Phil got busy digging the new hole...
During our renovation of Two Holt, the contractor had a little accident and knocked over our old mailbox. It never really recovered and we lived with a wobbly old box for a year. We kept promising the mailman we'd get a new one up soon. I looked all over the Internet until I finally found a black bear mailbox on Etsy. Phil and I tackled the job of replacing the box on Easter Sunday afternoon. The weather was glorious-- just right for an outdoor project. Phil got busy digging the new hole... We got the post up, leveled it, added the house numbers... ...and here's our new beary special mailbox! Isn't he so stinkin' cute? I can't wait to plant a few things around him. Happy spring, y'all!
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Do you ever really finish adding special touches to your home? Two Holt has been keeping me busy for six years now and I have a page full of to-do items still waiting. Whew. Yesterday we had a local carpenter add crown molding to our master bedroom. I was happy with the 4 5/8" crown molding pieces he proposed and so he went to work. I took before and after pictures, but was disappointed that the crown molding isn't as visible in the photographs as it is in real life. Bummer. You'll just have to take my word for it that it's beautiful! And here are a few more "after" pictures... After I told Matthew, our carpenter, that I was probably going to have to put in more crown molding because I was IN LOVE with it, he did a temporary turn to end this section. He said it would be easy for him to take it down and continue the molding. Originally I was just going to have it in the bedroom but now I'm planning to add it to the hallway off the master bedroom... ...and because that hallway connects to the stairwell to the garage, we'll keep going there. And I can't leave out my master bathroom... And then I just have to include the powder room, right? I'm addicted, I tell ya! I may put crown molding in my car! Bwahaha!
So how about you? What are the rooms in which you have crown molding? For far too long this has been my view when I look up at the living room ceiling. The dining/kitchen area ceiling was unfinished tongue and groove. And the kitchen window trim and cornice board were the old knotty pine like the cabinets and just didn't match the other trim in the house. But finally... the ceiling no longer looks like a spotted giraffe! The dining/kitchen ceiling is painted Benjamin Moore's Simply White. It looks so clean and bright! We painted the kitchen window trim Simply White but decided the cornice boards would look better painted to match the island and ceiling beams (Benjamin Moore's Beachcomber). We're happy with the results. The stairwell leading down to our garage is painted now, too, and we uncovered the flooring. We added a few decorative pieces and now we're settling in and enjoying the results. Another job on the to-do list is now checked off. Next job--changing out the door and trim in the photo below. That job required a special ordered door which should be here soon. I told Phil a new white French door and white trim will make his grandparents' old pie safe stand out even more. Don't you think so?
Our first project in 2018 was to add stone steps on the garage side of our house. As you can see in the pictures below, we have a fairly steep slope from the garage door to Boots' Run. It was a bit awkward to maneuver. On Day 1 the crew brought in a load of large rocks to use at the bottom of the slope. I was amazed to watch them unload these stones with no equipment. The guys started at the bottom with some huge stones for a landing at the arbor and garage door. The steps continued up to Boots' Run. At the entrance to Boots' Run the path veers off and leads to the land behind Two Holt. We decided to go ahead and add steps here, too, because we want to add an outdoor fireplace in that area and we need steps to access it. Phil and I can't wait until spring when we can landscape around these beautiful steps!
Phil and I love to cook together and the holidays are a time we can bake gifts for our sweet Mirror Lake neighbors. At Thanksgiving, we baked pecan pies for these sweet people... Aren't these pie boxes the perfect touch? Christmas goody baking is a favorite time of ours. This year I placed the goodies in separate holiday bags and then placed the bags in a Christmas tin. That way I don't have to worry about powdered sugar getting on the cheese cookies. Yeah, I can be a perfectionist. I love the selection inside the tins this year: Chex Mix, cheese cookies, sand tarts, chocolate fudge with pecans, peanut butter blossoms, and lemon squares. Yummy! We're enjoying the extras. Some are pictured here... Hmmm...all this talk about Christmas goodies has made me hungry. Excuse me while I enjoy a lemon square with coffee. Merry Christmas from Two Holt!
The snow moved in at 4:00 this morning and it's still snowing eight hours later as I begin writing. In fact it's supposed to snow until Saturday morning. How beautiful to look out our bedroom windows early this morning and see this... The birds were impatiently waiting for the feeders so I hurriedly put out two feeders--sunflower seeds and bark butter which is one of their winter favorites! I also want to give the birds easy access to water so Phil filled the heated birdbath and plugged it in the outlet. I took some pictures of Two Holt in all its snow glory. Watch the snow fall! These snow-covered roads are begging me to take a walk. Phil and I bought artic grip snow boots from LL Bean for Christmas presents to each other. Last year I slipped on ice while trying to take a snow walk and whacked the back of my head! The boxes were wrapped and under the tree. Hmmm...should we open them early and use them? Of course! Merry Christmas to us! Next we were off to take a short walk. I just love these snowy roads! But the snow was still falling quite heavily so it was definitely a short walk. The town's snow plows were busy... Accidents happen in weather like this. This driver was fortunate. He didn't go ALL the way in Mirror Lake when his truck fishtailed! And my neighbor took this photograph of the event. Scary, huh? Highlands is a beautiful place to live. We're so thankful to call Highlands home. (Edited to add final snow total pictures) Our official snowfall total is 15". Perfect! Finally I leave you with this video of our havanese, Boots, dashing through the snow! Stay warm, my friends! Cold weather and rain with some possible snow are soon moving into Highlands, North Carolina. Pam and I decided to tackle our second Girls Only Hike before the artic air arrived. This time we hiked Glen Falls, triple waterfalls along a round trip hike of two miles. Well, it would have been two miles, but we kind of got a little lost at the bottom of the falls and unintentionally walked a loop once or twice. Oops! We parked and headed off down the trail which was fairly easy at first. We came to a series of steps and I mentally noted that those same steps were going to feel much steeper on our return. It's always exciting when you're hiking through the woods and come upon the first signs of flowing water. We walked on. Sometimes we had to climb over fallen trees. Sometimes we climbed under fallen trees. Sometimes we walked around fallen trees. And sometimes we climbed through fallen trees. Did I mention there were a few fallen trees? Was it worth it? You'd better believe it! Down the trail a little further. We took a selfie! Then we hiked further downstream. And we reached the bottom. And what post would be complete without video? Enjoy the beauty surrounding Highlands, North Carolina. Pam and I surely do! I love decorating for Christmas. Don't you? Come inside for a quick tour! Our kitchen/dining room/living room are open to each other. Here's the view from the dining area. (Please ignore the unpainted ceilings. We're trying to find a painter now.) And here's a view from the living room area looking back toward the dining area. Changes are coming soon to these areas in the picture below. We've finally settled on a large area rug for the living room area and should have it in place within a couple of weeks. And we've hired someone to hang a new white French door and change the trim to match the rest of the house. The kitchen window trim will be painted white, too. Mantles are always fun to decorate! Here's a view from the staircase... Greenery is everywhere! From the vintage ice skates hanging on the old sled... ...to the top of the corner hutch... ...to Mama's little china cabinet... ...to the delightfully scented rosemary. Poinsettias are a must-have at Christmas! And I love Christmas pillows! We love the scent of a freshly cut Christmas tree. Our master bedroom is decorated, too. Here's the sitting area... ...and here's our comfy bed. Merry Christmas, everyone! I'll try to share pictures of our home's exterior all dressed up for Christmas soon!
Those of you who have followed our Two Holt journey know that Phil has long wanted to cut a clearer view of Mirror Lake. We are across the street from the lake but a heavy coverage of trees has given us only peek-a-boo views. So we hired a local tree company to enhance the view. He scurried up the trees and started taking out limbs which had been blocking the view. We decided to wait on removing trees completely to see if just cutting limbs will be sufficient. After trimming the trees at the road, the tree cutter went to work on all the trees down to the water's edge. Now early each morning I pause just to appreciate the beauty... ...and throughout the day I enjoy the view from my bedroom, the guest bedroom, the living room and the screened porch. It's so very peaceful. I love when the garage door opens and I see the lake in front of me as I'm heading out to run errands. Life is good here in our little mountain town. We love our retirement life in Highlands, North Carolina!
My friend, Pam, and I decided to leave the guys behind and enjoy a girls only hike to Ranger Falls. When we pulled up to Cliffside Lake where the trail head begins, we found the gates closed and padlocked. Well we weren't going to let a little thing like a closed park stop us from enjoying our hike. We parked and walked around the gate and followed the road to the picnic area where the trail begins. We walked the narrow path and talked the whole way. We came to a fork in the trail, but it was well-marked and easy to follow. We passed through some wet spots but were careful to keep our footing. And finally there it was! We crossed over to the other side of the falls using large rocks as our stepping stones. Isn't it beautiful? Of course we had to take a selfie! Just listen and look at this video... We're thinking we need to enjoy these outings weekly. Hmmm...where to go next?
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Phil & SharonMarried 40 years and hoping to enjoy many more! Archives
December 2019
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