning Fog Blue bed and dresser to match that still has to be moved.

Also the nightstand is on my todo list for paint!!

The room is now white!!

I do have to say the whole room is so much prettier than I ever imagined it could be!!

The bed I knew would be just perfect and it is in my book!!

Robin embroidered this pillow top for me back in the winter and I finally got the pillow made last week. The back of the pillow is Waverly in a blue and light cream toile and I made a valance for the window out of the same fabric. The front of the pillow is made from an old mattesse bed coverlet that I bought at an antique store a while back.

hallway before

Hallway after!!!

I think I have put just the right amount of "shabbiness" on the place.

I didn't want to scare anyone off ;-)))

We are really only a few hours away from the finish line!!

I will be so glad when that checkered flag is dropped too.

It will be so nice to go there and not have to do so much work all the time.

I want to be a guest at The Fairy's Rest one day too!!

The Fairy's Rest.................

is almost ready for guests!

We are only mere hours away from being ready!!

Whew that has been a long time coming too!!

We will ready for nightly/weekly guests on June 25th!!

Here is the website

The Fairy's Rest

and I will soon have the new blog up and running!

I will be pretty busy for the next few days however, getting the finishing touches on the place.

Of course we have some boating to get at this weekend too.

Danny is safe cause "HE" was the "ONE" who cleaned the boat this year!

Right! I couldn't believe it either and I saw it for myself!

I have some tweaking that needs to be done on the new website and lots of pictures to upload to it too. I will of course have to stay on top of that daily.

There are a lot of summer events in the area coming up in the next few weeks that I will have to attend for pictures ;-)))

It's a dirty job but someones got to do it!

Better go cause we are heading to The Fairy's Rest with the boat and some stray furniture that has been waiting for the right time to get there!!

Have a great summertime weekend!

So much for "easy" living.....

We spent the day yesterday at The Fairy's Rest power washing and waterproofing our deck.

No way is that in the category of easy living!

It was about 95 degrees there too.

Above is the after pic.
(ignore the Thompson's Waterseal that you see sprayed on the side of the house. I had just cleaned the side of the house too! Oh well I guess it will get it again!)

Danny got the pressure washing starting and then after getting a couple before pics I took over.

He then worked on replacing the guttering on the house.

Two very very hot jobs.

At least I had the spray back of cold water from the pressure washer.

He said he got wet too and he was up on the ladder!

I am not really sure how that happened, Honey! :-)))))

We covered all the plants that were just at the edge of the deck with a tarp and none were harmed with the spray!!

Before. This was the old deck that came with the home.

We had to build a new railing and stairs to make it up to code, and replace a few boards on the floor.



Can you believe how it turned out?
All the wood looks the same now!!
Just like new. I am not sure why it looks like it has a black grain in this picture but it really doesn't. All the blackish mold washed away nicely.
I have never had to do this to a deck before. We have always had either painted porches or concrete patios. We did however build a huge deck on our home last year and we have to treat it this summer. We have one more to go at The Fairy's Rest and then the one here.
I think I will wait for a cooler day to tackle this one!!

Now I am off to churn some butter!!!
Never thought that would really be added to my daily routine!!
My dearest boyfriend repaired my cream seperator and we have seperated about 3 gallons of milk and it is waiting to be made into sweet cream butter!!
I can't wait! Remember my really really cute butter dish that I got for Mother's Day??