What's in a Reflection

So, what is in a reflection? In this case, from my stack of everyday plates and bowls, there is a reflection of the wood window frame.

Many years ago, following a Martha Stewart trend, I decided to use white for my everyday dishes. Only my plates, bowls, and cups are a collection of thrifted finds, not an expensive matching set. I'm always on the look-out for white bowls.

My kitchen, in the farmhouse, is quite small. When I decided not to have upper cabinets, to open up the view to the garden, I gave up some much needed storage space. The answer was to add shelving in two of the five windows. All the daily used dishes are just a arm reach away. And, the outside view still peeks through everything on the shelf.


Special Note: Susan's Traveling Apron on Table

The kitchen is part of one large room I refer to as the "Keeping Room". It is an old term, from America's Colonial Days, where the hearth was located. I just happen to have a hearth in this large room.

Would you believe the base for my sink was found in a "junk" store? Someone had cut a vintage armoire in half. Because it didn't have a bottom, I was able to purchase it for about $15.00. What a find...I knew it would make a focal point in my kitchen. I set the white tile myself, saving the installation money.

The kitchen was done on a very tight budget, as everything in the farmhouse. Cabinets were purchased as unfinished. A great spray paint job with added wooden knobs, give it the country vintage look.

Even the cabinet, installed above the vent hood, is a thrifted upper portion of a Hoosier cabinet.











Reflection is not the same as living in the past. Reflections.....in a white bowl brought back fond memories of where the journey began with The Farmhouse.

Happy Monday
Meggie Mac

Out With the Old...In With the New

Usually Friday is Big Project Day. This week it came on Thursday.

When I bought the 90 year old farmhouse 12 years ago, I decided to keep all the old wooden windows. Everything around them was updated. Do you see me in the window?

As the years passed, it became apparent they were not holding up. I guess the neglect from the house being vacant for 15 years, caused the windows to come apart.

I  have been replacing them, one by one, as monies become available. Each one must be ordered in a special size.

Thursday was a huge project because it involved three windows in my upstairs bedroom. The work had to be timed so it wasn't a rainy day. Also the high winds we experience, was another factor.

After tacking cardboard behind the old windows, all the trim had to be removed and the the windows taken out.

Because of the size of the middle window, the father/son team decided to remove the large glass with suction cups. Safety was our number one concern.

The day before the project, I took it upon myself to primer and paint the new trim work. This saved me labor cost by doing it myself.


It is an old house and nothing is completely level. It took some careful maneuvering to get all three windows level on the outside.

How is this for a view when you wake up in the morning?

Meggie Mac

Show and Tell

When it came time to add a title to today's post, I remembered something from a time when my children were young and in school. Once a week, they would have "show and tell". Each child would decide on an item and bring it to school to show and tell before their classmates. At the time, I didn't realize how it brought the children together, showing something from their home life.

Anyway, back to my "Show and Tell"......have you seen this design and shape before?

This came from an estate sale, where I purchased a closed box, contents unknown, for a set price. Sometimes you get lucky and of course, sometimes you come up with nothing but junk.

 At first glance, you might think it is a vase.

At this angle it becomes more obvious that it is a pitcher.

On the other side, the indentation forms a handle.

Looking at the underside, you see the words, "Made in Japan". I'm guessing the monetary value of this item is only a few dollars, but for me, it doesn't change how I feel about it. It's still beautiful with it's crackled glaze and unusual shape.

In fact, it's pretty amazing that something, made so long ago in another country, made it's way across an ocean and became part of my life.

Meggie Mac

No Sitting Today

Friday is usually the big Project Day.

This week we are having several rainy days and the forecast for Friday is rain. So, project day has been moved up to today. Sitting will only be for the lunch break. If you would like to help today, there is a "free" lunch served around Noon.

Now back to the chair in the photo.

Don't you think it is an unusual chair?  I'm really drawn to the unique in small pieces of furniture. My chair was found in a re-sale shop at just the right price. So how could I resist. It's just perfect next to the upstairs bath tub!

Meggie Mac

In the Beginning...

Summer in Texas can be brutal with temperatures sometimes soaring to 108 degrees. So a home, 90 years ago, would be built to catch as much of the summer breeze as possible.

 The farmhouse, true to that fact, faces south with an enclosed porch across the front. The sheer curtains catch the breeze giving you a feeling of utter peace. This is where I eat breakfast most mornings. Somtimes it's necessary to wrap up in a quilt....

As far as I could tell the upstairs of the farmhouse was probably used for sleeping in the summer months.

It was not a finished room. It would be like camping out, except that you have a roof overhead.

Before I could even slightly entertain the idea of a bedroom for me, there was major work to be done. If you click on farmhouse, I tell of you what it entailed.

After working on the week ends only, for a couple of years, the bedroom eventually was finished.

And a bathroom with tub and shower...

It has not been an easy climb...no pun intended!

Looking back at the first photos of the place I now call home, I might not have attempted to bring it back to life. The farm is not the first home I have remodeled, but it has, by far, been the most difficult. All these decisions and struggles I shouldered alone.



Hello Girls!

Do you not agree, country living is still the best!

Meggie Mac

A Little Bit of England

These two tiny pieces of pottery have been displayed, on a shelf, in my home for over 15 years. When I first collected them, I had no idea that today, I would have so many blogging friends in England.

Do you recognize this pottery?

Do you have any Torquay Pottery? I would love to hear from you. Tell me what you have collected.

In fact, now that I have thought about it, I just may try to collect more. Here is a sampling of some of the mottos you might find:



Believe not all you hear....And tell not all you believe.

Comfort is better than Pride.

Do not hurry....Do not flurry...Nothing good is got by worry.

Words of wisdom for the coming week.
Meggie Mac

Farmhouse - Phase One

If you have been following my blog, you know a little about my farmhouse and what it looked like when I bought it. It had been vacant for over 15 years. 

The grass was waist high. I wasn't sure there was a road under all the grass.

The very first people to help me were my neighbors from across the road. They just showed up one day with their tractor and said they would be cutting the grass as a "house warming gift".  What they were proposing was an all day job on the tractor. They continued to be very supportive in the weeks to come.

The house had to be leveled and raised up off the ground before any other work could be done.

Looking at the photo you can see how much it was raised. There also was a portion of the front porch that had been enclosed. Windows panes were broken, while some windows were completely gone.

The thing about old places, they usually have a treasure trove left behind. In my case, the only treasure I found in the barn was a big stack of wooden windows. What I've come to believe is that my 90 year old house was built with parts of older houses that had been torn down. The stack of windows were left overs.

And so, that is where I found the large window for my upstairs bedroom.

Getting it up there was not so easy. Also take a look at the new metal roof.

The next step, for the outside, was to scrape and sand all the old wood before a coat of primer could be applied.

Yes, that is me....trying to save money by doing it myself!

These photos take up such little space, but in reality it  took many months to get this far. The work was being done on week ends only. There also were things going on inside and under the house.  All the plumbing was broken, the electrical wiring was obsolete, and air conditioning, heat and insulation were non-existent.

Phase Two will be the "Cowgirl Room".  I hope that is enough of a teaser that you will visit my blog again and see what a cowgirl room is......

Meggie Mac