When we first bought our farmhouse, the dining room was two layers deep in wallpaper with a really funky 70s style fireplace mantle. It wasn’t exactly our style. We immediately took off the wallpaper only to accidentally take up some of the plaster from the walls underneath off as wall. Horrified by the damage to the walls, we used the dining room as a storage room for a few years (since we have a lovely eat-in kitchen anyway). In the back of my mind, though, I always dreamed of a dark green dining room with a beautiful fireplace focal point. We finally got the dining room walls professionally ..read more

Virginia’s Picturesque Countryside There are few images in Virginia that immediately convey a feeling of peace to me like old stone walls crisscrossing rolling hills. A mile away from the little village of Aldie, historic Furr Farm is situated right behind one of those old walls, and when you see this farmhouse, I can almost guarantee you’ll feel that peace, too. The original farmhouse dates back to 1790 with later additions of course being built at different points. I love the not-so-perfectly symmetrical windows. It shows the house’s age and adds so much character you would never find in a ..read more

Where the Master Bedroom Started: A Quick Tour When David and I first walked through what is now our farmhouse when it was on the market, I wasn’t so sure this was “the one” until we stepped into this bedroom. The picture window faces the back yard. At the time, there were about 30 trees– big trees, some of which were growing out of the pool area— but peeking out behind them I could see the tip of the Blue Ridge mountains. When I learned the acreage of the house went pretty far back in the yard and we would be able to cut those trees down, I practically started hyperventilating. I love mountai ..read more

Chesapeake Bay Historic Beauty. Welcome to Tabbs Creek Tabbs Creek Inn is situated on a creek right off of the Chesapeake Bay, this 1880s farmhouse is living its best life now as a gorgeously remodeled bed and breakfast/ inn. Do you ever visit an older house and just feel the happiness it exudes? This house is so obviously cherished that it feels like it was always meant to be used as it is today. The current owners and innkeepers (Greg and Lori) are not only masters at hospitality, but they clearly know a thing or two about old houses. The farmhouse is situated on an ~8 acre peninsula surrou ..read more

Where the Master Bedroom Started: A Quick Tour When David and I first walked through what is now our farmhouse when it was on the market, I wasn’t so sure this was “the one” until we stepped into this bedroom. The picture window faces the back yard. At the time, there were about 30 trees– big trees, some of which were growing out of the pool area— but peeking out behind them I could see the tip of the Blue Ridge mountains. When I learned the acreage of the house went pretty far back in the yard and we would be able to cut those trees down, I practically started hyperventilating. I love mountai ..read more

Situated in one of the most peaceful settings imaginable is a charming little red country house known to those with a knowledge of local history as “The Lock-Keeper’s House.” This house serves as a tangible reminder of a bygone era in central Virginia, when the James River was a passageway for traders and travelers. History of the Lock-Keeper’s House Built in 1836, the original purpose of this building was to house the lock-keeper responsible for serving Lock Number 7 of a canal constructed along the James River. The canal was part of a plan created by none other than surveyor George Washingt ..read more

The Allure of the Boxwood Bush When we first bought our farmhouse, we didn’t even know there were big old boxwoods on the property because unfortunately it was a bit overgrown. After months of clearing out trees, bushes, and vines, we discovered we are the proud owners of dozens of GORGEOUS big old boxwoods! Huge bonus for me, even though I didn’t really know how to take care of them. Boxwoods remind me instantly of my grandparents’ farmhouse in the Shenandoah Valley where I spent a significant portion of my childhood. My grandparents loved their boxwoods. My brother and I used to pretend w ..read more

The Allure of the Boxwood Bush When we first bought our farmhouse, we didn’t even know there were big old boxwoods on the property because unfortunately it was a bit overgrown. After months of clearing out trees, bushes, and vines, we discovered we are the proud owners of dozens of GORGEOUS big old boxwoods! Huge bonus for me, even though I didn’t really know how to take care of them. Boxwoods remind me instantly of my grandparents’ farmhouse in the Shenandoah Valley where I spent a significant portion of my childhood. My grandparents loved their boxwoods. My brother and I used to pretend w ..read more

Chesapeake Bay Historic Beauty Situated on a creek right off of the Chesapeake Bay, this 1880s farmhouse is living its best life now as a gorgeously remodeled bed and breakfast/ inn. Do you ever visit an older house and just feel the happiness it exudes? This house is so obviously cherished that it feels like it was always meant to be used as it is today. The current owners and innkeepers (Greg and Lori) are not only masters at hospitality, but they clearly know a thing or two about old houses. The farmhouse is situated on an ~8 acre peninsula surrounded by Tabbs Creek. Tabbs Creek is a short ..read more

We’re Home! Well, we did it! We are back home in our sweet old farmhouse after traveling around the East Coast and England while homeschooling our kids for 3.5 months. We visited Virginia’s shorelines on the Chesapeake Bay; the mountains of North Carolina; downtown Savannah, Georgia; Orlando, Stuart, Ft. Lauderdale, and Boca Raton, Florida; Surrey, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnsire, England; and the Isle of Palms in South Carolina. The good, the bad and the ugly: We all got Covid while we were in England. Thankfully our cases were extremely mild. Our sweet dog Kaiser had to have emergency surger ..read more