M Y " S O M E T H I N G O L D " in my wedding was my grandmother's brussels' lace veil... but my "something old" in my marriage is my grandparent's HOUSE!
Nestled in the heart of downtown Monroe, on a quiet historic street, there sits a quaint white cottage with a sunroom and a dormer. The magnolia smells sweet but the neighbors are sweeter; they nod from their yards as I walk by and their dogs run to greet me with a kiss. No, this is not Mayberry... but it's pretty darn close!
Of course our new acquisition doesn't come all trimmed in sunshine and topped with a bow, there's a whole lot of work to be done here! But honestly, do you expect anything less from Andrew and me? "Move in ready" isn't quite our cup a' tea. We are thrilled to share our journey to "family living" with y'all, every step of the way! Maybe this will be the inspirational shove I need to really get the blog going again... we will see ;) I kinda need more than an inspirational shove, I need a live-in nanny!
Just a little history on the house { for blog purposes, I'll call it Dick & Jane Cottage }: My mom lived in this house ages 10-17 (when she left for college). The house was built in the 1910's and on the same piece of land, there once was a house that stood directly behind Dick & Jane Cottage. The family that built the house you see today lived in the older house and then knocked it down when their new construction was completed. An interesting fact is that years before my grandfather was born, my great, great grandfather lived in the original house on the same property. So I guess us Monroe folk aint go no way of escapin' our roots... if you wanna do that, ya' gotta to a big city like Athens! When my grandparents bought this house 45 years ago, it was much smaller. They added the family room onto the back and expanded the kitchen and master bedroom along with it. My mom has fond memories of all 6 of them crowded around a tiny table in the breakfast room (our future mud room) before the kitchen was expanded. I, too, have fond memories of the weeks I spent with my grandparents as a child. Mimi and I would gather pecans that from the ground around the pecan tree in the back yard and I would watch her tend her vegetable garden while I played. I'll share more memories and stories about my grandparents with each post.
That's enough reminiscing for now... let's get to the pictures!! I'm posting them in the same order as if you were to enter through the front door and walk through the house. I'll save upstairs for another day.
Formal Living Room and Dining Room:
We aren't changing much in these rooms besides paint
We aren't changing much in these rooms besides paint
 |  door leading to the sunroom |
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Dining Room with swinging door leading to tiny breakfast room (future mud room)
Stairs and Hallway ::
The stairs are staying but this hallway is going to be our future laundry room
The stairs are staying but this hallway is going to be our future laundry room
 |  |
Breakfast Room and Bar ::
Soon-to-be Mud Room and Powder Room!
Soon-to-be Mud Room and Powder Room!
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Family Room ::
We are opening this room up to the kitchen by tearing out the wall of bookshelves. (Don't worry... this house will have it's fair share of beautiful built in bookshelves when we are done)
We are opening this room up to the kitchen by tearing out the wall of bookshelves. (Don't worry... this house will have it's fair share of beautiful built in bookshelves when we are done)
 door leading to kitchen. |  door in back corner leading to nursery and hallway beyond that leading to the master bedroom |
Kitchen ::
When I'm done with it, the kitchen will be unrecognizable... and I CAN'T wait!! From where the sink is now to the back wall is going to be a butler's pantry. We are moving the kitchen down all the way to the bay windows, which will no longer be windows but french doors to match the ones in the family room.
When I'm done with it, the kitchen will be unrecognizable... and I CAN'T wait!! From where the sink is now to the back wall is going to be a butler's pantry. We are moving the kitchen down all the way to the bay windows, which will no longer be windows but french doors to match the ones in the family room.
 the door in the back leads to the current breakfast room. Family Room is to the left of the refrigerator |  |
Master Bedroom ::
In the bedroom, we are only adding another window. But the bathroom and closet are being completely reconfigured. It's going to be a-MAAAAZ-ing! The master can be accessed through a small hallway off the family room (opposite from the kitchen) and through the sunroom.
In the bedroom, we are only adding another window. But the bathroom and closet are being completely reconfigured. It's going to be a-MAAAAZ-ing! The master can be accessed through a small hallway off the family room (opposite from the kitchen) and through the sunroom.
 door in right corner leading to sunroom |  doors in the back leading to closet and bathroom. |
Sunroom ::
We aren't doing anything in here except for paint. This will be my lovely sun-drenched studio!
We aren't doing anything in here except for paint. This will be my lovely sun-drenched studio!
I'm so happy to share the transformation of our house with y'all but more than that, I'm thrilled I have the privilege to raise my children in the same house my mom grew up in, what a gift!! We've already started work, so I'll catch y'all up to speed in the next couple weeks!
