The Friday Post

It’s time for another sporadic Friday post. I’ve been accumulating links to share, and I finally have enough to warrant a full post. However, first, I have a housekeeping detail to get out of the way. If you read the blog in a feed reader, you may notice that the posts are now truncated, making you click through to read the full post. Here’s why:

Frequently, I use affiliate links, and I’ve always been straightforward about that. Some of the networks I use do not allow affiliate links in e-mails. If the entire blog article comes through your e-mail in any form, that is a violation of their terms. To stay in compliance, I have to truncate posts or stop using affiliate links altogether. I am in no danger of getting rich off of affiliate links, but they do provide a meager income. It’s always my goal to stay as transparent as possible when I make a change that affects all of you. I’m crossing my fingers that you’ll understand.

Fun Links

Speaking of Housekeeping,

• Imagine Cleaning One of Buffalo’s Most Iconic Homes – The Martin House, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright is closed for ten days for a deep clean. There are over 8.5 miles of woodwork, and there are 750 panes of glass in the Tree of Life stained glass windows! What a project.

Are you looking for a unique working vacation?

• For the summer months, the Department of Natural Resources is seeking keepers for the historic Tawas Point Lighthouse on Lake Huron. The two-week assignments cost $75, but you’ll stay in the lighthouse apartment, greet guests, and perform other daily keeper tasks. (Yes, please!)
• A little farther from home, a small, remote Irish island is seeking a couple or two friends to run their coffee shop over the summer. The field is competitive. It looks like about 24,000 applicants thought this sounded like a good idea. No word on whether they have filled the positions or not.

In the market for a $1,500,000 fixer-upper?

• This house showed up on one of my old house feeds this week, and I have rarely been so affected by the beauty of such an expensive home. Usually, a crazy-high price is enough to make me forget about it. However, I can’t seem to get this one out of my head. For the full effect, be sure to scroll through all of the photos on the listing. Does it need a lot of work? Sure. Do I need a house with 16 bedrooms? No. Do I have 1.5 million dollars? No, I do not, but just look at it!

The photo at the top of this post is also from the real estate listing.

True Tales From Old Houses

Did you know that Season 3 of the True Tales From Old Houses podcast is available now?

• Episode #21: Amy Heavilin from The Vivacious Victorian blog talks about rooting for the underdog house, her philosophy on decor for modern times, and the hashtag #52WeeksofHome on Instagram.
• Episode #22: Two of my favorite Instagrammers and bloggers, Cathy and Garrett Poshusta from The Grit & Polish, discuss being terrible at house flipping, filming a pilot for HGTV, and fun old house finds. I honestly could have talked to them for hours. What a fun couple!

Over the next few months, along with the regularly recorded shows, I’ll be releasing several field trip episodes. I cannot wait to hit the road to chat with more old house people in Indiana, Eastern New York, and maybe California too. It’s such a fun job.

Two TV Shows I Binged

Both are British Reality-TV Shows and available on Netflix.

• The Great Interior Design Challenge – This program is a competition-style interior design show. Their decor choices are often questionable, but what I like the most is seeing the different house styles. They design rooms in all kinds of architecture, from Brutalist apartments to 700-year-old thatched-roof cottages. There’s way too much fireplace and woodwork painting overall, but it’s so fun to see the variety of homes. The show’s host offers historical tidbits in every episode too. Even Andy got sucked into the competition, and he is usually only on board when there are aliens or magical powers involved.
• The Repair Shop – Talk about a feel-good show! In this show, people bring their cherished heirlooms, that have seen better days, to be fixed at The Repair Shop. The items range from clocks to teddy bears, gramophones to broken ceramics. It is fascinating to watch the specialists and craftspeople tackle each project. Be prepared to shed a tear or two. Watching the customers receive their items back after they are restored is so sweet and touching.

My New Coat and Favorite Mittens Are On Sale

I know so many of you are already looking to spring, but we are holding steady with winter here for at least two or three more months. Recently, I bought a new coat and some mittens that I love.

• Down Mittens with Finger Channels – These are the same mittens I linked back in December. They were a Christmas gift from me Santa. They are so pillowy and cozy, and the finger channels keep my fingers from getting mushed together. I didn’t even know that bothered me until it didn’t happen anymore. Something else I like about them is that they come in different sizes. One-size mittens and gloves are always too large.
• Down Parka – I cannot believe this coat is only $99 now. I paid $179 on sale and felt like I was getting a deal. (Now I know to wait!) My sister-in-law, who lives in Minnesota, told me more than once that long parkas were the best option for cold winters, but I never listened until this year. She was so right. Last week, it was a frigid 3 degrees during my dog walk. We walked for nearly a mile, and I did not get cold.

Both items are still available in all sizes. I feel like that never happens with a deep sale. (The petite, tall, and plus-sized coats do have limited size availability.) This blog will probably never become a lifestyle blog, but when I buy and love something worth sharing, I will.

Any big weekend plans? M. has a gymnastics meet tomorrow, but for the rest of the weekend, I hope to make progress on some windows.