Don't you just love Turquoise?

In case you were wondering y'all, we are legit!  This house is really and truly historical.  We aren't on Main St. and we aren't part of the national registry so there aren't any rules about what we can and can't do.   People have added on to the original house at least 4 different times from what we can tell.  The original home was a log cabin which predates the town.

It probably looked something like this.  Then after Henry Dietert married his wife, Amalia Bergmann, I am thinking she wanted a few extra amenities... (Coincidentally, Amalia and my son Tucker have the same birthday! Just 165 years later...) They put in 2 different limestone additions.  One on each side of the log cabin.  They are still there and are the jewels of the house.

 

Dining Room- see the floors and ceiling! Gorgeous.  The light fixture is going.

Dining Room  from the other direction

 

This has been the boys room.  It will become a TV Room once the remodel is finished.

An addition on the back housed the laundry room but it has been torn off to make room for the new kitchen and living area. There will also be a porte-cochere for entrance into the mudroom on this side of the house.

 Thick limestone walls surround each room.  There was a dog run at one point but that was closed in with adobe walls.  There is a fireplace in what was the log cabin and now is the entry hall.

We were told this fireplace was original.  We even heard a story about bent willow twigs that were seen when the plaster was repaired by a previous owner.  We aren't sure what to think.  It appears to be a potbellied stove that has been plastered over.  IF it is old and special, we will incorporate it in the design.  If it is a 70s kiva or beehive fireplace... maybe not so much.

At some point this sweet little building was added.
 

 

  It was probably a kitchen.  Right now, it is the clubhouse or toy storage for outdoor toys.  It will become a potting shed soon.  Well, as soon as I can wrestle it from my boys.

  Some other additions or remodels came in the early 80s and again in the mid 90s.  Our galley kitchen was small but we made the best of the situation. Gourmet meals were created right there in spite of that sweet tile backsplash and limited space.

I am not sure who is responsible for what remains but I get one question from almost everyone who was ever in my house before we bought it..."What are you planning to do with the turquoise bathroom?"  What exactly do they want me to say?  The one with the Kickapoo symbols?

 And the glass brick that allows a fractured glimpse into the hallway from inside the shower?

 And saloon doors that provide entrance into the bathroom, toilet and closet?

Oh, gee, we love it!  Wouldn't change a thing.  It takes me back to my days at Camp Arrowhead.  Any little girl who went to Camp Arrowhead or now Camp Honey Creek, would love it!

Uh oh, whoops, it is gone now...

 So is this one.

And this one!

We have gotten rid of all 2 1/2 baths and we will be adding 3 1/2 with the new additions.

I am always looking for inspiration.

 

We want to add timeless bathrooms.  Subway tile, marble, exposed pipes...

Maybe something that incorporates an antique table?

It's a blank slate.  We will have a small 1/2 bath off of the mudroom which was once the galley kitchen. The boys will each have their own bathroom but Tucker will share his with guests.
(All photos of bathroom inspiration came from Pinterest, Houzz or Cote de Texas blog.)

 

So there you go!  Now you have had a glimpse inside.  You are special.  You made it past the porch!

The bathrooms are gone.  The kitchen is gutted and will become the mudroom/butler's pantry.  The limestone rooms are waiting for the rest of the house to rise to their perfection.  My next post will include all of the demolition work.  Are you ready?? Have you had enough of the before?  I know we have!  The excavators have been busy.  In the meantime, thank you all for your sweet messages on Facebook.  It has been more fun sharing this process than I expected.  4 posts in... I hope you stick with me! The best is yet to come.

 

Happy Easter!  May the joy that comes from knowing we love a living God, fill you up and bless you and yours this Easter.  And this is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal live. 1 John 2:25