If The Walls Of This Old House Could Tell A Story…The Saddest Chapter Is About To End.

Hey guys!   I'm here today to re-publish the series many of you know as the 108 year old house series.   It was originally published 8 years ago and shares the story of how the Cowboy and I began our journey to restore/ renovate the old house we have in a tiny town in Alberta Canada.   There is a wonderful reason for refreshing your memory of this process ....we have finally gotten back to work and it is so exciting!

So...sit back, enjoy the next few posts and get ready for the next stage in our journey to revive the old girl. 

Have you ever gone for a drive and focused your attention to the old homes in your area?   Some of them are so grand…and others humble.  Some, when you look at them, almost scream with happiness and pride, and others look sad and forlorn.  If these houses could tell a story, I bet every one of them would have a sad chapter or two within. 
My Cowboy owns a property about an hour from where we live in a TINY little village called Minburn Alberta.  The population of Minburn is at best 75 people.   This property is where he and his 6 brothers and 1 sister grew up.   The old place holds a LOT of memories for my Cowboy, and it has a very special place in his heart. 
About 15 years ago, my Cowboy’s mom decided that she had lived there long enough and moved to a little larger community in Northern Alberta.   It was at that time, that my Cowboy, (the youngest child of the family) decided to purchase this place from his mom.  He had a plan that he would fix it up slowly, and use it as a weekend project place.
Life is hectic…work, kids, rodeos and life made time of the essence and the empty house stood alone for the better part of those 15 long years…and those lonely years took a toll on the place.  Members of the family occasionally would stop by the place to drop off unwanted items…and eventually it started to look a little dumpy.
Last year, when my Cowboy and I started dating, he took me to his old stomping grounds.   I noticed how sad he seemed when he looked at the place…he even mentioned knocking her down, and either leaving the enormous lot empty, or putting some sort of mobile home on it.   Now, if you know me, you know how much I LOVE a challenge…and if it involves junkin’ of any kind…I’M ALL IN!   This old lady does not deserve to be knocked down…she needs to be Tootsified!   It took a little talking, and encouraging, but that is just what is happening! 
I would like to now introduce you to the Cowboy and  Tootsie’s BIGGEST junkin’ project EVER!…and my Cowboy’s childhood home:

This house 116 years old!   She is sound, and pretty much solid as a rock.  The roof doesn’t even leak…(this surprised me as it needs to be re-shingled in the worst way!)  

There is no way my Cowboy should knock down this old lady…She is just way too pretty to send to the dump.  

I adore the little balcony on the upper level…I NEED to stand out here and enjoy the view!

I have a plan…and it’s a big one…that will take a lot of elbow grease and determination…but I do have a plan…and I am absolutely going to see this old house brought back to a beautiful state!   I can’t wait to see my Cowboy smile when he comes here…I hate that sad look he gets in his eyes.

The original house is all covered in ceramic tile shingles…there is a nasty addition on the back there…which will eventually have to go…but can stay for now.   It will become our workshop as we tackle the HUGE undertaking of  fixing up the inside of this house!
We started in the summer of 2012.   We worked on the yard all summer long.  
The following photos are what we started out with AFTER we mowed down the tall grass. 
Cowboy had been paying someone to mow the lawn there…but that person did not take much pride in the job, and slowly the place got over grown and awful!   It took us a long time to get that enormous lot mowed properly!

This is just a portion of the yard…the west side of the yard. 

There is the the east half!  That old skinning shack will be burned this winter. 

This is the back portion right close to the house…

The trees are everywhere…there are some very pretty private areas in this yard…

I am in heaven in such a place…the possibilities are endless …my imagination is getting a great work out!
We worked about 6 days each month last summer getting all the scrap cleaned out of the yard…and thinning some of the Caragana bushes and overgrown Poplar trees thinned out, dead branches pulled, and the tall grasses pushed back to the property line.  
The whole family got involved…me, kids and cowboy…we all worked our little fingers to the bone…but ended up with a beautiful yard to enjoy our visits in…
It looks SO much better now:



I have some flowers in mind for this place…

I have a lot of plans for the whole yard…I just need the time to do it!  lol
When the winter came, I took the opportunity to chat up that Cowboy about the potential inside this old house!   All my chatter and encouragement worked.   I had a bunch of ideas on file, and showed him lots of them…I also kept some to surprise him with when he goes away to work and I am on my own in the project!   I really wanted my Cowboy to restore this old lady. 
To my absolute delight, when spring arrived this year, we got busy and started to work on this place.  We decided to start to work on the inside of the 108 year old house first, and then tackle the outside next year.   If we fix up the inside a little bit, we can spend the night here and not have to drive the 60 minutes home after a long day.  It is finally time to take this old lady from her sad sad look…to something much more inviting…something comfortable, and happy.
Come along with us, as we dive right in and start one of the biggest junkin’ adventures I have ever been on.   We are re-purposing, and salvaging, and creating in every room of this old house.   It is going to be a most enjoyable journey…and I can’t hardly wait to share each time we get a little more done!
Stay tuned for some absolutely scary interior photos of the old lady before the Cowboy and I got our grubby little hands on her!   She is going to end this most saddest chapter of her life, starting NOW.
Until Next Time…Happy Junkin’!
*)*)*) Beauty catches the attention, personality catches the heart <3


(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
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(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.

www.tootsietime.com

 

This post has been proudly sponsored by 

19 8ighty 9ine Clothing House 

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HCG Warrior Diet  

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