Open At Last

Sometimes, when you're in the depths of a project, it seems for a long, long time that you will never reach the end, that the vision in your head will never come to fruition. You work and work and yet you're not done. But then...the day comes when you are. Done. Finished. And the vision is no longer just a vision, but reality.

The Guest House has been one such project for me. I've been working intensely on it for almost two years. Mostly I've been painting: walls, ceilings, doors, window trim, door trim, cabinet hardware. I've also stained and finished the pantry floor, cleaned windows, waxed and buffed the dining room floor, plus lots of just plain cleaning. Then there was the fun part: unpacking dishes and doodads that I scrubbed and wrapped up six or seven years ago, shopping for linens, rugs, and curtains, cleaning and waxing the lovely old furniture from the Vance family, and getting a place for everything and then getting everything in its place.

All along I had this vision in my head of what the rooms would look like when finished and ready for guests. There were many weeks when my progress was barely visible. But I'm learning that if you don't give up and keep plugging away, eventually the vision becomes reality.

At last, I can take you on a tour of Vance's Country Guest House!

Come on in! For now, the kitchen door is the one we're using the most.

  

When you open the door, this is what you see.

  

That beautiful floor was hidden under old tile and the walls were a dingy shade of grey. Quite a transformation!





The kitchen window is twice as big as the original one, letting in lots of lovely light. Through that door beside the refrigerator...is the pantry.

And when you come in the kitchen door and turn left, you are in the dining room. Until we can get another room remodeled, this is the bedroom/living room.

All my indecision about the paint color was worth the trouble. The earthy yellow looks just like what I've been seeing in my head.

The pie safe contains books, magazines, puzzles, and games. The propane gas stove is doing a great job keeping things warm and cozy. That white cabinet with the pass-through to the kitchen turned out to be quite a challenge, and if you look in the right places there are still some spots that need more attention. However, I'm not telling you where they are!!

When you walk through the door that's standing open, on the left, you are in the laundry room.

This door opens onto the same back porch as the kitchen door. Opposite the door is a big sink that we moved from the original bathroom. I still have to make a sink skirt for it, though, so it looks a bit bare. There's also room for a washer and dryer, someday. Straight through the laundry room is the bathroom.

It turned out to be a nice place to wash away the cares of the day, don't you think?

There you have it. Four rooms, five counting the pantry, that are ready to offer rest and relaxation to folks who need it for one reason or another. I got the house all cleaned and set up not a moment too soon, as we had guests the past two weekends for the Maple Festival. Both couples were so nice, and were quite happy with their accommodations. It was a sweet feeling knowing that folks were once again cooking, eating, bathing, and sleeping in this grand old house.

See that door behind the love seat? It opens into the front hall, which leads to the rest of the house. For now, it is locked. But the vision in my head doesn't keep it locked. Someday it will stand open, inviting guests to fill the house with laughter, relaxation, and peaceful sleep, making it a home once again. 

Visit the Guest House website at www.vancescountryguesthouse.blogspot.com