Exclusive: Merrily Mom Blogs for Us!

To our Merrily readers and followers:

We are so proud to announce this exclusive post from our very own Merrily Mama! Our parents have spent tireless hours over the last few years renovating an old home that they purchased, and have truly rejuvenated not only a beauty of a time gone by, but a place that we both call home.

We love our little small town (if you haven't noticed), and we are so proud to call our little blue house and Gladwin 'home sweet home', and proud of the true love our parents have invested to give us a comfort and a place that not everyone has the pleasure of experiencing. A home that is rich in history, many stories, but most of all, a home that is filled with welcome and a love to all who visit.

Go here if you are interested in learning more about the Gladwin County Historical Society and helping their cause.

Go here to learn about the little town we call home, {Gladwin, Michigan}. 

 

    xoxo

~ j & r

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Hi! I am Merrily Mom {Kerri} and unlike my daughters Merrily Jenna and Merrily Raechel, I have no fashion finesse. Only with their help can I put an outfit together!

One passion I do have is all things historic and architectural. Recently, my husband and I purchased a 113-year-old home that really needed some TLC. It was a sight for sore eyes in the neighborhood.  My husband thought I was crazy because we had never taken on that magnitude of a renovation project before.  I ignored his opinion and three years later, we have persevered through the toughest projects and are getting to the fun of making it our home.

We were asked by the Gladwin County Historical Society to showcase our home in the Gladwin County Historical Society Home Tour of 2013. We were hesitant at first, but with some prompting from our neighbors who have encouraged us from the beginning of this crazy endeavor, we agreed!

The tour went better than expected and it was a fantastic time.  The day of the tour, people came to our home on an old double-decker bus with the driver and some of the members of the historical society dressing accurately in the early 20^th century time period when the home was built (1900)!  As the tourists came inside, my job was to narrate some of the original features of the home. This includes:

·      Original windows, windowsills, and casings, along with original wood trim

·      Orignal fireplace

·      Original wooden bakers chest in the dining room featuring adjustable shelving (adjustable shelving not common during that time period)

·      Original wooden staircase banister

 

And many more! We have also discovered some interesting items while renovating the home such as old newspapers and magazines dating back to the early 1900’s, a letter written to an inhabitant of the home that came from a cousin who lived in Waterford, MI. (dated 1914 and even had recipes included for a chocolate cake and frosting).

It was rewarding to open our home for such a worthy cause. All the proceeds were donated to the Historical Museum, so that they can continue to stay open and let citizens that enjoy taking a look back in time enjoy all things nostalgic, such as the old homes that are in our community.

I would like to suggest to everyone to go and see some of the beautiful historic homes and buildings that are being preserved in your own communities, and for a moment in time you will live in the good ole days gone by!

Xoxo

Merrily Mom (Kerri)