The Late Spring Farmhouse Update

It’s been a bit since I’ve shared updates on our farmhouse. Late spring is one of my favorite times of the year to be in the Hudson Valley – the flowers are in full bloom, the weather isn’t too hot or humid, and Jeffrey and I spend most of our evenings and weekends outdoors. Amidst the beauty of the land is some serious upkeep, like cutting back overgrowth and weeds, not to mention chipping away at ongoing house restoration projects. We purchased the farmhouse over 7 years ago and have been slowly renovating with progress sometimes slow, and oftentimes messy. But the small victories give me hope that we’ll get to the fun stuff at some point soon... like hanging wallpaper in the bathroom that we ordered a couple of years ago! Here are a few spring highlights to share with you...

Jeffrey has spent most of the spring here at the farm taking on some necessary projects that meant being without a bathroom for a spell, so now that we're back here together, cleaning up and getting the house ready for summer and entertaining is a priority. At the start of spring Jeffrey takes the winter doors and windows off and moves them into the barn, and swaps them out for the summer screens. While it can feel laborious, it's a routine that marks the change in seasons.

Spring showers bring May (and June) flowers here and lots of lush, green overgrowth all over the garden. It requires some serious upkeep to keep it all at bay. We lost control of our hydrangea climbing up the side of the house which started finding its way onto and under the shingles on the roof. So it was time to get the ladder out and do some serious cutting back.

We've been bursting with a variety of perennials the last couple of weeks – from irises, peonies and aliums to bleeding hearts, hydrangeas and lilacs. I love how they bloom in phases, with the lilacs just finished blooming and the creeping hydrangeas about to be in full bloom any day. To preserve their beauty and keep track of what blooms in the garden, I put my Flower Press to good use.

A couple of years ago we cut this climbing rose bush way back, and this year got our biggest burst of yellow blooms yet. This rose bush came with the house, and who knows when the previous owner planted it, so we're working hard to make sure it stays healthy for many years to come.

Meanwhile, inside we're mid-renovation on a few projects and have created a bit of a mess... we're still working on the utility/mud room and have so far taken out a bath tub, reinsulated some walls, exposed a stone wall and are installing a shower for washing feet, Nala, etc and a sink. Upstairs, we're still working on exposing the original stone walls in the living room and a bathroom and designing the staircase and bannisters. 

When pointing the walls, we got professional help and needed to match the mortar as close as possible to the original color that would have been used in the house. Again, a slow process, but we're trusting that the results will be worth it. 

On a recent trip to LA, we discovered a vintage stone sink that is perfect for our downstairs bathroom, and it just got delivered. This is always one of my favorite parts about renovating – hunting for pieces that compliment the historic nature of our home while making it our own style.

In between my full time workload and Jeffrey tackling restoration projects and outdoor maintenance, on top of his own creative projects, our plates are definitely full. But one thing we make sure to do is breakaway and reset after a long day. With the longer days, evening walks are my favorite for unwinding and getting out of the house and taking in what's around us. 

Spring is fleeting and a friendly reminder to stop and smell the roses… literally. Thank you for following along on our journey, and if you would like to see more, I post somewhat regularly @hudsonvalleyfarm on Instagram. 

Sending lots of love,