Hi everyone! I’ve been thinking of you and finally got you a blog post just in time for Christmas ?
Holy moly, what a couple of busy months! We moved in at the end of September. As usual: I’m sorry for not writing sooner… …couldn’t get pictures to upload…I am a terrible blogger, etc, etc, etc…I guess some things will never change! Between moving in, continuing to work on house projects, getting the girls back to “school” (preschool/daycare), the holidays, and hosting several parties (had the 4th one this past Friday, and another coming up in a couple weeks) … I think it’s safe to say we’ve officially turned this school/house back into a home!
I promise I’ll get to posting some pictures in a moment, but honestly guys, I just have to say: it is SO good to be home! After a year of renovation insanity, I can’t believe we finally did it. I didn’t think I could love this place any more, but now that we have moved in, I am officially obsessed with this house. I love every brick, beam, and crooked corner. It still feels so weird and amazing that it is ours and we get to live here. I still constantly google the people who have lived here before us, and think about how much life has been experienced in this house and what experiences we will add from this point forward. I even re-read The Crucible the other day just for fun (side note: it was actually not very fun, it’s quite depressing and even more so when I remember it all really happened, RIGHT HERE in our town). The daughter of one of the witch trial magistrates in the book lived here. Her name was Anna (Hathorne) Porter. Thankfully not a witch…that we know of anyway.
I could go on forever. It’s honestly like I have so much to say, that I don’t have anything to say at all. So much has happened that I think I am going to have to proceed room by room from this point forward. For now, we will just move on to a bunch of pictures I’ve taken since the fall. The leaves were gorgeous!!!
The super moon over Connors Farm in the backyard…
Fast forward to Christmas… next year I will be decorating more…
The girls are LOVING the house and were very excited to make the first snow angels of the season the other day…the Connors Farm orchard in the background looks so pretty in the winter…
Finally, here are a few before-and-after pictures of some different spaces in the house….
Corner of the living room…
Upstairs hallway (hopefully this video works)…
Upstairs hallway from the other direction…
Front stairway…..
Downstairs bathroom…this was actually two bathrooms (a girls room and a boys room – remember, it was a school!) that we converted back into one…the window below is the same window in both of the pictures below…
Ok, in the interest of getting this post up, I am going to stop here for now. I hope you all have the most wonderful holiday season! For my New Years resolution, I will start posting more…hehe…
(Ps-I’ve mentioned it before but it is much easier for me to post pictures on Instagram so keep checking that out! The account name is “porterbradstreet”.)
Just beautiful!! Home Sweet Home!!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! XO ?
Thank you Susan! Same to you ?❤️
So wonderful your in your home for Christmas, it’s just beautiful. It is heartwarming to see this home come alive again, you have done a fantastic job!
Thank you! ❤️
Your home is gorgeous! It’s been so fun to see it come along — it’s amazing what you’ve done! And how nice that you’ll be able to enjoy the holidays without renovations looming. Merry Christmas! And post more pics pls!
Thank you so much! Yes there is a lot of pressure lifted now that we have moved in. I will definitely post more! I have already started working on the next post ?
The house looks gorgeous; I really envy you. How are you using the new building across the driveway?
Just a note: Anna Hathorne (b.1643) was the sister of witch trials judge John Hathorne (b.1641) not his daughter. She’s one of my 9X great-grandmothers, ironically along with Rebecca Nurse.
That is so cool Bob! Rebecca nurse was a good woman too. Thanks for clarifying that relationship too ? We aren’t renting the new building yet but probably will in the future. We are still focusing on quite a bit of work – rebuilding the breezeway and shoring up the old barn & its foundation to prepare to build an in-law space for, well, my in-laws haha. Once they are settled we will be looking more into going ahead with renting the side building out.
My goodness, so much has happened in this past year and I have enjoyed following your journey. You home is beautiful and I wish you and your family much happiness there. A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you.
Thank you so much Pat! Merry Christmas to you as well 🙂
How absolutely fabulous! I am so excited for you to finally be in your home. I just LOVE that fall picture. You need to pick a spot and take that same spot each month or season to watch how it changes. This house is so lucky that you came along and made it a home again. Have a very Merry Christmas and may you have wonderful experiences in your new home for the New Year and beyond.
Thank you so much Judi!! Merry Christmas to you too ❤️
Beautiful house! I just found your blog when researching my 8th great grandparents, Joseph Porter and Anna Hathorne Porter. Thank you for restoring the house and making it such a beautiful home. (I am also related to Bradstreets……this is a very special treat for me to see your blog).